Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound

Mr. Yewdall, the author, puts his long time experience into this book. Avoiding pitfalls with producers to working with budgetary constraints while producing academy award winning sound is probably the main emphasis of this book. The CD that comes with it is quite valuable, containing sample audio clips to demonstrates the author's points at various times. This book will save you atleast 2 years of experience in motion picture sound. It's worth every penny.

I found the book very entertaining to read, Yewdall tells many personal stories which he uses to illustrate points. In fact, I read it more like a novel. He passes his knowledge, and experience to the reader through stories of things he's done, and has seen in his many years recording, producing and creating sound for motion pictures. Some is fact, some is opinion, but his opinions are clear and are backed-up with his own unique style of logic. There are also more technical areas of the book that cover topics like mic placement, how to record cars/explosions/dialogue, how to catalogue your own sound effects libary, etc. This book would also be useful to directors and producers who want better sound in their films. There's definately lots to learn about sound, and the author has done a good job giving the reader an idea about what motion picture sound is all about.

David is one of my teachers at North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking and his class is incredibly indepth. Of course, this is the book he uses in class. It is so easy to read and understand. I recommend this book to everyone, even if you know nothing about sound as this book will get up and going quickly and give you everything you need to be successful.

Author/recordist David Yewdall does a terrific job explaining the highly-technical goings-on behind the scenes in the world of film sound. Recording, mixing, dubbing, and digital audio techniques are all covered in a way that never talks over the reader's head. The content is absolutely state-of-the-art (as of mid-2000), and is the first thorough book I've ever seen on the subject. Anybody who's interested in recording sound for TV or films -- high budget, low budget, or inbetween -- will get something positive out of this book. Highly recommended!

Few filmmaking textbook writers give a reader all the information needed in a textbook to label it one of the top ten books for self-starters in the film industry. This one contains: Technical information about recording sound and about post-production, a practical guide to motion picture set protocal (when to say action), budgeting information and how to avoid budgeting errors based on actual filmmaker's experiences. The author shows sample budgets and explains in detail with specific examples how using some popular budgeting software, that leaves out "line items", will push a film's expenses over budget (Waterworld!). He offers his personal experience about how people who sign contracts for a production, who have no knowledge of the process, often do not interpret a contract correctly for foley and other post-production sound. This contract mistake can make a budget skyrocket. His emphasis on equating budget control with artistic control makes this a top ten book for aspiring or working Producers and Directors, as well as Sound Professionals. In my last few years running a website for alternative learning in the filmmaking industry, after reviewing about 70 textbooks, I have yet to find ten books that give professionals with no inside knowledge of the film industry both practical step-by-step insider knowledge of the business as well as artistic and technical information that is understandable to persons with basic skills. I interpret basic skills as technical (camera, computer), artistic (creative), and business. Tomlinson Holman's Sound for Film and Television textbook is almost wholly technical compared to Yewdall's Practical Art. Holman is the creator of the THX sound system. For all the reasons above and particularly for Yewdall's use of plain language and specific examples, this textbook is on my list of top ten books, to read and own, as an alternative or supplement to actual hands on experience in the filmmaking industry! Pamela Curry/Webmaster, Film Director in Training, Film Studio Faux