Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro

If you are serious about Film Editing, you are probably already been looking at books like Shot by Shot by Steven Katz, and checking out local training courses. You may also be trying to learn how to use Final Cut Pro, and checking out the many books on that topic.This book could save you a lot of time and effort, by combining both subjects into one. It teaches, from a completely practical viewpoint, how to frame and edit shots. It also discusses how to use Final Cut Pro in order to achieve the right effect. There are also sections on sound, special effects and distribution - and again, all are realistically explained.At every point, real-world editing examples are used, so it's not simply a discussion of every menu option. There are plenty of screenshots, and even though it doesn't cover the very latest version of FCP, everything is still 100% relevant.After working through the huge pile of paper that is the FCP manual set, this book should be next on your list. It will tell you which features you will actually need to know, and pass on some very useful cinematic editing information at the same time.

I'm not sure what book a couple of reviewers were reading but to say this book is not good for beginners seems odd to me. I am an absolute beginner and I thought the book did a fantastic job! It is easy to read and has great examples. One reveiwer said "notice how often he uses the word 'I' and that his way was the only way". Well guess what? The author is one of the designers of the software so I think he qualifies to use the word 'I' and probably knows a lot more about the subject than the reviewer. This insinuation that the author was an ego maniac was insulting. He was very helpful and gave lots of tips and advice to beginners that allows us to avoid some of the common pitfalls and mistakes that most beginners go through. He shows several ways of doing each task but recommends using his technique because that's the way the software was designed to be used!If you want to learn the ins and outs of editing and the most efficient way to use FCP, this is the book for you.

This is one of the most readable textbooks I have ever come across - I have read it cover-to-cover. It's prime subject is Editing with the added benefits of FCP workflow solutions. I've been editing in FCP for 3 years and had my workflow down flat. Micheal Wohl introduced me to some time saving techniques that I never would have thought of. The only missing Chapter is on Media Management. I don't think anyone has a real handle on how to propertly archive digital media.A great reference for "experts" and beginners alike.

I have been a professional editor for more than 10 years and I recently migrated from AVID to Final Cut Pro. I wanted a book to supplement the manual and actually bought 4 different FCP books to glean what I could from each of them.This one REALLY stood out. It's extremely well written, uses excellent examples that really help to illustrate the concepts and features and much more than just teaching you how to use FCP, it really teaches you how to edit.WELL WRITTENOkay, maybe I'm a bit of a geek, but I couldn't put this down. I read it from front to back like a good novel. (Complete with my wife repeatedly asking me to come to bed :-) After I was done, I was so jazzed, I couldn't wait to get back on my computer!EDITING TECHNIQUEAlthough much of this was review for me, Michael really explains the language of film very concisely and very practically. He includes a recipe of commonly used editing "phrases" and teaches you not only the rules I learned in film school but also the ways modern editors have reinvented some of them. For newbies to editing, this section alone makes this a MUST HAVE.FINAL CUT PROHe uses such good examples, it's really awesome for understanding not just how the tool works, but why there are so many different ways to do each thing, and which one is right for your situation. Maybe it's because he helped to design the software or maybe he's just a great instructor but I found the lessons crystal clear, even when he's explaining some of the super-complicated features like multi-track trimming or replace-editing. Some of it may be over the head of new editors, but this makes experienced folks like me feel like we got our money's worth too.GREAT BOOKI don't think any book can make you a great editor, that takes years of practice, but I do think every so often there's a technical book that's not just good at teaching you about a technical subject, but is just a good book that inspires you in ways beyond anything the author could have intended. Editing Techniques with FCP is definitely that. Thanks Michael!Oh- I almost forgot! Between each chapter is an interview with a high-profile film editor about their style and techniques! Great stuff! Especially the interview with WALTER MURCH!!

This is a must buy for anyone who uses Final Cut Pro. The book stands on its own as an excellant resource and is true to the high standards of research and documentation of Peach Pit Press products, and the free CD-ROM which ships with the book is the best instruction I have seen to date. The interactive CD-ROM is hosted by Zak Tucker, editor and founder of Swete Studios, who takes you step by step through the ropes of editing a television commercial. The footage is great to work with and Zak makes the instruction interesting and clear. It's so refreshing to finally be getting hands on teaching from the real experts, the editors, the people who use Final Cut Pro 2.0 day in day out. I give this three thumbs, nine out of ten.BenjaminFCP EditorNew York