Digital Video Books

I liked this book a lot. I am not a video engineer - however, I need high performance hardware and I need to understand how to connect it all. I needed to understand what it takes to put together a networked high performance system of relational databases (emphases on high performance and databases) - SAN's, NAS's, RAID's, etc. This book describes it at the correct level.

I was looking for a general overview of SAN's, NAS, DAS, and other high throughput fast storage and networking descriptions. This book has it without overwhelming you with 8B/10B encoding and modulation nonsense.

As a systems integrator in the broadcast and professional video industry, we face issues associated with the converging IT and professional AV media environments on almost daily basis. To date, we have had to build our own knowledge base to address these matters and have found no one source that appropriately deals with these merging industries - well this book addresses these issues head on.

Personally, I found this book really "hit the spot" as it relates to the broadcast and media industry as it stands today (as well as in the near future). I found this book to be up to date and topics discussed exceedingly relevant. Although this book tackles a broad array of topics, from media network deployment and management to video system fundamentals and architectures, the information covered was well presented and logically organized which made it a very comfortable read.

This book is a must for anyone (IT managers, as well as network and video engineers alike) who have an interest in producing, managing, and distributing video media.

This book is of interest to any technical professional working with video. In the past, we could view the world of IT as of increasing value but not central to a video system. No longer. This book comprehensively lays out the myriad of technologies and issues to be considered as we incorporate the power and economy of IT servers and networking ever more broadly into our broadcast and production facilities.

Last year at a Hollywood Post Alliance meeting a senior technical production executive said to an audience of technical professionals, "If you don't have a strong foundation in video, networking and IT....you will not work in our business any longer."

What he was really saying is, go out and get Kovalick's book and read it. And then read it again.

As a professional who serves the pro-video and broadcast market, I've been eagerly awaiting my copy of Video Systems in an IT Environment. I just received my order a few weeks ago from Amazon.com and I've now had a chance to absorb several chapters -- with more to come.

First impressions: Wow! Substantial. Meaty. First of its kind. When you receive this book in the mail, the first thing you notice upon opening the package is the sheer weight and tasteful abstract art on the front cover. This is a hefty 600-page volume packed with hundreds of detailed illustrations and lots of examples. When it comes to understanding principles of modern networked media for video and audio, this Focal Press work deserves a prominent place in any serious video or IT engineer's reference library.

Although this book is oriented towards the professional media or broadcast systems engineer (as opposed to a video consumer building a home media network), the author does a nice job of weaving together the essentials of networked media from "A to Z" including a handy glossary of terms for those of us who can't keep our acronyms straight. I've known the author, Al Kovalick, who's a well regarded figure in the broadcast community. His breadth of knowledge is evident throughout each chapter, yet he writes in a witty, practical style that's both educational and fun to read (including some pretty subtle humor that will make an engineer chuckle). Without sacrificing depth, this book takes a complex technical subject and brings it down to earth, making it suitable even for less technical (but motivated) readers. I like the "It's a Wrap" section found at the end of each chapter that summarizes the salient points of each chapter.

Bottom line, this book is for you if you're seeking a solid overview of key engineering considerations when designing or recommending networked video architectures, including networking fundamentals, virus and firewall protection, video servers, NSPOF (no single point of failure) storage design including RAID and RAIN methods, as well as other innovative architectures. Several real-world case studies complement the teaching benefits including specific examples by leading-edge media companies and broadcasters.

Chapter Highlights:
Networked Media in an IT Environment
The Fundamentals of Professional Networked Media
Storage System Basics
Storage Access Methods
Software Technology for AV Systems
Reliability and Scalability Methods
Networking Basics for AV
Media Systems Integration
Security for Networked AV Systems
Systems Management and Monitoring
The Transition to IT: Issues and Case Studies
A Review of AV Basics

Film is all about the image, and Bruce Block gives you a visual toolkit. With this book, you can construct images that help to tell your story, set the mood, and control how the image affects the audience. He helps you build your film shot by shot. His techniques, illustrated with new art and images from films, will make any film stronger and all filmmakers more confident and creative. Many of Hollywood's leading directors have benefited from his expertise. Now the rest of us can, too. I highly recommend this book.

Because of plenty of pics the read is very easy and took me something like 2 days (on occasional reading). The book itself deals both with composition and movement, and some very interesting points about flat and deep space. I recommend it not only to cinematographers but also interested in composition. This is a good explanation of all types of perspectives and many other things. Easy to read but quite solid in quality of info.

There are plenty of books out there about how to write a great screenplay. But film is a VISUAL medium, and books about telling stories VISUALLY are few and far between. Not only does Bruce Block have a superior instinct for visual composition, but he's able to explain the often complex relationships between subjects, light, color and motion in ways that are easily accessible. If you're interested in writing or directing movies, THE VISUAL STORY will help you immeasureably along your career path. And if you just like to see movies, this book will give you insights into cinematic storytelling elements you've always FELT, but probably never before recognized. This is an essential book for anyone who loves to make or enjoy motion pictures.

I teach a class called "Story" at Los Angeles Film School and this book is on my Recommend Reading List for all students but I especially tout it to cinematography, production design and directing majors. There are many books that talk about the basics (shot size, 180 degree rule, etc.) but if you want to go beyond that to find out what kinds of choices the great filmmakers make and why, this is the book with the answers.

One thing young filmmakers and students often fail to understand about the auteurs and master directors is that they base their shots on what serves the story, not the fact that the shot "looks cool." I love the fact that author Bruce Block talks so much about the need for the visuals to follow and reflect the ups and downs of the underlying story structure. I also love the fact that that he takes film theory and shows the filmmaker how to apply it. Ordinarily, film theory and film practice are two separate worlds.

I never thought I'd find a film book I liked better than the first edition of "The Visual Story," but now I have: It's the 2nd edition, which has a bigger, easier-to-read format, many more color illustrations and more, updated examples. The students who've taken my advice and read this book are blown away by it. I believe it should be mandatory reading for anyone who is in the film business or who hopes to be.

I am a visual person. I'm currently taking a film class and had to purchase The Visual Story for class. Let me first say that I am an aspiring filmmaker. I have an incredible library of handpicked books catering to any and all aspects of the filmmaking experience and this is by FAR among the very top of my selections! It is really terrific at not only explaining concepts very concisely, but it also is full of real visual examples. Terrific book. Buy it! You'll be glad you did.

This book helps ease the monumental transition from Avid to FCP. It is definitely a must for anyone going through the change, but becomes less useful once you get the hang of FCP. Once you are through the transtion, then get the book Final Cut Pro 5 for Mac, which answers the rest.

This book I could only find used, it is not easy to come by...

If you are ever forced to quickly learn Final Cut pro for the odd job where Avid is not a viable option, or you want to start editing your on stuff on the cheap, buy this, read it and practise it for a week and you will be a Pro at Pro, knowing everything there is to know, at least, where to find it and whether it is doable or not. It is a book written by an Avid editor for Avid editors who have to go through the same learning curve. You can be very surprised going through it on how similar the two editing systems are and most of all, how quickly you can synthesise the information and make it second nature. I fervently recommend this book being so well written, going always to the point and covering everything properly.

As an Avid editor and now learning FCP, I can recommend this book for helping to understand where everthing is. This book is a must unless you want to tear your hair out. If you know how it feels going from Media Composer to DS, then you will understand why you need this book and I might add others.

We have been an Avid only edit house for years, but reciently purchased two Final Cut systems. Most of the transition was pretty easy, but trying to figure out how to do some of the things in FCP that we did in our sleep on the Avid slowed us down a bit. This book draws great parallels between the two systems.

I watched that DVD while holding the 40D camera; honestly the guys who did this work are seemed to be mastering each single point in the Canon 40D menu !! I like it .. it gave me an overview with enough details also about the camera functions.

I purchased this DVD after buying my first DSLR. Before that I was a digital point and shooter. So I figured, if I was going to spend the money on this camera, I darn well better take the time to learn how to use it. Manuals are fine, but I've always learned better and retain more from watching, rather than reading. I didn't know what to expect with this DVD, but I needn't have worried. The conversational style and clear walk through of the first DVD helped me to understand the functions of all those buttons and menu screens. The second DVD takes you out of the studio and gives you real life situations and how to go about getting the shot you want.
I did have a problem with the second disc not working on either my DVD player or computer. But I sent them an email and they got me a new disc right away. No problem.
If you are one of the majority of people who learn by watching and want to get the most from their 40D, then I strongly suggest picking this up. You will spend less time getting to know the manual and more time with your camera out in the field getting great shots.

The Canon 40D is my first digital SLR and I had never used anything other than Canon point-and-shoots before I treated myself to this awesome piece of equipment. I am a visual learner and just don't have the patience to go through dry manuals, so this DVD set was absolutely invaluable to me. It is very professionally done, and believe me it covers all of the bases. If you are feeling a bit intimidated by all of the controls and functions of this camera - this training video is a MUST HAVE.

I finally made the jump to DSLR after shooting film for many years. This video was perfect for me. An LCD screen with menus is great and these guys walk you through all of them. You can practice with your camera as they walk you through. It's much more enjoyable than simply reading the manual. The only trouble I had was actually finding someone who had this DVD for sale. I ended up getting it on EBAY.

This is a great book that comes to cover a void between too technical books that are addressed to experts and too simple books that have almost zero content. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone that is curious about their home entertainment unit, and also to anyone that is interested in improving their experience using all the available options.

All in all a great book

Having no background on TV technology whatsoever, I found this book not only very informative, but also surprisingly easy to read, even with my complete lack of knowledge on the field. It's a must read for anyone who wants to know the finer details of television technology. With the mandatory change to digital TV less than six months away in North America, this book is now doubly useful.

The book lots of detailed information and I found it pretty easy to read. Of the the details on how TV IRD's work was stuff I had wondered about, and I was happy to finally get some details.

There is a chapter in the middle that is really for super-technical hacker types, but otherwise most the the stuff was understandable. I don't have cable, so I skipped the chapter that only talks about that.

It's comprehensive and written so that even someone new to the field can understand. The author clearly has a passion for the subject which he wants to share with his readers.

Given that we're all switching to digital TV in the next few years, this book should be considered a "must read" for anyone who wants to feel comfortable with all the new technologies available to them.

This book is pretty thorough in covering all the aspects of digital cinematography, such as what the production process looks like, how to construct a compelling story, camera direction, lighting..... The sections on Lighting are especially thorough and very much tailored for the "Digital" part of Digital Cinematography, with easy to follow examples of how to create different lighting schemes in a 3D environment. Also, the artist spotlights on professionals working in the animation industry are very good to read as they add other insights and help you understand how they think and use this information. With most of the educational art books that I look for, good visuals are very important, and this book doesn't dissappoint. Great examples of 3D animation to illustrate the points of the book.

Exploring Digital Cinematography is the perfect source to inspire or inform those looking to leap into the fields of animation and film. From those with little to no experience to those with countless numbers of years in the field, this book provides detailed knowledge about topics such as color theory, cameras, and lighting that will help pave the way to create a visual masterpiece. Mr. Donati provides plenty of pictorial guidance to help ease students into learning the subject material. He also provides some hard truths that few beginners to the field realize before making the decision to enter animation. One specific overtone to this book that makes it a great reference is that animators are film makers and artists first. There is no way around that. Make great films, animation, and art with the help of this book. Highly recommended.

This book is a great resource for animation instructors or anyone looking to improve their skills as an animator. As the title indicates, it is built around the premise that good animators are first and foremost filmmakers--a fact that few budding animators consider. Donati walks readers through the entire animation process, and I've used several of the sections in both intro and upper-level classes. It conversational tone makes the text fun to read and there are plenty of graphics to reinforce the lessons. His thorough explanations of color theory, storyboarding and camera work make my lessons in these areas more effective. The accompanying CD-rom is full of helpful material as well, including a fantastic tutorial on 3-point lighting. If every 3D student followed this, there would be no more floating figures hovering above the ground when they should be running on it! Finally there's a book that covers the essential cinematographer's skills as they apply to animators. Strongly recommended.

This book is perfect for anyone hoping to gain a greater understanding of all facets of digital cinematography and producing films/animations.

Super for use in the classroom and personal projects. The thing I like most is that the chapters give a nice basic overview then go into great detail for those that want a lot more.

-Michael

Like so many others, I'm self-taught in Photoshop, InDesign ... and now I'm tackling Final Cut Pro.

Visual QuickPro Guides are quickly becoming my "go to" books for technical learning. I have found them to be:

1. Packed full of information;
2. Easy to read (the pages are set up perfectly for us visual learners);
3. Well indexed to find information.

Lisa Brenneis' FINAL CUT PRO 6 guide is quickly becoming well-worn as I learn the ins and outs of final cut.

If you're teaching yourself Final Cut like I am, this book is a must-have.

Enjoy!

Learning FCP by reading the manuals is like running in mud. Turning to Visual Quick pro is a great way to get a jump start on learning FCP. Using this book is perfect for finding answers to simple yet mounting tasks when editing with FCP. Great book to keep on hand weather you're new to FCP or an old pro. This book will save you time and cut down on the trial and error process.

I own most books written on Final Cut Pro. I love all the Apple Pro books. But.......this is the first book I always tell everyone to purchase. It is the essential FCP reference for most situations. Of course it doesn't go into everything like the manuals but I feel this book is a must read and is never far from my editing room.

The guys at the Genius Bar in the Apple Store in San Francisco recommended this to me, and I'm happy they did. It's simply excellent!

Your book fills a much needed gap in the non linear workflow for editors and producers alike! For me the video formats and compression chapters are fabulous cross platform information. Lately, it seems that everywhere I go people are reading it. It is hot.

Virginia Quesada, Q MEDIA, INC. and VIDEOCULT.COM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THIS BOOK HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This book is a must have!

I went to school for video so a majority of the book was review. There were aspects I found useful. There are some differences in video production for the web. This book clearly identified them. Very useful tool to have beside the computer.

Do you ever published video online using Flash? Do you ever used Flash Media Server and don't know where to begin? Do you know how to make your videos look gorgeus online?

The response to all this questions (and much more) are beautifully explained in this book.

It covers from capturing video, creating a 3 point light studio for maximizing the quality and size of the compressed file, to the deployment of your solution using Flash Media Server. It's full of real world examples that you can use right out of the box.

Really really good book for starters. And if you want more, look for others titles of Focal Press.

This is an excellently mastered book. The writing style is clear. The step by step examples are appropriately illustrated. There is source video and a plentiful supply of links for needs. The illustrations are appropriate and carefully selected for the key points.

If you are a FMS (Flash Media Server) administrator or programmer, you will find answers to those user inquiries why their video looks poorly. You will have intelligent responses and tools to analyze the problems likely caused by the capture and prepartion of the video.

For videographers, this is your bible on how to capture video for Flash.

For video editors, this is your bible on how to prepare and compress the files.

For newbies to Flash video, you have the soup to nuts book that breaks it down into nice chunks with examples.

Very impressive part of the text is that many assertions are supported with research from many major video publishing entities.

Finally there is a thread throughout the book that provides the market and industry information to help you assess your choice of Flash video as a web video platform.

You will learn the specific steps in major digital video software packages such as Adobe Premier and Final Cut to fix issues.

You can learn how to set-up a recording set with the correct lighting that will be best for Flash video format.

You can learn to install the Flash Media Server (free) and use it and not be a programmer, but willing to download example files needed. Or if you are interested in programming FMS, this gets you started.

The Hands-On Guide to Flash Video if full of good information for anyone interested in streaming video on the Web. For those interested in using streaming video for anything from professional level videos to those who just want to get something on YouTube, this book is a gem. Ranging from those who know absolutely nothing about Web video to those, like myself who need to learn more about taking videos and some of the technical characteristics of digital video, such as interlacing, you'll find this book invaluable.

The 19 chapters are written in a friendly and accessible style covering 1) Creating video, 2) Preparing video for the Web, and 3) working with Flash, including a clear introduction to Flash Media Server. Having worked with Flash Media Server (FMS) since it's inception, I have found that one of the best tricks for saving on bandwidth is good lighting and good sound, both of which are covered in this book. Likewise, for those new to streaming video, you will find how to set up a progressive download that you can set up on your hosting server without having to use FMS if you choose.

Among the many other topics I found revealing are the following:
1. Chroma keying - removing parts of a background so that any background can be inserted. Best known for weather reports on TV.
2. Cue points - adding triggers in the video that can be used as events. Cue points are very useful for adding information,
3. Interlacing and Deinterlacing in video files
4. Decision-making in setting video parameters
5. Optimizing light and sound for streaming video

An area that is in need of serious help is provided by the introduction to Flash Media Server. This will help in developing FMS2 applications for those who are new to open socket server technology. So for newbies to FMS, this will come as a welcome addition.

One of the interesting (and I think correct) decisions the authors made was to use the Flash CS3 platform with ActionScript 2.0 instead of ActionScript 3.0. Here's why. It will be at least a year or so before a significant number of users will have the Flash 9 plug-in for their browsers. Yesterday I bought a new iMac, and the Safari browser that comes with the Flash plug-in is still using Flash 8. (I found that out when I tried to play one of my apps built with AS 3.0.) What's important is that On2's VP6 technology started in Flash 8. So, no one is missing a significant video element using ActionScript 2.0 as would be the case with Flash 7 or earlier. [...]

This book provides detailed technical discussions of the methods of cinematography in a number of contemporary films by different contemporary cinematographers. It is a technical discussion of shooting techniques, lab processes, etc. and now recommended for the average reader or even the reader interested in films but not the technical details. There are frequent illustrations, though I dont believe that they are all taken from the actual film footage.
There is an emphasis on European films and cinematographers, but some American films are covered as well.
I found the book interesting but it has a narrow appeal: you must want to know about cinematography techniques but accept that you are not getting all the details of how to do the techniques. (For example, there are several areas where special lab procedures are mentioned, but not specifically what was done, for this you would presumably have to contact the lab directly.
Also with the emergence of several types of HD videography, it is too bad that some discussions of d.p.s using new electronic methods was not included.

New Cinematographers is a quick, thorough, and interesting read. The information is presented in a simple way that is neither too flowery nor too sparse. Divided into 6 sections, one for each cinematographer, then sub-divided for each film that is discussed. The language is not excessively technical, so a beginner should be able to understand. It is not bland for the seasoned professional though, since a lot of the techniques presented are very non-conventional. Some of the films covered are quite different than what you will find in your typical issue of American Cinematographer, whose films seem to have a limitless budget. Especially in the early part of their careers, these cinematographers, found innovation, imagination, and hard work would go a lot further toward the overrall success of the film than just a budget can allow. Highly recommended for beginner, professional, or enthusiast.

This book is an excellent resource for cinematographers, both professional and aspiring.

Lance Acord, Jean-Yves Escoffer, Darius Khondji, John Mathieson, Seamus McGarvey, and Harris Savides all go through a step by step process of what they did to execute certain scenes. Lighting charts, set design blueprints, call sheets, storyboards, on set photography, film stills... it's all in this book. Very detailed and descriptive. In depth writing about film stocks, developing processes, filters, lights, colors... everything you could possibly imagine!

Hands down a GREAT resource, as they dissect scenes in movies they actually shot. So you can follow along while watching films such as Buffalo '66, Being John Malcovich, Lost in Translation, Gummo, City of Lost Children, Seven, The Beach, Gladiator, The Hours, and plenty more.

Definite recommendation.

"New Cinematographers" is a beautifully produced and packaged book, full of insights into what goes on in the mind of some of the most creative and interesting cinematographers working today. There are sections devoted to each of several new cinematographers, and chapters on several of the films they worked on. Readers of the book basically get to look at refined notes by some of the contemporary masters of cinema (Lance Acord - Buffalo '66, Being John Malkovich, Lost in Translation; Jean-Yves Escoffer - Lovers on the Bridge, Gummo, Good Will Hunting; Darius Khondji - Delicatessen, Se7en; John Mathieson - Gladiator, Matchstick Men; Seamus McGarvey - High Fidelity, The Hours; and Harris Savides - The Game, Elephant), whose names are not as well known as the directors of the films they worked on, but who ought to be -- as this book makes abundantly clear, the body of work to which each of these cinematographers contributed bears the mark of their creative talents just as much as it bears the stamp of their directors or writers. The list of films covered reads like a catalog of all of the most visually compelling works by the most creative directors of the past decade (Being John Malkovich, Seven, Elephant, The City of Lost Children, etc.). There are pictures, diagrams, scripts, notes, all included to flesh out the process they went through in each film, and accompanied by an incredible wealth of detail about the filmmaking process, their experience with the director, their methods for planning for each shoot, their reflections on their craft, specific explanations on how they achieved some of the most interesting shots, and details about difficulties faced during each shot. Some of the most illuminating bits include some of the various reflections on how to capture the distinctiveness of particular faces, or how and why they decided to manipulate the look of a particular actor. Reading through this book is not only exciting and intriguing for me as a lover of film, but was also extremely rewarding in the wealth of insights it gave me into the decision-making process of a wide range of experts. This is an exceptional and extremely valuable book, well worth owning.