Video Editing Books

Mr. Froug was my professor in a post-grad class at the University of Southern California Cinema Department which, by the way, also included Dan O'Bannon.

None of the reviewers I've read has mentioned that Bill Froug was a contributor to and producer of certain seasons of Rod Serling's THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Mr. Froug was fluent in the language of film, respected in the film industry, and I assure you an insightful teacher respected by young film students. I was impressed with the man's wisdom even though I had no idea he had started the film program at our sometime rival UCLA. He was a real supporter of new talent; he once submitted my film essays (written for his class) to his own agent in New York in the belief that I should be writing film criticism. No result came from that (as is the norm) but it was just as well, because I stayed in Los Angeles for over 20 years, spending 9 years working in the Universal Studios film division and another 5 years at the Disney studios during the "glory days" of Michael Eisner's dream team.

Mr. Froug is no pretender. His information about the film industry has irrefutable substance, and that makes his book well worth reading. If you should disagree with him, you would be well advised to figure out why he is right and you are wrong. You'll learn more that way.

Screenwriting Tricks of The Trade by William Froug
Froug a well known and more importantly and well respected teacher of screenwriting uses his years of experience and the same clever lessons he shared with his students as a teacher at two small schools you may have heard of USC and UCLA in this wonderful book. Screenwriting Tricks Of The Trade (STOT) is a fine gem amongst the many "How To Be A Screenwriter" books on the market. Automatically what separates this book from everyone else is that STOT has found the rare balance of juggling the classical elements that make up a screenplay (old-school) and the chaotic yet beautiful way movies are now being written (new-school). Like or not digital technology especially when it comes to NLE non linear editing has forever change the way movies can be made. Froug being the lover of film and screenwriting that he is has realize this and written a book taps into the creativity of Billy Wilder, Herman Mankiewicz and Scott Frank if these names are not familiar to you I suggest rethink this whole screenwriting thing. Yet at the same time Froug is one of the few authors willing to go on record and challenge all the so called screenwriting gurus who preach that all screenplays should follow a particular formula or template such Act I should end on page blah and by page blah you want to have establish blah.

Now there are rules to everything but formulas like everything else become dated but art and screenwriting is an art just as much as it is a craft is about exploration and creativity and that becomes very difficult when one is bind by so many rules.
Besides challenging the formulas, the paradigms and current screenwriting templates that plagued too many screenplays. Froug lays out some of best advice on creating excellent dialogue that I have ever came across in his simple dialogue test I will not share it, you have to buy the book. However, I will leave you with this, " great dialogue is immediately recognizable because the reader can immediately recognize if the screenwriter is putting words in the mouths of the characters or if the characters are speaking for themselves. " William Froug on creating dialogue. STOT is even delivered in a screenplay like fashion and by that I mean broken into three sections. Act I is Thinking About the Script. Act II is Writing The Script and Act III is selling the scripts and just as Act II is usually the longest part of the screenplay Act II is the largest part of STOT. Between challenging the template style of screenwriting and creating excellent dialogue this book is already worth the purchase but when you add the love that Froug has for screenwriting combine with is wit and insight this is a must have book for any screenwriter. STOT may not have information for some to be the only screenwriting book on one's shelf but it is definitely the best second book or an add on book you can have in your collection. Do not overlook this book.

I've read other screenwriting books, but keep picking this up to keep me motivated and on track. This book does not have the nuts and bolts of the beginning "how to's". It's not meant to. It's the book you pick up after the others to change your attitude.
I recommend it.

Summary: Buy one of the other "how to screenwrite" books first, and come back to this to round out the holes.

UCLA entertainment professor Froug has taught many of the top screenwriter's in Hollywood and has gotten some of his own work on to the big screen, so he's definitely worth listening to.

One of his main points is that you've got to have a structure for what you're writing about, but not too much structure because that kills the innovation and passion in it. Unfortunately, his book follows that advice and itself has some structure but not enough to make it both comprehensive and informative.

He calls it "tricks of the trade" and there's a good reason: it's not laid out to systematically teach you how to write a screenplay. It really is more ad hoc advice on writing screenplays. But I will say it's really good ad hoc advice. If you can get past Froug's slightly arrogant, pompous tone.

As someone who is a novice at screenwriting, I found a Charles Deemer's "Screenwrite" to be better at laying out a good structure for how to think about the main elements that go into writing a good screenplay. Christopher Keane's "How to write a selling screenplay' was also better, but stuck more closely to the formulaic 3-act structure and Hero's journey paradigm.

But all three books basically convey the same core message, just with a bit of a different spin. I've read reviews of lots of the screenwriting books now, and it seems like they all say kinda the same thing.

I've read about a dozen scriptwriting books and this was in many ways the best of the bunch.

Froug has taught several of today's top-paid screenwriters. His methods are time-tested and proven effective. Many myths were dispelled in this book, and I found that it contained a great deal of very practical tips that other books simply didn't deal with. For example, how do you know if your script is boring? Will it get ripped-off? How do I keep from losing the "fire" for writing my script? These questions and many others are answered in the book.

One of the best things about "Tricks of the Trade" is the way in which it strikes a balance between structure and "feel" in your writing. Froug isn't shy about questioning the rigid formulaic methods which Syd Field teaches. While acknowledging that a reasonable structure *is* important, he states that it is far more important to write from the heart. This is one of the first screenwriting books I've seen do this - to actually tell you that Act I doesn't have to end on page 25, that there musn't be a certain event on page 45, etc. While agreeing that certain elements need to be present to create a good, solid story, Froug boldly teaches us to write from out heart first.

I would recommend reading "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days" as a companion to this. It is sort of an opposite approach, being very formulaic, but once you have that perspective then you can read Froug's book and learn about the importance of the "feel" in your writing.

Lastly, what you'll find inside the covers...

- the process of writing, from conception to final draft - creating a solid story - writing powerful dialog - finding ideas - finding an agent/producer - creating a strong protagonist - much, much more

Enjoy, and happy writing!

Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing is an excellent resource for the aspiring writer. Written clearly and without jargon, Walter explains all aspects of the writing to-how as well as how to sell the script.

OK, first the bad news out of the way: This book is often very pompous and uses a lot of lengthy descriptions to illustrate simple points. Walter loves the sound of his own keyboard and often diverges into long lists and lofty philosophy on how your screenplay should leave audiences misty eyed and gasping in awe at the glory of humanity.

On the other hand, for those willing to sift through the self indulgent prose, there are a great many fabulous tips to tighten and polish story, structure, and dialogue. Walter offers tremendous insight and fresh ideas and reminds us of the basics at the same time. I read this book through twice and the second time, highlighted the good parts for reference.

I read this book twice. It is written very directly but is entertaining at the same time. It does well at explaining what to do and what not to do. There is a section at the end regarding technology that should probably be out. It kind of felt like my grandpa was writing a chapter on computers after using one for the first time. Stick with what you know. The rest is excellent.

It was on a whim that I decided to read this book and boy, am I glad my muse was alert! The information contained here is gold, and to the point. That latter reason is why I gave it a five-star review: there's no bushwhacking going on here, it's succinct and immediately useful information.

I knew it was going to be a different experience when I read chapter 3's (Story: Tale Assembly) opening story about Mozart's unfinished "doooo" furnishing one of the best examples of tension and resolution I have read. Walter is a proponent of the Aristotelian three-act structure and he does such a good job of explaining why that, of course!, I understand it to be wholly applicable.

I particularly like the way he explains without the excessive prose other authors on the subject seem to think necessary. `Story' by Robert McKee is a brilliant piece of work, but one of its downfalls is the flabbergasting language Mr. McKee uses; it almost impedes knowledge transfer. This is not a problem with `Screenwriting': it's simple, clean writing that imparts maximum knowledge with maximum efficiency, it's screenwriting Judo.

Witness this list from chapter 4 (Character: Only Human, Humans Only):
There are three basic rules for creating audience-worth movie characters.
First: No stereotypes.
Second: Render everybody, even the foulest, most evil villain somehow sympathetic.
Third: Instead of having them lie there on a slab, static and stale, require your characters to grow and develop throughout the tale.

He goes on to expound brilliantly (and again, simply) on each of those points.

This should be a staple in every writer's library; in fact, I wish I'd read this book before Syd Field's `Screenplay' which, while it's actually good, is "flow" challenged.

I've read many screenwriting books, and this book didn't tell me anything I haven't read elsewhere. Walter has no real insight into the writing process, just some knowledge of the business which you can pick up from the other books. A disappointment.

A waste of time and money. You can learn more about DV video on line for free.

So... You got a new digital video camera for Christmas, and you want to be the next Spielberg? Unless you've had experience in how to shoot good video, you'll end up with a lot of home movies in digital format that don't look any better than anyone else's home movies. To remedy that, get a copy of Digital Video Pocket Guide by Derrick Story (O'Reilly). In 113 pages, you'll learn the essentials of how your camera works, basic editing and shooting techniques, and tips on how to improve your video quality. While this shouldn't be the only video guide you get, it will be more than enough to get you started on the way to making movies that people will enjoy watching.

I recently reviewed this and the more recent Oreilly book, Digital Video Hacks, with contributions from the author. Hacks is much more up-to-date and contains lots of things from the Pocket Guide. But a lot of the troubleshooting tips from Pocket Guide are about using cameras and mikes, not stuff likely to go out of date. Here is what I wrote specifically about Pocket Guide:

For readers looking for more information about the shooting process itself, the cheaper and more succinct 2003 Digital Video Pocket Guide by Derrick Story covers that information superbly. Story's book goes into more detail about equipment to buy as well as how to resolve lighting and sound problems. There's only so much you can say in 112 pages, but 30 of those pages are devoted to solving practical shooting problems (i.e., the walking interview, dealing with wind , etc.) Another 30 pages consists of reference material and tables about basic camera concepts (i.e., how aperture relates to depth of field). Also, this book in particular has a high percentage of color photographs, which (like those in Digital Video Hacks) make it easier to understand what the writer is getting at. Some of the information from Digital Video Pocket Guide is duplicated in Digital Video Hacks, but lately I've found myself referring more often to the Pocket Guide than the Video Hacks book.

Digital videography is challenging and this useful pocket guidebook makes taking videos more exciting and fun. By following many of the suggestions and tips throughout this small reference book you will find it helpful when preparing for your next home movies. This is one of the few books dedicated to digital video. Most current publications like magazines keep you up to date with the latest gear but this book is more in-depth on the art of video productions. The author Derrick Story has written many books and provided photographs for countless others. The pocket guide is a series of small books that includes titles like digital photography, Macintosh Troubleshooting, Extreme Programming and over 200 other pocket guide titles.

As a video producer I found this book very easy to read and understand and felt this reference book would offer any level of videographer benefits from this information. The book is broken into 3 chapters and one reference guide. The first chapter starts with "What is it". This chapter covers the camcorder basics and may other more advanced concepts including time-code, analog line-in, aperture, image sensor, interlaced video and progressive scan. I was quite surprised that these subjects were covered since these are new features found on the newest camcorders and the average videographer may not be familiar with the concepts. It is nice to read about some of the newest features and how they can benefit the end user. This first chapter is very comprehensive going well beyond the camcorders instruction manual.

The second chapter covers the physical camera and its features, how does it work explain concepts and techniques for today's digital video shooting. The section on time-code and logging was invaluable. The third section is how do I...Tips, Tricks and Techniques offers 12 very helpful and modern information on what the average shooter may encounter.

One concept that often overlooked in the wave of new technology is the fundamentals. The art of storytelling is true regardless of the latest and greatest camcorders and accessories. The author emphasizes the camcorder is just the tool that allows the individual to create and visualize your message. I found myself revisiting several techniques that I have used in my video business on a recent trip to Baltimore for the US Open table tennis championships. I took my camcorder and candidly interviewed several players and officials. When taping my subjects I utilized the walking interview tips in the final section. The ability to change background offered variety to many of the candid comments. I also used the technique of entrances and exits. This allows the subject to enter the frame follows them for a period of time and then let them exit the frame. This clean shooting transition is a bridge commonly used in movies and TV shows.

Overall this book is very useful and I found several of the tips very informative. I recommend this book for the beginner and intermediate level digital video user.

Book Review: "Digital Video Pocket Guide"
by John Suda

"Digital Video Pocket Guide", by Derrick Story, is another in the series of "Pocket Guides" from O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. Like the others, it is a well-written, comprehensive introduction to a technical/aesthetic area.

This is a small, pocket-size book of 113 pages, including index, published on bright, glossy paper which provides brightness and contrast for its included photographs and makes it easier on the eyes for reading.

I have been contemplating investigating digital video myself for some time and found this little volume to be a near perfect introduction for a couple of reasons. First, the substantive material contains about everything one needs to get a start in digital video, from buying a camera, to learning and understanding its controls and features, to using the equipment, and tips on how to get some quality production from the camera. The second reason is the unusual (for a computer book) author's "voice". Story's style is casual, friendly, clear, simple, encouraging, and even soothing, Imagine attending a 2 or 3 hour presentation by an informed camera salesperson who knows how to produce videos, who has the personality and presentation of Mr. Rogers.

It's the substantive material which is most important however. Story walks the reader through the entire movie-making process, from start to finish. Even technical concepts like "black the tape", "bumping", and "zebra patterns" are made simple and easy to follow.

The book has three parts encompassing explanation of the equipment, how to use it, and how to produce some quality product. There is an appendix of a handful of quick reference tables pertaining to color temperature charts, types of microphones, and other incidental matters.

The best sections deal with learning how to shoot scenes including how to light a scene, and how to prevent wind from ruining your audio. There is a nice 10-step movie production checklist which details all one needs to start and complete a beginner's video project.

For a small volume on a technical topic, this is an unusual good read.

Final Cut Pro is a serious program for serious editors. So is the User's Manual. If you're as easily confused and intimidated as I am, this books for you! Brenneis does a great job explaining some of the stuff you're going to use the most without bogging you down in all the details of the User's Manual. You'll be happy you bought this!

Final Cut to is a easy to use and powerful video editting program. This book is not as extensive as the program's manual but it also isn't an overwhelming encyclopedia. Easy read and very useful!

After cutting on film for many years I took the leap to digital editing with Final Cut Pro. I was lost until a friend showed me this book. This is not like other computer manuals written by antisocial engineers, it is easy to read, clear and concise. Even though it is a technical subject it never got too geeky for me.

I'll be sure to get the version 3 book as soon as it comes out.

First off, it's good to point out that the title includes the words 'QuickPro', not 'Quickstart', What this means is, unlike other quickstart books, the book doesn't assume you're a dummy. It instead assumes you have some non-linear editing experience. It's intended at getting an experienced editor up to speed with Final Cut Pro. Coming from AVID and Premiere, this book was great for me. Having said that, it could be possible for a beginner to learn Final Cut Pro using this book, possible, but not the book's intention.

The book doesn't have tutorials, but you can still follow along on your computer, or, because they're lots of screen captures you can read it away from the computer and simply imagine you're at the computer. The writing is clear and concise, and the topics are organized well. And the book is cheap!! Recommended.

So tell me why I want this over the manual? The manual is EXACTLY the same style but more complete. All I can see is a book that I paid money for when I have a manual that gives me exactly what I want.

I got FCP2 as a present being I'd always talk about editing my DV footage so thought I'll get round to using it by buying a book, thinking it'd be better than the manual. The manual is great and easy to read. This book is just easy to read! It's like a selection of pages from the manual. If you want a summary of the manual buy this book. I've returned it.

Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, Guide To Postproduction For TV And Film: Managing The Process continues to be a seminal work for aspiring film and television production producers and managers. With extensive new material on high definition as it affects dailies, editing, and delivery, this step-by-step guide to managing the postproduction process is an essential reference. Aspiring producers will learn how to stay on budge and on schedule by utilizing the helpful forms, flowcharts, and checklists provided them. Of special note is the chapter of the film laboratory which has been expanded to include discussions on troubleshooting film damage. Also not to be missed is the latest information on film restoration, maintaining film assets, digital technologies, acquisitions, and the chapter on what's on thee horizon for postproduction technologies and trends. The Guide To Postproduction For TV And Film is a core addition to personal and professional filmmaker instructionals, as well as film school library reference collections.

The Guide to Postproduction for TV and Film: Managing the Process is an excellent resource for anyone working in the entertainment industry. I haven't been able to find another book that so effectively takes you through the nuts and bolts of post production, from scheduling all the way through to delivery. If you are an entertainment executive, a film student, or anywhere in between this book will be an invaluable resource. I've been working in the film and television industry for twelve years and this book has helped me in jobs at two major television networks and in feature post production at several studios. The new edition provides accurate and up to date information and is the only book I've been able to find that adequately covers the film laboratory. The Guide is the one book I always have at my desk. I strongly recommend it.

Susan Spohr and Barbara Clarke have created nothing short of a post-production bible. BRAVISSIMO to them both!! I would not have survived the last year in my job without their brilliant book!!! Everything flows in a clear, concise way, bringing the reader visually into the post-production process. Read this book and keep it with you as a reference tool! I guarantee you it is well worth your time!

I was suckered into buying this worthless book for a survey class I took on Post-Production for Film and Television. What I hoped would be an enabler to my education turned out to be a hurdle: the book is poorly organized, the concepts aren't clearly explained, and the entire text is fraught with spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. When the authors aren't clogging the text with jargon, they're giving you advice on how to do business in this industry. If you work in the industry, as I do now, this book won't tell you anything you don't know already. If you want to learn about the process, this book won't enlighten you. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this editorial disaster!

The Guide to Postproduction for TV and Film: Managing the Process is an excellent resource for anyone working in the entertainment industry. I haven't been able to find another book that so effectively takes you through the nuts and bolts of post production, from scheduling all the way through to delivery. If you are an entertainment executive, a film student, or anywhere in between, this book will be an invaluable resource. I've been working in the film and television industry for twelve years and this book has helped me in jobs at two major television networks and in feature post production at several studios. The new edition provides accurate and up to date information and is the only book I've been able to find that adequately covers the film laboratory. The Guide is the one book I always have at my desk. I strongly recommend it.

This a marvelous book, packed with information and much more accessible than far more expensive books. It's the perfect companion for almost any film course since it not only introduces students to the language and methods of film analysis (including how to take notes) but does so while guiding students through the work of writing a good essay (with great suggestions for doing research). The writing is clear and accurate (with none of the errors referred to by the Kenosha reviewer). I recommend it without hesitation to all students of film.

I am currently a film major who is being forced to read this book. Let me say that so far I am only to chapter three and have suffered through every page of it. It is filled with basic, common sense, (i.e., the best way to write about film is to take notes during the screening. and if you can, it's good to see the movie more than once), which is explained in several pages. Give me a break. Not only does he present basic knowlnedge but he repeats himself in so many words. The truth is, the only way to successfully analize film is to develop an eye for symbolism. No book, I don't care who writes it, can teach you that. It is something that must be personally developed. Why someone would waste their time writing a book trying to teach people how to do that blows my mind. I give it one star, cause after all, everyone deserves a little comething for at least trying.

One thing I can say is I enjoy a good film. O.K. if it moves I'll watch it. But until I read this book I really was just looking with out seeing.
It is nice to have this guide confirm what one knows as common sense. Probably because the guide is designed to take you from ground zero to a level of appreciation and allow you to convey your opinion intelligently.
If you have an earlier edition you will still get the essence of the book. Newer editions add different resources and research information.
Some of the highlights are:
* A shot-by shot analysis of a sequence from the film "Potemkin"
* Suggestions on using the Internet
* Sample student writing

Some contents:
Writing about the Movies
Preparing to Watch and Preparing to Write
Film Terms and Topics
Six Approaches to writing about Film
Style and Structure in Writing
Researching the Movies
Manuscript Form

This guide is an eye opener.

Timothy Corrigan, in the preface to "A Short Guide to Writing About Films, sixth edition," says, "Writing essays about films is, in short, one of the most sophisticated ways to respond to them." In this concise book, he lucidly explains how to write screen reports, movie reviews, as well as theoretical and critical essays on films.

Here's a sample of his lucid writing. Defining terms often used in film study: mise-en-scene -- "the arrangement of the so-called theatrical elements before they are actually filmed; these include sets, lighting, costumes, and props"; shot/reverse shot -- "an editing pattern that cuts between individuals according to the logic of their conversation"; jump cut -- "a cut within the continuous action of a shot, creating a spatial or temporal jump or discontinuity within the action."

Moreover, this updated edition explains the supplementary features often included in DVDs such as story boards, behind-the-scene documentaries, and interviews with the cast and crews.

Even if you don't intend to write about films, reading this blessedly brief book will enhance your enjoyment of watching films. Five shining stars.

-- C J Singh

I'm writing to second mitry's opinion of the book and to add to mitry's comment about kenosha's complaint of textual errors. I have the second edition of the book, and Corrigan speaks of Captain Willard and refers to Marlowe as "the other Captain Willard" (p. 43). It's clear from the context that he is comparing the film character with Conrad's protagonist. I doubt Corrigan would have revised the 2nd edition text here to make an error in the 3rd edition. Don't get turned off by an erroneous review!

Very informative but not excruciatingly exhaustive. Many of the random questions I had were answered clearly. I found the book also to be very inspiring; being a low budget filmmaker, it make me realize the dream is within reach, and that HD is not too far from my grasp. I was especially encouraged by the information he provided about HDV - being that I use a Canon XH A1.
Sincerely, Awesome book!! To the point, but extremely informative - it provides what you need without all the froth.

I bought this book hoping to get a solid outline of HD post techniques. Unfortunately the book is rambling and poorly organized. The introductory material is simple, repetitive and sometimes just plain wrong. The more advanced material is very cursory, and quite jumbled in its presentation. The author may well be a great video editor, but his command of the technical aspects of video formats and compression seems tenuous.

Mr. Redrocker is certainly entitled to his opinion and I am sorry he didnt like my book. I think he was looking for a different text: 2k and 4k are used for film post production. Also, my text is designed be an overview of HD and the post production field, not be cutting edge. The internet is far more current especially concerning a fast evolving technology like HD. I purposely designed the text to NOT be out of date. The DTV, HD, HDV information, examples and discussions are still valid. My suggestion for 2K and 4K information would be to look at Digital Intermediates for Film and Video or books like it. Steve Browne.

Working in the Television world,and with more and more shoots being done in the mysterious HD format, it can often be confusing, understanding which frame rates to use and knowing what can be cheated in post, etc. I Bought this book and i found it to be one of the best HD books on the market. It has cleared up much of the confusion, misconceptions and has taken the myustery out of HD shooting/editing. I have already recommended it to many of my collegues and it is a huge resource, which can be refered back to again and again. MANY THANKS

Looked forward to the book, but found its organization rambling, and its content offering little more than a cataloging of the hd formats. It's endorsement of HDV is troublesome, given the problems of using that codec in post. No mention of 2k or 4k, and scant mention of the nonlinear systems that handle HD. Sadly, it already feels out of date.

Very informative and gave many good ways to work Final Cut.

This book was great for showing how to do some really cool stuff with FCE. It will not teach you final cut express, but is not meant too. The book just dives in and gives you 50 tips fast like it says.

If you want to add some cheap special effects and learn how to do them by example then get this book.

I just love the techniques in Tim Meehan's book. Even though I've used FCP for about a year, I learned more than a few things from these pages. (Fire-breathing dogs, anyone?) And, I've got to say that the author's creativity (some wacky techniques in here) really added to the enjoyment of learning. I just hope the publisher will create a new edition for FCP4.

This book was an offer by Amazon for an additional $25.00, to accompany the new Final Cut Express 4. The book is outdated by 5 years and the CD that goes with the book is so outdated that Final Cut will not open the files. Very disappointing and a waste of $25.00.

This is a solid book, written simply but not condescendingly. Very helpful!

good book although there are some mistakes that make readers confused about the sources that they refer to.

Great chapter on Encore. Since Adobe combined Encore with Premiere Pro there are not many Encore CS3 books.

However, while working through Lesson 4-2 from the DVD, the Photoshop layered images needed to complete the exercises were missing from their folder.

This book is very helpfful is defeating the learning curve for the program. The book arrived in excellent condition as stated and ahead of schedule.

This book arrived on time. Brand new, colorful illustration. Has DVD as it suppose to. From Adobe press, Fair price, Excellent. there are some on the website offer this kind of book for very little amount of money but be aware they are just a digital copy mostly stolen from database. There you will not get a printed book and dvd(They advertise as a hard copy with big banner but somewhere they will have fine print that says digital.

This book is an excellent source of learning Adobe Premier Pro CS3. I'm new to Premier Pro CS3 (and new to movie editing software) and I find this book great for beginners who want to get a solid understanding of how the software works.

The book is structured in a manner for easy understanding of the working mechanism of movie editing. Fundamentals are covered well at the beginning, except for a chapter about "Adobe On Location" which I think should be put near the end rather than the beginning of the book. More advanced topics such as changing time, compositing techniques lead readers to a lot of potential technique-based creativities, and fit in the right place of the book.

Ideas on cutting videos, handling transitions are presented very clearly. The audio editing and mixing chapters are very nice, showing some of the cutting techniques used by professionals. Two chapters that I find particularly impressive are "Using Photoshop and After Effects to Enhance Your Video Projects" and "Authoring DVDs with Adobe Premier Pro CS3 and Encore CS3", as they really show just-right level of details for the integration of Premier Pro to other Photoshop, After Effects and Encore. Before I read these chapters I've never thought integration with these Adobe software are that easy, and more importantly, powerful.

There are, however, quite a number of minor problems in this book. First, there are quite some typos in a few chapters related to the exercises. These typos make readers difficult to follow the exercises. Second, as I mentioned before the chapter on "Adobe On Location" should not be placed near the beginning of the book. Otherwise, I would have given this book a 5-star.

Definitely get this book. It's very helpful, written in a beautifully conversational style, with lots of hints and tips from those in the industry. Also, incredibly practical and doesn't waste any time emphasizing that there's a big difference between just being an excellent writer and being a million-dollar screenwriter. Straight to the point, no glossing over the realities of the industry. I definitely enjoyed it.

The book feels as if it was written by someone out of touch. Most of the book is vague, bland, generalized statements. Someone should do a word count on how many times Woodbury uses the word "imagination." A good tip off that the book is not very good is the fact that there are no peer reviews on the back cover, or front pages. There are some decent quotes from highly successful screenplay writers. But, too few. A better reco for a book like that would be 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters. I've read a lot of books in this category, and I am noticing a trend. The good ones are written by people active in the industry. Not the professors from NYC or Emerson.

I enjoyed this wholesome book, a very good book for beginning screenplay writers. Each chapter has something interesting to say especially from famous screenplay writers and their point-of-view. Interesting perspective from an NYU screenplay writer professor!

The conversational and entertaining tone of the interviews make you feel like you're sitting in a bar having drinks with these guys.

I enjoyed reading Cool Million. It's given me practical tips on how to write my own screenplay. At the moment I'm working on the screenplay based on my novel Different Flags, and Cool Million is helping me move forward with my project. I would love to see my well-reviewed novel on the big screen and Cool Million has given me the courage to pursue this goal. The book has advice from professional screenwriters and it even tells how to approach actors and directors who might be interested in my screenplay once it's finished. I recommend it.