Book Review:
The Little Digital Video Book
Reviewer: Denise Mayer
Publisher: PeachPit Press, published: 2003 ($17.99 est.retail price)
Author: Michael Rubin
Review Formatted and Edited by: Mike Dixon (6/11/04)

The Little Digital Video Book by Michael Rubin is  a great handbook for those who would like to buy a digital camcorder, but are afraid to admit they don’t even know the questions to ask.  The author defines and explains the basics in video cameras, computer requirements and software choices in a mostly unbiased manner.  The photos are a great aid to his clear and concise explanations, and the author is not afraid to tell you what is and is not really important to consider in the various aspects of making videos. 

The book follows a logical order starting with explaining the features available on digital camcorders.  The author makes it clear he isn’t trying to steer the reader towards one brand of camcorder over any other.  Instead, he defines and explains the features which really are common to them all.

After picking out a camcorder, the book leads on to explain about the different types of camera shots and discusses the relative importance or unimportance of them. The chapter on shooting the video (“shooting a video is not making a video") is informative, with lots of good tips on getting the most out of your filming opportunities.

The chapters on editing your video also starts right from the basics, explaining the different cables that are needed, where they go, the best way to get the video into the software, even the physical set up of the editing area!  The author really doesn’t teach the reader how to use the various flavors of editing software, he teaches how to edit, and offers good ideas on how to put the shots together to form an entertaining film.  This is, however, the only place I found where he makes an actual product recommendation-for iMovie.  Even then, he is even-handed enough to point out some shortcomings in the software. 

All in all, this is a great book for the beginner, written in an easy to understand manner designed not to intimidate but ease the reader into the field of digital video recording.  The assignments throughout the book serve to drive home the points the author is trying to make without being overly dramatic.