Video Production Books

It's taken till the new millenium for someone to do a "how to" book about acting that plainly and simply zeroes in on just what it takes to be a great performer in front of a camera. Whether you're young or old, male or female, rookie or pro - if you are, or ever intend to act in film or television - you owe it to yourself (AND your future audience) to read this book. GREG MORRISON, Adjunct Professor, LOS ANGELES FILM SCHOOL

FILM AND TELEVISION ACTING by Ian Bernard

Reviewed by Academy Award and "Emmy" honored actor/writer/producer/director, Don Murray.

FILM AND TELEVISION ACTING belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who aspires to a career in motion pictures or is inquisitive about how the process of motion picture acting takes place. Author Ian Bernard, who has distinguished himself as an actor, writer, musical composer and director, adds to his well deserved laurels with this book that leads the actor through the technical steps and creative nuances of acting for both big screen and small.

Most actors begin their careers in amateur stage theatrics. No matter how competent their stage training may be, the transition to the screen can be disconcerting. Some aspects of screen acting make the transition easier: Voice projection, vital on the stage, doesn't come into play in screen acting. The "three quarters front" body position on stage is replaced by direct alignment, but exact positions become more vital in front of the camera, in order to remain in focus and within the lights. Much is made of "retakes" in film; if you don't get it right in take one there is take two, and twelve, and twenty if need be. But those extra takes are more often given to correct technical errors than to improve performance (especially in television where time restraints make compromise in the realm of performance common place).

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of switching from stage to screen performance is the lack of continuity in shooting a movie. One often performs the love scene before the scene where boy meets girl and since there is no build up of emotion that carries from one scene to another as on stage, the screen actor usually has to stimulate his emotions by his own solitary devices.

Mr. Bernard's book is a blueprint for building a bridge between stage and screen acting by providing theory and technique for making the transition.

For both aspiring screen actors and those of the motion picture audience who are interested in enhancing their enjoyment through a deeper understanding of the acting process, Ian Bernards's FILM AND TELEVISION ACTING belongs on the b ookshelf right next to Constantin Stanislavski's AN ACTOR PREPARES.

This is a great book consisting of various essays on film music. The new price is high, but you can find it used for much cheaper. Fantastic analyses and theories on film music. In depth essays for those who want to read deeper into film scoring.

Compiled and edited by K. J. Donnelly (lecturer in Film, Television and Radio Studies, Staffordshire University), Film Music: Critical Approaches presents a scholarly and introspective selection of essays from connoisseurs of fine music who examine the contributions of twentieth century film music to the overall art form of film making. From analytic and interpretive approaches to music scholarship, to the profound influence of the music in classics such as King Kong and Citizen Kane, Film Music is a thoughtful, complex, and highly artistic critique and evaluation. Film Music is an invaluable contribution to both Film Studies and Music History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

That line from Quentin Tarantino is just one of dozens of insightful quotes which Ron Newcomer highlights throughout his detailed and authoritative book. Actually, that word "authoritative" is deceptive because Newcomer's writing style is laced with humor as he deftly takes the reader through the entire filmmaking process, from script to screen. His section on storyboarding--a necessity in today's time-is-money film industry--is particularly illuminating. For those of you in a film school, or planning to be, this book is an invaluable resource, a welcome departure from the unimaginative text books currently used in such classes. And for those of you, like Mr. Tarantino, who simply love the movies, this is a delightful, revealing insight into how those movies are made.

Film Production: The Creative Process is a great book that educates the different areas of film production. It talks about everything from forming a production company to creating a script to screen. The book has many useful tools and information that keep me going back to the book over and over again as a film student. This book is very informative and the information is presented clearly. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the process of film making. For film students, this book is a smart purchase. You will keep on going back to this book for reference throughout your film making career.

I always knew that films were cool, but it wasn't until I met Ray Carney that I realized they could save my soul.

Another amazing work from Mr. Carney. He has quickly established himself as not only the most important voice in american Independent film, but now on the international scene as well. Let's all hope he tackles the other forgotten genuises. The Bressons, the Ozus, the Tarkovskys. The book taught me a lot about life.

As a previous student of Professor Don Kunz, and simply a big fan of acclaimed films and filmmakers, I can say that this book is an accurate portrayal of the artistic ability of Oliver Stone.

Professor Kunz, from his teachings in my Absurdist Humor course, is extremely knowledgable of film and shows his understanding of the topics quite well. He shows skill in analyzing films beyond their face value, and does the same for the works of Oliver Stone.

If you look to learn about Oliver Stone beyond simple biographical information, this book is a good pickup.

Oliver Stone is my favorite filmmaker, the man's a genius! All his films are powerful works that leave you impacted and thinking. "JFK" is a masterpiece of modern cinema, a study of power. "Natural Born Killers" is also a great, great film that studies today's culture. Of all the filmmakers, Oliver Stone remains the best, the smartest, most creative and important filmmaker of our time.

In contrast to the majority of works on film directors based largely on biography, psychology, and analyses of recurring motifs in the films, Dombrowski--associate professor of film at Wesleyan--considers the American director Sam Fuller in the context of the Hollywood of his times. Fuller was a leading director in the first generation of American film directors following World War II; though some of his films go back before then. Dombrowski's approach to studying him is based on "economic, industrial, and institutional forces" Fuller had to deal with and confront in making his films.

For the rawness of parts of Fuller's films--brutality, cruelty, or sadism--he is usually seen as deliberately trying to break conventions and provoke or outrage the audience. But Dombrowski's regard is more involved. Unfailingly seeing him in the context of Hollywood and implicitly understanding Hollywood in the context of American culture of the time, the author sees him as "an adaptive provocateur" never losing sight of his goals of "revealing truth and arousing emotion."

Dombrowski also recognizes the fact--often seemingly forgotten in film studies--that Fuller could not have made his high-budget films intended for a mass audience without the support of others in the film industry. Nor would he have achieved the success he did without connecting with the interests and dispositions of movie-goers. Fuller was the director of The Big Red One, Fix Bayonets, China Gate, Merrill's Marauders, and Shock Corridor, among other films; and he wrote or co-wrote many movie and TV scripts and documentaries. In war, urban, and other contemporary or recent settings, he dealt unsparingly with issues of race, war, crime, and sexuality at the core of American society.

Fuller remains a somewhat ambivalent figure in American film; a view Dombrowski's summation of him as the "adaptive provocateur" seconds. Despite ambivalences pertaining to Fuller, there is no doubt that he was a precursor of both mainstream filmmakers doing movies involving crime and other social topics in a style of gritty realism such as Scorcese and also independent filmmakers exploring new techniques and dramatizations. Different aspects of Fuller's ambivalences have influenced different veins of American filmmaking.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R8R3JXNHCS21T It turns out he is no relation to R. Buckminster Fuller. Personally I feel betrayed.

Chawla's book gives an excellent overview of digital and analog video and lists the necessities for optimizing your Macintosh and FCP in a quick and easy language and, more importantly, explains the whys of how things work. I also found the index referencing to be in good working order with easy to find listings. And the book goes over filter effects (left untouched by previous publishers) as well as the basics of importing/exporting alternative media and sound as well as how to incorporate them into your video editing.

I am a digital video producer by trade and this booked proved to me that I really don't know as much as I thought I did. It is simple to understand, but incredibly useful and informative. It will always be kept close to my editing station as an invaluable reference. It has already saved me from a making a couple of mistakes, that I had been making for years. YOU NEED THIS BOOK!

Rick Young's Final Cut Express guide is the best I've found, and I've checked out half a dozen. His breezy, informative style is simple, clear and comfortable. Text is profusely illustrated with specific, detailed graphics shown nearby, often within the same paragraph, which greatly enhances learning.
As a novice to this particular nonlinear video editing system, with a background in others, I found the book of great value. While I wish Mr. Young would offer an updated edition covering FCE's recent advances, I think the book is a better guide to the basics -- four years later -- than current books I've seen. I recommend it to video editors of any experience levels who want to learn Apple's Final Cut Express.

Loved the book. Got me started quickly and easily. Would recommend it to anybody.

I bought this for my husband (a filmmaker) and he devoured this book. He has other books about Truffaut, and this one still provides new information. The photos are beautiful and the text informative.

I think they should have opted for a color photo on the slipcover, as the black and white scene they used gives no indication of the stunning use of color photography found inside this book. It is loaded with stills taken from the production of all of Truffaut's films, and is packed with pics I've never seen before.

There have been lots of books on Truffaut over the years, and most of them covering his personal life, and in depth anlaysis of all his films, but this is the first I've seen to focus strictly on what it took for Truffaut to get each of his film's made. It certainly isn't a photo book, as there's tons of text accounting the many facets of a man who loved his craft. Everything from how certain actors came to get parts in his film, to how Truffaut would invent scenes in his films, right in the middle of production.

I certainly haven't read it all yet, but what I have I found very intriguing, and between the in depth stories behind the films, and the great pictorial history, this book is certainly a keeper.

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I really liked Biff L. Peterson's scathing review of my book. It was quite entertaining, well written, and informative. Then I looked him up, to make sure it wasn't a pseudonym for one of the jealous journalists and craftspeople who need to lash out to feel better about themselves. Alas, I discovered that Mr. Peterson's co-wrote a book called "They Don't Wanna Wait: The Stars of Dawson's Creek." I had to laugh. He's calling ME a hack! Good luck in life, Mr. Peterson. I wish you the best. Keep up the good work. Hilarious, indeed.