Video Production Books

This book should be marketed differently. I (hesitantly) picked it up expecting a very software specific how to book and what I got was a guide to creating and maintaining a sucessful post production firm.

I am new to the production world; only just recently opening a boutique production company here in Chicago.
For a while I struggled with Final Cut Pro and maintaining productive organization from reel to distribution.

THIS BOOK HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING.

The amount of money that this book has saved me is starting to stretch into the thousands. Optimizing your workflow within Final Cut is the best way to maintain quality and effeciency.

Most creative media help books talk about specifics, glorified tutorials really. Final Cut Pro Workflows breaks down the entire process of post-production in a really straightforward way.

It even gives you amazing case studies that touch on not only the physical aspect of the post-production but dealing with clients, vendors, and talent.

Imagine the best textbook you ever read in school, especially on your favorite subject. I don't know about others but I would read it through, enjoying learning the material. Final Cut Pro Workflows does that.

This book, while obviously geared towards FCP (with suite specific hints, shortcuts, options), should also be marketed towards the overall creation and maintainability of any production company regardless of the suite.
With just a little bit of translation you can apply the business help aspects of this book to an Adobe/ Avid workflow or even a workflow that has takes advantage of ALL the available software out there.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a desire to take their production values to the professional level.

As the co-author of this book, I just want to thank all of our students who inspired the writing of this book with their hunger for practical knowledge on FCP and the great questions they ask in class.

So often, the nature of these questions went beyond the technical text and sample projects that we were using in class. It is also frequently difficult to answer real-world questions about FCP in the classroom context. So many of these answers "depend on the project you are doing . . . "

Consequently, we took to using a series of real-world anecdotes - experiences of our own in postproduction that could illustrate the larger points regarding process and decision-making.

These experiences made the conceptual basis for this book, and those anecdotes became the case studies.

Robbie and I hope that you enjoy what we think is a unique approach!

As a user of Final Cut Pro, but a relative newbie to postproduction I've struggled to understand the "Big Picture" of postproduction workflow.

Final Cut Pro Workflows is an awesome resource that doesn't cover all the same button pushing techniques that every other Final Cut Pro book does, but provides insightful and thoughtful workflow techniques that I've been able to apply to all my projects.

What I found particularly cool, and what I think separates this book from others is the 3rd part of book which is a collection of case studies. These case studies are great because they're written as a narrative and explore quite a few different workflows using Final Cut Pro.

This book is a must have!

Mr. Bradley shoots and scores with this wonderfully researched work. It's the kind of book that I didn't want to put down, and when I did I looked forward to the time when I could pick it up again. It is now a major reference book which holds a prominent place in my library. I am eagerly awaiting his latest, The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, to arrive from my postman. Thanks Mr. Bradley.

For any true lover of early Hollywood Musicals, this book is the best organized and updated work around. In particular the author not only reviews the early works, but also relates whenever possible the availability of the work, whether it in fact may be a lost work or if the are any remaining copies left (even in private hands). This book is a must have for any movie lover seriously interested in the early hollywood musical

THE FIRST HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS by Edwin M. Bradley covers the period from 1927 to 1932, when sound films supplanted silents in Hollywood. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927) is celebrated as the first talkie and Bradley traces the first group of Hollywood musicals through Al Jolson's pioneering effort, early operettas, stage adaptations, college musicals, and the All-Star revues which most of the major studios mounted. For each of the 171 entries, Bradley provides full cast and credits, a summary of the plot, critiques of them based on his own viewing contemporary reviews, and makes an effort to place each film in its historic context. This volume is a good companion to Richard Barrios' SONG IN THE DARK (1995, Oxford University Press) which covers more or less the same subject and period; Barrios provides more social insight, but Bradley provides more hard information. One feature of THE FIRST HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS which is particularly welcome is a listing for each film giving every song and the performers who sang them. He also provides valuable information about non-musical performances in revue films. Included are a couple of appendices, the most interesting listing musical short films from the period covered. Much musical film history was made between THE JAZZ SINGER and 42ND STREET, and Bradley's fine volume helps the enthusiast and the casual fan sort out much of it.

Down-to-earth, real-life practical advice and expertise in an area that has always seemed out of my league. This book will be helping a lot of indie filmmakers like myself, I highly recommend it!

I highly recommend this book. I come from a video editing background. This book helped me execute what I always wanted to do with audio but didn't have the knowledge. Now I do.

Mr. Scetta's knowledge of audio technology and ability to teach it in an interesting, non-patronizing way is to be respected. I look forward to using this book as a how-to guide to many projects, as well as his future publications.

This book is a great resourse book! It has a list of agencies and contests you can enter. Reading this book is like talking to Andrea Leigh Wolf. She tells you her journey as a screenwriting. It's really great!

This book is greatly needed. It's the first book that tells it
like it is. It lights a path to a first sale, by an author who
has walked the walk. This author knows what she's talking about.
There is another way to market a screenplay...and it doesn't
require that you have the almost impossible to find, agent. You
can do it yourself. This books shows you how to find a market
for your first script. Then the author wants to hear from you...
to see how you're doing. She's given her contact information...
she really cares.

Sell Your Screenplay: Your Guide To The Independent Film And Television Producer is a professional, down-to-earth guide to effectively pitching Your screenplay. Author Andrea Leigh Wolf draws upon her experience and expertise to delineate every step of the process, with examples of her own successes and failures. Her advice and insights will enable the reader to avoid wasted time, energy, and resources in the writing and selling of their professional quality screenplays. Honest, unambiguous, and extremely practical, Sell Your Screenplay is a "must" for every aspiring screenwriter.

This book was fantastically entertaining! The man is as chaotic, eccentric, and strange as you would probably guess but did you know he was funny as well! Of course it is a bizarre sense of humor and some of it very nonsensical but it is interesting nonetheless. I couldn't put it down and since it is not written as an autobiography but snippets of interviews on a variety of topics--you can pick it up and begin reading on any page. I loved this book. A huge book for a huge personality and the pictures are amazing! Black and white rare photos of actors and scenes from his most memorable movies. Many of these are worthy of framing.

This book arrived in perfect condition and I received a very warm e-mail from the seller acknowledging my order and the shipment. Perfect!

This deluxe edition of what renowned Fellini specialist Tullio Kezich describes as the Maestro's "spiritual testament" (in his superb foreword to the book) is bona fide Fellini-esque. Hilarious anecdotes are squeezed in beside a number of very moving meditations on old age, sex, LSD, unemployment, Trivial Pursuit, God, Dante, death and the Hereafter. The newly restored black-and-white photos capturing the Italian director's surreal world are well-served by an excellent English translation. The final entry in the lexicon is a fairy tale titled "Zio Lupo" or "Uncle Wolf" and it pretty much defines Fellini's insatiability. Highly recommended.

I read this book, and it totaly helped me! I started my film, and learned so much from this book.

The author must be some sort of g-d! He anwered nearly everyone of my questions. It actually changed the way i've been shooting.

Thanks! If only you'll write some more books!

I found Mr Garon's book to be direct, informative and easy to read without losing any of the details. This had all the information of a definitive text while being an easy read. I was eagerly awaiting his book, it did not disappoint.

Filmmaking is a leap of faith. A lot of people assume someone else will solve all the paperwork problems when distributions is locked. Unfortunately, if your paperwork is not in order and you can't furnish deliverables, you run the risk of losing the distro deal. Deliverables- what you provide to a distributor so they can do their job of marketing your movie- begin at the screenwriting stage.

If you are totally do it yourself and willing to make investments on yourself, why would you leave legalities to the VERY end when you have no choice (at least at the start you have the option of NOT hiring someone if they won't sign an actors release, avoiding a location if the owner won't sign. There's no "getting away" with anything.) This is stuff you hear about in film school, but it doesn't sink in until you experience the limitations caused by putting off the paperwork.

Author Jon Garon provides a legal book that is inclusive of all filmmakers, including no budget guerilla filmmakers. Even books that deal with guerilla filmmaking tend to gloss over the pertinent details that relate to Do-it-yourself-ers. He has some beautiful words of respect for guerilla filmmakers, too. That this is a law and business guide makes it a must have for anyone thinking about making a movie, be it for no money or millions.

This is the first book I've read that goes indepth as to the protections of a sole-proprietor vs. sole-Proprietor LLC (if your state allows it). I set up the LLC today, following his instructions. Took 10 minutes, online. Even went to the irs.gov for the employer id Number. He explains the risks of partnerships, and how you can unwittingly enter a partnership if you and your pals don't set forth an agreement at the start.

Financing is everyone's biggest complaint. This book explores the conventional and alternative financing models (investors vs. disposable income vs. debt financing/credit cards), and goes one better as to compare the risks and rewards of each. The golden quote is "I have never heard of anyone who has gambled her house on a film and won."

He even breaks down setting up your company and chain of command, running your company, working out deferrals and how those are paid back, and all sorts of issues you need to know but otherwise wouldn't think of. This book also includes info on contracts, actor and location releases, and music permissions.

Granted, this doesn't include a lot of boiler plate. But Mark Litwak has books for that. However, this book bests Litwak in the realm of detail and why certain provisions really matter. This book empowers the filmmaker to understand business and contracts, what to ask for, what to avoid, and so much more. This is a critical book to own. Particularly if you're broke. So get it!

Breskin plainly admires the filmmakers at their best, at work and as people. He wins them into describing, with greater articulation than most, what they were thinking when they made their films and how they see art in general.

But what makes the book so worthwhile is that Breskin makes his subjects pay the piper, when they would almost certainly rather dismiss at least some of his questions with a one-liner. He is not inclined, as more "fannish" journalists would be and have been, to let them off the hook for mistakes or evasive answers.

(Revealing as well to note which of those interviewed arguably still had their best work ahead of them and which did not. The two Davids, Cronenberg and Lynch, are especially useful for this)

It's so very rare to be able to predict that a book, were it a publicly traded stock, is an investment certain to become more valuable over time, the antithesis of a kitten. Breskin has honed his ability to ingratiate ephemerally, and in this process, you will get a rare glimpse of these great directors actually moving outside of soundbite to let you in on some part of process. Very worth...worth.

Probably the best book of director interviews since HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT and Andrew Sarris' INTERVIEWS WITH FILM DIRECTORS. After reading it, you want David Breskin to go around interviewing every director, immersing himself in their work beforehand, leading them into intimate and challenging conversations in which they sometimes get mad at him (even the laid-back David Cronenberg gets a little prickly at one point) but develop a grudging respect for him at the same time. INNER VIEWS collects eight interviews Breskin conducted for ROLLING STONE -- yes, children, there was a time when that magazine was worth reading -- though the pieces were significantly shortened for publication in RS, and thankfully restored to full sprawl here. I have no idea why we haven't seen more from Breskin; is he dead or retired? An interviewer this penetrating and eloquent shouldn't be allowed to ride off into the sunset.

I would be duty-bound to cherish this book simply because Breskin sits down with two of my gods, David Cronenberg and David Lynch; between their interviews here and the respective books about them edited by Chris Rodley, you will discover all you could ever want to know about these fascinating directors. But Breskin also interviews six other greats: Robert Altman, Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Coppola, Spike Lee, Tim Burton, and (in the expanded 1997 edition) Clint Eastwood. He parries amusingly with a few of them, as when Oliver Stone -- intellectual macho man that he is -- smugly breaks out a quote from Aeschylus, only to be informed by the unimpressed Breskin that Coppola had already related that same quote to him. (Stone is described as "surprised, his thunder stolen.") Breskin also gets yelled at a few times by accomplished shouter Spike Lee (this was before he became a father and mellowed) but admirably, calmly stands his ground -- yet Lee comes off not as a hothead throwing a diva tantrum but as an impassioned man who isn't used to being challenged by an interviewer from ROLLING STONE. Lee, and everyone else in the hot seat here, would discover that Breskin was much more than that.

Harry Goldman did an excellent job on reporting on Ken Strickfadens life and achievements. He also proved that nothing comes close to real sparks for a movie. Reccomend this book for movie buffs, Nikola Tesla fans, and historians!

As a sci-fi buff growing up and watching those sci-fi movies I always wondered where those awesome special electrical effects came from. In those days special effects (FX) were not computer generated but in fact done live. This book answers the question of where these electrical FX came from. A compelling as well as fascinating read, making you want to revisit those films again and head to the rental store just to see those FX once again.

This is a great story about the little-known genius behind the creation of the mad-scientist labs in so many of the old horror films we all love, Dr. Frankenstein's lab being the most famous and familiar. You get a feel for what was happening in the world that reflected in Strickfaden's life at various stages and it's fun to read some of the Hollywood set stories.This book is obviously written by someone who has a great respect for the person and the talent embodied in Kenneth Srtickfaden.
The photos are facinating as are the several pages of the original sketches for the equipment he made.
(By the way, you can see a glimpse of Strickfaden in the trailer with Mel Brooks on the DVD of Young Frankenstein, also highly recommended.)

Y digo simpleza por la sencillez y llaneza de su mensaje. Aunque ya con cierta edad soy estudiante de cine, y es increíble lo difícil que parece todo para comenzar un rodaje. Sin embargo la lectura de este libro me ha hecho plantearme el comienzo de mi cortometraje de forma muy distinta, sobre todo me ha ayudado a creer que perfectamente puedo ser capaz de llevarlo a cabo. Un director de fotografía amigo mío y que conoce personalmente al autor del libro me recomendó su lectura y le estoy muy agradecido. Este libro me hace ver las cosas mas sencillas, liberarme de prejuicios y sobre todo confiar en mi mismo para comenzar mi proyecto.

Un libro práctico, basado en experiencias reales, sin engaños, tapujos y complejos de superioridad que tanto acompañan a los cineastas curtidos. Con un análisis coherente de las ventajas e inconvenientes que el mundo digital aporta a la cinematografía actual y como aprovecharse de ello.

Imprescindible!

Los trabajos del Director es un libro que se lee de forma intensa, rápida. Quizás porque, además de ser eminentemente práctico, aporta ese cierto "morbo" que tienen las narraciones de experiencias personales. En este caso, se trata de experiencias de Carlos Atanes (pre-producción, de rodaje, de post-producción) así como diversas anécdotas acaecidas durante la realización de sus cortos y de sus largometrajes. Y, ciertamente, rompe algunos mitos y muchos esquemas. En mi opinión, aparte de su amena lectura, el libro aporta elementos útiles para todos aquellos que llevamos soñando con empezar nuestra película y nos quedamos atrapados en los problemas antes de dar cualquier paso. Leyendo Los trabajos del director me he dado cuenta de que, para hacer cine, no se necesita nada más que empezar, con voluntad. Una vez has tirado del hilo ya no puedes volver atrás. Para los más miedosos puede ser interesante tener en cuenta alguno de los trucos que se explican en "Los trabajos del director". Me ha recordado un poco a esos libros americanos de "how to..." (de hecho, hace poco leí uno sobre cine underground). En este caso se trataría de "cómo hacer una película independiente" con la ventaja de que, si bien la mayoría de las reflexiones que se contienen en el libro resultarían de aplicación universal, por llamarlo así, también lo es que la forma de hacer cine americano, incluso el independiente, presenta particularidades respecto a un contexto europeo o español. En resumen, un buen libro que hay que leer.

No sé si éste es el libro de Carlos Atanes con el que mejor me lo he pasado (¡creo que sí!), pero seguro que es el más útil en el sentido práctico. En él explica desde un punto de vista muy personal y sincero sus experiencias y su manera de organizar y llevar a cabo los rodajes de sus películas. Lo cuenta además de una forma muy divertida y sorprendente. Cuenta cosas que no he encontrado hasta ahora en ningún otro manual de cine que pueden parecer, a veces, estrafalarias o excéntricas, pero que son de una sensatez y de un sentido común incontestables. Ojalá alguien me las hubiera explicado antes en alguna clase de cine o en algún libro porque me hubiera ahorrado muchos quebraderos de cabeza.

En este libro Atanes destruye de verdad prejuicios y puntos de vista anquilosados sobre lo que se supone que debe ser el trabajo de un director de cine, ya sea en la preparación o durante el rodaje. Y aporta soluciones prácticas que, aunque sean aplicables sobre todo a las producciones de bajo presupuesto, son en definitiva aplicables a cualquier tipo de producción.

Cuando lo leí sentía que se abría una ventana por la que entraba aire fresco, y creo que "Los trabajos del director" debería ser un texto de referencia para cualquiera que pretenda rodar algo, ya sea un largo o incluso un corto. No pocas personas que conozco que se dedican profesionalmente a esto deberían leerlo también. Sería muy útil en las escuelas de cine. Yo, por lo menos, lo pondría de lectura obligada a los alumnos.

Carlos Atanes tiene una larga trayectoria a sus espaldas en el cine independiente (CODEX ATANICUS - Three wild stories / tres historias salvajes (PAL) y FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions están editadas en DVD) y, aunque no he visto todas sus películas, siempre me ha llamado la atención (además de por su valor artístico) la habilidad con la que ha podido hacer todo eso, incluso cine de ciencia-ficción, con tan pocos recursos, consiguiendo que en la pantalla no se note la precariedad. Buena parte del secreto de cómo conseguirlo está en este libro. Si el cine es magia, en buena medida éste es un libro de "magia" práctica.

This is a great book! For a fantastic guide on to how to make videos to bring about change in your community check out Video Activist Handbook, also available on Amazon. Here are a couple of reviews:'This book is about media that doesn't just cover activism, it is activism, a crucial part of the process of reclaiming public space and communities.' -Naomi Klein, author "No Logo", 'The Video Activist Handbook' does exactly what it says on the label. Buy it. Read it. Act on it. Your world will never be the same again." - Charles Secrett, Director, Friends of the Earth. For a full copy of this review click here "Cover-to-cover with the kind of advice that budding video vigilantes should heed: everything from basic kit to broadcast....Thomas Harding has laid out his information in such an accessible, linear way that his book could almost function as a blueprint for any form of activism." -Extract from foreword by Anita Roddick (Body Shop). For a full copy of extract click here "You must read this book if you are in any way involved in campaigning" Robby Kellman Greenpeace "A masterpiece of empowerment. Accessible, friendly, and well-informed. No environmental or social justice campaign group should be without this book... Buy this book. It's inspiring" - Peace News.

This book listed all the budget plans and how to spend your precious money. It contains stradegys on how to get grants, loans and even studio space. I wrote this review in 2001 so the book is alittle outdated but trust me It helped me alot. It goes through the basics of what you need in a camcorder, the production and all the equitment you need! I thought this book was great!!!BUY IT!!!

Roth's complete expertise in video is matched by his outstanding writing. If you want to shoot a video like Stephen Spielberg, but spend money like you were using a Kodak Brownie, this is the book for you. I recently saw a short movie directed by Roth, and I know that sometimes those who can do it also teach. Thank God he is willing to share his expertise.