Customer Reviews

Web Video: Making It Great, Getting It Noticed

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

 

 

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!

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.

"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.

Simply a wonderful book. Well written. Well outlined. And certainly provides great value for the many Internet marketers who want to incorporate video into their arsenal of tools and techniques. The book has 9 chapters as follows:

0. Introduction
1. Making great Web video
2. Shooting for the Web
3. Shooting events and interviews
4. Videoblogs, how to videos, and news
5. TV techniques for better Web-video
6. Editing and post-production
7. Uploading video to the Web
8. Getting your video noticed
9. Making it pay

This will be the third book on the subject of Internet digital video and marketing that I have read and posted a review for on Amazon. The first was "Show Me: Marketing with Video on the Internet" (ISBN: 9781884230011), and Web Video provides all the stuff I wish had been included in that book. The second was "YouTube for Business" (ISBN: 9780789737977) which I think would be a great companion book for Web Video. There is another book out there that I have not seen or read, but probably is one that will interest you if Web Video appeals to you. See "Marketing with Digital Video" (ISBN: 9781888093094).

I am not a techie when it comes to digital video and Internet marketing. But I see the value in creating digital videos from an Internet marketer's perspective. It is certainly a powerful tool and/or technique to incorporate into your arsenal of tricks when marketing online. And maybe someday I will take the plunge into doing it. It certainly would not be all that difficult to do after reading the instant book being reviewed. 5 stars!

This book is a worth a trip to the library, but I'd spend my money elsewhere. It doesn't really go indepth on any one topic, and it's geared towards film type video. From the title, I was expecting to find a book on making YouTube type videos, not a book focused on high end equipment and processes. I was hard pressed to find information in it that applied to me, even in the "Making it Pay" chapter. There is some good information in it, like the listings of video hosts and the author's experiences, but save your money and borrow it from the library.

I'll second the opinions of the other reviewers of this book: it's geared for professionals who have a lot of money to spend on studio equipment, pro-camcorders, sound mixing equipment and pricey editing software.

What it isn't is a quick and dirty, bare-bones budget way of getting your video on the web, and get it noticed.

Yes, it is vital to maintain high production values and quality video editing, and massive storage capacity via professional video tape and expensive editing software. That is, if you are already in the business and want to move from film or billboards or whatever, into video on the web. However, it isn't if you want to feature your frisbee-catching dog performing some mind-boggling aerial acrobatics. You don't need $20,000 of equipment and software if Fido can stand on his own four legs and make it to the early-morning TV shows.

So, get this book if you have lots of money and have ideas of making this a profession, or are already in the business but want to move to the web. Skip it and look elsewhere for advice for the 'amateurs' out there, i.e. 99% of the web-creating film makers.

Two books I've liked which are geared towards the low-budget filmmaker with aspirations of actually making a nice little film or even a short video for the web, are 'How Not to Make a Short Film' (Munroe) and "Making Short Films" (Thurlow). Those two books are geared for the budding film maker who wants to be the next Spielsberg and make videos with plots, storylines, fleshed-out characters, and so on. They are geared more towards casting, script writing, and getting your film into a film festival (which you may not be) but are nevertheless helpful if you don't want to remain a one-man show for the rest of your film making career.