Video Books

In this expansive encyclopedia, author Billman offers a comprehensive who's who of Hollywood film choreographers and dance directors from the start of the movie business. Each entry provides a brief biography/perspective of the talent under examination as well as providing their film credits and listing their career contributions in other mediums.

Of particular interest are the author's essays on the history/development of screen dance as techniques, style, and technology impacted how choreographers and dance directors executed their craft in Hollywood productions over the many decades.

A unique treasure trove of information well worth purchasing--and enjoying!

This book will delight you if you love dance in movies. I picked it up out of curiosity and found myself lost in its pages in no time. Even as someone who knows a lot about dancing in the movies, I kept saying "I didn't know that!" as I read through the various biographies. It's most impressive the way the author has cross-referenced the complex relationships between dancers and choreographers. As director of the Academy of Dance on Film, he has access to the "backstory" of how things really happened, and this book is filled with wonderful anecdotes.

This book is a totally unique resource. It contains both a history of dance on film (by decade) and a veritable biographic encyclopedia of film choreographers and dance directors, from the well known to those who should be. Despite the massive research that must have been required for this book, it does not read like an academic tome, but is written in a lively, enjoyable style that makes it difficult to put down. An added bonus are the numerous. and often rare, photographs.

From the review in Dance Spirit Magazine - "When you pick up a copy of Film Choreographers and Dance Directors, you'll wonder how on earth you managed without it. This comprehensive encyclopedia contains biographies and credits for 970 choreographers, who worked on 3,500 films. This 664-page book includes 184 photographs, a decade-by-decade history of dance in movies, and a detailed index."

Richard Schickel's collection of essays is both well written and extremely informative. Schickel knows more about the subjects he's reviewing then the authors' themselves. His point about being given more space to write reviews on film books, than actual films, is bitterly ironic. To his credit Schickel doesn't look down on the cinema, nor serious film criticism.
There are some issues that should be raised with a few of the essays. Schickel is too dismissive of Douglas Sirk in his review of Harvey's book, but most unforgivable is his Welles review essay. He is far too dismissive of Welles's latter work, or basicially everything after Citizen Kane, and he doesn't even mention Welles's late masterpiece, F for Fake. I assume recognizing a film made 30 years after Citizen Kane defeats his argument against Welles. Also, the dismissal of Othello is the first I've ever read, and not suprisingly, its the most absurd digression in an otherwise sound collection.

Schickel is an excellent film critic and reviewer, deeply versed in film history and criticism (although he explicitly disavows any belief in a universal theory of film aesthetics or history, holding that movies are too diverse to suport any such systems). This book collects most (2/3) of his monthly reviews of "new books on film" written for the "LA Times Book Review," beginning in 2001, as well as a handful of essays published elsewhere. The pieces are short, those for the "Times" being 1200 to 1400 words. This limits the breadth and depth of any discussion; but, within the limits imposed, the essays are well and neatly written, are liberally laced with film history and contain penetrating critical judgments. The language is plain and direct, mercifully free of jargon.

Schickel does frequently repeat his views on a number of subjects, but this is inevitable given the sort of essay that they are. Someone writing a monthly newspaper feature must assume that some readers of each essay have never read him before and that others read only occasionally. Among the recurring themes, for example, are that movies are a collaborative art, that they are inescapably commercial and, with rare exception, not intended to upset the status quo. When they do rise to the level of art, it is, according to Schickel, an "accidental art."

Schickel obviously loves movies and their history and is delighted when he finds a book praiseworthy. This is somewhat uncommon since he believes that most film books are trash, either written by dry academics (who merely amass facts without any sense of context or critical sensibility) or by hack journalists (who are often merely muckraking and have no sense of film or its history). He is passionate about his own high crititical standards but he is not afraid to praise. His unfavorable judgments can be fiery but are never merciless. In this he is unlike (for example) John Simon in his prime or the late movie and cultural critic Dwight Macdonald, both of whom were merciless and personal to boot.

This is an excellent book, but it has a bit of sadness too since the author believes that informed film criticism and knowledge of film history are both dying out. This book shows what we will lose if this is so.

College-level libraries strong in film studies courses will find moving this collection of short essays on books about film, coming from a critic who not only reviews these books but offers uses them to discuss movie content, actor approaches, director and producer influences, and how the film industry operates as a whole. His different approach provides plenty of detail perfect for any college-level collection strong in film studies - and many a general interest lending library as well.

To begin with, who'd a thunk that a collection of book reviews of old and new movie books would be this good? Well, I would if only because I've never been disappointed in ANYTHING Schickel writes since the days of "The Disny Version" back when he and I were young (maggie, dear). So, it's not the money for this book that he owes me. Rather, well let me come at it in a roundabout way: The mark of a really good critic is that you will either NOT NEED to read/see/hear what he reviews because he has saved you from wasting precious time or you will be so caught up in his (or, yes, her) enthusiasm that you MUST partake of the object of same. Since Mr Schickel is one of our best critics... and documentarians... and historians... and biographers, I found far too many books I had to have within this one. Sadly (but, for one on a fixed income, fortunately) many of the best reviewed books are out of print. But, yes, weak vessel that I am, I have ordered several (from Amazon, of course) that are not. Hence the title. After all, it isn't MY fault that Schickel writes as well as he does!... is it?

it's very inspirational for designers to keep this handy. these posters are as good or better than the films.

This is a wonderful book in the series with wonderful reproductions of the posters of the decade. Makes a wonderful gift for someone who loves movies as well as a great coffee table book. Highly recommended

Like the other decade books in this series Film Posters of the 60's is a sensational buy. You could either keep it intact as a collection of posters in a book to show and discuss with friends, or cut the book up and actually have a vast number of posters up on your wall. This book is about a third the size of your standard film poster and most movies are full page colour. Any of them would look great up on the wall.

The 60's bought Sean Connery as James Bond to the screens. Rock stars like The Beatles also made movies. Films like Cool Hand Luke, The Graduate, Dracula, Night of the Living Dead, The Endless Summer, 2001 a Space Odyssey, Ocean?s 11 along with a heap of Westerns and World War movies like The Dirty Dozen and The Great Escape have stood the test of time. Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman and others went up on walls for the first time in the 60's and you can put them up again today.

I wasn't born in the 60's but I still know most of these great movies. Buy this book.

Tony Nourmand's "Film posters of the 60's" is a wonderful and colorful coffee table style book that is a great treat to look through. There are many of the classic film poster images of the French New wave, the films of Stanley Kubrick and the classic 007 posters, just to name a few. Film poster collecting is a great adventure and this book reflects that enthusiasm. This book was lovingly organized with great detail. A superb value! Looking forward to future editions.

I received this book in better condition than expected. The shipping charges were so reasonable also{ to Canada}.

Calling all Barbra Joan Streisand fans! Now is the time to support the would be publication of a comprehensive resource guide to Barbra's extraordinary film career. If Citadel is unable to publish such a nifty volume, then we should let other publishers know that such a book would be of significant interest. I hope that it won't be long until Ms. Swenson and Mr. Nickens find a home for their work (and on a more personal note, I hope that the somewhat overlooked "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever" (1970) and the sadly neglected "Up The Sandbox" (1972) receive the glowing credit these two glorious films deserve.) I encourage other Streisand partisans to compose "reviews" of the book they'd most like to add to their library shelves.

Barbara Streisand isn't given her due for Her Films.this Book covers alot of Her Film Career! good Pictures&Reflections.

This book is an excellent insight into Barbra's film career. Lots of detail to the behind the screen stories. Many Classic picture's and hard to find shot's of Barbra. A must have for any Barbra Fan!!!

Nice book, with a lot of photos I had never seen before. The explanations on the films are quite detailed and extended, the biography is also quite complete. However, I was expecting a larger book, as I have many Citadel books from the 80's and 90's related to "The films of..." (i.e. Cary Grant, Robert Taylor, Humphrey Bogart, etc) and they were heavier, with more pages and higher quality photos.

"The Films of Randolph Scott" by Robert Nott. Excellent study on the life and films of Randolph Scott, that must be given prestige for the fans of this unforgettable actor/cowboy and who likes western movies as well. Other publications on Randy Scott that I recommend are the excellent " Last of The Cowboys Heroes" of the same author" as well as "Randolph Scott, a Film Biography" by J.B Crow and "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott" by Chistopher Scott.

Mario Peixoto ALves

This is an exceptional and definitive reference work dealing with the West's greatest cowboy. Any fan of Western films or `Oaters' as they are affectionately called here will eventually be treated to a picture featuring a character played by Randolph Scott. This book presents a comprehensive look at his career and includes excellent quotes and much commentary on his filmography. It provides a balanced examination of his work and indicates that some film reviewers occasionally criticized Mr. Scott, indicating his acting range was "limited." While this may be a valid criticism, a more comprehensive analysis of his work clearly shows that when given a tightly written script, focused direction, and the help of good ensemble supporting characters, Randolph Scott always turned in a performance that was guaranteed to entertain. This was particularly true as Mr. Scott grew older; gradually perfecting the non-verbal communication skills (the set of his jaw and steely-eyed glare) which made him the `silent man of action' archetype which set this genre apart and made him so uniquely and classically an American hero. Excellent reading for the cowboy in all of us.

This book is a thoughtful look at Randolph Scott's films. The author offers many personal comments, as well as comments from people involved with the films. Evans interviewed people who worked with Randolph Scott and provides many interesting insights.

The bulk of Scott's film oeuvre was the Western and the author brings out the qualities that made Scott such an icon. Scott had
a certain Southern gentleman quality that imbued his roles with a dignity that many other Western actors lacked.

There are some good photographs in the book and there are cast listing for each film.

I felt that the book was appropriate about Spielberg's enormous contribution to the film industry over his career. The book has wonderful pictures and stories about each film from the first film, The Sugerland Express, to Saving Private Ryan with E.T. The Extra Terrestial, the Indiana Jones trilogy, and Schindler's List among the films listed here. This book chronologizes Spielberg's film-making techniques as well the special and visual effects. I am not one of his biggest fans. I admire his work and contributions to the film industry but I prefer more than the special and visual effects. There are other film-makers and directors out there that do less with more.

If you want a good read about cinema's most amazing director, then this is the book for you. It contains lots of really great insight not just on shooting the movie, but how it even started. Though author Douglas Brode tends to get a little too political, it is a really good book that I keep coming back to. Read at all costs.

This book is a great read for the major films of Spielberg. It is done with a great deal of research by the author, who puts together a very good story line of the producer/director and how he and his films progressed over time. The author also provides excellent background information on the films, from both a technical point of view and also the creative story line. The text layout, photos, and great front and back cover photos are there to flesh out the films. It is also a fun book to read. All put together, this is a very good book to understand Spielberg, his movies, his life, and his impact on very successful creative and commercial 20th century movies.

Douglas Brode's biography of the films of Steven Spielberg is an informative and interesting book that covers the life and films of Hollywood's most commercially successful film director. From his early T.V films to Saving Private Ryan, this book covers all the facets of Spielberg's work including unknown facts about the production of his films and supplementary information. With rare color production photos and stills, this book is a must- have for any Spielberg or film enthusiast.

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 host a small group and have for about a year, coincedentially I called it Finding God in The Movies. I had a hard time coming up with questions for the small group and this book has great questions right inside. Eventually more people started showing up and everyone has amazing insights! I couldn't have asked for more!

The book really helped me with me class that I used it for. Even though we weren't required to read it.

Can we find God in the movies? Yes! In this outstanding cultural book, Johnston leads us to find God in the popculture. He mentions the movie as a story teller in which people communicate their values and worldviews. He, also, teaches us what the christian movies are and how christians can watch the films; the christian movies are what deal with the real human stories and what show the reality afresh. And, when we watch the movies, we, as chrsitians, have to see the christian values such as humanity, friendship, forgiveness, reconciliation, etc. In addition to these strengths, the most wonderful character of this book is the excellent complete film study guide. I enthusiastically recommend this book for all people who are interested in popculture and its application to their real lives.

Catherine Barsotti and Robert Johnston --- husband and wife --- give thoughtful Christians a book full of tools to help them view select movies (33 in all; the oldest released in 1982) through a theological or philosophical lens.

FINDING GOD IN THE MOVIES starts with an informative introduction that discusses the film genre and theological approaches to film. What makes a good film? "Head, gut, and heart. The best movies will engage the whole person." How does a viewer find God in the movies? "Unpack the story.... What is more primary in the way the story is shaped? (1) Is it the plot...? (2) Is it the characters...? (3) Is it the point of view, where a story is given value by the perspective of the narrator(s)...? Or (4) is it the atmosphere...?...Concentrate your critical attention on where the filmmakers have centered their attention. By doing this, you will prove a more receptive viewer of the story and perhaps the Story."

Each of the 33 movie-chapters starts with a two- or three-page "synopsis and theological reflection" --- a review. This is followed by "dialogue texts" (relevant biblical passages), "discussion questions," "clip conversations" (more discussion questions but about specific scenes), and several pages of "bonus material," which includes interesting behind-the-scenes information about the making and makers of the film. Movies also are clearly linked to two helpful appendices: one listing (Genesis to Revelation) relevant biblical references; one listing (A to Z) topics covered in or themes of the movies (for example, Abuse; Affirming the Human Spirit; Anger; Arguing with God; Balance in Life).

The movie-chapters are presented in 13 categories, the more blatantly religious ("Living Our Faith"; "Images of the Savior"; "Renewing the Church") placed toward the end of the book. You might want to start your exploration in these later categories or simply bounce around. The second of the 13 categories, "Beauty, Imagination, and Creativity," discusses two Pacific Rim movies, Spirited Away and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that celebrate imagination and creativity but may be hard for the neophyte to discuss theologically.

This is a book for Christians who have an understanding of common grace, "the wider work of God's Spirit throughout and within all creatures and creation," and for those who are open to dialogue with the secular world. What are some of the films discussed? Life Is Beautiful. Ulee's Gold. The Hurricane. Simon Birch. Chocolat. We Were Soldiers.

By using this guide you might get the hang of facilitating a movie-discussion group and then move on to films you wish the authors had included. We'd all have our own list. Mine? The Trip to Bountiful. Cinema Paradiso. Babette's Feast. The Quarrel. Smoke. Maybe I should check out Johnston's earlier book REEL SPIRITUALITY: Theology and Film in Dialogue (Baker, 2000).

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

Flying the Camera is exactly what it claims to be: a COMPLETE guide to freefall photography and skydiving video. I recieved the book as a gift, along with my first camera helmet. Weldon's book helped me set up my helmet, site it in, and start filming! The book is great, with lots of easy to read diagrams and lots of pictures and helpful hints. I highly recommend reading it before you start freefall photography.

A reviewer, an Up-and-coming skydiver: I had about 30 camera jumps when I purchased Flying The Camera. I read the book cover to cover and found it to be helpful in every way. I particularly liked the chapter called "mixing and editing your video" which helped me set up a pretty good tandem-video production at my dropzone. I recommend this book to all camera jumpers.

I had about 50 camera jumps when I purchased Flying the Camera. I read the book cover to cover, and found it to be helpful in every way. I particularly liked to chapter called "mixing and editting your video." This has helped me set up a pretty food tandem-video production at my dropzone. I recommend the book to all camera jumpers.

I picked up a copy of Patrick Weldon's Flying The Camera at the world freefall convention 97. Mainly because it was raining and I was bored. I was quickly surprised at what a truly great book it is! I have about 1500+ camera jumps, lots of competition stuff, and was surprised at how much I learned from the book. Flying the Camera is a very well written, very well put together book, and I highly suggest every skydiver read it before trying to "fly the camera." Regardless of skill level or number of jumps, this is truly a great book.