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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Web Video, making it Expensive!, February 7, 2009
This review is from: Web Video: Making It Great, Getting It Noticed (Paperback)
This is a good book for those who want to make a career out of film, particularly on the web; where it fails is to address the hobbiest who wants to produce decent videos for the web that look good. I am intrigued by the world of web video, and although I'd like to make some money off it some day, I felt that this book was a bit beyond my needs. The author gives many helpful suggestions, and there is no doubt I will profit from her advice in many ways. I did, however, feel the author was a bit condescending to those producing with consumer level cameras and video editing software.
Although I'd love to purchase a professional video camera, industrial strength tripod, lights, expensive microphones, and $1000 + video editing suite--such investments are beyond my resources. Where this book fails miserably is teaching people how to work more successfully with what they already have. The tone is uncompromisingly in favor of professional equipment acquisitions. It also fails to mention (for the most part except in passing) less expensive, yet effective software, that one can grow into--like Sony Vegas Pro 8. Vegas offers all the bells and whistles at a fraction of the cost Adobe Premiere Pro. When it comes to cameras, she failed to mention the Canon Vixia series, which has the inputs for both microphone and headset and shoots in HiDef video. These inputs are what she insists are lacking in consumer level cameras; so I thought they deserved a mention--at least on the books website. One can purchase one of these babies for between $600-$1000 dollars; still too high for many, but offering many of the features that the pro cameras offer.
Unfortunately there are not many books on this topic available. I'd also read YouTube For You, which I found very good at helping people who are starting out; but it doesn't go much beyond that.
So if you are interested in film production and web video I still reccomend it. If you can get your mind around the idea that only professional equipment is what a serious web videographer would use, you can glean much important and often overlooked information. If you do read this book, I'd reccomend hiding all your credit cards and seeing what you can do with what you already have. Perhaps if your video goes viral you will then be able to save enough for the paraphenialia suggested and quit your day job. Until then just keep practicing!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good--just modify the advice to fit your own needs, February 16, 2009
This review is from: Web Video: Making It Great, Getting It Noticed (Paperback)
Since I am planning to create a videoblog of something that is currently affecting every American, the title of this book got my attention. Since I have absolutely no experience with video whatsoever, even though I have a new videocam, I found the advice useful.
But no I am not going to spend the kind of money that is appropriate for a tv studio. I would suggest that for anyone looking for appropriate software and cannot afford the Mac software or higher--look into Sony Vegas Studio. Available from 99 dollars down to nothing, depending on the rebate situation, it is the most cost effective software for video on Windows computers.
Just look at the reviews on Amazon to find out more. A lot of people try Roxio or other software by Corel or others, but the Sony Vegas software will do what you or I need it to do, and most of these others will not.
I hope all this was helpful to someone.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Loaded with information, March 10, 2009
This review is from: Web Video: Making It Great, Getting It Noticed (Paperback)
"Web Video" is a comprehensive guide to producing, showing, and marketing online video. It covers the basics of video production hardware and software, web hosting sites, building a production team, film and sound techniques, editing, media formats and compression, and more .
The author, Jenny Bourne, is an experienced and accomplished producer. She has loaded the book with lots of information about the elements of producing quality web video, including tips and recommendations about equipment purchasing and use, guidelines for shooting scenes and editing footage, and creating appealing stories. The book provides guidance on types of shooting: events and interviews, video blogs, news, and how-to videos. There are interesting interviews with accomplished video makers, sample projects, and technical materials on digital processing.
Unfortunately, this abundance of substance is not well organized or expressed. The author repeats statements many times over in different sections of the book. She cautions many times in early chapters, for example, to pay attention to compression issues, but the factors to be considered are mentioned only many chapters later and without prior reference. Much of the writing is of general statements leading the reader to wonder about details. She mentions that some equipment or studio setup is "costly" but gives no figures. In a number of sections, she talks of the differences in shooting for the web versus other media, yet provides (for the most part) little explanation or insufficient detail.
The book is geared primarily to professional-level people although it's promoted as suitable for beginners. The book is illustrated with many color photos, illustrations, sidebar materials, and set outs discussing related material to the primary text.
For readers willing to dig out content, there is plenty of useful material here.
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