The Complete DVD Book: Designing, Producing and Marketing Your Independent Film on DVD

Book Description

Learn from this comprehensive book, a soup-to-nuts approach to releasing your independent film on DVD. From package design to marketing to authoring to menu architecture to promotion to publicity to penetrating retailiers and even negotiating the DVD deal.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected at all.......2007-04-11

This book gives detailed instruction using Studio Pro, but, duh, that is software for a Mac, not a PC. It does give other info, but only about 10%. The other 90% of the book is detailed step by step instructions for using Studio Pro for Macs. If you own a Mac, go for it. If not, find another book.

The one reference all independent filmmakers must have.......2006-03-18

There's a host of tips on burning DVDs that Hollywood doesn't wish you to know: even if you're not making an independent video, these tips alone make THE COMPLETE DVD BOOK: DESIGNING, PRODUCING, AND MARKETING YOUR INDEPENDENT FILM ON VIDEO worth the price tag. And for those who are involved in independent filmmaking, THE COMPLETE DVD BOOK is a virtual goldmine of detail on how to produce high-quality DVDs similar to major studio products - but without the big-ticket budget. There are DVD templates, listings of designers, suppliers, distributors, tips on publicity and more: everything you need to produce a professional-quality dvd. Very highly recommended: the basic, essential reference all independent filmmakers should have close at hand.

Extremely Thorough but Technically Overwhelming - at least for me..........2006-01-10

Have you ever been to a party or watched a show on PBS where a very knowledgeable person expounds on some subject and you find yourself drawn in because they are a great speaker, or the subject matter is fascinating but you come away telling your partner: "Wow, that was really interesting. I have no idea what they were talking about."

That's how I felt after reading the first half of this book.

I know very little about all the technical aspects of DVD creation, authoring, processing and packaging. Frankly, I know just enough about my computer to completely fry my hard-drive (which I've done). I have used editing programs and DVD authoring programs in the past (and still use) but these are very much "over the counter" programs usually bundled with my DVD burner and extremely simple to use: Add titles, add content, stick in a DVD-R disc and push a button. Two hours later, you hope it works.

Paul J. Salamoff does an excellent job going through the step-by-step process of creating the DVD. He has thought of everything from the title colors to the hidden eggs. Using programs such as "Final Cut Pro" and "DVD Studio Pro 3" and "Adobe Photoshop," Paul goes through the meticulous step-by-step process of telling the reader how to create their DVD. Assumptions are already made. Assumption 1: You already have your film in the "can" and on your computer and assumption 2: You have a computer that can handle everything you have got.

Paul is extremely thorough and detailed from the Preparation of the Video and Audio to the layout of menus, overlays, subtitles, slide-shows and bios. It is all very fascinating - even if I do not thoroughly understand it. Though they do include dozens of screenshots and graphics.

Here, try this from the section regarding "Control Commands:" COLOR COMMANDS Use these commands to select a value between 0 and 15. These colors can be preset in DVD Studio Pro (Preferences > Color Palette). $ColorIndex1: Text Color ($ColorIndex1 = 1)

Now, if you understand that (and many others like that) - then this book is for you. If you are like me and that makes about as much sense as cotton candy on the moon - then maybe you should skip to the second section.

The second section is all about marketing your film. Dealing from everything from duplicators to distributors to foreign markets. Chris Gore goes into great detail about the hills and valleys of this process of getting your film out there in the marketplace. This section enlightened me to things that I was not familiar with when I go to my local "Best Buy" and buy "Crappy Movie 4 - SPECIAL EDITION." There is a detailed process and one you should follow if you have your film in hand and want to get it out to the marketplace.

Together Chris and Paul have done a great job of explaining pretty much everything you need to know about this process (including an EXCELLENT resource section in the back of the book). Here are a few other items I would have liked to see:

1. A section on what type of computer you are going to need including processor speed, monitor size, video card, hard-drive space, etc. If I have my film in hand, I am going to want to know what my initial investment is going to be.

2. An honest to goodness recommendation of software to use. Paul uses DVD Studio Pro 3 for authoring but says: "This is not an endorsement of DVD Studio Pro 3..." Well, gosh, why not!? I would have rather seen, straight up: Buy this type of computer and buy this type of software. There are other types of software and they do this and this and that and that - but here is why I am using and recommending this!

3. Resources by location. In the back of the book there are some resources listing out DVD Production Services and DVD Packaging Services. They're listed out alphabetically. If you are looking for one by location, you have to scan each one. It would have been excellent to include the same list via location.

If you have a film that you are ready to put on to DVD - this book is an excellent resource for you. Especially if you can understand all the technical talk. If you do not understand the technical talk, I would still suggest getting the book and the recommended programs and try to put it all together. It seems, relatively, simple. At least from what I understand.

Oh, and in all fairness to Chris and Paul, I am going to give the book to a friend of mine who has more knowledge on the technical aspects of this process (he would understand the $ColorIndex1 sentence above) and have asked him to review the book. I figure that with two authors, the book could have two reviewers. Look for his review soon.

A great resource for DVD creation..........2005-12-16

While the subject matter in the Complete DVD Book is fairly complicated and technical, it is made much easier to understand because of the writing style, explanations, and step-by-step diagrams. The book has a tremendous amount of information, and while it gets technical in some places, it is never boring or ponderous. The Complete DVD Book is the perfect resource for those who are adept with the necessary programs and are planning on doing this more than just once or twice. Not recommended for purchase for those with very basic understanding of DVD burning software, it is a valuable tool for those who have a mid-range understanding of this software.

(...)

Incredibly valuable resource.......2005-12-15

When these guys say "The Complete DVD Book" they truly mean COMPLETE. I cannot imagine anything this book does not contain that would be relevant to someone wanting to produce their own DVD and bring it to the marketplace.

This book covers how to make a high quality DVD, industry techniques including package design, negotiating a distribution deal, launching a marketing campaign, generating publicity, and using every possible way there is to get by on even the smallest of budgets.

It's all here, folks...the title of the book says it all. If you've ever thought about producing your own DVD, this could be the most important book you will ever read. And if you're already somewhat experienced, this book will definitely give you a few new ideas...and that right there will be worth more than the cost of the book.

Book Description

This unique, best-selling series features quotes gathered over the years from family, friends, and the artists themselves giving the reader a personal insight into their music and world. Fully illustrated throughout with black and white photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent..!.......2006-11-25

I've looked for a biography that speaks of headings and hAs Kurt and Courtney's opinions arranged by topic. Courtney's so intelligent. I read the back of her mother's biography, and to see the cover on the back, you'd think Courtney was a cross eyed retard who just has to be locked up forever. "Desperately attention seeking" and "confabulation" are words on the back. That, and the fact that her mother is a therapist and uses the word "healing" a lot makes me not want to open the book. But I've got a mind to see how it is..

great read.......2003-12-08

I thought this was a great book. The book features quotes from both Kurt Cobain and Courtney love, on many different topics. The book also features some great photos of Kurt and Courtney. If you're a Courtney Love or Kurt Cobain fan, I highly recommend this book. You get the truth straight from Kurt and Courtney's mouths.

coffee-table book.......2003-06-29

Disappointing. It's the kind of book that was published about some guy who was smashed in a train wreck the day after it happened accompanied by a whole lot of pictures of the guy while he was alive and some liner notes and that's about it. No insight to be derived from here.

fascinating, useless, riveting..........2002-02-05

They said it, do we believe it? Who cares! This book is for the die-hard Kurtney fan who wants to read every crazy morsel that ever dripped from their lips. The photos are great, there is an especially appalling photo of Courtney that is not to be missed...I personally can't get enough of either one of these punk rock cartoon characters and this book is a keeper!

well for the most part.......2002-02-04

i completely adore this book, but all the pics are black and white and the above shown "cover" is not really that (I guess it was reprinted?) cover (The one you will get, the reprinted one's cover is not nearly as stimulating) , it really wouldnt be that big a deal, exept that i was expecting something different. the quotes are nicely chosen in a wonderful format and they are the epitome of quotes, because its them. the quotes are equally distributed, even though there are maybe a few more of kurts, its not too obvious. get this book if you love or agree with their opinions.

Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love : In Their Own Words

Average customer rating:

Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love : In Their Own Words
Nick Wise
Manufacturer: Omnibus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KP8UDY

Book Description

A hard-hitting guide to the best strategies for the most popular casino poker games -- seven-card stud and Texas hold 'em -- plus insights into winning at Omaha, Omaha eight-or-better, seven-card stud eight-or-better, razz, and lowball.

Customer Reviews:

Simple and usefull.......2007-06-29

The "Fundamentals of Poker" is a great book for begginers. It gives the basic rules of different games (hold'em, omaha, omaha h/l, stud, stud 8) and the basic strategy for you to beggin at micro limit games. I'm a Hold'em player and this book helped me to start playing omaha, razz and others

A Solid, Crisp Overview........2007-04-22

Well, the time has long passed since I needed a book like this, but I think Malmuth and Loomis have put together a concise, efficient summary of what poker is with novices in mind. They cover all of the basics and that's about it which is why they dub it the "fundamentals." It won't have any value for advanced players though. Specifically, I liked the General Advice and Poker Etiquette questions best. They were thoughtful and unique in my opinion. Also, a lot of players nowadays are like me and really only play Hold'em. With that being the case, they may profit from the 15 page summary of stud offered here should they ever decide to play it. A shorter overview is put forth for Omaha as well.

OK for ABSOLUTE beginners.......2003-11-13

Cover to cover, this book will take you about an hour to read. It has good *basic* poker information. If you understand the basics of 7 card stud and hold'em, then there's not a lot of info in here. It breezes over some odds and gives some basic strategy pointers that are VERY conservative (which is good for keeping beginners from being slaughtered when they first take part in a game), but it is mostly "high level" info about the games. It covers other variations of poker as well, but in even less depth.

All that being said, I bought it because it qualified me for free shipping. Shipping would have been about $5, the book was $6, so I essentially spent $1 on the book - it was worth the $1. It's worth the $6 if you want a basic primer to get you started - simple to read, easy to understand. But, if you plan on trying to develop your game, there are other books that will give you the primer as well as give a little more depth (not for $6, of course...).

Very Good for starting a game but very shallow.......2003-11-03

This book will help you start your home game. It has the rules and basic strategies for the major games. It won't make you a pro but its very effective for such a small book and a small price. You could not expect much more from a 75 pages booklet.

eh.......2002-11-28

This is an okay primer, but there's not enough to it.

Caro's Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker

Average customer rating:

overlooked gem in poker books...
For the middle stakes players of medium experience
Excellent Refresher For Any Poker Player
'Caro's Secrets' are just that - secrets
There are better books for the casual player

Caro's Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker
Mike Caro
Manufacturer: Cardoza
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 158042080X

Customer Reviews:

overlooked gem in poker books..........2005-11-08

This is one of my early poker books and rereading it once or twice a year reminds me why I like it so much. It is a quick and easy read full of reminders and "fundamental" poker ideas that are part of every game. Unlike some of the other reviews, I think this is quite good and a useful compliment to any poker library. It is well priced too unlike the flood of Sklansky-wanna-be-overpriced "clone" books which have flooded the market lately. (don't confuse my comment-the Sklansky books are very good but he set the pricing bar pretty high and many hacks feel they can get the same money for lesser quality work)This book is geared primarily for the beginning to intermediate player but is useful as a refresher for anyone who wants to get better. It is a very general book and does lightly address many topics but that is what the title tells you- it is a book about fundamentals(read "basics") of poker not an advanced course. So if you love poker and are starting a poker book library, add this one you won't be disappointed.

For the middle stakes players of medium experience.......2005-04-02

Mike Caro--or "MJC" as he was known in the early days in the clubs in Gardena, California where he was the king of the rounders--has always been an enigmatic figure in the poker world. Never a world-class player like Doyle Brunson or Bobby Baldwin--to name two from the older generation--and never a great theoretician like David Sklansky, Caro nonetheless became one of the game's great celebrities mainly due to his fine talent for self-promotion.

I was once told by a middle level professional that Mike was "a terrible player." This guy ought to know since he propped the games at the California clubs and had played against MJC many times. However the truth is Mike was and is a very good player. His problem was one that often afflicts great minds in many different fields, that of boredom. One often had the sense when playing against the self-styled "Mad Genius of Poker" that the game was too slow for him and that the challenges weren't really challenging enough, and he had to do something to liven up the game or--and this was almost always his ultimate goal--to "take over the table," psychologically speaking.

And so Mike would make the most astonishing plays--good and bad--spectacular calls and lay-downs, such as calling with a skinny pair of jacks at the showdown or showing a seemingly winning hand and tossing it away without calling. His most famous play at draw poker was to raise the opener before the draw, stand pat, and then when the betting came around to him expose his worthless hand WITHOUT betting. I heard one of the regulars in the old twenty-straight draw game remark, "Why doesn't he just mail me a check?"

But she did not understand Mike's logic. Another player, a very good one, did understood very well what Caro was about, as revealed in his pointed comment: "I'll tell you one thing about Mike Caro. He always deserves a call."

With his talent for showmanship and his desire to do more than just play cards, it wasn't surprising that as the hold'em and seven-card stud games became legal in California in the eighties, Mike would become the preeminent entrepreneur of poker through his seminars and his assumption of the "Mad Genius" persona. He gave lectures, made poker videoes, wrote books and magazine articles, and found inclusion as the draw poker authority in Doyle Brunson's original SuperSystem book from the seventies. This book amounts to a collection of essays based on some of the seminar classes from what he eventually styled as his "University of Poker."

All in all, Mike has done well for himself at the game. The question is, has he done well for his students? My answer is a qualified yes. In this book (not to be taken as an introductory text, by the way) he offers excellent advice for the small and middle stakes player. His qualities as a motivational speaker come through very well. His booster-like enthusiasm and his self-help, psychological approach will benefit many. Contrary to what some other reviewers have written, this is an easy book to read with some worthwhile advice. Some examples:

"Calling as the big blind. It's much more profitable to play if your call closes the action." (p. 135) What Caro means is that either there was no raise or the raiser was to your immediate left so that no raise or reraise is possible. This is an important concept. If you call a raise from the button after a couple of other players have limped in from early seats you are not only in danger of a reraise after your call, but if it is reraised, the reraiser in an early seat probably has a big hand.

"When everyone checks on the flop, then again on 4th Street, you can steal a lot of pots from the last position." (p. 98) Actually if everybody checks twice, you might have the best hand with little to nothing. A more sophisticated observation on this situation is that if anybody in the last position bets, you can steal more than a few pots by raising that bettor!

On the same page there is this (written in large white letters in a black box as on a chalkboard--as though Mike IS giving a lecture, perhaps with baton in hand): "When you bet from the last position on the flop, you can often see your whole hand for free!" This is Mike's way of expressing the "how to get a free card" concept. Usually this is explained in a situation where it has been bet on the flop and you are last with a drawing hand. You raise so that everyone will check to you on 4th Street. Then, if you make your hand, you bet, and if you miss, you just check and give yourself a free card.

Mike is right though, in passive games (which he always loved) many players will check to you on 4th Street after you have bet the flop, and you can just check behind them and see the river card for free.

One more: "Many skilled players suffer from FPS (Fancy Play Syndrome). They'd rather impress weak opponents with unexpected plays than beat them with the obvious winning strategy. Avoid FPS." Here Mike could be self-analyzing. But he's right of course.

This is mostly about hold'em, but there is some tournament strategy in the book, and Caro has a chapter on seven-card stud and another on seven-card hi-lo. His chapter on the subject of money management (which I like to call "self-management," since it is all about staying in the game and not going broke) is excellent.

All in all this book is definitely worthwhile, but will be somewhat mysterious in places to the absolute beginner, and too fundamental for the experienced professional.

Excellent Refresher For Any Poker Player.......2005-01-07

This is not one of those how-to books for beginning players. It is, however, a good grouping of tips and other things you might have already known - just put in a different light. It includes all the information from Caro's seminar videos, plus all the stuff they cut out to make them 90 minutes long. If you liked the videos, you love the book.

'Caro's Secrets' are just that - secrets.......2004-02-15

Caro's secrets are still secrets to me. Actually there are very good points and ideas in this book, but the book is poorly written. It might take several reads per topic to figure each one out. Mike should keep his day job and let someone else do his writing for him.
Caro's other book, 'Poker Tells', has the same problem - good ideas but difficult to read.

There are better books for the casual player.......2003-05-03

I managed to read this book in detail in well under 2 hours with a deck of cards handy to check things out. However, I never needed the cards as this book doesn't go into descriptions of hands or offer me a chance to practice odds. Instead it felt like what it is: a transcription of a seminar delivered by a poker playing eccentric complete with big bold statements like "MOST of your profit in poker comes from borderline decisions" written on an chalkboard. Did it offer me some things to think about as a once a month casual player ? Sure. Did it improve my game ? I don't think so. I've gotten much more about reading early hand position and understanding my opponents behavior out of Steiners Thursday Night Poker than I did from this book.

Average customer rating:

Fundamentals of Video Poker
Mason Malmuth , and Lynne Loomis
Manufacturer: Two Plus Two Publishing LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1880685310

Book Description

A guide designed to help you select the right machines and make the correct drawing decisions in the most popular of all slot games.

Accounting and Financial Fundamentals For Your Poker Sets Business

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Accounting and Financial Fundamentals For Your Poker Sets Business
Jassen Bowman and James Orr
Manufacturer: LearnToBeRich.com, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000O3B0F2

Average customer rating:

Caro's Fundamental Secrets of Poker
Mike Caro
Manufacturer: Mgi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1880069008

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The Fundamentals of Poker

Manufacturer: Two Plus Two Publishing LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Accounting and Financial Fundamentals For Your Poker Chips Business

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Accounting and Financial Fundamentals For Your Poker Chips Business
James Orr and Jassen Bowman
Manufacturer: LTBR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000OQBS3I

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Accounting and Financial Fundamentals For Your Poker Chips Business
James Orr and Jassen Bowman
Manufacturer: LearnToBeRich.com, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000O305H6

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Accounting and Financial Fundamentals For Your Poker Sets Business
Jassen Bowman and James Orr
Manufacturer: LTBR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000OQXNAY

Book Description

Since 1991, the Rugrats*r gang has trooped across our television screens on their hilarious adventures, entertaining anyone who knows just what an adventure "baby-hood" can be! In fact, the Rugrats have become the biggest babies on television, and their movie debut has lauched them into super-stardom. With their fame has come a colorful variety of toys and merchandise that Rugrats fans have been snatching up to build their collections, including dolls, action figures, school supplies, and promotional items. This full-color handbook and price guide is just in time for our favorite team of tykes to take their place on the collectibles market!

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