Desktop Digital Video Production (Prentice Hall Imsc Press Multimedia Series) (Paperback)

by Frederic Jones (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Explains step-by-step how to create & present digital video for multimedia by providing real examples & outlining hardware & software requirements. Paper. CD-ROM included. DLC: Video tapes - Editing - Data processing.

From the Inside Flap
Preface

The new world of video, from acquisition through editing to final distribution is a contest with only one contestant, digital. Analog video at every level is obsolete, except for processing legacy content. The only practical question with regard to the inevitable is the timeframe for the transition from analog to digital video.
The first area of video to fall into the digital domain was that of effects, followed quickly by the entire editing process. Since most editing is now done on digital workstations rather than on analog tape, it followed naturally that the capture of the video content should evolve to digital as well. Finally, video has begun to be distributed in digital form. Computer video, delivered on CD-ROM was the first medium to utilize digital video. This has been followed by the Internet and currently by Digital Versatile/Video Discs. Eventually, all broadcast television will be HDTV digital. At that point the transition will be complete, but a change of that magnitude will not take place overnight. It began over two decades ago, and by most predictions, will not be fully realized for at least another decade.
This transition is not without precedent. In the audio world the shift from analog to digital dominance was completed in less than a decade, but it was much less complicated than it will be for video. There is still a real place in the audio production process for analog recorders and signal processors. Sound, particularly music, can be aesthetically enhanced by the analog process. A warmth caused by inherent distortion is imparted to the audio signal that is pleasing to the listener. This is not true in the world of video production. Similar distortion to a video signal imparts a degradation of the signal and is universally considered to be unwanted.
The change from analog to digital video must be addressed by everyone involved in shooting, editing, and distributing video product. Anyone interested in video equipment must consider the rapid obsolescence of analog equipment, and the increased requirement of clients and broadcasters for digital masters. Every videographer, amateur, industrial and professional, must learn new tools and techniques in digital editing and effects, and must come to grips with computer, DVD, Internet and HDTV's demand for digital video.
There is another revolution in addition to the technological one, taking place in digital production. Today, a $100 software package, running on a PC, can do many of the things that only a $100,000 dedicated workstation could do ten years ago. It is now possible, with $25,000 worth of digital video equipment, to exceed the quality and sophistication of effects of those earlier system which cost ten times more. This magnitude of reduction in production costs, combined with CDROM, DVD and the Internet, has the potential to create an independent production and distribution community that is exciting, compelling, and significantly more available to many aspiring and creative film-makers and producers. In the audio world "project studios" have become the focus of both amateur and professional production and have taken over a significant proportion of music recording, most of which used to take place in expensive rented studios. The same reduction of scale in the video process is rapidly occurring. Alternate distribution channels and independent record companies have emerged. We can expect the same to occur in the video world. In fact, the digital video and audio capabilities of DVD will revolutionize both the audio and video industries.

I hope this primer in digital video production will help you transition from the analog world or, if you are a newcomer, enter this exciting field. It is designed to help existing video amateurs and professionals confronted with the need to move from analog to digital. It is also a guide for the new video professionals in multimedia and the Internet as they learn to master the essential tools and technologies of video acquisition and editing in the digital domain. I have created a sampler tray from the entire video process to familiarize you with the range of issues. This includes shooting, or acquisition of both video and audio, lighting, software for editing, effects, digital compression and distribution. I have given enough "hands on" information for this book to be considered a basic manual for each of these areas. This includes coverage of the leading editing and effects software packages such as Sonic Forge, Adobe Premiere, and AfterEffects. I have not, however, attempted to provide an in-depth manual on any one of these packages. You are referred to other books and sources as you move beyond your transitional or start-up period. Remember, this is an introduction to digital video, not an advanced course. Visit my digital video website for up-to-date information on software and equipment, as well as to discover additional information and resources. Many of the video clips, created, edited and captured in my studio during the production of this book, and which serve as illustrations, as well as color versions of many other illustrations are available on the website. I hope this book will help open the door for you to this exciting field and its opportunities, and that you will enjoy it as much as I do.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 405 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137956002
• ISBN-13: 978-0137956005
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,722,384 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too General, April 20, 2000

By A Customer

I am disappointed by this book. Although it is probably aimed at beginner and intermediate levels, it remains too general for both. The author's attempt to cover too much ground makes the book read like a glossary. Much of what is said is common knowledge i.e. "music increases psychological ... effectiveness with an audience." , etc. Although this book does give a broad overview of the subject, the author never gets down to the meat. I would recommend that anyone, like myself, interested in digital video buy books separately for each area (sound, lighting, editing, etc.) so as not to waste time with generalities.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good basic resource, October 10, 2001

By A Customer

I found this book to be extremely helpful. I liked the way the author used examples, and the step-by-step presentation was clear and concise. I was looking for a basic book that would lay out all the basic information I needed to get started, from the type of microphones to use to the use of music and sound effects. The basic information on hardware was also very well presented. While I will buy additional books that go into more detail as I progress in this area, this book will continue to be my basic information sourse.