Ever since I was an assistant manager for a mall bookstore in the nineties, I’ve been listening to people talk about the notorious “For Dummies” series of instructional books. Though the series became an instant hit (after Windows for Dummies first hit the shelves our little bookstore could barely keep up with demand), few people could have predicted the way that those yellow and black books emblazoned with the now famous “nerdy guy” (who, to me, has always looked like an Asteroids ship with eyes) would transform modern publishing. As the series has expanded to span nearly every conceivable topic, it has created a new grammar for instructional books through its use of shaded sidebars and easily recognizable icons that help readers distinguish the relative importance and difficulty of key information.
Of course, For Dummies books are probably best known for their lucid, conversational style – a detail that has become a bone of contention among readers and how-to experts alike. Critics of “The Dummies Style” often claim that they’re reading an instructional book to get something done, and if they wanted to read something with style they’d pick up the latest Kinky Friedman mystery and have much, much more fun. Others feel that when a For Dummies book tries to tackle a particularly challenging topic, the results are often tremendous oversimplifications that either confuse readers even more or misrepresent topics in an offensive way (a criticism I once heard about Christianity for Dummies).
For all of these reasons, I had to give Final Cut Pro 4 for Dummies a spin. Though I consider myself to be pretty handy with iMovie, Final Cut Pro’s intimidating interface and feature set has often sent me back to iMovie’s big, comfy window and brushed metal timeline. I’ve worked with a few “Beginner’s” books for FCP in the past, but they usually started out with gobs of warmed-over film shooting tips; and at some point in the first three chapters, the author would seemingly leap from “welcome to the canvas window” to “changing filter parameters over time with keyframes.” Minutes later, I was listening to that annoying iMovie launch music yet again.
Say what you will about For Dummies books, but all things being equal, they’re really not much different from other books. If you get a good author, you’ll probably have a good book. Combine this with the familiar layout and conventions of the For Dummies series and you can make virtually any topic readily approachable.
Thankfully, FCP44Dummies is a success for these very reasons.
Though not quite as impressive as David Pogue was back when he was still penning the venerable Macs for Dummies, authors Helmut Kobler and Chad Fahs maintain a lucid, approachable style that manages to sound conversational without being condescendingly chummy. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of their work is the book’s “Getting Started” chapter (which is actually the second chapter in the book), which manages to provide a seasoned opinion of the Final Cut Pro requirements. Whereas virtually every FCP book I’ve ever encountered made you think that using FCP without a second hard drive would unleash the hellhounds of doom, Kobler (an experienced professional filmmaker) notes that he’s edited entire films on his PowerBook with nary a dropped frame. Of course, the authors still observe the multitude of advantages that come with a dedicated media drive, but it’s nice to know that a beginner’s book can actually cater to real, live beginners who may not be editing uncompressed HD footage for direct 35mm film conversion. Those folks probably shouldn’t be sitting around with a For Dummies book anyway.
Of course, this book can get you through some of the stickiest features of FCP4 without a mark. In just under an hour, I found myself effortlessly adjusting the pan settings in a Soundtrack loop so that the music I added to my video clip would swell from one stereo channel to the other. Sure, I wound up with one seriously stupid clip, but I didn’t expect this book to provide me with a strong sense of taste on the bonus CD-ROM. The point is, this book gets you doing the basics in no time, and you can actually begin noodling around with some very advanced features in a comparatively short time.
So the writing is spot-on, but you may still be wondering about how the For Dummies book conventions play with a “pro” application. Here’s a quick breakdown:
The Cheat Sheet: Virtually every one of these books begins with a pull out cheat sheet, and FCP4 is no exception. This is actually one of the least useful elements of the book, as Apple includes a similar handout with FCP as a small token of your thousand-dollar investment.
The Illustrations: This can be a sore spot for some readers, as For Dummies books cut costs by sticking to black and white screenshots. Frankly, I found this setback to be an advantage for FCP, as most of the application’s windows are grey and black anyway. There was no shortage of illustrations in this manual, and none of them were too difficult to understand.
The Icons: I usually find these guys a bit annoying, but when you’re dealing with so much new information, the “Remember” icons often saved me from searching back through the book to rediscover something I already knew.
The Part of Tens: This area can be hit or miss in a For Dummies book, and this time it’s a fifty-fifty proposition. There are actually two parts of tens: the first group of tips claims to help you become a better editor, but it’s really just a collection of web and print resources about filmmaking that can be found elsewhere. The second set of tips deals with managing big projects, and that advice proved to be far more helpful.
The Bonus CD-ROM: Herein lies my greatest gripe with this book. The bulk of this CD-ROM is filled with trials and demos of video effects for FCP. Call me cheap (you won’t be the first one), but it just isn’t a bonus if it isn’t free (quick note to the folks at Wiley Publishing: people buy books with CD’s that add value, so shell out a few more bucks and pay somebody to include one or two free for Dummies-only filters). The CD also includes three “special bonus chapters” on Rendering, Customizing the Interface, Media Management; however, these chapters only comprise forty paltry pages, and it seems silly to dig out the CD just for this content. The rest of the bonus consists of web links (insert yawn here). All told, I say ditch the CD, print the other three chapters, and we’ll call the cost of the book even.
So, what do you get for twenty-five bucks? If you’re completely new to Final Cut Pro, I doubt that you’ll be disappointed with this title. If you’re moving over from the now defunct Adobe Premiere or any of the Avid titles, it’s a small price to pay for a quick orientation. Even if you’re just upgrading to FCP4, the Soundtrack and LiveType chapters alone may be worth the price of admission.
Now, your only excuse for not creating the Great American Film is a noticeable lack of talent. Then again, you could just buy Digital Video For Dummies and create an Oscar-winning film. Or you could buy Buddhism For Dummies and eschew external approbation altogether.
Incredibly lucid introductory guide to an infamously daunting "Pro" application. Covers Soundtrack and LiveType sister programs. Inexpensive compared to some other FCP beginner's books.
Misses
CD-ROM contents of dubious value. "Bonus" chapters should be printed. Won't impress clients with embarrassing logo on cover.
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