Grammar of the Shot, Second Edition Review

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Grammar of the Shot, Second Edition ReviewHaving plodded through many film and video production books, it is refreshing to come across a more compact and succinct publication. Grammar of the Shot (2nd Edition) by Roy Thompson and Christopher Bowen provides a clear and concise explanation of motion picture visual language. This universal language (or grammar) is an essential foundation for filmmakers to produce a film or video. "As a filmmaker, when you "speak" the common film language, you will be able to communicate your story to a global audience."
Grammar of the Shot elucidates the basic techniques and concepts of visual grammar --framing shots, camera angles and movement, focal lengths, lighting, and 3D elements; And it tackles more complex concepts such as manipulating depth of field, aesthetics of lighting, and how to cross the 180 degree line safely.
Practical shooting advice is given as well as recommendations on achieving more compelling shots. Although little attention is given to post production (devoted to companion text, Grammar of the Edit), this book emphasizes how to shoot with editing in mind. Topics concerned with the editing process include coverage, continuity issues, the180 degree rule, reciprocating imagery, and eye-line matches.
Peppered throughout the text are photographs, illustrations, and diagrams to illustrate key concepts and techniques. There are useful reviews at the end of each chapter and a glossary and index. I highly recommend Grammar of the Shot for film and video production classes. In addition, it would be useful for emerging filmmakers and for those who need a refresher.Grammar of the Shot, Second Edition Overview

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Grammar of the Edit, Second Edition Review

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Grammar of the Edit, Second Edition ReviewLike Roy Thompson's original guide, this second edition focuses not so much on the how of editing but the why. There are lots of technical guides out there for editors, that tell you what you can do and how to do it, but what good editors really need is understanding of what works and why. An editor who understands what to do and why to do it can easily apply that understanding to this or that editing technology. For understanding basic principles of an edit that "works," I don't think there is a better guide than this one (which, for contemporary readers marks a valuable improvement on the previous edition).
Basically, what you can find here is a set of simple rules for what will "cut well" together. The book clearly describes several basic guidelines or principles for how to put shots together in ways that flow and effortlessly convey simple meanings. Of course you can break these rules, and some very good editors have broken them. I think, however, that the author is right to suggest that in such cases the power of such effects rests upon the fact that the editor was well aware that he or she was breaking the rules and wanted the effect upon the audience that would result from the jarring or unsettling (or novel) feeling of something not quite natural (or at least distinctive) being done.
The book in fact identifies several cases in which there would be an exception to the rules and how to solve such cases. The second edition appears on the surface to be significantly different, and it has been updated significantly with illustrations and vocabulary that will speak more directly to readers who will edit almost exclusively on the computer. While the picture on the cover shows a pair of scissors slicing through a piece of celluloid, the book speaks exclusively of editing rather than "cutting" as did the earlier edition. Still, in its essentials, the book remains as useful as always, and as focused on "principles" rather than "techniques." Like the previous edition, the book also emphasizes that editing is a role within a complex production process, and that the editor has very specific professional expectations that are distinct from those of the director, or writer or cinematographer, even if (as in some independent or non-professional projects) the same person happens to be performing some or all of these roles.
Highly recommended for filmmakers at all levels: it will be useful for cinematographers and directors (and home video enthusiasts) as a guide in shooting elements that the editor will be able, later, to put together into a coherent story form. It will also serve for the beginning editor as a convenient distillation of the principles they should take into account in order to avoid jarring the audience and taking them out of the story.Grammar of the Edit, Second Edition Overview

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Final Cut Pro 6 For Digital Video Editors Only Review

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Final Cut Pro 6 For Digital Video Editors Only ReviewI don't normally take the time to write reviews -- 'cause i'm freakin' busy!!! -- but in this case, i'm forced to make an exception. i LOVE these kinds of books. i find them incredibly helpful, and i was extremely hopeful when i bought this one.
But i'm not happy.
I'm alternately enamored and fed up with this book. i almost think i'm being generous by giving it 3 stars, but i don't want to be cruel, and it has taught me some valuable things.
first of all, this is not for novices. you don't have to be a pro -- i'm not, yet -- but if you don't have at least SOME familiarity with the FCP suite, you'll be lost from page 1. so if this is you, and you're looking to get started with FCP, stop reading this review, purchase the APPLE PRO TRAINING SERIES (APTS) books, and thank me later. those are the best, most thorough ones. they understand that learning requires degrees of repetition and reinforcement. they are well-paced and you will really understand your software when you're done with them.
having said that, let me move on to the pros and cons
PROS:
1. TEACHES VALUABLE INSIDER TRICKS. This book does a great job of teaching you little insider tricks you might not find anywhere else (like quicktime settings you want to know about, even Mac OS settings you'd otherwise overlook) and this is the reason i bought the book. i was SO IMPRESSED with the ones i saw in the teaser that i figured the rest of the book would turn my world inside out. which it did not.
2. INSPIRES CREATIVITY: this book makes you want to leave the book and just start exploring the program and make your own magic. however, you quickly realize that you haven't really learned how to do very much yet so you can't and your frustrated and hopefully you go back to the book -- or another book -- like the APTS mentioned above.
3. FUN FOOTAGE: These guys picked some really fun footage to work with. skateboarders, bike stunts, desert scenes, music videos, pink flowers... it's truly great footage and makes you feel young just playing with it.
4. GOOD INTEGRATION WITH OTHER SOFTWARE: This book isn't just about FCP, but shows you how to use it with other software, all of which you WILL need, only some of which you probably own. the trouble is, you need to read an entire book to know how to use the other software.
CONS:
1. BADLY WRITTEN AND POORLY EDITED:
a. This book confuses the hell out of me. it introduces concepts and doesn't clearly state that it's going to tell you how to do it. sometimes it tells you, sometimes it doesn't. and you never know!
b. the pictures are too far away from the relevant text.
c. there are also literally project files missing on the DVD and bizarre misprints -- tells you to do something with one item when it really means the opposite item.
d. honestly, i just don't think they took the time to reread and work with this book. they put it out there before they tested it and it's annoying as hell. it's especially annoying, because it's ALMOST a really good book!
e. The authors clearly understand their subject matter, but they don't know how to convey it to people who don't. and that's me. and probably you. and most likely anyone else reading this review let alone buying the book.
2: MISLEADING TITLE: this book isn't really about mastering FCP, it's about integrating it with other software. it's not that i don't consider this valuable, it's just that it isn't the reason i bought the book so i'm frustrated because i'm learning things i'm not ready to know and far from being able to implement.
FINAL ADVICE:
DON'T BUY THIS BOOK... YET
Take the APTS, get a grip on the software, and then (and only then) decide if you want/need this book. you'll have fun with it, but it won't take you where you need to go unless you're already almost there.
TO THE WRITER:
you have a decent product, but it was published prematurely.
your short videos are better. the way in which you express yourself lends itself better to that medium than it does the written word. Rename this book, and review it for errors, and then re-release it... or better yet, release a DVD version because writing is not your forte. no offense. there are just others doing the same thing better.
jason
Final Cut Pro 6 For Digital Video Editors Only Overview

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