Video Books

One of the most informative and professionally layed out books about a movie I have ever read. Usually you would have to pay top dollar to buy a book of such high quality. Definately recommend to any film enthusiast or maker!

one of the most beautiful publications i've seen, the pictures are immaculate quality! the book is comprised of excerpts from the comics and interviews with key players (mainly robert and frank). it is a fine collectable, packed full of pictures of stills in various stages of production (from a frame of the comic, to a blue screen image, to the final composite). published by rodriguez's own publishing company, which explains the extraordinary quality on every page. the book also has a beautiful hardcover with matte finish. the book is also quite large, and definately great value for the price.

Simply all you could ask for. Detailed journey through the entire movie with quotes from the director and the author. Excellent quality pictures. Great behind the scenes information and gossip. Can't wait for the sequels!!!

Frank Miller is a comic book god, rejuvenating classic stories like Batman and Daredevil while simultaneously conjuring up well-written and provocative tales of sinister film noir and graphic novel impressionist avant-garde violence. One of the most impressive and original movies I've seen for years, SIN CITY blew me away with its knowingly malicious nature, razor-edge script and frenetic action. To have such revolutionary geniuses like Miller and Quentin Tarintino collaborate on a film like this, it's more than welcome for American audiences looking for a non-traditional event that shakes the rule book, rips out all the pages and burns them. This behind the scenes tome, penned by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez is filled to the brim with all the essentials that make a great backstage look at the absorbing world of filmmaking. Containing the entire screenplay for Sin City, a widespread behind the scenes photo collection, cast and filmmakers feelings on the film, nicely presented publicity material for the marketing, and so much more. Lavishly presented and with enough info to satisfy the most ardent fan, what more could you want? This is indispensable material for any film fan, and a great value, it makes this even more appealing. If you don't already have this enthralling manuscript, buy it now!

If you know a decent movie when you see one, you'll love this book on the making of Sin City. It explains how the movie was taken from graphic novel to screen. It has quotes from the cast and crew, the screenplay in it's entirity, as well as some awesome pictures. It goes into detail about the wardrobe and cars in the movie, and how they achieved the comic-book style that they were going for. Plus, almost every page has a page from the graphic novel in the background, so if you've never read the original Sin City you pretty much can by buying this book (If your eyesight's good enough, that is).

High praise for Friendly Ememies. It instructs directors on how to communicate with actors by understanding the principles of acting and learning the actor's lexicon. It teaches directors how to bring out the actor's full potential while arriving at the director's intended vision. It's well organized and practical. Clearly written by someone with a lifetime of experience doing what they're writing about. It's the best director's guide to shaping actor's performances out there. I know, I've read them all.

Delia Salvi is a pioneer in the field of teaching emerging directors how to best work with actors. She has mentored many at UCLA including Alexander Payne, David Ward, Audrey Wells, and myself. I have found her book and her counsel to be invaluable. Salvi's book is specific and easy to put into practice. I teach directing at Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and I recommend the book to my students and I use it in my classes and in my professional work on the outside. Five Stars!!!! Lynn Hamrick, Director

Delia Salvi has written an insightful, brilliant - must read for any serious student of Film or Television Directing. This book should be standardized as required reading in Film Schools around the country!

It is a Bible for Artists, whether it be, Actor, Writer, Producer or Director.

Kelly Galindo
Professor @ Chapman University School of Film, Acting Coach, Director and Actor.

May the Gods of the Arts bless Prof. Salvi for writing a guide that is not bogged down in esoteric theory. Practical, concise, comprehensive. A definitive road map for stage or screen directors, with value to actors and writers too. The most useful book on the topic that I have read in years.

What a terrific book! It's a fun read filled with great tips and tools. Anybody who is interested in the performing arts will get a kick out of it, not just actors and directors.

Delia Salvi explains exactly how to diagnose and fix a flat scene. She explains specifically how to work with all different kinds of actors and help them give their best performance. She is very passionate about her work and it shows in her writing. I feel having this book is like having a Hollywood professional as my own personal mentor.

Also, just as it helps directors to understand the acting process, (which she explains) it also helps actors to grasp the directing process. She makes it all easy to understand and apply.

But, I'd say my favorite part of the book is the interviews with working actors and directors. It's really worth it just to read her interviews with Geena Davis and Alexander Payne. They tell you all about how it works in the real world of Hollywood. Very eye-opening. And I'd say that section made me a better actor.

If Will and Grace went to the Movies, it'd be Gay Cinematherapy, a film guide that understands what gay men and their best friends have known for years: that the Oscars isn't just an awards show but the Gay Super Bowl, and that movies are more than entertainment, that they're a form of therapy that can help you cope with everything from a coming-out crisis to the home-alone-homo blues. [...]

this reviewer's praise comes from the heart when I say "bravo". I am not a huge fan of pop culture or the following it has (having had my gay card twice suspended for possessing a "less-than-acceptable" level of movie, broadway, and Camp knowledge), yet I cannot imagine any other calling for Mr. Zippy Bergund. His knowledge of movies and every detail within them has astounded me for years. Kudos to Jason and Bev for creating an all-in-one guide that even I can understand. Finally - a book that contains humor, camp, guidance, tons of trivia and of course, advice from behind the bar. Cheers!

The Hulk as a gay movie? Hmmmm...wait until those Greek lawyers get a whiff of that. Maybe The Hulk isn't gay per se, but the transformation he undergoes (personally I think Howard Dean is The Hulk in disguise) is something everyone can relate to, gay or straight. I love the way each of these movies, from Mommie Dearest to Norma Rae to All About Eve, can reflect pivotal points in our lives. I also appreciate that Jason Bergund, one-half of the real-life "Will & Grace" team that wrote this book, comes out in favor of social responsibility attacking "Queer as Folk" for only portraying the seamy underbelly of gay life (anonymous sex, drug abuse and endless clubbing aren't something to aspire to in any group). You go, girl!

This book talks directly to our fabulous gay souls. It matches up movies with moods like a perfect date! Aside from really good movie advice, the wit, humor and various fun parts (like recipes)make this book an easy reading experience. Definitely worth every penny!!!

This is an extremely entertaining and amusing book, perfect for anyone who has trouble finding that movie-night-feel-good-rental when you're in the mood for some queer therapy. Not only for gay people, the book lists movies, recipes, and little indulgences that will pamper and pacify even the most stressed out straights on gays. With sections dedicated to Judy, Bette, Madonna, the book streams a wide timeline, so there's something for everyone, from, "Mommie Dearest" (my personal favorite in which you learn some interesting facts about the film - like the fact the studio NEVER intended for it to be such a cult camp classic!) to "The Hours" to "Camp" and so on. Jason's Barmacy brings out the bartender in us all with the same ease it takes Omarosa to be hated, and Bev's pampering rituals will leave you feeling refreshed (and looking hot too!). However, I think the next book should have a cover photo of Mr. Bergund in his alleged "lavaliere - all the way down to his waist"!

Green Cultural Studies was selected as a Choice magazine Outstanding Academic Title of 1999.

From Booknews: A work of cultural criticism arguing that destroying the boundaries between animal and human, between nature and technology, as mainstream green critics propose, would promote culture over and against the needs of nature. Offers instead a new way of thinking about difference. Also contends that the differences between culture and nature impact the treatment not only of nature, but also of human groups currently coded as race, class, gender, and sexuality. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

cultural studies managed to ignore it and stay just the same, after all.

"Because it is one of the first sustained studies to use the analytical tools of cultural studies and to focus entirely on the environment, this volume is an important contribution to the literature. Hochman engages the greening of cultural studies, and in so doing strenuously foregrounds nature. In these highly adroit analyses, nature stops being backdrop and becomes primary subject. The author looks at many texts, including primary works such as Women in Love, Deliverance (the film), Beloved, and Silence of the Lambs and such scholarly discussions as Jacques Derrida's Of Grammatology (Ch, Jul '77) and Donna Haraway's Simians, Cyborgs, and Women (1991), the latter (along with Alexander Wilson's The Culture of Nature, Ch, Dec'92) a theoretical antagonist that informs Hochman's study. Ultimately, Hochman rails against the theorization of nature, insisting that the natural world is more worthy by far than to be commodified and diminished. Though Hochman at times indulges in overly sophisticated and ingenious readings and portmanteaus ("worldnature," "culturescape") and provides no clear rationale for separating the bibliography into two parts, this groundbreaking book is highly recommended for all upper division undergraduate and graduate programs in literature and environmental studies. It should greatly widen the appeal of ecocriticism.-B. Adler

Introduction

PART I: Theriomorphs and Anthropomorphs

1. A Theriomorphic Bestiary: The Silence of the Lambs

2. Human Parsites in Animal Hosts: Women in Love

PART II: The Forest and the Trees

3. The Forest Primarily Evil: Deliverance

4. A Peculiar Arborary: Beloved

PART III: For Land's (Not Property's) Sake

5. The Deed and Its Undoing: The Conservationist

6. Owning Up to Belonging: Daughters of the Dust

PART IV: Nature, In Theory

7. An Environmental Impact Report: Of Grammatology

8. Beyond a Creeping Metonymy: Simians, Cyborgs, and Women

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography/Filmography I

Bibliography II

This book was purchased as a gift. The recipient was delighted with it.

It's a great book overall, well written and researched, full of
really interesting facts and trivia. I can heartily recomend it to anyone with an interest in the movies.
Brilliant stuff!!!

This is an absolute must have for any fan of classic film who refuses to let all those great facts disappear into obscurity. An absolute hit at any party!

This is the type of book, that once you pick it up, you get lost in it and can't put it down for hours. It's really fun for movie buffs and anyone else who has ever enjoyed watching movies..(and that's all of us!). The stills bring back so many memories and you feel as though you're enjoying the movie all over again. The book makes a great gift (for yourself!) or someone you love. I highly recommend it!

The Guess Who What When & Where Picture Trivia Book Series
Dave Cutler
GreyCore Press 2004
2646 New Prospect Rd., Pine Bush N.Y. 12566
$17.95
Hardcover with spiral binding - 320 pg.'s
ISBN# 0-9742074-4-6
Reviewed by: Christina Francine
http://www.CFrancine.bizland.com

You say you know movies? Can you name a film by a single photograph with a bit of trivia to boot? Okay, how about specifics? Can you remember the actors? The title? When it was released? Who was the director? Well, Cutler's book will find out. What about your friends? Can they remember film specifics better than you?

This book is incredibly easy to use. A large spiral ring binding allows for fast flipping and the pages stay put. Each movie's picture and trivia questions are neat and organized. This makes instant quizzing and reference a breeze.

For each movie presented, Cutler provides two pages. On the left is a photograph from that particular movie and on the right; is the trivia. The trivia is broken into four sections. One section features `PICTURE TRIVIA' WITH FOUR questions (who, what, when, who) and are worth certain points. Another is titled `BONUS TRIVIA' WITH three questions, worth ten points each. The largest area covers interesting anecdotes and is titled, `ABOUT THIS MOVIE.' To the far right of the page and sitting at an angle, the answers to the questions; all in small print of course.

Book Mechanics:

*150 favorite movies
*Easy-to-hold, easy to pass 6x6 format with large spiral binding.
*Color and black and white photographs (depending upon film being color or black and white).
*Snappy colors, pictures, and questions.
*Protective sturdy cardboard case enabling quick and easy slide in and out use.
*Back matter that includes a listing of all the films featured with the companies that filmed them.

Book Excerpts:
(actual picture examples of outside cover, film photographs and trivia questions available at http://www.picturetrivia.com)

Who are the actors in this film?
What is the title of this film?
When was this film released?
Who is the director of this film?

Bonus Trivia
What classic rock song did the lead characters belt out in the "mirthmobile"?
In what city and state did they live?
To whose concert did they have backstage passes?

About This Movie
Before Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, there was Wayne and Garth, one of the more successful "Saturday Night Live" sketches to be parlayed into a feature film. The stars of this comedy about a pair of friends with their own local public access show have indelibly made their mark on popular culture with the catchphrase "Excellent!" and "Party On!"

The creator of this book, Dave Cutler, is an award-winning freelance artist. His images have appeared in leading publications and corporate literature for 18 years. His fascination for moviemaking began as a little boy and continues today. He's also published a children's book titled, `When I Wished I Was Alone,' Oct. 2003.

The publisher, GreyCore Press, says "This book is the first in a unique series of picture-based trivia books that use great b & w and color photographs to test reader's knowledge of their favorite entertainment pastimes." Their next in the series will be PICTURES TRIVIA: SPORTS EDITION, scheduled to release in 2005.

My Rating

*Quality - excellent
*Style of presentation and authenticity of facts, sources, etc. - excellent
*Ability to prove points - excellent
*Target audience or age group - anyone, especially movie buffs of all ages.
*Usage - easily used as a game for one or more.

Cutler's trivia book is a treat for those bitten by the movie madness bug. A playful way to test movie knowledge and memory. Perfect on a coffee table, a desk, or as a gift.

I first heard of David Skal from the Universal Classic Monster series of DVD's. David was on the accompanying documentary and did the audio commentary for Tod Browning's 1931 classic, Dracula. If you own the set and have run the documentary and, particularly, the commentary, then you've already experienced about three chapters of this book. What remains is a rich mine of details about every aspect of Dracula, the book, movies, and culture. And what a lot there is.

David's writing, like his speech, is precise, educated, and loaded with literary allusions. While no dilettante, I consider myself well read and was still left with the occasional "what the hell is talking about?" moment. The language is rich and occasionally reminds me of the mental images drawn by Anne Rice at the height of her powers. However, David is no snob and is not merely parading his impressive intellect - it's just that he knows so darn much about the subject.

And if I had any criticism of the book that would be it - David seems driven to exhaustively document every possible aspect of Dracula's existence. The detailed (and seemingly never ending) battles between Florence Stoker and the makers of "Nosferatu" is described in such detail that I wanted to scream "OKAY!! We get it! Nosferatu was a Dracula rip off and Flo didn't like it!!" But eventually the tale moves on and sets the stage for intricate negotiations between the Stoker estate and Universal. In retrospect (and considering how handsomely the studio profited) it's interesting to see that Universal bought almost unlimited use of the vampire for the paltry sum of $25,000.00 and is still making oodles of money hand over fist today. David covers all aspects of vampire lore from Byron's "The Giaour" (1813) to Mel Brooks' "Dracula, Dead and Loving It" (1995). And everything in between. Trust me, if it can be construed to be in any way connected with Dracula, it's in this book.

If you have any interest in gothic culture, or the movies that spawned it, this is a must have. Reading it is like enjoying an evening of conversation with a much beloved, if slightly eccentric, old friend, preferably over brandy in front of a glowing fireplace on a cold, cold night.

Down deep, we all agree with the fly-eating Renfield. That's why we can't get his Master out of our system. David J. Skal's book Hollywood Gothic explains a lot of the reasons why.

Hollywood Gothic is like David Skal's Screams of Reason: Mad Science and Modern Culture. Hollywood Gothic and Screams of Reason both take horror motifs we know mostly from movies and trace them back to literature, where they originated.

Screams of Reason looks at the mad scientist figure in fiction, from central European vivisectionists like Dr. Frankenstein to postwar American A-bomb scientists. Hollywood Gothic is more narrow - - it covers Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, the plays adapted from it, and then the movies inspired by it - - F.W. Murnau's silent film Nosferatu, then the Universal and Hammer horror films.


Skal goes into detail about Bela Lugosi's career as Dracula on stage and film. He also digs up a lot of interesting information about the Spanish-language Dracula made simultaneously with the Bela Lugosi movie by producer Paul Kohner and cinematographer George Robinson - - who was responsible for the look of later Universal horror films like Dracula's Daughter and House of Dracula.

Kohner fell in love with and married the real star of the Spanish-language Dracula, Lupita Tovar as Eva - - the Mina Harker character - - and who could blame him. Skal calls her a "truly ingenuous ingenue." In Mexico she could barely go out in public without being mobbed.

Except for Bela Lugosi himself, almost everything about Kohner's Spanish version is better than Browning's. (That's my opinion from watching the movies, not just reading Hollywood Gothic.) Skal quotes people who worked on Tod Browning's Dracula that Browning was barely paying attention to the movie he was making.

For instance, when Dracula welcomes Jonathan Harker to his castle from the top of the staircase, in the English version a huge spider web is off to the side behind Dracula, but in the Spanish version Dracula is framed in the center of the web. We see Dracula rise from his coffin in the Spanish version where Browning just shows him suddenly standing there. (Seeing Christopher Lee rise from his coffin, or be destroyed in it, was always a high point of the Hammer movies for me.) Every night Kohner's director George Melford looked at the film Browning's crew shot during the day and improved on it for their version.

But there was (and is) something in the idea of the vampire that makes readers and audiences forgive hack storytelling.

If you haven't seen them already, you should watch the films before reading Hollywood Gothic. The Universal Legacy Collection of Dracula contains the Lugosi film, the Spanish-language version, Dracula's Daughter, and Son of Dracula. (There's more, but those are the best. Universal's release of the Legacy Collections of Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man are the only good thing to come from the marketing of the movie Van Helsing.)

Hollywood Gothic has a lot of illustrations, many of which are theatrical and film ephemera from Skal's personal collection. (Yesterday I saw The Aristocrats - - Penn Gillette's documentary about the world's filthiest joke - - and one of the comedians was wearing a T-shirt with Dracula's face from the cover of the first Modern Library edition of the novel. SIDE NOTE: See The Aristocrats - - it's about how to tell a story and keep an audience hooked as much as it is about the history of blue humor.)

Reading Hollywood Gothic made me finally read Bram Stoker's novel. Because I've seen so many movies that tell the story I never read the book. While the writing style isn't great, at least it moves along, and you're introduced to Dracula right away.


I read over half of the 600-page novel The Historian - - apparently foredoomed to be a bestseller and a blockbuster movie - - and the character Dracula still hadn't made an appearance. I skimmed to the end and read the climax, but I was disappointed. When you build Dracula up as such a powerful being, it's hard to destroy him in a way that doesn't seem anticlimactic. (That's one of the reasons Kim Newman has given for why he started writing his Anno Dracula series - - if Dracula is such a terrible force, how could he be tracked down and killed so easily by an insane Dutch doctor and three upper-class twits who belong in the Drones Club with Bertie Wooster?)
And why do characters in The Historian struggle to find copies of Bram Stoker's novel at university libraries? It's been out in paperback all over the world since the early 1900s. Go to any W.H. Smith.

Filmmakers who've told the Dracula story understand something novelists sometimes don't - - Dracula shouldn't be just a menace offstage, he's the protagonist of the story. Dracula is the hero. He's the one we want to see - - and be. That's why our mothers were displeased when they caught us watching monster movies on TV when we were kids. Mom knew what we were thinking. The reason Stoker's novel works at all is because we're introduced to Dracula at the beginning, when Harker comes to Translyvania. What makes the novel disappointing is that we hardly see Dracula again after that.

But Skal reminds us that "La sangre es la vida." Dracula isn't going anywhere.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION: Check out Vampires: Los Muertos (see my review), the sequel to John Carpenter's Vampires, and an underrated movie. To me, it's a vampire movie that shows the monster as a Third World victim of globalist Van Helsings. (A rich white American woman can get the medicine she needs to stay alive (un-undead), while the brown vampire, stolen from her peasant family by a rich landowner, has only one way to get the sangre she needs. (I also like vampire movies that show how vampires might experience time differently than mortals - - Queen of the Damned also does this in an interesting way.) There's a scene of slow-motion slaughter in Los Muertos that the monstrous child in me responded to. Los Muertos also has the most sexist line I've every heard in a vampire movie, but you still identify with the female master vampire.

David J. Skal is as readable as ever is this newly revised edition of the definitive Hollywood Gothic as he covers the history of Dracula from his creation by Bram Stoker to the various and multiple version on screen and stage. The thrust of the story is, of course, on the novel and the iconic Bela Lugosi movie, with an additional nice, but smaller, chunk on Nosferatu. The author is particularly effective in combining, in an interesting fashion, the creative, financial, and legal elements. His analysis is always clear and interesting and will definitely send the reader on a viewing frenzy. Vampire movies seem always to be streaming forth from Hollywood and Dracula is and always will be the most tempting of the bunch. This book brings this fascination to life, as it were. A very good job.

In "Hollywood Gothic" David Skal tells the story of "Dracula" that came after the classic of gothic horror was published in 1897. It's a fascinating, fact-filled tale of colorful personalities, legal battles, Hollywood politics, and a culture still captivated by the King of Literary Vampires. The book's seven chapters begin with author Bram Stoker, end with the Count's recent incarnations on stage and screen, and include the most insightful analysis of "Dracula"'s origins that I have read in the course of my minor obsession with the novel.

Chapter 1 explores "Dracula"'s literary and theatrical predecessors before moving on to discussion of the intellectual and sexual climate into which the book was published in 1897, the life and elusive character of its author Bram Stoker, and how the novel was received in its own day. David Skal does an impressive job of pulling together the relevant details, from diverse perspectives, of the novel's birth.

Chapter 2 details the legal battle waged by the Bram Stoker's widow, Mrs. Florence Stoker, to suppress the first cinematic adaptation of her husband's novel, 1922's "Nosferatu", the unauthorized German production directed by F.W. Murnau, now recognized as a masterpiece of silent cinema. Chapter 3 sees Mrs, Stoker finally authorize an adaptation to British dramatist Hamilton Deane, whose wordy, plodding "Dracula" play nevertheless achieved great financial success, attracting the attention of American theatrical producer Horace Liveright. Liveright enlisted journalist John Balderston to rewrite the play for Broadway and make it a smash hit on this side of the Atlantic.

Chapter 4 moves to Hollywood for the protracted negotiations over "Dracula"'s film rights. "Dracula"'s path through the early 20th century was mined with legal battles, and it is a credit to author David Skal that he is able to make interminable and constantly mutating negotiations into absorbing drama. Chapter 5 follows the winding road to the production of the first Hollywood "Dracula", the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi, which, although made cheaply and lazily, was the first horror talkie and a financial life preserver for Universal Studios. Happily, Skal has dedicated Chapter 6 to the superior Spanish language version of "Dracula" that was filmed simultaneously, on the same sets, as the English version of the 1931 film, but with a different producer, director, cinematographer, and cast.

Chapter 7 tells us what became of the principle person's associated with the two 1931 films. Then it follows the legacy of "Dracula" from the 1930s forward, through its incarnations in film, plays, musicals, ballets, and other performances. Appendix A is a list of notable stage performances of "Dracula", 1897-2003. Appendix B is a list of about 200 films, 1921-2004, which feature the "Dracula" character or name. Thankfully, there is an index.

In outlining the contents of "Hollywood Gothic", I may have made the book seem dry. But the story of "Dracula"'s continuing life in film and on stage is as lively as the novel that inspired it -and it is written a good deal better. David Skal's tireless research and engaging style never fail to impress. "Hollywood Gothic" is an absorbing literary and cinematic history that "Dracula" fans shouldn't miss.

I read this book years ago. It's good to see it's coming back into print.

Skal charts the history of Stoker's book, beginning with early drafts extant, following the tangled film history, including the legal battles over Murnau's "Nosferatu", Universal Studio's struggle to get the rights for the Lugosi pic, and everything that happened after.

It won't change your life, but its fascinating stuff. Skal's style is quick, clean, and to the point. This book is a lot of fun, giving insights into publishing, film, theater, and the audience reaction to and participation in all of those mediums. A must for all vampire buffs, film students, and those who are curious about the inner workings of popular culture.

This book served as a guide to go from not knowing anything about iMovie to being able to create a large slideshow project. I ordered another guide first and couldn't get off square one. This guide allowed me from starting at no knowledge to understanding well enough to get my job done. The iMovie icon sat on my desktop for years before this book opened it's utility. A small and worthwhile investment to get the most out of this software. It has even given me the bug to get a camcorder and move from photography to videography.

I love this book. Its so easy to read and informative that it'll suit any age! Its an easy way to get the know-how on Imovie and Idvd and also helps seasoned ammatures (like myself) brush up on the commands and answers any questions you might have.

As digital video cameras spawn in the hands of you, me, parents and tourists like cockroaches in my kitchen we find ourselves needing the kind of technical and aesthetic help not really seen since the advent of `desktop publishing'. Once again a `Missing Manual' has come to my help. `iMovie 3 & iDVD: The Missing Manual' is an excellent book.

I previously reviewed iPhoto2: The Missing Manual and said "The target audience for this book would probably be a little less technical than myself, however when I find myself in a field I don't understand well I don't mind a little stuff for the absolute newbie" -- and once again this is true. iMovie 3 & iDVD: The Missing Manual finds me in an area where I am technically inferior. Once again I truly appreciated this book and its style.

The book is broken up into four sections, one devoted to video cameras and shooting a movie, a large one on editing in iMovie 3, and smaller sections on exporting out of iMovie 3 and on using iDVD. At the end are two useful appendices: the first is a menu-by-menu look at iMovie 3, and the second is an iMovie 3 troubleshooting guide. The latter is often needed and always useful -- iMovie 3 still has more than one bug.

The first section gives a great deal of incredibly useful information about video cameras and how to use them, including hints on various types of shooting such as sporting events, interviews and weddings. The technical information on cameras is perfect if you have yet to buy a camera, including a guide to which features are essential and which unnecessary as you can do the same thing (only better) in iMovie 3. When it goes on to the `how to shoot' section, you get pretty much the same advice you'll get anywhere, but since we didn't really read all of from the last book on video we read (and forgot half the bits we did read) it's nice to have it there again.

The second section does a good job of explaining the details of iMovie 3, even down to some of its shortcomings and bugs. I also appreciated the way it spent as much time on improving the quality of the finished film as it did telling me how to use the various parts of the software. It follows a logical sequence through the movie-making process, giving good details on how iMovie does the job, how to get the best result and what sort of things to avoid -- particularly useful for things like transitions and effects when less is best.

The third section, titled "Finding Your Audience," is a bit more of a problem. It really has nothing to do with finding an audience and a lot more to do with QuickTime. The section first spends ten pages telling us how to get our edited film back onto the camcorder or onto a VCR, then it spends a lot of time dealing with exporting to QuickTime, including posting movies to the web and some info on using the QuickTime player, including some "tricks" with QuickTime Player Pro.

The attention to the finished product in the second section carries through to the fourth section on iDVD, though the writing here is not quite as good. It is incredibly informative, however. I learned a great deal about putting together all sorts of iDVD projects, including ways of customizing almost every aspect of the finished product.

O'Reilly have the usual marketing stuff on their website while Pogue Press have the handy little Missing CD section with links to all the free and shareware software mentioned in the book. Neither has a sample chapter or the table of contents.

One of the drawbacks of getting free software is that we don't get good free documentation. One of the benefits of free software is that we can choose which `documentation' to buy. Some people might prefer the style of the `Dummies' books, others the style of Peachpit's Visual Quickstart Guide. I've had a look at all three and like the balance of depth and explanation that Pogue has in his `Missing Manual' series. I once again find myself recommending a `Missing Manual' to everyone. While catering to the beginner, this book goes deep enough that all but the most long-term user of these two pieces of software will find something to learn in this volume.

Yup. This book really made using iMovie for the first time a walk in the park.
Wiht absolutely no prior experience in this sort of stuff (the closest I've come is Photoshop Elements), I was able to, on the first try, make a music video of my son's first christmas.
I was then able to convert an old videotape from the late 70's into a gleaming, groovy DVD.
The book is well laid out, easy to navigate and above all, usable.
It's a five-star manual, no doubt about it.

I bought this book as an afterthought when I started using I-Movie. At first, like most of us, I thought--hey, I can use I-movie intuitively without a manual...but after my Imovie 3.0 crashed and corrupted the movie I'd been working on for 100+ hours, I was eternally grateful to have it nearby. This manual is wonderfully organized, very easy-to-understand, and answers virtually every question you could have about I-Movie and I-DVD. It walks you through everything from how to shoot footage that is eye-appealing...to editing it to a work-of-art in I-movie...to converting it to a Quicktime video and/or burning it to DVD. It is honestly one of the best manuals I've ever used for anything---clear, concise, yet comprehensive. Thanksfully, you don't need to read the whole book in order to "get started" with I-movie; rather, it's a great tool to pick up on an "as needed" basis while you're editing. This book is definitely worth the small investment. It truly is "the missing manual" for I-movie. O'Reilley has done it again...great job!

Inside the Passion is a behind the scenes peek at how the movie was made. It explains why certain things were shown and is surprisingly useful as a meditation tool.

A lot of folks flipped out because they thought the scourging and crucifixion scenes were too strong. The book explains why Mel Gibson and his team decided that they were not going to sanitize the Passion the way other movies had in the past.

Some folks nitpicked becuase Gibson and the team decided to have Jesus speak Latin to Pilate but the book shows that they made this decision for pretty sensible reasons: 1. The Romans had been in Palestine for 40 years. In Gallilee, which was heavily gentile by that time, a smart person must have been roughly familiar with Latin if for no other reason than that it was important to know how high to jump when a Roman soldier demanded that you do so. 2. Jesus was God. He could've spoken in any language He chose when He decided to speak to Pilate's ignorance.

Finally, the great strength of this book is that it so closely follows the movie step by step that even if you never saw the film after reading the book you will understand it. This is an excellent work and I plan to buy more copies as gifts.

I bought this book for my Dad, but opened it up last night and couldn't put it down. The book is only 186 pages, but it's not a quick read. It makes you think. It brings up insights I never thought about, Mel Gibson's 12 years of meditating on Christ's Passion have born a lot of fruits. Read it for yourself.

This book is written so clearly that almost anyone should have no trouble understanding the way Father John Bartunek, a Legionary of Christ (Roman Catholic Religious Order), clarifies the different aspects of Christ's Passion as is portrayed by Mel Gibson in his movie. Father John spent time on the set, watching as Mel filmed this great epic and has not only interesting insights into the filming of the movie, but also clarifies the main points, as well as details of the entire Passion of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. The movie is well worth rewatching ... as you read Inside the Passion and you will see it in a new light every time. Our Lord's Passion speaks to each of us individually, touching our hearts anew and calling us to a real Love, that comes from Christ Himself. This is a great book and a great gift for anyone at any stage in their faith.

This book is actual written by John Bartunek. He is a priest with wonderful insites. He speant a great deal of time on the set when it was being filmed and during the editing. This is a great companion to the movie.
I Loved this book so much I bought a copy for my mother and myself as well- and I will probably being buying them for a few people I know this year (just before) Easter.
I Hope that he writes more books in the future.

I saw Fr. John Bartunek (the author) give a presentation on The Passion of Christ (event and film) last night to a surprisingly packed (who knew so many people would show up on a Tuesday night to discuss a two-year old film?) university campus church auditorium of over 500 people (students and community members). His presentation, like his book, gives a fascinating and compelling account of the theology and symbolism that went into the making of Mel Gibson's film. The presentation was electrifying; the book is no less moving and thought-provoking. For example, there's a very short scene in the film when, in the midst of the horrific flogging of Christ, the camera turns to what appears to be a shot of a young mother with her infant child in the crowd. As the camera moves in on them, however, we find that the woman is not beautiful, but very odd and sinister, and the baby almost inhuman, as we see when it turns its head to give the viewer an evil smile. The symbolism: The woman represents the devil and the child his handiwork. Gibson takes an iconoclastic image of Beauty (Madonna and Child) and turns it into Evil (devil and inhuman offspring). The point:
Evil is not immediately identifiable as starkly evil; rather, evil is simply beauty that has become distorted and false. It tempts us into thinking it is one thing, when in fact it is quite something else. The significance, twofold: to illustrate the devil's role in the suffering and death of Christ and, perhaps more importantly, to show that when Christ is at his weakest (including in modern society), the devil gains a foothold. Interesting tidbit: Gibson used a beautiful actress as the devil, had her head and eyebrows shaved, and used makeup to turn her into something very un-beautiful. And this was only one 20-second scene! The examples go on and on. As a liberal-minded Catholic unhappy with the "culture wars" surrounding so many issues today, I was pleased to see that this film had no agenda other than to relate the Gospel story with the major theme being Christ's love for all humanity, including not only us simple sinners but also those who beat, mock, and kill him, in various ways. It's an invigorating story and makes the book well worth reading.

This is such a treasure! It shows life inside Termite Terrace and preserves the history like a textbook. The author shares stories that aren't covered in other books and talks about the people who weren't in the spotlight of the Golden Era. I was amazed to find someone who had lived through it and been there had written this. Any students of Looney Tunes, animation, or cartoon history should read this book.

If you've read any other animation history books, you've gotten a basic idea of how things were during "Golden Age" of the 30's and 40's. But not only is Living Life Inside The Lines one of the few books written someone who actually worked in animation during that period, it's the only book I've seen written by an ink & paint artist, which gives it a point of view of the animation world that other books never mention.

Sigall also tells stories of people like Irv Spence and Phil Monroe who were a big part of animation history, but have never gotten much mention in books. And having worked at numerous studios and ink & paint houses, she has very broad perspective on how the animation industry has changed from the 30's thorough to the 80's. Plus her pleasant demeanor makes for a nice, easy-going read.

If you're interested in animation, this book is a perfect supplement to your library.

I know the son of the writer and was eager to read her book. I have done computer animation and presently am in involved in video production. I found this personal history of the early days of animation to be fun, informative, and came away feeling I had a better knowledge of the people involved in this wonderful form of visual art!

If you love animation, history of early animation days...this book is a wonderful read!

When Chuck Jones received his special Academy Award in the mid-1990s, he wondered aloud from the stage where all the "laughing faces of Termite Terrace" had gone. They're right here in Martha Goldman Sigall's wonderful book. Martha was a central participant in the Golden Age of the animated short: she inked and painted on timeless, classic films directed by Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson, Frank Tashlin, Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, and others, and almost certainly contributed to more animated films than all of them combined, probably without receiving a single screen credit in that era. But she sketches the men and women who sketched Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry masterfully in this extremely well-written book, which, like Martha herself, is very warm, funny, and people-oriented. Her personal portraits of artists like Treg Brown, Virgil Ross, Ben Washam, and many others are a crucial contribution to animation history as well as a fun and funny reading experience.

This is the best book on the Schlesinger studio (birthplace of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and many others), and provides perhaps a thousand important details about that historic cartoon studio and MGM's that aren't found elsewhere. Martha sketches the 1941 strike, the Red Scare, wartime Hollywood, and other events from the animation community's perspective, and also sheds light on the historic industry locations such as 861 Seward, where six different studios sought shelter through the years; the neat and clean (but long gone) MGM building in Culver City, and the shabby Van Ness home of Leon Schlesinger and his "kids".

In what may be the last major eyewitness account of the classic era of animation, Martha raises the spirit of those long-gone laughing faces, and humanizes the creation of the great cartoons and timeless characters that will last forever. The joy she obviously felt in her career infuses the book and the reader.

Martha and her husband Sol, who, happily, is also heard from here, have always been like beloved grandparents to animators in Southern California (one of which this author was for a few years), but in 1996 they kindly donated themselves to the Warner Brothers Museum and are now officially public treasures. If you're not in the area, you can claim your share of them right here in this wonderful book. They should designate a rating higher than five stars for it.

I love reading stories from animations golden age and this book is especially charming.
Most people don't know it, but the ink and paint departments in all the major and minor studios were the real unsung heroes of the cartoon business-many ladies being accomplished artists in their own right and having the ability to take well drawn line drawings and just adding the right touch to each cel that the scenes would really shine. Water effects being one of the areas of animation that without great inkers and painters could tend to look "hokey".
I give this book 5 stars, but I wish it had more pictures!!

A nice book with the screenplay of the movie, some photos from the backstage and a very small interview to most of the main characters. For all the people (like me) who have loved this movie and its marvellous all-star cast.

WHAT IT IS
This is one of the best presentations of a script I've purchased in recent months. There's loads of extras in this paperback including some queries with the principle actors, bascstories on characters, cut scenes and storylines, great photos (behind the scenes as well as infront of the camera) and of course, the full screenplay.

WHY I PURCHASED IT
In general this is one of my favorite movies, but I am also an aspiring screenwriter and am currently using this screenplay to assist me with formatting my own intersecting lives in my screen play. It's a relief to see a screenplay with such depth be easily read and translated by enve a novie like me. Love Actually is proof positive that the best screenplays are rewritten, not written. Thank you Richard Curtis!

amazing movie, soundtrack AND book. i love love love it. when i got it i basically flipped out and sat down and read the whole thing through. this is a must have for anyone who loved the movie!

This is a film for people, like myself, who like movies that make them think, but occassionly need a feel-good flick with just enough complication to keep it interesting. I laughed, I cried, I got up on my feet and danced, I clapped my hands and I'm telling everyone I know that Love Actually is, actually, a must see movie!!!! And, so the screenplay is, also, a must read!

Richard Curtis is a genius! Although I haven't seen the movie version yet, Love Actually the screenplay heightened my excitement for the movie. The screenplay will leave readers giddy with excitement, eagerly anticipating the turnout of every character's story.

All characters are very human and everyone is looking for love in different forms, which anyone can easily relate to. Readers will find themselves rooting for all characters. The book is also complemented with photos of the movie and budding scriptwriters can pick up points on how to make a screenplay.

The book is masterfully written and it is a great read for those who are looking for love because, as Hugh Grant's character says in the opening scene, "I've got a sneaking suspicion you'll find that love actually is all around."