Avid Agility: Working Faster and More Intuitively with Avid Media Composer [Paperback]

Steven Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2010

THE ULTIMATE BOOK ON HARNESSING THE POWER OF AVID MEDIA COMPOSER. Filled with hundreds of techniques and profusely illustrated in color, it will help you discover new ways to use the system and do things you didn't know were possible. For advanced editors, it contains in-depth, easy-to-read material on critical subjects that are often glossed over; for those just getting started, it offers clear, well-illustrated explanations of basic concepts. Written by one of the pioneers of the digital editing revolution, this first edition focuses on Media Composer 5.

SUBJECTS COVERED INCLUDE: Interface Fundamentals; Advanced Editing & Trimming; The Smart Tool; Visual Effects & Advanced Keyframes; Color Correction; Titles; Mixing, RTAS & Stereo Audio; Multi-camera Editing; Toolsets & Workspaces; AMA & Media Management; Film & 24p Video; and much more.

EDITIONS: This first edition offers detailed coverage of Media Composer 4 and 5. The second edition covers Media Composer 5.5, and the third covers Media Composer 6.

REVIEWS:
"The most ambitious and comprehensive book on Avid Media Composer I've read. This is much more than an operating manual or how-to -- it's like having a seasoned pro sitting next to you, revealing his trade secrets. If you're a Media Composer editor, rookie or old pro, Avid Agility will make you a better editor, guaranteed."
-- Jonathan Moser, Post Magazine

"The quickest path to becoming a Media Composer Jedi Master. Editor and teacher Steve Cohen has written a clear, comprehensively-illustrated and easy-to-understand guide -- a bible on advanced editing with Avid Media Composer. For anyone who works regularly on an Avid and has a desire to take their skills to the next level, this book is essential reading."
-- Lawrence Jordan, founder, 2-pop.com & HollywoodReinvented.com

"A definitive book about the Media Composer environment. May well be the ultimate book on customizing Avid's unique capabilities for individual creative editing."
-- Ray Zone, Editors Guild Magazine

"An easy read, logically laid out, and useful to novice and experienced editor alike. I highly recommend this book."
-- Frank Capria, Consulting Designer, Media Composer, Avid Technology

"Cohen's book will guide you to the next exciting level of the art of editing."
-- Edgar Burcksen, CinemaEditor Magazine

"An amazing work -- for both new and old Media Composer users. I'd recommend that each and every one of you who are editors order the book."
-- Norman Hollyn, Head of the Editing Track & Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts

"Steve Cohen has taken his decades of experience editing on Avid and distilled them into a very readable, incredibly illustrated book. Consistently delivers magical little tricks that make you say, 'I wish I'd known that yesterday!'"
-- Steve Hullfish, Avid Master Editor, colorist, author of five books.

"Celebrates new capabilities, teases out jewels in the crown, and boldly goes into advanced features. Avid Agility is a superb gift for any Avid editor, student or pro."
-- Loren Miller, Boston Creative Pro User Group. Editor, Teacher, and Creator of KeyGuide Keyboard Shortcut Pages.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The most ambitious and comprehensive book on Avid Media Composer I've read. Much more than an operating manual or how-to -- like having a seasoned pro sitting next to you, revealing his trade secrets. Avid Agility will make you a better editor, guaranteed."
-- Jonathan Moser, Post Magazine

"The quickest path to becoming a Media Composer Jedi Master. Cohen has written a clear, comprehensively-illustrated and easy-to-understand guide -- a bible on advanced editing with Avid Media Composer. This book is essential reading!"
-- Lawrence Jordan, founder, 2-pop.com & HollywoodReinvented.com

"Celebrates new capabilities, teases out jewels in the crown, and boldly goes into advanced features. A superb gift for any Avid editor, student or pro."
-- Loren Miller, Boston Creative Pro User Group. Editor, Teacher, Creator of KeyGuide Keyboard Shortcut Pages.

"An easy read, logically laid out, and useful to novice and experienced editor alike. I highly recommend this book."
-- Frank Capria, Consulting Designer, Media Composer, Avid Technology

"A comprehensive guide to making the Avid fade into the background when you're working your editorial magic. Cohen's book will guide you to the next exciting level of the art of editing."
-- Edgar Burcksen, CinemaEditor Magazine

About the Author

Steve Cohen has been a pioneer in non-linear post-production, editing one of the first Avid TV movies (HBO's "Teamster Boss") and then going on to edit the first studio feature to use Avid's Film Composer ("Lost in Yonkers") while helping to develop the company's 24-fps software. He remained closely connected with Avid for many years and eventually cofounded the Avid Editors Advisory Committee, a group of prominent editors that advises Avid about software features. He has worked as a teacher throughout his professional life and was the first chairman of the editing department at the American Film Institute, the first school in the U.S. to offer an MFA in editing. He later helped create, and was the publisher of the Editors Guild Magazine. His book, "Avid Agility," now in its third edition, evolved out of his deep involvement with the development of the Avid system.

His credits include, "Before the Rains," "Material Girls," "The Prince and Me," "15 Minutes," "Blood and Wine," "Three Wishes," "Angie," "Rambling Rose" and "No Man's Land," as well as many pilots and TV movies, including several in the Jesse Stone series. He received an Emmy for "LBJ: The Early Years," an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award for "Don King: Only in America," and A.C.E.'s distinguished Robert Wise Award for writing about editing. He blogs at splicenow.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449998925
• ISBN-13: 978-1449998929
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #900,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steve Cohen has been a pioneer in non-linear post-production, editing one of the first Avid TV movies (HBO's "Teamster Boss") and then going on to edit the first studio feature to use Avid's Film Composer ("Lost in Yonkers") while helping to develop the company's 24-fps software. He remained closely connected with Avid for many years and eventually cofounded the Avid Editors Advisory Committee, a group of prominent editors that advises Avid about software features. He has worked as a teacher throughout his professional life and was the first chairman of the editing department at the American Film Institute, the first school in the U.S. to offer an MFA in editing. He later helped create, and was the publisher of the Editors Guild Magazine. His book, "Avid Agility," now in its third edition, evolved out of his deep involvement with the development of the Avid system.

His credits include, "Before the Rains," "Material Girls," "The Prince and Me," "15 Minutes," "Blood and Wine," "Three Wishes," "Angie," "Rambling Rose" and "No Man's Land," as well as many pilots and TV movies, including several in the Jesse Stone series. He received an Emmy for "LBJ: The Early Years," an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award for "Don King: Only in America," and A.C.E.'s distinguished Robert Wise Award for writing about editing. He blogs at splicenow.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My review of "Avid Agility" from Post Magazine January 2, 2011

By flashcutter

Format:Paperback

I haven't met Steven Cohen, but after reading his book, Avid Agility ($36.88), I feel like I have. Cohen was a pioneer in nonlinear editing, cutting the first studio feature to use Avid (Lost in Yonkers). He's taught at the AFI, was publisher of the Editor's Guild magazine and co-founded the Avid Editor's Advisory Committee. And, now, he's published the most ambitious and comprehensive book on Avid Media Composer I've read. (Avid should include this with every Composer system sold).

This book could have had a number of other titles: "Avid Demystified," "Avid Revealed," or "Flying with Avid." I can promise you one thing... should you get this book, and I highly advise you do if you're a Media Composer editor, rookie or old pro, "Avid Agility" will make you a better editor, guaranteed.

This is much more than a operating manual or how-to -- it's like having a seasoned pro sitting next to you, revealing his trade secrets, explaining and enlightening you, all for the cost of a book.

In 236 jam-packed pages, Cohen has managed to take us on a very personalized trip through an admittedly complex and often baffling tool that has had its share of supporters and detractors. He shows us tips and tricks, shortcuts and gotchas, and reveals secrets that explain in concise and colorful prose and illustrations the versatile ways Media Composer can and should be used. He explains it in a straightforward manner that doesn't talk down or overcomplicate understanding.

Frankly, it's no secret that we editors are often stingy with our secrets and methods... admittedly, it's one of our worst traits, mea culpa. So for Cohen to have opened up decades of know-how and tips and tricks to advance our skill set is fantastic, and it only benefits us to take advantage of the opportunity.

"Avid Agility" is up-to-date with Media Composer 5, and covers just about all new aspects and features. Every page has some new shortcut or feature that you previously may have bypassed or neglected. Editing, speed and keyboard shortcuts can make the difference between you or another editor getting the job or not. With Cohen's vast array of shift, control and command shortcuts, methodology and approach, new levels of speed and versatility can be achieved.

I started learning new things almost immediately about the ins and outs of Media Composer that I didn't know (or ignored) after almost 21 years of cutting on it. The breadth of coverage is huge. From an in-depth look at Media Composer's interface, through the Smart Tool, new approaches of media management, color correction, audio mixing, toolsets and workspaces, to explaining Composer's new complex but powerful advanced keyframing model -- his concise explanations detail not only how to use it, but why it beats the old keyframing model.

Cohen uses detailed graphics to show us highlights in the keyboard or user interface that match precisely what he's explaining in text. Rather than just tell us,"This is how it's done," Cohen shows us why he does things the way he does. Much of his methodology is outside the box -- bypassing Avid's conventional wisdom.

For example, Cohen shows us a much more efficient and precise way to consolidate media in order to copy media over from one system to another that works better than Avid's own consolidate function. He explains things that aren't found in Avid's manuals or online help centers -- problems and solutions that are garnered from years of his own experience. His customization tips alone are worth the price of the book: things that may seem obvious, but that we've never done, like programming the mouse to enable functions that took multiple keystrokes, or that additional functions can be mapped to the keyboard that aren't listed in the manual or command palette.

There's no stone left unturned. It's hard to understand how he got so much into this book. There are literally hundreds of tips to be found in these pages.

In great detail Cohen even covers Media Composer's film tools and methodology, giving newbies a primer in pulldown, how Filmscribe works, examining change, optical and cut lists, giving us potential problems to watch out for.

Cohen's personal philosophy of editing is as much an ingredient of the book as these concise explorations of the editing system. In explaining a wonderful section on how he personally sets up his system (and why), he explains, "The more you can free yourself from thinking about the machine, the more your focus will be on the material you're editing... every time you look down, you slow down."

FINAL THOUGHTS

As I went through the book, I realized the disparity we as editors, have in just how we get educated on the use of our systems. Some of us have the luxury of one-on-one professional editing tutors or classes, others go up through the ranks at facilities or organizations, but so many others are in the boondocks, isolated and far from schools or others who might impart their experience and wisdom. With the cost of the technology now so low and multiplying daily, it's to these isolated and geographically scattered editors that this book might be even more valuable... even though there is so much great info here that even the most experienced pro can benefit.

An unexpected benefit of this book is a new look of Media Composer as the highly developed, complex and innately flexible system it is.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharpen your ax November 2, 2010

By Setphen J. Hullfish

Format:Paperback

Cohen starts his digital NLE editing book with a quote from an unlikely source: Abraham Lincoln. "If I had eight hours to cut down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe." It's an apt metaphor for the rest of the book.

I learned Avid originally in 1992. One of the primary tools that helped me was an early, home-bound version of Steve Cohen and Basil Pappas' book about Avid, back before there were really ANY other books other than the manuals. That book opened my eyes to a whole new way of using the tools in Avid.

Steve Cohen has taken his DECADES of experience editing on Avid and distilled them into a very readable, INCREDIBLY illustrated book. Cohen does start from the very basics, but I would say this is not a book for the Avid beginner. This is a great book for someone who wants to become a WAY more proficient Avid editor than they already are.

After quickly getting through the basics, Cohen delivers the deep secrets. I have done a lot of Avid training of my peers. At one point I read ALL of the Avid manuals. But Cohen's book consistently delivers magical little tricks that make you say, "I wish I'd known THAT yesterday!"

Well worth the read. The only thing I DON'T like about this book is the title, though it definitely makes sense for the contents of the book, so I'm not sure if you SHOULD or SHOULDN'T judge this particular book by its cover. Either way, the contents of the book are well worth the time and money.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Editors at all levels will benefit from this book November 6, 2010

By FLevy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a professional television editor working the Avid hard every day. I now keep this book on my console as an important reference tool. The Avid is such a deep program that there are many functions that do not get used on a daily basis. Steve Cohen has researched and tested them all. Through user friendly diagrams and easy to understand writing, he makes nagivating any operation easier. From Avid basics to the new sophisticated innovations on Media Composer version 5, users will find this book will help them cut (pun semi-intended) through any confusion and allow an editor to do what they want when they want to do it. I highly recommend it.