Making iMovies for the Web Book

You'll have seen the ads: with an iMac Dv and a digital camcorder suddenly the leap from juddery home videos that make you feel faintly dizzy to Cannes and the Palm d'Or doesn't seem quite so unlikely. The trouble is, that in the absence of a little guidance, what most people end up with are well-edited juddery home videos--with some nausea-inducing transition effects to liven things up a little. Making iMovies could help you avoid this pitfall. Ambitiously, and in true Hollywood style, it goes the whole nine yards--we're talking real movies here, with actors, storyboards and a plot, as well as, who knows, maybe even a script. But while this is a more ambitious enterprise than editing last year's holiday video, the whole thing is handled in a very approachable and easy-to-follow way and the topics and techniques are applicable to almost any video project.The book centres around producing three short movie projects (all the materials you need to complete these are on the accompanying DVD) each demonstrating various movie-making techniques as well as specific features of iMovie, The digital video editing software supplied with the iMac DV. There are some fundamentals to deal with before you press the record button--where to get your actors (friends, family, pets), how to structure your story and shooting techniques--before getting to grips with the technical stuff like importing and cropping clips; adding sound and music; voiceovers; titling; and transition effects. A short penultimate chapter deals with preparing video for web delivery and finally you're treated to an instructive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the three tutorial movies.The well-structured layout, clear uncluttered design and lack of jargon make this an ideal starting point whether your aim is low-budget short fiction, documentary or holiday videos of the non-juddering genre. --Ken McMahonRead More