Introduction to Video Production: Studio, Field, and Beyond

Written in a clear, non-technical manner, Introduction to Video Production focuses on the fundamental principles of video production and the technologies used in production.  This book discusses video aesthetics, technologies, and production practice in a clear and concise manner.  It also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and planning in the production process. Chapters are clearly organized and heavily illustrated, with key terms identified in boldface. With Introduction to Video Production, readers will learn not only how the technology works, but how to work with the technology and with each other.

Table of Contents:
Preface.   1. Introduction. The Expanding Universe of Video Production. Television and Video: What’s the Difference? Principal Elements Involved in Video Production. Development, Production and Distribution.   2. Video Production Environments: Studio, Field and Postproduction. The Video Studio Environment. The Video Field Production Environment. The Postproduction Environment.   3. Lighting.  Basic Lighting Concepts. Lighting Equipment: Types of Lamps. Common Lighting Instruments. Light Mounts. Light Modification and Control. Studio Lighting Principles. Field Lighting Principles. Lighting Safety. Planning.   4. The Video Camera and Camcorder. Camera Equipment Quality and Target Markets. Camera Configurations. Parts of a Video Camera. How the Video Camera Makes a Picture: Analog and Digital Standards. Camera Operational Controls. Camera Supports. The Zoom Lens. Aperture Control and Depth of Field. Camera Movement. Operating the Video Camera. Video Connectors.   5. Audio and Sound Control. Technical Aspects of Sound. Microphones. Connectors and Cables. Audio Mixers. Working with Audio Levels. Digital Audio. Sound Design.   6. The Video Switcher. Types of Video Switchers. Operational Characteristics of a Video Switcher. Switcher Transitions. Keying. Digital Video Effects.   7. Producing: The Role of the Producer. The Creative Producer. The Production Process Model. The Design Stage. The Production Stage: Aesthetic and Technical Aspects. The Postproduction Stage. Evaluation and Distribution.  8. Directing Part 1: The Role of the Director. Responsibilities During the Preproduction Process. Visualization, Continuity and Composition.  9. Directing Part 2 The Director’s Role During Production. Rehearsals. Directing Multiple Cameras: Studio and Remotes. Directing Single Camera Productions. The Role of the Director in Postproduction.   10. Video Recording and Editing. Part 1: Video Recording Technologies. Videotape Recording. Videotape Formats. Other Video Recording Devices. Part 2: Video Editing. Linear Videotape Editing. Digital Nonlinear Video Editing.   11. Video Editing Techniques. Editing for Multicamera and Single Camera Productions. Continuity and Dynamic Editing. Editing Voice Driven Pieces. Storytelling.   12. Graphics and Set Design. Design: The Guiding Principles. Basic Factors in the Design of Graphics for Television and Video. Create:  Production Processes and Sources of Graphics. Integrate: Integrating Graphics into a Video Production. Set Design.   13. Video on the Web. Types of Video on the Web. The Process for Preparing Streaming Video.   14. Anatomy of Production: Two Case Studies. Anatomy of a Live Multicamera Studio Production. Shooting a Documentary: The Sierra Nevada Story.   Appendix:  A Brief History of Audio Recording Media.   Glossary.   Bibliography.   Index.

About the Author :
Dr. Ronald Compesi is Professor Emeritus in the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department at San Francisco State University where he taught for 38 years. In 2007, he was recognized as the outstanding Media Arts professor in the California State University System. Dr. Compesi’s primary teaching and research interests are in the areas of video production and editing, and media ethics. Dr. Compesi is author of Video Field Production and Editing, 7th edition (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2007). In print since 1985, this text is one of the leading college textbooks on the topic in use today in the U.S. and Canada. A Chinese language translation was published by the Beijing Broadcasting University (now the Communication University of China) in 2003. Dr. Compesi is co-author of Introduction to Video Production: Studio, Field and Beyond (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2006). Dr. Compesi has published scholarly articles and book reviews in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media (JOBEM), Public Telecommunications Review and Journalism Quarterly. At the University of Oregon, Dr. Compesi worked for the Division of Broadcast Services and Televised Instruction and as a Producer/Director for the UO Honors College. He was a principal in the independent production company Windward Communication Design. From 1993-2003, Dr. Compesi served as co-executive producer for a variety of special television programs produced for KTVU (Fox, Channel 2, Oakland, CA) television’s Family to Family and Bay Area People community affairs series. Dr. Compesi has held a number of administrative appointments at San Francisco State University, including Chair of the Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts Department (1986-1995), Associate Dean of the College of Creative Arts (2006-2008), 1984-1985), Interim Director of the School of Music and Dance (2004-2005) and Interim Dean of the College of Creative Arts (2006-2008). Dr. Jaime S. Gomez is Professor of Communication in the Communication Department at Eastern Connecticut State University where he has taught for 16 years. He is also the Director of the New Media Studies program, an interdisciplinary major grouping five disciplines: Communication, Computer Sciences, English, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts. Dr. Gomez’s primary teaching and research interests are in the areas of video production and editing, media aesthetics, and organizations and communication technology. In addition to Introduction to Video Production: Studio, Field, and Beyond, he is the author of Distance Education: The Challenges of Technology and Communication, published in 2001 by The Atlantic University (Universidad del Atlántico) in Colombia. Dr. Gomez has worked on international video productions as a director and camera person in Panama, Spain, Colombia, and Middle East. In Colombia he received the Simon Bolivar Award, highest recognition in Colombia's television, for Best Documentary 199. He has presented papers on documentary production and media aesthetics in international conferences at the University of Cambridge in England and the University of Granada in Spain among others, and has held administrative appointments at Eastern Connecticut State University including Chair of the Communication Department (2004-2009) and Interim Dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies (2009-2014).

Review :
“The overall strength of this text is the obvious knowledge base the authors possess. When utilized, the examples are good, the illustrations helpful, and the charts effective. With the more difficult areas to write about, they do a nice job.” —Tom Shaker, Dean College “Students using this text will get a good idea of how video is used in television production. Descriptions of how large productions are conceived, developed and produced will be very useful for students interested in producing news or episodic television programs.” —John Schmit, Grand Valley State University