Wednesday, February 5, 2014

 
The DV Rebel’s Guide: An All Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap
 
Description*
The DV Rebel’s Guide is a must-have for all those budding filmmakers and students who want to produce action movies with visual effects but don't have Hollywood budgets. The Orphanage was created by three twenty-something visual effects veterans who wanted to make their own feature films and discovered they could do this by utilizing home computers, off the shelf software, and approaching things artistically. This guide details exactly how to do this: from planning and selecting the necessary cameras, software, and equipment, to creating specific special effects (including gunfire, Kung Fu fighting, car chases, dismemberment, and more) to editing and mixing sound and music. Its mantra is that the best, low-budget action moviemakers must visualize the end product first in order to reverse-engineer the least expensive way to get there. Readers will learn how to integrate visual effects into every aspect of filmmaking--before filming, during filming and with "in camera" shots, and with computers in postproduction. Throughout the book, the author makes specific references to and uses popular action movies (both low and big-budget) as detailed examples--including El Mariachi, La Femme Nikita, Die Hard, and Terminator.
 
 
Where to Find It and Borrowing Time
The DV Rebel’s Guide is shelved as Call # TR860 .M37 2007.
 
As a book it can be found on Bookstack 4 - Shelf 10. This book can be checked out for a period of 2 weeks for students, faculty and staff.
 
 
About the Author*
Stu Maschwitz is a director, visual effects supervisor, renowned technologist and founding partner of The Orphanage, a leading VFX and film production company based in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Hailed by Shoot Magazine as one of the “Ten Commercial Directors To Watch,” Maschwitz has quickly gained a reputation for his ability to tackle extraordinarily complex visual challenges while injecting his signature wry sense of humor and kinetic filmmaking style. An innovator in filmmaking technology, Maschwitz is the creator of The Orphanage’s revolutionary Magic Bullet software—which gives inexpensive digital video the lush look of film. Prior to joining up with his fellow co-conspirators to start The Orphanage, Maschwitz spent five years at George Lucas’ Industrial Light + Magic. He is a graduate of CalArts School of Animation.
 
 
Review*
By Robert Rodriguez, filmmaker and author of Rebel Without a Crew:
I'd been wanting to write a book for the new breed of digital filmmakers,
but now I don't have to. My pal and fellow movie maker Stu Maschwitz has
compressed years of experience into this thorough guide. Don't make a movie
without reading this book!
 
Citations
Description, About the Author, and Review taken from Amazon

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

 
Becoming a Critical Thinker
 
Description*
Success depends on the ability to think critically. Training and practice turn this ability into a powerful skill. Becoming a Critical Thinker gives students the opportunity to develop this skill in a classroom environment while stressing its application to daily life. Students learn to solve everyday problems, maintain successful relationships, make career choices, and interpret the messages of advertising in a variety of media. Exercises throughout the text encourage them to practice what they read and to apply it to their own lives. Becoming a Critical Thinker breaks up critical thinking into a series of cumulative activities, a unique approach that has made this text a staple of many critical thinking courses.
 

Monday, February 3, 2014

 
Film History: An Introduction
 
Description*
Written by two of the leading scholars in film studies, Film History: An Introduction is a comprehensive, global survey of the medium that covers the development of every genre in film, from drama and comedy to documentary and experimental. As with the authors' bestselling Film Art: An Introduction (now in its eighth edition), concepts and events are illustrated with frame enlargements taken from the original sources, giving students more realistic points of reference than competing books that rely on publicity stills.

The third edition of Film History is thoroughly updated and includes the first comprehensive overviews of the impact of globalization and digital technology on the cinema. Any serious film scholar--professor, undergraduate, or graduate student--will want to read and keep Film History.
 

Sunday, February 2, 2014




The Wedding Designers, Sarah Arnett
 
Description
The top names in bridal fashion share their secrets, tips and recent collections, presenting a remarkable insight into the many aspects of running a successful bridal wear business: starting a shop, marketing their label, the conceptual and practical steps of design, material choice, and the satisfaction of creating a perfect embodiment of a bride's dream.
 
Sarah Arnett demonstrates her approach to digital pattern design and the process of tailoring a perfect dress for a beautiful bride one appointment at a time.
 
 
Where to Find It and Borrowing Time
The Wedding Designers, Sarah Arnett is shelved as Call # TT507 .W4372 2009.
 
As a DVD it can be found on the bottom shelf of the DVD Bin in front of Bookstack 3. This DVD can be viewed in the library by students, or checked out for a period of 2 weeks by staff and faculty.

 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

 
Adobe Dreamweaver CS6: Classroom in a Book
 
Description*
Creative professionals seeking the fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Dreamweaver CS6 choose Adobe Dreamweaver CS6: Classroom in a Book from the Adobe Creative Team. The 15 project-based lessons in this book show you step by step everything you need to know to work in Dreamweaver CS6. You’ll learn to create a professional website without having to write code by hand.

This completely revised CS6 edition also covers HTML5, CSS3, and media queries for responsive web design. The book also shows how to create HTML-based headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables; insert graphics and Photoshop Smart Objects; add links to text and images; apply cascading styles sheets; and customize the Dreamweaver workspace. You’ll also learn to add interactive elements to your sites, such as HTML5-compatible video and animation, get guidance for working with code, and finally publish a finished site to the Web.

The companion DVD includes all lesson files so you can work along with the book, as well as, two hours of free video tutorials from Adobe Dreamweaver CS6 Learn by Video.
 

Friday, January 31, 2014


The Recording Engineer’s Handbook
 
Description*
The Recording Engineer’s Handbook is about how Working as a recording engineer presents challenges from every direction of your project. From using microphones to deciding on EQ settings, choosing outboard gear to understanding how, when and why to process your signal, the seemingly never-ending choices can be very confusing. Professional Audio's bestselling author Bobby Owsinski takes you into the tracking process for all manner of instruments and vocals-- providing you with the knowledge and skill to make sense of the many choices you have in any given project. From acoustic to electronic instruments, mic placement to EQ settings, everything you need to know to capture professionally recorded audio tracks is in this guide.
 

Thursday, January 30, 2014

 
Recording Studio Technology, Maintenance, and Repairs
 
Description*
Recording Studio Technology, Maintenance, and Repairs is the #1 reference for studio technology - only this manual covers it all, from equipment installation to professional maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairs. This book offers unbeatable guidance - from electronics basics to fine tuning equipment. It's the one reference no recording studio should be without. The Ultimate Studio Manual - if you want a smoothly functioning, beautifully performing recording studio, this book is the only comprehensive, practical guide to getting it right, from the first idea to final tweaks, from fixes to foolproof follow throughs. Understand and service every piece of equipment in today's recording studios. Written by a recording studio service pro, this illustration-packed guide shows you how speakers, microphones, mixing boards, amplifiers, meters, oscilloscopes, and all major pieces and types of recording equipment work. The fully illustrated instructions demonstrate every step in maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair - even those all-important (and often missing) mid repair processes.
 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

 
To Green Angel Tower
 
Description*
To Green Angel Tower is the momentous tour-de-force finale of a ground-breaking series. Replete with war, deception, adventure, sorcery, and romance, To Green Angel Tower brings to a stunning and surprising conclusion Tad Williams' monumental tale of a magical conflict which fractures the very fabric of time and space, turning both humans and Sithi against those of their own blood.
 
As the evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King prepare for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries and King Elias is drawn ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world, the loyal allies of Prince Josua desperately struggle to rally their forces at The Stone of Farewell. And with time running out, the remaining members of the now-devastated League of the Scroll have also gathered there to unravel mysteries from the forgotten past. For if the League can reclaim these age-old secrets of magic long-buried beneath the dusts of time, they may be able to reveal to Josua and his army the only means of striking down the unslayable foe.
 
But whether or not the League is successful in its quest, the call of battle will lead the valiant followers of Josua Lackhand across storm tossed seas brimming with bloodthirsty kilpa...through forests swarming with those both mind- and soul-lost... through ancient caverns built by legendary Dwarrows...to the haunted halls of Asu'a itself—the Sithi's greatest stronghold!
 

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion
 
Description*
Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion is about how cheap fashion has fundamentally changed the way most Americans dress. Stores ranging from discounters like Target to traditional chains like JCPenny now offer the newest trends at unprecedentedly low prices. And we have little reason to keep wearing and repairing the clothes we already own when styles change so fast and it’s cheaper to just buy more.

Cline sets out to uncover the true nature of the cheap fashion juggernaut. What are we doing with all these cheap clothes? And more important, what are they doing to us, our society, our environment, and our economic well-being?
 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Happy Holidays


All next week we will be giving out candy canes to celebrate the holidays! We have literally thousands of candy canes to give out so make sure to stay alert - who knows when the candy cane brigade will assemble!