Japanamerica How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U S

Japanamerica How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U S

The influx of Japanese art and fashion into the American cultural mainstream gets an entertaining treatment from Kelts, an essayist and lecturer at the University of Tokyo, who interviewed many of Japan’s leading culture gurus over the past three years. Kelts is clearly most interested in the world of anime and manga (from Pok

Complete Guide to Film Scoring

Complete Guide to Film Scoring

An essential resource for both students and professionals, offering shrewd insight into the business, process, and art of writing music for film and TV. Interviews with top film scoring professionals add the priceless insight of the wisdom that comes with experience.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Excellent Resource, Absolutely Must Read
I’ve come to recognize that any of the Berklee Press books will be excellent, but this book exceeded my expectation in nearly every way. Even though this is a textbook, it reads easily, and just as important, it is inexpensive. I was expecting a much smaller book for the price, and was surprised by the amount of material covered.

The only negative thing I could say about this book was that I had kind of expected more musical examples and tricks, for example that a whole tone scale is commonly used for dream sequences. There really isn’t that kind of material covered in this book at all.

What is covered is the various legal and practical aspects of making film music as a profession, and it is covered very well.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone considering a career in film music, or even to someone who is interested in film music.

Finally, a bit of trivia from the book: Where much of the classical community derides John Williams’ Star Wars score as being a rip-off of Holst’s Planets, it turns out that Williams actually had to convince Lucas to use original material, in the style of the planets suite, instead of Holst’s Planets itself which was the temp track.

5 Stars Great Book. Highly Recommended
Very informative, and covers everything you need to know about working as a composer in a film industry

5 Stars A Must Have!
I had a hard time getting through this the first time 4 years ago. However, I just read it in its entirety and it is well worth the wait. Now, having committed fully to a career in film and TV composing, it makes complete sense. This is a more comprehensive and academic reference book for scoring but it covers the basics very well. I suggest reading this along with a few more like Bellis’ “Emerging Composer” and others. Be patient with it and it’ll serve its purpose.

5 Stars An excellent primer
I’m just getting seriously interested in composition and music for films and I literally knew nothing about the process. This book was an excellent overall primer, was written very plainly and clearly and I walked away feeling like I understood the entire process of film scoring, all the steps involved, people involved, how royalties worked, how to get started, etc. I also really enjoyed the last section which contained many good interviews with seasoned composers. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you are just getting started.

5 Stars wonderful book
This is simply a wonderful book, essential for a composer interested in film sountrack world.

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Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop

Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop

About the previous edition:
“you can only learn to edit by editing. That is what sets this book apart from others…” –Michael Horton, president, Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group
“Tom helps you make the leap from iMovie to Final Cut Express, and teaches you the art of editing.” –Jim Heid, Avondale Media

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Easy step by step instructions
Very nice step by step instructions.

Using sample DVD and following instructions remind me when I was a student.

If you are stepping up from iMovie to Final Cut Express, then you should get this book and spend a week to do step by step lessons. Afterward, you are ready.

5 Stars Step By Step…anyone can learn to use this program
I have had the program on my computer for months now. I was completely overwhelmed by it and figured I might never use it. I had the book but wasn’t really ready to take on the task of learning the program. Today I sat down with this book, went page by page (I am only to page 36 now) and I totally get it. Using the book, I could go baby step by baby step to learn the program. I now have renewed confidence and I am ready to take this on! Great book for even the most novice of novices! I highly recommend it!

1 Star Never DID anything of substance. Very disappointing.
This book made me want to break commandments. I picked it up based on several positive reviews on Amazon.com. However, it was completely inane. It took nearly 50 pages of reading to get to any activity. Then, the activity was “mark a section. Unmark the section and press Command+I to remark it. Then delete your marker. Press Command-I to mark again, and then Command+U to split clips. Delete the clips, and…”

In other words, I never DID anything functional. I was shocked that I went so far in the book to realize I still hadn’t actually created a single movie — even a two- or three-shot trivial one.

I gave up (which I rarely do on books), surfed on to [...], and within 15 minutes, had flown through the [..] equivalent of all that I’d read in Wolsky’s book. Obviously, video training isn’t for or accessible to all. However, without any functional tasks, this book was a beating.

All that said, it perhaps could be a nice reference, although the layout doesn’t support even that

5 Stars A GREAT Book!
Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop

I am new to Final Cut Express, and moving from iMovie is quite intimidating to say the least! I cannot imagine jumping into FCE without having Mr. Wolsky’s book. I’ve followed each and every in-depth dvd tutorial in the book and it has been a lifesaver. The book is so well written and easy to follow and very detailed.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in FCE.

5 Stars easy reading with useful visual labs
This book has been written clearly with many screen shots that help a lot the understanding of the matter. Really useful the attached DVD that drive you step by step. Tom Wolsky did a very goood job.

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The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction

The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction

“Another great offering from Steve Hullfish. There are so many texts out there covering so many different aspects of post-production. Yet the final, all-important step of color correction and finishing has been a true tradecraft. The only way you learned was by sitting at the feet of a master. Steve has demystified much of that and given both beginners and professionals a fantastic resource.
Reading through this text is like sitting at the feet of the masters listening to wisdom. Randy Starnes, Mike Most, Greg Creaser. these are the guys I call when I’m confused about concepts or need clarification, and this is my business! Greg makes a wicked barbecue as well.”
– Lucas Wilson, ASSIMILATE, INC.


“As more of us shoot our own footage, we are also required to become our own colorists. The Art and Technique of Color Correction will help
you develop the skills you need to master this essential art.
Steve demystifies the technical art of color correction by patiently distilling the wisdom of eight professional colorists down to a skill
set any dedicated editor or motion graphics artist can learn. Those new to the field will particularly appreciate how he introduces all of the technical and slang terms required while still speaking plain English.”
– Chris Meyer, Founding Partner, CyberMotion; author- Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects, currently in its 4th Edition, After
Effects Apprentice

“Steve Hullfish has written another down-to-earth analysis of digital color correction for video. It’s great for editors who are tackling their first color grading job as well as those who do it every day, but want a deeper understanding of how to turn color correction into color enhancement. Not only does Steve give simple and clear explanations of the technical aspects, but he walks the reader through the steps that leading colorists use to apply their own artistic touch. And best of all, readers can try these approaches for themselves, using the very same sample clips. He goes past the ‘how-to’ so you also understand the ‘why’. This book is a must-have for anyone involved in color correction for video.”
– Oliver Peters, President and Founder, Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Puts you in the room with amazing colorists
Someone once told me, “The best way to learn how to color is to watch someone doing it.” Gaining access to someone at that level can be difficult (and expensive). At that time, I wished I had this book. The author puts you in the room with some of the best colorists working today. It’s interesting to see how each colorist approaches a scene differently and how the elements of the picture can motivate the color. For instance, one colorist may see football as the subject, another might be moved by the gritty dirt smeared over the side of it.

Whenever I need inspiration, I turn to the last chapter in the book, “Creating Looks.” This book gave me new direction that I hadn’t considered in the past and has helped me build my own “PowerGrade” library. It is by far the best book that I have found on the subject both technically and artistically.

4 Stars The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction
The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction

This is an excellent resource for understanding and practicing the art of grading. Great in-depth knowledge and a good array of footage for exercises. Highly recommended for anyone exploring color correction whether beginner or seasoned professional

2 Stars Okay book, but missing important elements.
Overall a well written book, that covers most of the important aspect of color correction. However, I gave it only 2 stars as the book does have some deficiencies.

1) The viewing environment used when color correcting is of utmost importance - yet this book gives only a very cursory coverage of monitor set up and viewing environment. Instead, the author points to a pervious book of his for this vital information.

2) This book has nearly no discussion of gamuts, color spaces, color profiles, LUTs and other related topics, all of which are critical. In fact, the reason I purchased the book was anticipating an adequate coverage of these topics. I would have returned it, but missed Amazon’s return window.

3) The book only mentions Luster once in passing. Other than that there is absolutely no discussion of digital color timing for film. As such, this book should be titled “The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction for Video”.

In short, while the book does a good job of covering certain tools and a very nice in depth discussion of secondary color correction, it misses to many important topics that I believe should be included in such a book.

5 Stars Finally know what all those adjustments do
The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction

If you’ve ever tried to color correct in your NLE and have no idea of what all the adjustments mean (such as “input Black”) and have been trying to teach yourself the software by just moving the knobs and looking at the results, then this book is for you. I am amazed after reading the first third of the book how much I have learned and how to use the built in scopes that come with most software. I may never become a colorist, but it sure makes my in-house projects far better. And when the day comes that I need to hire a colorist, I feel like I will be better prepared to speak the language. This will be another reference book that will be worn out from daily use.

5 Stars An excellent book!

I ’searched inside this book’ and after reading the table of contents and the first few pages I decided to buy it. I had my reservations - not because of what I had read in the intro, but by the last few DV books I had purchased on Amazon. I am, I suppose, something in between a novice and an intermediate editor, and I edit on Sony Vegas Pro. This I have found puts me in a rather awkward category. In the past, all of the ‘how to’ books I’ve read have been far too basic or software specific.

What I really appreciated was the tone and pitch of the book. Most of the time, I find introductory books condescending - they seem to assume your inexperience equals a lack of intelligence (and corny jokes are unbelievable).

Before I read the Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction, I new more or less nothing about colour correction - my former corrections, dare I say it, were largely made using the contrast/brightness control - but this book made perfect sense to me. Steve Hullfish writes enthusiastically and encouragingly, and the book I believe would suit novices and pro’s alike. The clear definitions in the margins are an excellent idea and are perhaps the key to the book’s ability to transcend the novice/pro divide. If you understand the terminology move on, if you don’t the explanations are right there.

Although the book does not give examples from Vegas. It explains colorist parlance in useful analogies, and offers suggestions about where to look for color correction tools in NLE’s other than Avid and Apple Color. By in large, I found Vegas had most of the tools, scopes etc, and although I love Vegas, after seeing what Apple Color can provide, I do have a little ‘application’ envy.

One last thing… here’s a small anicdote: I recently made a short film on HDV and showed a couple of people who liked it and before I new it, I was being mentored by a large post production studio. I asked them for some advice on corrections. I ended up sitting down with their senior colourists, watching the film on the big screen and talking shop with them for a couple of hours. We were talking about masks, vignettes, secondaries, colour casts, gamma and all sorts of things that, to be honest, I new nothing about until I read this book. It seems there’s no substitute for experience, but because this book is full of advice from colourists with many years of experience, why not learn from your mistakes before you make them!

Glen Maw

Wellington, New Zealand

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Motion Picture and Video Lighting Second Edition

Motion Picture and Video Lighting Second Edition

“Written by a professional in the field, this comprehensive book reveals inside information based on years of experience and explores the challenges faced by cinematographers, lighting directors, gaffers and grips. Whether the reader is professional or a student, this book will be a useful
reference.” - Lighting and Sound International

“…book has made the biggest impact on my career of all the resources I used to get where I am. And while I have
absorbed many, many books, tapes and met several of my heros who have helped me, I credit your book with giving me the confidence to “just do it” these last few years and reach this level. Furthermore, your book is the one book that I recommend to young, aspiring people who want to learn our craft…” - Dane Lawing, DP

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great for anyone who is ready to take video and film seriously
Book covers all the elements in lighting. I found myself ready to skip a few chapters, electricity for example, but read through the chapters. Glad I did, I learned something new in every single chapter. So don’t skip a page, no matter how skilled you may believe you are.

I did wish I had a little more detail or examples on creating and shaping light as another review suggested, or at least on the DVD. Either way, this book is a must for every anyone serious about putting out a quality video production.

Some of the images and info direction was a little clumsy, but you will figure it out as you continue to read through.

Well worth the value. I just began reading Blain Brown’s other book “Cinematography” and also loving it.

4 Stars motion picture and video lighting
I felt it was helpful, this is the first book on lighting that I am reading so I don’t have anything to compare it against. Some of the chapters I skipped reading because it was too much into the electrical side (i.e. electrical power distribution) but that may be what someone else needs to know, I just wanted a ground floor introduction on How to light for film making. The DvD was useful.

5 Stars super techy
I bought this book to learn about cinematography. It’s very well informed and up to date. It’s very techy in language so a bit hard to read. This book has all sort of resources on what industry professionals do and use on independent/studio films, commercials, and music videos. It’s a book that you can always reference if you need to know about cinematography related subjects. I got a chance to work with the author, Blain Brown, on a couple of sets and this man is very knowledgeable. Have fun making films and stay away from Hollywood because you will end up being a slave to the industry rather than making your own films.

3 Stars Mostly About Film rather than Video
There is a lot of good background information in this book, and the accompanying video DVD provides excellent examples of the technical lessons in the text. The text includes deep technical details about many things (mostly related to film, including still photography). The only criticism I have about the book is that it may be mis-titled in the respect that much of the technical discussion in this book is specifically about still photography and film, some of it applicable in many ways to motion picture film, and some of it explicitly specific to still photography. My guess is that the author’s background is mostly in film, including still portrait photography, rather than video, as the book has a very strong bias toward film and relatively less detail applicable to video.

5 Stars Great book with a very usefull DVD
It’s quite simply written..easy to understand..and even has a DVD which is most usefull..BUY IT

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