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www.ausom.net.au AUSOM News April 2009 v 39
Robin Helmond and Terry O’Riley
In the Library
“The Little Digital Video Book”
Author: Michael Rubin
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Price: $US 24.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-57262-2
ISBN-10: 0-321-57262-9
I was pleased when offered this book to review because
it looked like just the book I needed. I had taken a lot of
travel and family Super 8 film many years ago, and recently
some video, but always as an untutored amateur. I really
needed to go back to basics and learn the proper way. This
was a golden opportunity. So this review is from a starter’s
viewpoint, rather than an experienced videographer.
The goals of this book are: To teach how to use your camera
to get good video results easily, to shoot video that you can
readily edit into projects, and to finish your projects with
no planning or script. That seems like a pretty simple set of
objectives. Just what I need.
But Michael Rubin sets about these goals in a very thorough
and detailed manner, so that the reader can be in no doubt
as to what the author considers important. His “Golden
Rules” are well justified. He starts out by reviewing the
hardware available these days and also covers the various
storage media used by the today’s video cameras. Alas, I
think hard discs and flash memory are superseding his
preferred video storage medium, digital tapes. Though not
specifically Apple oriented, the book is Apple friendly as its
editing chapter uses screen shots from Final Cut Express.
Next Rubin covers shooting, including structure, camera
shots, coverage, framing and design, through to lighting
and sound. He then discusses organising your videotapes,
preparing to edit, and then, for what seems a mystery to
me, the editing itself. This was the bit I was most interested
in as I have heard editing can be the making or breaking
of a video. Rubin details this process comprehensively, in
the process, demystifying the process for me. He includes a
number of interesting tricks, and examples of what can be
got away with, and what can’t. The conclusion of the book
covers discussions on your options of where to output your
project, whether that is to DVD, or the internet. He also
covers the ticklish question of copyright law. Throughout
this book Rubin poses a number of assignments to help the
reader understand the point of his instruction. I think this is
a very useful technique.
I found this book was just what I needed; in fact I am
tempted to buy my own copy, as there is so much detail in
this little book one borrowing does not do it justice. I look
forward to putting his guidance into practice. It is an easy
to read book, though his chatty, conversational like style
can get a little tedious during a long reading session. I can
recommend this book to anyone new to video cameras, or
to those who have fiddled around as an amateur, but want
learn how to do a better job in future. In short, I rank it as
a 4, Very Awesome. It may be a 5, but only an experienced
videographer could decide that question.
—Robin
The iPod Book
Author: Scott Kelby
Publisher: Peachpit Press
ISBN-13: 9780321486172
305pp
One of the many books written about iPods but perhaps
one of the more readable. Most of them seem to tell you
everything except for the one thing you want to know.
Kelby’s book however, is different; a well organised index,
which makes finding what you want a simple task plus
short but succinct instructions, all limited to one-page
explanations.
The colour photographs on each page make it attractive
to the reader and it is arranged in such a way that it
commences with the simple instructions (how to switch
it on/off etc.) ranging right through to the complex
operations.
I would recommend this book to the new iPod owner as a
valuable replacement for the instruction manual you didn’t
receive with your iPod
Rating Very awesome
—Terry
z