Indie Film/Video Legal Documents, 2nd Edition
Indie Film/Video Legal Documents is packed with 56 examples of legal documents divided into the following six categories: Collaboration and Funding, Literary Submission and Sales, Production and Distribution, Music, Employment and Releases. Each can be opened as a Portable Document Format (PDF) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). We were able to amend them easily in Microsoft Word, Apple's Pages and the open source programs OpenOffice.org and NeoOffice. The CD works on both Macs and PCs.
Though the cover claims the documents are "intended for information use only" and not as a substitute for legal advice, these documents are as good or better than most legal documents we have seen. The forms include the basics such as "Location Release," "Still Photography Release," "Make-up Artist Agreement" and "Commercial Music Contract," as well as some less common forms such as "Joint Venture Agreement," "Stunt Performer Employment Agreement" and "Nudity Rider to Employment Agreement."
Both union and non-union projects can use these forms, according to the publisher, Red Diamond Media. 4
Red Diamond Media, LLC, 2004
Suggested Retail Price:
$80 (+ $6 S&H)
Total Training for What's New in Adobe Premiere Pro 2. Hosted by Jacob Rosenberg
One of the newer offerings from Total Training is its What's New in Adobe Premiere Pro 2 hosted by Jacob Rosenberg. This two-DVD set comes with nine chapters of instruction on the first disc and Project Files for hands-on learning on the second. The instructional disc runs on both PCs and Macs, though Premiere Pro 2.0 only runs on PCs. The set also includes a Quick Start Guide.
Jacob Rosenberg not only does a great job of instructing but also keeps the technical information lively with both his personality and in-the-field stories. Rosenberg was the online supervisor for Dust to Glory, an action-adventure documentary that went through an entire Adobe workflow from HD video acquisition through film distribution.
Rosenberg explains the many ways in which Premiere can work with new formats as well as getting into some of the more powerful vamped-up tools such as the improved color corrector, the new multi-cam functions and the all new user interface.
This 4.5-hour beginner through advanced series is also a great refresher course and could get you back in the swing of things in an afternoon. 4
Total Training, Inc, 2006<
www.totaltraining.com
Suggested Retail Price:
$80
Final Cut Pro Advanced Techniques. Hosted by Steve Martin
Over 50 tutorials under nine main categories comprise this four-hour plus advanced techniques DVD. From Power Logging to Audio Tips and Tricks to Media Management to Finishing, this group of instruction will take you from being an intermediate FCP editor into the pros. There are even sections on Cutting for Dialogue and Cutting for Action that go beyond the button pushing and into the grammar of editing. Confused by 24p editing with its advanced or standard pulldown? There are eight tutorials on this subject alone. The most recent version also includes Multicam Editing.
Steve Martin, a lead instructor for Apple's Certified Pro training program and FCP teacher since 1999, does a great job of instructing these sometimes confusing skills.
This is a DVD-ROM, not DVD-video, so it will not play on your set-top box, but the crisp 800×600 full motion video will look great on your Mac (doesn't work in PCs), running in its own window. The DVD comes with media and project files allowing editors hands-on instruction. Check out the Web site for free tutorials and other products. 4.5
Ripple Training
www.rippletraining.com
Suggested Retail Price:
$79
Morgan Paar is Videomaker's Technical Editor.
