DV 101: A Hands-On Guide for Business, Government and Educators [Paperback]

Jan Ozer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321348974 | ISBN-13: 978-0321348975 | Publication Date: March 7, 2005 | Edition: 1

Corporations, government offices, and academic institutions have long used video to educate and inform. The only thing that's changed is the people who are producing them: With low-priced equipment and easy-to-use software flooding the market, now you're the person behind the camera, not some high-priced video specialist! This is the guide for you, then-and all of the other nonprofessionals who've been called upon to produce top-quality videos. Long on essentials-like where to place the camera, how to connect microphones, and which font to use in titles-and short on theory, this guide focuses instead on the simple steps and best practices needed to produce great videos. Veteran author Jan Ozer gives you the lowdown on shooting, audio, and lighting before describing the workflow and procedures involved in converting raw DV footage to streaming video and DVDs, and distributing the final product. For software-specific guidance, you can purchase downloadable PDF workbooks that use the book's projects to walk you through the production process.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (March 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321348974
• ISBN-13: 978-0321348975
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Music

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This will get you going, July 8, 2005

By 

T. Painter (Marietta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DV 101: A Hands-On Guide for Business, Government and Educators (Paperback)

I'm not a pro videographer -- I got this book to help me take better video at my church, and at home and on some ocassional business videos. I thought I needed separate books on lighting, audio and how to shoot and edit the video itself, but this book tells me what I need to know with screenshots and illustrations that make it easy to understand. The first chapter in particular, "mastering the video shoot" illustrates some common techniques - where to place the camera, where to place the subject in the camera - that have improved my videos immensely. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hands on Guide for Volunteers too!, April 20, 2005

By 

Kim L. Reynolds "MJ Treehugger" (Moose Jaw Saskatchewan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DV 101: A Hands-On Guide for Business, Government and Educators (Paperback)

Libraries need to interview and archive footage from their interesting seniors, scouts need to capture their jamborees, and coaches need to focus on what is going right (and wrong) with their team. The list goes on forever, and all those volunteers out there doing the heavy lifting need to read this book, mark the pages and follow the steps! Jan Orzer's book is really saving me from a lot of errors, steering me in the right direction and giving me the confidence to try. If I follow the directions that he illustrates so well (and humorously) I expect to produce video that teaches, entertains and maybe even inspires the viewer. I have never taken a formal course and am finding my way as an amateur, but so far, with Jan's help, I am getting there with better results than I deserve to have, so this book is very good value, and I highly recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting Through Your First Vido Production, March 16, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DV 101: A Hands-On Guide for Business, Government and Educators (Paperback)

This book is addressed to the absolute beginner who has to produce some kind of video. He generally assumes:

that the reader is in business, government or education, perhaps where the video department got shut down for cost savings.
that you are operating by yourself. You are the camera operator, the actor, the director, etc.
that you are using only one camera
that you are going to edit the production digitally
and of course you want professional looking results.

That's a fair number of assumptions, but with today's low cost but very good equipment and software, not unreasonable expectations. This book does not review cameras, or software, or DVD authoring programs. It is written pretty general in nature.

But then to accompany the book there are a series of workbooks that do discuss the use of the most common software packages: Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Encore DVD, Apple Final Cut Express, DVD Studio Pro, and Pinnacle Studio.

This book will not make you a professional ready to go compete with Industrial Light and Magic, but it'll get you through the process of your first video.