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Little Digital Video Book, The (2nd Edition) (Little Book) | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Rubin
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $14.43
You Save: $10.56 (42%)
New (24) Used (7) from $12.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 157756
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 6.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 0321572629
Dewey Decimal Number: 006
EAN: 9780321572622
ASIN: 0321572629
Publication Date: September 22, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new book. Shipped from our NYC store. Slight Shelf wear to cover. Pages are clean and unmarked.
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Product Description
One of the more frustrating aspects of buying a new digital video camera for consumers is trying to discover not only how it works, but how to shoot good movies with it right away. For most of us, we just want to turn on the camera and go, without spending too much time sorting through dense jargon and video editing software manuals. Here to guide the troubled newcomer to the exciting world of digital video is The Little Digital Video Book, 2e. This friendly, approachable guide will teach users the basics of shooting, organizing, and editing their own footage, with short examples so they can practice the techniques as they read through the book. This revised edition of the bestselling book on digital video is now in full color and completely updated for the modern beginning videographer. Users get a thorough grounding in the basics of digital video, but without all the jargon. Michael Rubin explains in under 200 pages all users need to know to get great shots, add sound, organize the footage, and use basic editing techniques. They will learn how to start and actually finish that video project they had in mind--in less than a day.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Excellent disourse on the basics of home movie shooting and editing May 27, 2007
In short 178 pages Michael Rubin covers the essentials of making home videos. This is a book for beginners. It follows a structure (and approach) smilar to an English composition college course - Rubin teaches techniques (types of shots, as you would cover paragraph structure), but also fundamental stylistic considerations (movies ,not unlike Enlgish compositions, must have structure, e.g. beginning, middle and an end).
There is much I liked about the book:
(1) Comprehensive - covers everything a novice would need (a) products (out of date - see below), (b) camcorder handling technique, (c) shooting techniques and (d) editing
(2) Less product covereage; more focus on techniques - spends almost no time on discussion regarding camcorder choice (which seems to be the area where most other similar book allocate too much attention) .
Thechniques are described in detail and author's views are clearly argumented.
For example, chapter 3 "Shooting" introduces camera holding techniques, gives Rubin's summary 11 rules of shooting and covers major techniques:
(a) structure - beginning, middle and ending shots; close-up, medium, large shots;
(b) coverage - establishing shots, over the shoulder shots, cut-away shots.
Or, Chapter 6, Editing, provides the following brakdown of approximate time required for postproduction of 20 min of material:
- 20min capturing the material on computer
- 45min creating the "first cut"
- 30min recutting and trimming
- 15 minutes creating titles and effects
- 10 min finalizing
(3) Clearly expressed opinnions - Rubin is not afraid to articulate his position (the market is otherwise full of "decriptive" books whose authors are afraid from taking a point of view).
For example, regarding close-ups, Rubin states, "...because your camera's viewfinder and LCD are so small, there is a real tendency to shoot everything too close...when you are shooting someone's face, don't be afraid of cutting off the top of their head. It's the eyes, not the head, that make for a powerful close-up of a person."
(4) Rubin is an able teache - and he teaches substance, not just technique, which is to say - he suggest a style of thinking while making movies.
For example, here is how Rubin puts forward his idea that making movies is what he calls, "shooting to edit" - "Shooting to edit involves nonlinear thinking - tha is, thinking "out of order". The last shot you make may turn out to be your opening shot..."
(5) Practical examples and exercises - Rubin illustrates with pictures many of his ideas (I would have loved a cideo-CD with the book). He also suggests exercises. For example - shooting at a dog park, so that one fine-tunes techniques (such as allowing subjects to "exit" the frame).
I also have a concern (or two) about the book:
(1) Technical material is dated - the book is published in 2002 and largely focuses on discussion of tape-based camcorders. There is no discussion of high definition videos.
(2) Limited additional information - a CD/video CD or web-site supplied with the book would have been nice. While illustrations (in black and white) in the book are OK, real video examples will have been useful.
All-in-all, this an excellent book for beginners.
 Good Starter November 5, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is NOT a book for those people who already know and practice video making skills. It is an excellent book for the person with little or no introductory knowledge of digital video however.
Great start for digitial video July 29, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Great book for beginners. Demonstrates everything from shooting the video to editing on the computer. The author covers nearly every video editing program available.
This book focuses on creating small projects. The book provides exercises that help you get going. They demonstrate what you should try, as well as what you should not try.
This is not a lengthy book. You will probably get through the entire book in a few days. But it is great to refer back to as you begin your own video projects.
Excellent guide for making great amateur home videos June 16, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
My home videos are better already because of this book! This book is not necessarily aimed at the pros, but at the amateur who wants to make better home videos. The information and tips are excellent, but some of the writing style could have used editing.
Its a Beginning April 30, 2005
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This can by no stretch of the imagination be considered a comprehensive guide to digital video. It cannot even be considered an adequate "operator's manual". It serves a much different purpose. It helps one who knows nothing or practically nothing to get started, to learn the right questions to ask and to determine if this is really a field of interest after all. For those purposes, it is excellent.
In addition to some very basic general priniciples, this book also contains a lot of practical advice and entry level explanation. Why is time code important? Why should tapes be logged? What is the best way to capture the kids' birthday party and not completely bore everyone? Each of these questions, and others, is important but their importance may not seem at all obvious to a beginner. This book answers question like that so that people who will take this hobby further will get started on the right track.
The place I see this book as particularly valuable is for someone considering the purchase of video equipment. It will provide insight as to what is involved. Someone who has already bought some expnesive equipment might be better served by a book that is a bit more advanced.
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