Exploring Digital Video

This book covers so many areas of digital video that I'm sure it will have what you need. It talks about topics such as purchasing video cameras and includes technical specs and quality. It also discusses bluescreen technology, capturing video and audio, scriptwriting, storyboarding and so on. And this is all just the beginning. It goes on to discuss how to edit, render and output film for the internet, television, or for multimedia presentations. Other than just being a great source of information this book also has a lot of fun extras that will keep you interested. At the end of each chapter there is a quick question formatted review to make sure that you understood and remembered the important aspects of the chapter. There are also various inserts with profiles and interviews of some of the professionals in the field. Although all of the inserts are interesting and informative, the best was the piece about Star Wars. This particular insert is about Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) which is part of Lucas Film LTD. It discusses how one of the scenes from Star Wars was created. It's really cool to hear how they created something and made it look so amazing on film. As if this weren't enough already, this book comes with a DVD/DVD-ROM with interviews with the Eagles Television Network and a number of tutorials. For those unfamiliar with the ETN, it is the Emmy award winning network of the Philadelphia Eagles. You get to hear about digital video from experts in the field through watching the DVD and reading the book. For such a low price it is one of the best literary investments you can make if you want to learn about digital video.

Finally! A book that makes a difficult subject easy to understand - creating and working with digital video (DV)! Each chapter is well laid out with great illustrations and nicely sized titles for each section and lesson. It also enhances its content by making good use of sidebars, to add relevant information.. Each chapter ends with an very useful set of questions and exercises, which furthers the reader's comprehension. Lesson 6 was a highlight for me because I often incorporate photographs into my videos. This sometimes results in a badly distorted photo, forcing me to omit some great photos because of that distortion. Other times, I've been lucky and able to successfully place a photo without any distortion. Until I read this book, the causes were unclear; the author demonstrates the correct way to prepare a photograph for digital video in a way that I could understand and will remember. Though math and computations are a turn-off to many, she successfully covers the meaning of pixel values without confusion. The DVD included with the book contains tutorials which do an excellent job of taking the viewer step-by-step through cropping a photograph vertically and horizontally, so it is properly proportioned for video. The reader therefore has a visual and a written source for future reference at any time. As a bonus, the author interviews Fred Meyers and Ben Snow, the makers of the Star Wars movies from George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Meyers and Snow re pioneers in the DV field. She interviews several other DV professionals as well, adding their vast experience to the subject. The DVD also includes discounts from major retailers, saving readers money on computer and electronics products. This book is a keeper-excellent for the both the beginner and the experienced hobbyist.

The book is great. All you have to do is open it up and glance through it to see that it will be helpful. The Companion DVD is even better with step by step tutorials. The DVD also offers discounts with retailers on equipment, stock video and a great DVD duplication offer from Action Duplication in West Conshohocken, PA (800-847-3827).

I was highly impressed by not only the quality of information, but also with the quality of tutorials and features on the accompanying DVD. You definitely will get your money's worth. Everything you need to know about creating and working with DV is covered without the confusing techno jargon often associated with DV, and video in general. I like the fact that both PC and Macintosh systems are covered in this book. A valuable feature of this book is the color insert where she interviews the makers of the Star Wars movies from George Lucas' ILM who are pioneers in the field. Also peppered throughout the book are interesting interviews with professionals who give their insight. The DVD companion that comes with the book is amazing in itself. It includes exercises and top notch tutorials that compliment chapters and exercises found in the book. She includes actual videos, stills and graphics as well as project files and software to complete the exercises using working demo versions of Premiere for Macintosh and PC. Valuable interviews with the Eagle's Television Network discuss creation of the groudbreaking video sequence made for the opening of the Eagles new stadium. The DVD also offers discounts with major retailers on equipment required for DV, as well as royalty free stock video. I highly recommend this book, for beginners, and for those who already know a bit about DV. It's the only book I know of where everything you need to know is in one place. Its a valuable reference. In addition to being a video professional I think her background as a teacher is what really illuminates this book. It is clearly written and straightforward with respect paid to its intended audience. It explains highly complex concepts in a way readers can comprehend.

this book is just great!!!best for exploring digital technology. i'm glad i bought it!