The Little Digital Video Book

Rating:
Summary: Best choice to get started.
Review: It took me a while to find a good book to get started with digital video, after I bought myself a Mini DV camcorder. What I was looking for was sound advice on how to shoot as well as about basic post production techniques, the stuff you do after shooting, editing, how and where to store and organize your footage, and most important, to end up with a finished product--a nice to watch video to show to the public.

Something else I was looking for was a book that is "lightweight" and that keeps things simple. There is plenty of time to get more fancy, but for starters I wanted to get a small video project done and have it on a Video CD, DVD or a VHS cassette.

This book shows exactly that! You'll learn the basics of digital video. The main idea is to get a little (manageable) project done in a clean and orderly way.

I consider the author a highly competent and experienced teacher when it comes to the subject of digital video. If you are in the same situation as I was (having a FireWire and DV capable Macintosh computer and a Mini DV camcorder, plus having not too much time to learn the essential basic techniques of digital video shooting and editing with all the necessary bells and whistles) then this definitely is the book to buy. In fact it is the best and most practical book to read first. Start simple, then attack the more sophisticated stuff. A must have book!

Rating:
Summary: RUBIN DOES IT AGAIN!
Review: Michael Rubin - video guru extraordinaire - was one of the very first Evangelists of digital nonlinear editing. Well over a decade ago, he was one of George Lucas's emissaries to the Hollywood studios for Lucas' groundbreaking EditDroid project, and preached the virtues of this then-revolutionary approach to editing TV shows and feature films.

A pioneer in more ways than one, Rubin also wrote the very first book on the subject - "Nonlinear: A Field Guide to Digital Video and Film Editing" (now in a new 4th edition). I know all this because chancing across that gem was one of the catalysts that helped catapult me (and others) into a career as a professional video editor. "Nonlinear" rocks.

But his latest work, "The Little Digital Video Book", is brilliant in an entirely different way.

Yes, all the techniques are here - starting with the finer points of operating a DV camcorder ... maintaining continuous timecode on the tape (crucial!) ... a simple, practical scheme for organizing your source and master tapes ... "Rubin's Rules of Editing" ... and tons more. The book is also liberally illustrated with real examples lifted from actual home video situations - shots of his infant son, the neighbors, trips to the zoo, etc.

Rubin calls his approach "results-oriented" video, and it's true ... He isn't kidding when he says you can put together a totally cool, blow-your-friends-and-family's-socks-off video in as little as 3 to 4 hours. [It's awesome to see the reaction from friends and family when the footage you shot so nonchalantly this morning becomes a polished video, ready for screening after lunch!] Later on, after having a number of simpler projects ("video sketches") under your belt, you're free to branch out, of course. But by building a solid foundation of shooting and editing habits early on, you'll soon have the background and self-confidence to tackle more complex productions, if you desire.

And therein lies Rubin's real genius: his witty, unassuming, first-person style makes for a completely painless education for the DV and "home movie" enthusiast. Yet he unobtrusively weaves in priceless nuggets of professional wisdom and insight that serve the reader well now and later on. And moreover, he accomplishes all of this in a way that's FUN. [This blend of charm and substance is typical of Rubin: even though it's unintimidating and approachable in its own right, his "Nonlinear" book is used as an introductory text at colleges and universities around the country.]

Speaking of which, Rubin also runs a great web site for both DV enthusiasts and professionals. Check out the "Consumer DV" section of the "Nonlinear4" site (nonlinear4.com) for supplemental materials, a great assortment of links to other resources, and more.

Suffice it to say that with his latest book, Michael Rubin is no longer just a mentor and friend to Hollywood film editors, but now to the growing legions of home DV enthusiasts as well. They'd do well to learn from the Master.

Rubin rocks.

Rating:
Summary: Very good beginner book
Review: My first impression was: "Oh, c'mon, I know this all already!",
but after reading further I realized that this is exactly what
a person who is a true beginner needs. And I discovered
plenty of information that I did not know, and which is
truly useful.
This book is excellent: you read it, and get just enough
information to make a good home video that will not annoy
the people you show it to and will not embarass yourself.
I always like when a manual not only explains you what to do,
but also tells what not to do, and then goes one step further
to explain why is it bad to do it wrong way. This book is
like that - it helps you establish good habits in filmmaking
from the beginning.
Highly recommended for every newbie.

Rating:
Summary: The question is what do you need...
Review: Okay, so I got this idea to do a cooking show. It took me a very long time to get what I needed to do it, and as I write I'm just about to start it with a friend's help. Meantime, I needed to know how to handle my camcorder. While the iMovie 2 Missing Manual from O'Reilly was a huge help, this book covers a lot more of the basics for what I need, though not perfectly.

This book focuses on two basic areas: "studio" organization and taping technique. His organizational techniques will certainly work, and the ideas of keeping clean timecode and logging your tapes are very good ones, though the latter is a bit much unless you spend your days with your camcorder attached to your hand. Practice assignments are given in several chapters, and the matter of editing is covered in substantial depth. The focus is on consumer and semi-pro MiniDV, and you'll find little to no coverage of pro-grade equipment, but since that's well out of the target audience's average budget, that's not a flaw.

It is perhaps a minor flaw that a consumer-level book is somewhat Mac-centric, but since the professional video world itself is heavily Mac-centric and the concepts are presented in a general manner, this is not such a problem as it might seem (I'm a Mac user, so it's not a problem at all for me). An important point is that it focuses on the production of video shorts more than full-length television shows or movies, and Rubin's aesthetic of movie editing can be summed up as "take it as it comes" (he seems very influenced by Dogme95, the "Vow of Chastity" created by several Danish filmmakers). Special effects are to be minimized to avoid the disastrous amateurishness that developed in the early days of desktop publishing, and the limitations of consumer DV gear are to be accepted rather than minimized or compensated for.

It's not quite enough for someone looking to do serious video production; Rubin's other book Nonlinear is probably the book to get for that. And the one flaw I can't forgive in the book is assuming certain features are more common than they really are -- as a professional it's clear Rubin has never been stuck buying a bottom-of-the-barrel consumer camcorder, and he makes assumptions that reinforce that impression. But it's a very good and easily digested book for learning DV 101, and will get you started on your own productions very quickly and painlessly, while keeping you from too many making stupid or gauche mistakes. You will still need your manuals, but this is the glue between camcorder and editing program that will make your movies work.

Rating:
Summary: Practical advice from your brother-in-law
Review: Rubin's book is an excellent start for new camcorder owners. It's not too technical and not too ambitious. Many books attempt to cover everything and do it poorly because of the scope of the subject and lack of explanation of technical jargon. Rubin even shares his personal indexing system for tracking footage. The book is totally accessible because of its casual conversational language. Rubin's book saves months of trial and error.

Bought it even though it cost way too much at Borders, Singapore (S$ equivalent of US$22) because it was the only stockist and I didn't have the patience to wait for a mail-ordered book.

Would have given it 5 stars if it had been published in a hard/ semi-hard cover compact edition which could be shoved into the camcorder bag or cost less.

Rating:
Summary: Well written book, giving the "deeper meaning"
Review: The more I read this book, the more I liked it. As opposed to books with a stream of feature, feature, feature, this book reaches down into the deeper meaning of WHY to do things. I found it to be very well written in a style that makes you want to keep reading. Even if you have some experience with digital video, this book will solidify and give a deeper understanding of most aspects of using a digital camcorder. If you are just getting started, this is great to buy before picking a camcorder. This book is also great to re-skim when you havent picked up the camcorder in a few months.

Rating:
Summary: Make your movies worth watching
Review: The writing style of this how-to guide is not all reader-friendly, especially if you want to read it the night before shooting your best friend's wedding. It's way too wordy. Hard for the reader to pick up the useful stuff -- unless you scored 1000 out of 800 on the SAT verbal test.

Rating:
Summary: Wordy and annoying
Review: The writing style of this how-to guide is not all reader-friendly, especially if you want to read it the night before shooting your best friend's wedding. It's way too wordy. Hard for the reader to pick up the useful stuff -- unless you scored 1000 out of 800 on the SAT verbal test.

Rating:
Summary: Exactly what a beginner needs
Review: This book is an excellent resource of practical, everyday advice ranging from choosing and storing your dv tape stock to shooting for editing, composing your shots, editing your video and finishing your project.

It was written for people like me, who get stuch at various stages not knowing how to continue or manage the current situation or wanting to achieve impossible perfection (i.e. frame f***ing in editing terms:)

The most important virtue of this book is that it inspires me to get out and start shooting. It is accessible, direct and unpretentious. It is the closest thing to having a (very very knowledgeable and patient) videographer friend who is ready to share his workflow and tips with you. Get it.

Rating:
Summary: A message from the author...
Review: This is book offers a simple and practical method for actually using all that cool video and computer stuff you either own or have been thinking about getting. After years of making films in Hollywood, and teaching film editors how to use the new style of editing possible with computers, I developed this method for myself, for the masive amount of personal videos I shoot and edit.
(...)
Everyone who tries this method is floored by the power such simple filmmaking princples can give you. All I can say is "try it." You may be surprised. I hope so.