Book and Tape Reviews

Home Video Hits--Great Ideas For Creating Better Home Videos!

(1996, Cardozo Productions, P.O. Box 9792, Washington, D.C. 20016; 54 min., $20)

Now you can learn how to make home videos that are interesting, entertaining, memorable and fun to watch. Home Video Hits is chock full o' tips that guarantee to enhance your productions, making your videos fun to shoot and even more fun to show your friends.

There are many elements that must come together to make your home videos "hits." And you'll find all those elements here. You get more than just camera tips. You'll learn a "unique step-by-step method" that will help you plan, prepare for, and produce great home video. You'll learn to use your camcorder more effectively and tell stories that hold your viewers' interest. Even better, you will come away with great ideas for creating better home videos.

Professionally produced and very well made, Home Video Hits is as entertaining as it is informative. Accompanied by a handy reference booklet, Home Video Hits is sure to please. 5

Gene Bjerke (1997, Petrel Publishing, 312 Cary St., Williamsburg, VA 23185; 164 pp, $16)

Gene Bjerkes well-informed book provides a healthy introduction to all the various aspects of the audio/video scriptwriting profession. With copious examples from real working scripts, he breaks the scriptwriting process down into its component parts. From production research and visual brainstorming to providing industry-standard rules for stage directions, effects, transitions and camera work, Writing for Video covers its subject matter in detail.