Editorial Reviews
Product Description:The digital video revolution has blurred the lines between professional and amateur equipment, with some Hollywood movies being shot and edited using the same technology that families use for their vacation footage. With sales of digital video cameras and computer-based editing systems skyrocketing, more and more people are seeing the potential and are anxious to advance their own personal video production skills to a higher level. The Essential Digital Video Handbook will help you, the beginner and budding professional become a better writer, producer, director, photographer, and editor. Author Pete May's sound advice and no-nonsense approach will help you achieve results that will wow audiences whether they're gathered in the family room or the corporate boardroom.
The Essential Digital Video Handbook takes the you through every step of the process, from buying the right equipment to editing footage. This book shares tips on achieving professional quality results by understanding and exploiting visual language, both by initially following the rules and then by breaking them with style and confidence. Videographers will also learn to sound like professionals by understanding and speaking the language of the business.
Instead of narrowly focusing on just the latest equipment and technology, May uses lessons he learned during twenty-five years in the television business to drill down to the most important stuff: the principles that don't change, and the tricks behind making videos that document, entertain, train, motivate, persuade, satisfy, and even have the ability to make money.
* Contains over 300 full-color footage stills, photographs, and samples
* Helps you, the amateur or budding professional videographer, create quality footage and make a profit
* Shows you how to learn and have fun at the same time in a casual, friendly, down-to-earth, yet effective tone
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
Nice guide for beginners, with some info for experienced DV'ers, March 14, 2006
By
John W. PringleAll things considered this book was just barely worth the price for anyone with some basic background knowledge of the subject, however it was very poorly edited/published exactly as other reviews were quick and clear to state.
Fortunately, I read these reviews and was prepared, but some of the publishing and editing errors were well beyond expectations and reasonability. Paragraphs ending in mid-stream on one page, with new subjects and wording starting on the subsequent page....with no hint of the remainder of the unfinished paragraphs anywhere in the book.
I considered sending it back for a refund (before and after I read the entire book), just because the problem is so glaring!
Good Guide, March 9, 2006
By
T. SerranoThis book is a recommended for beginners and intermidiate videographers.
The book although suffer some printing problems (i.e. duplicate info).
Comprehensive, December 15, 2004
By
Miles (Sausalito, CA USA)
Covers everyting you need to know to start working in digital video. The author provides good career advice for those that want to make money. I recommend it.
A very good book but with printing defects, November 4, 2004
By
John Teague (Pittsboro, NC USA)
I've read several other video how-to books and this is one of the best. The book provides a lot of detail about common video issues that other books gloss over. For example, the author, Pete May, offers insights about choosing cameras that no one else does. I might have given this book 5 stars if not for the printing defects. As another reviewer noted, some text is repeated and some is obviously missing. I'm going to return the book just so I can read the missing text. I don't want to miss any of the author's advice.
Watch out for printing defects, July 28, 2004
By
Peter T K Lee (Australia)
From the few pages I read, the book showed a lot of promise. It was enticing and pulled the reader to read on to the end.
However, disappointment quickly set in due to defects in printing. The opening pages had text missing (sentences that stopped at the end of the page didn't continue on the next page), and there were several paragraphs of repeated text from one page to several pages later.
Sounds like the software used to put this book together had a couple drinks before printing. I would assume that a batch of books would have this problem as other reviewers here have praised the book without any problems like this.
Check the book out as soon as you receive it (to avoid the 30day return policy). I had to return mine from Australia.
