Title Design Essentials for Film and Video [Paperback]

Mary Plummer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321445767 | ISBN-13: 978-0321445766 | Publication Date: February 22, 2007 | Edition: 1

Whether you're an experienced video editor, an indie filmmaker, or a dedicated amateur, this cookbook-style guide from bestselling author Mary Plummer will teach you how to create effective titles for your projects, no matter what your genre and subject matter may be. In addition to a wide array of clear, appealing, and appropriate recipes you can adapt for your own work, Mary provides a kind of "elements of style," explaining essential design principles such as size, color, speed, placement, and font choice. The book is beautifully illustrated, and the accompanying DVD has QuickTime movies showing examples constructed using After Effects, Motion, LiveType, Photoshop, and Flash.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mary Plummer has been editing film and video professionally for over 15 years using film, on-line, off-line, linear, non-linear and software-based systems. An Apple Certified Trainer in Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro, she has edited music videos, documentaries, trailers, and independent feature films, and composed original music that has been used in film and video projects from coast to coast. Also a lead trainer for Apple's Pro Certification program, and travels the country and Europe training new Apple Certified Trainers. Author of numerous Apple Pro Training Series books including; Soundtrack Pro and Getting Started with Motion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (February 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321445767
• ISBN-13: 978-0321445766
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #584,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Any film library or practicing film and video pro or neo-pro needs this., February 6, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Title Design Essentials for Film and Video (Paperback)

Experienced video editors and amateurs alike will find this handbook essential to any film project, with its narrow focus on how to create professional titles for projects and an approach that moves beyond genre or software. From avoiding the common pitfalls of confusing titles to understanding size, color, placement and more, these tips paired with a DVD of Quick Time movies offers essential keys to production which are the foundation works of a good design. Any film library or practicing film and video pro or neo-pro needs this.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for your production library, September 12, 2010

By 

Duane Ackerman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Title Design Essentials for Film and Video (Paperback)

This is a great book. Other reviewers say that it is too simple and I agree....it is simple which is why it is so good. Most books on titles and graphics use examples that are so advanced that they would only be used once in awhile if at all...mainly for commercials. This book shows the basics of title creation that is used all the time.
If you want to dive into After Effects this is not the book for you. If you want to create the type of titles used in about 95% of all productions this is the book for you.

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy to follow beginner's guide, January 26, 2010

By 

Ariane Colenbrander "ariane c" (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Title Design Essentials for Film and Video (Paperback)

Title Design Essentials for Film and Video
written by Mary Plummer

This book comes in a handy compact size and is aimed at beginners. This isn't a book meant to teach motion graphic-related programs. Readers will instead learn the basic design principles involved with the creation process. Terminology is well-covered, as are various techniques and specific working scenarios.

There are a lot of tips along the way, set apart in either blue boxes or text. Before a major concept is presented, there's always a checklist present in order to get the reader thinking ahead of time, a big plus.

Chapter 6 is the culmination of the previous five. It allows readers to complete four basic projects to get started. The chapter goes further to show several background examples to readers, however with no practical application of the processes being discussed. Would have been nice to be able to see actual examples of titles described in each example.

It would have also been useful to include a chapter on the book covering the various motion graphics software packages available, as well as a trial copy of each on the DVD included with the book. Perhaps this can be addressed in a future edition.