Customer Reviews

Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I picked up an advanced copy from the author at a Bay Area Final Cutters meeting. The book is different from most other FCP books in that it covers some basic editing techniques in a real world setting using FCP2. Rather than just go over every feature of the program, it tackles the craft of video editing using FCP. This makes it a great complement to the Lisa Brennis' excellent FCP2 Quick Pro Guide, which covers most of FCP2's functions.

For example, Michael explains different ways to use the Trim and Edit tools in editing a sequence as well as different approaches to logging clips. It also goes over issues of continuity and pacing how to deal with these problems in a non linear editing system. All this for me (at least) was worth the price of the book.

This book might be too basic for seasoned NLE editors. But it definitely will be a big help to begining or intermediate FCP editors looking to polish their craft .

I would have given the book 5 stars, except that I felt that the author should have devoted a little more space to areas such as exporting and importing from After Effects and ProTools. These were covered briefly. Also the CD included with the book should have had some examples of the exercises in the book. (The CD had some basic tutorials on FCP) I feel I would have benefited more from some Quicktime movies, illustrating the techniques covered in the book.

Despite the cons, I feel this book is a good buy and covers a lot of areas missing in the current crop of FCP titles. It doesn't cover everything in FCP, but what it covers it covers well.

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 WRITTEN
Okay, 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 TECHNIQUE
Although 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 PRO
He 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 BOOK
I 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!!

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.

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.

Benjamin

FCP Editor
New York

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 book is not for someone looking to learn the basics of Final Cut Pro, the manual and other books are better at that, but this book is a MUST for anyone looking to learn about editing and are going to be doing it in FCP.

Other FCP books teach you the program primarily, this book is about editing and the skills and techniques you need to do it well.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

When I got this book I openned the first few pages and kept going on. It seems to me that anyone who helped create a program will certainly know how it works or that's what we think. Micheal is and editor with many years of experience and he shows you the different ways you can use FCP. Don't buy this for problem solving to FCP, buy it as a good reference book when you need to learn different ways to edit. It's like a good cook book , you can always pick it off the shelf and look for something new to cook.

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 was surprised to discover that the CD that comes with this book actually is different then most CD's, ... it contains these great video-based lessons, with an instructor that shows you how to edit a professional commercial. This type of "mentor-based" training, where you watch a real professional editor use the software + explain what he's doing was incredibly valuable --I knew how to use the software but, for me, it was much harder to learn how to edit. The combination of this book + the CD's video-based lessons really make a cool package. The cost-effectiveness of this training method was the best I've used. The most important thing is how quickly I was able to gain proficiency!

The previous review says that this book is solely for professionals, but I couldn't disagree more. The whole first third of the book goes over the basics of the film language and step by step introduces you to editing concepts starting with really simple ones and then moving on to more complex ideas. Then it goes into how to apply those concepts using Final Cut Pro.

I found the writing style especially accessible and clear. I think it's essential reading for anyone using FCP regardless of their skill level.

It's also one of the only books out there that isn't version specific so it won't be obsolete whenever Apple decides to revise the software.

All around a great book about filmmaking and editing.

p.s. take a look at that reviewer's other reviews -- she pans three different FCP books, maybe it's the software that she doesn't like, not the books.