Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro - Softcover

Michael Wohl

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0201734834 ISBN 13: 9780201734836

Publisher: Peachpit Pr, 2001

Synopsis

UntitledNo wonder Apple';s Final Cut Pro is such a hit with desktop filmmakers:It combines powerful video-editing and special-effects software with anaffordable price tag. If you have the software, learn to use it like a pro. Film editors, production professionals, and students alike will findEditing Techniques with Final Cut Pro an invaluable resource, thanksto its practical and efficient cinematic strategies for working with FinalCut Pro and other tools.

Author Michael Wohl is a professional film editor and was one ofthe original designers of Final Cut Pro. In Editing Techniques withFinal Cut Pro, he takes a unique approach, blending hands-on productiontips with professional strategy and artistic techniques. Wohl talked to anall-star lineup of top film editors (see the list below) while writing thebook; each chapter ends with an interview with a seasoned industry insider.From guidelines on editing to suggestions for improving work flow,Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro ventures beyond the basics andteaches you how to edit like a pro.

Editors interviewed in Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro:Brian Berden (Blue Velvet, Natural Born Killers); Curtiss Clayton(Drugstore Cowboy, Made); Hervé Schneid (Delicatessen, TheCity of Lost Children); Steven Mirrione (Swingers, Traffic);Valdís Óskarsdóttir (The Celebration, FindingForrester); Chris Tellefsen (The People vs. Larry Flynt, Flirtingwith Disaster); John Wilson (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & HerLover, Billy Elliot); Paul Hirsch (Star Wars, MissionImpossible); Walter Murch (American Graffiti, Apocalypse Now, TheEnglish Patient)

About this title

Review

So you've got a new DV camera, a shiny new Mac, and you're itching to make your first film. The only problem is that you don't know a script from a storyboard, or a WS from an MCU. Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro might be just the thing you need to say "Action!" with confidence and bring that certain polish to your production.

Clearly written and lavishly illustrated, this excellent handbook features over 425 pages and 9 chapters covering everything from the basics of production and what an editor does, the language of film and editing, the planning needed when preparing to edit, and the use of Final Cut Pro itself, from beginning through advanced techniques and effects like ramping the speed of a clip, compositing computer animation over a clip, picture-in-picture, color correction, creating titles, and much more.

This is not a book for the experienced user, but it is a solid handbook for beginners who intend to get serious. Offering far more information than just how to use Final Cut Pro for editing, Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro is almost misnamed. While the focus of the book is editing, there is so much useful information here on preproduction and production that it is simply a wonderful handbook on how to make a good digital video film.

Apple's Final Cut Pro, now up to version 3.0, has helped fuel the next evolutionary step in video production. By integrating powerful software with their hardware technology, Apple has put video postproduction into the hands of almost anyone who can afford a camera, computer, and software. Access to the equipment, however, doesn't mean a windfall of Oscar winners. Learning how to make a good film requires generous amounts of both talent and technical mastery. This book won't infuse you with talent, but you'll walk away with a clear understanding of how production and postproduction techniques work, and how to produce a finished piece that looks finished. --Mike Caputo

About the Author

Michael Wohl, one of the principal designers of Final Cut Pro, has been editing film and video for twelve years. His experience ranges from corporate training to documentary and narrative films. His fictional documentary "Theaterality" won the prestigious Golden Eagle award from CINE.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peachpit Pr
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0201734834
• ISBN 13: 9780201734836
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 480