Rating: 
Summary: OK, but not great
Review: I've been reading several books on the subject, and while this one seems reasonably complete it falls down in alot of areas. The authors starts some technical discussions and leaves the reader hanging. Some parts were really confusing, like the section on NLE software. As a general overview to the process of making DV movies, it was ok, and easy to read. It almost appears the the author was trying to create a book which was a technical how to guide, and an overview to the process, but never fully explained both.
Rating:
Summary: OK, but not great
Review: I've been reading several books on the subject, and while this one seems reasonably complete it falls down in alot of areas. The authors starts some technical discussions and leaves the reader hanging. Some parts were really confusing, like the section on NLE software. As a general overview to the process of making DV movies, it was ok, and easy to read. It almost appears the the author was trying to create a book which was a technical how to guide, and an overview to the process, but never fully explained both.
Rating:
Summary: Who's in the audience?
Review: I've given this book a middle rating because I'm not sure what category of reader is its intended target. It mentions "first time filmmakers" but few start at that point. If it's aimed at the rank beginner who's trying to find a handhold, I'd rate it lower. If it's aimed at those who are knee-deep in the process, or is meant to supplement instruction, I might rate it higher. As someone just beginning to look into digital filmmaking, I bought this book along with Digital Filmmaking 101. I'm glad I bought DF 101. Digital Video, on the other hand, is destined to be donated to my local and impoverished library. Another book-buying lesson learned. I don't think of it as a really bad book, or an unbalanced book, and if I were more familiar with digital video I might appreciate it more--or less, depending on how correct the information is. As it is, I finished reading it and felt as if I'd gained little "stick to the ribs" information from it. The chapters after chapter 7 seemed especially unsuited to the beginner. It may be that the book tries to cover too much territory. Obviously, shooting a movie--even with DV--is a complex process where a lot can go wrong. Making a book complex (not necessarily detailed) isn't likely to work well with the person new to the process, especially if the editing isn't up to par. I suspect the approach taken by DF 101, combined with further reading on various elements of the craft, will serve most of those readers better. The book comes with a CD, the contents of which are unknown to me, as it appeared to be lightly scuffed and was unreadable in four CD-ROMs, even after cleaning. Hopefully an isolated case.
Rating:
Summary: Who's in the audience?
Review: I've given this book a middle rating because I'm not sure what category of reader is its intended target. It mentions "first time filmmakers" but few start at that point. If it's aimed at the rank beginner who's trying to find a handhold, I'd rate it lower. If it's aimed at those who are knee-deep in the process, or is meant to supplement instruction, I might rate it higher. As someone just beginning to look into digital filmmaking, I bought this book along with Digital Filmmaking 101. I'm glad I bought DF 101. Digital Video, on the other hand, is destined to be donated to my local and impoverished library. Another book-buying lesson learned. I don't think of it as a really bad book, or an unbalanced book, and if I were more familiar with digital video I might appreciate it more--or less, depending on how correct the information is. As it is, I finished reading it and felt as if I'd gained little "stick to the ribs" information from it. The chapters after chapter 7 seemed especially unsuited to the beginner. It may be that the book tries to cover too much territory. Obviously, shooting a movie--even with DV--is a complex process where a lot can go wrong. Making a book complex (not necessarily detailed) isn't likely to work well with the person new to the process, especially if the editing isn't up to par. I suspect the approach taken by DF 101, combined with further reading on various elements of the craft, will serve most of those readers better. The book comes with a CD, the contents of which are unknown to me, as it appeared to be lightly scuffed and was unreadable in four CD-ROMs, even after cleaning. Hopefully an isolated case.
Rating:
Summary: Good advice, but thin in parts
Review: It's easy to tell the author has experience behind the camera. But the book seems thin in parts, perhaps where he's less well grounded--camcorder controls and post techniques, for example. This book was used as the text in a DV production course I took, but the lecturer had a lot more information than it does. I think it was one of the few books on this topic at the time they designed the course, but there are a lot more books on DV out there now.
Rating: 
Summary: Everything you need to know about DV
Review: Many people have praised this book and I do also. This is a must have book for digital (I recommend reading it with Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices : How to Write, Produce, Direct, Shoot, Edit, and Promote a Feature-Lenth Movie for Less Than $15,000 by Rick Schmidt)
And though I don't mean to discourage anyone from buying it, I have to say that the editing section Chapter 8 is confusing. I wish the author had taken the approach--here's how I do it and then followed his own path, then suggested other starting points and gone through those. What he did was put a whole lot of stuff that apply to a whole lot of different methods in a big jumble without any hint of how to follow them (or if you should follow them) to the end. The rest of the book is great, though an index would have helped.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must Have for Aspiring Filmmakers
Review: My wife brought this book for me because she noticed it came with a DVD. I havn't even viewed the DVD and I already have received our money's worth, and then some. This book is right on target for anyone even remotely curious about the art of digital filmmaking. It is clear, concise and easy to navigate. The tone is casual yet informative and motivating. It is the kind of book I see myself writing after I complete my first feature movie. Read no further... just buy the book!
Rating:
Summary: Did You Honestly Read This Book?
Review: We used Maxie's book as a textbook for an introduction to digital moviemaking class I took last semester. I finished reading the book the first week of class, it was so easy to read! When we started shooting our short films, most of the people in the class had the book on set with them. The glossary alone is filled with useful information. Out of more than 20 people in the class, there was never one complaint about the book. I think the teacher is using it again this semester. I leant my copy to a friend who ended up buying her own copy. I highly recommend this book.
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