Books about Aspiring from Amazon.com

Believe it or not, the first known pop-up element in a book appeared in an astrological manuscript in 1306. During the ensuing centuries, movable mechanics were used in more and more books--but only for adults. In the 1700s a British bookseller came up with the idea of illustrating well-known children's stories with movable flaps of paper. The rest, as they say, is history. Now aspiring paper mechanics (creative engineer-artists who create dimensional and movable books, otherwise known as pop-ups) can learn the how-tos and wherefores of this marvelous craft. From tip-ons to dummies to glue knock-outs, all the intricacies of pop-up production are outlined and explained.

Readers are invited to take apart the sample pop-ups (as long as they promise to put them back together!) to determine exactly how each score folds and where each glue point is. Instructions are somewhat advanced, but the dimensional samples and the step-by-step photographic essay on how a pop-up is made will ease the journey. David Carter and James Diaz have each created many, many pop-up books, and are passionate about their trade. So blow the cobwebs out of the geometry corner of your brain, and get to work! (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter.
Price: $21.80 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $5.43 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Put the essential concepts and techniques of digital compositing to work for you without the need of a single mathematical equation. Compositing Visual Effects is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of film shots, figures, illustrations and diagrams to help the visual reader gain a valuable vocabulary and understanding of the full range of visual effects, in which digital compositing plays a key role.

Beginning with an inspirational tour of the scope and magnitude of digital compositing you get a solid overview of the kinds of digital effects routinely executed today. See how CGI (Computer Generated Image) is composited with live action, how set extensions are done, and what a match-move shot is. Following that, you learn each of the key applications of digital compositing, which include bluescreen compositing, bullet time shots, motion tracking, and rotoscoping, and you get a primer on digital images, key concepts, and terms used in the compositing process. The subsequent chapters dig down into each of the major digital compositing applications, introducing the fundamental concepts and processes behind them. This includes the many ways to composite CGI, bluescreen compositing, animation, creating masks, working with digital keyers, and many more; but most importantly, the art of digital compositingmaking your shots look not just photorealistic, but cool.

Learn what is easy and hard, possible and impossible, and what to expect when working on a job that entails digital compositing. There are tips on when not to use the new low-end DV video cameras and tips for the client, such as guidelines on how to shoot a quality bluescreen or greenscreen to get the best results at compositing time. All the while, special attention is paid to defining new terminology and telling a clear story from the ground up, with the only requirement being that you have read the previous chapters.

* An accessible introduction to a complex subject for novice compositors
* Full color presentation illustrating the art and techniques of the practice
* An experienced book author of 20 years compositing experience; with 60 feature film credits including Vanilla Sky, X-Men 2, Swept Away, and Solaris.
Price: $21.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

No matter how intimidated or how blocked, any writer can tap into the vast oceans of creativity within--simply by following the exercises in this book.

Broken into small steps, each exercise is easy and takes only minutes to do. Yet each one forms a wave that brings with it a rush of ideas, images, and scenes as it crests. The words surge and flow past inhibitions and dangerous perfectionism--for every level of writer..
Price: $9.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Practical, complete coverage of game design basics from design process to production

This full-color, structured coursebook offers complete coverage of game design basics, focusing on design rather than computer programming. Packed with exercises, assignments, and step-by-step instructions, it starts with an overview of design theory, then progresses to design processes, and concludes with coverage of design production.

Jim Thompson, Barnaby Berbank-Green, and Nic Cusworth (London, UK) are computer game designers and lecturers in animation and computer game design..
Price: $26.73 [Notify me when price goes down.]

/* 3247L-1, Bitter, Gary G., Using Technology in the Classroom, 5/e */ Using Technology in the Classroom highlights the essential topics related to technology in education. Completely re-vamped and updated, this book includes the most current information on the use of technology in the classroom: online educational resources, the latest in educational software, electronic communication, creating Web-based instruction, emerging technology, as well as how to utilize each of these elements and implement a technology based curriculum. Educational Website addresses, screen captures, Internet activities, resources, and applications all provide clear and comprehensive information to equip readers with the basic tools needed for understanding and integrating technology into education. For educators wanting to incorporate technology in the classroom..
Price: $24.10 [Notify me when price goes down.]

With the growth of film festivals, cable networks, specialty home video, and the Internet, there are more outlets and opportunities for screening short films now than at any time in the last 100 years. But before you can screen your short film, you need to shoot it. And before you can shoot it, you need to write it. The Short Screenplay provides both beginning and experienced screenwriters with all the guidance they need to write compelling, filmable short screenplays. Explore how to develop characters that an audience can identify with. How to create a narrative structure that fits a short time frame but still engages the audience. How to write dialogue that's concise and memorable. How to develop story ideas from concept through final draft. All this and much more is covered in a unique conversational style that reads more like a novel than a "how-to" book. The book wraps up with a discussion of the role of the screenplay in the production process and with some helpful (and entertaining) sample scripts. This is the only guide you'll ever need to make your short film a reality!.
Price: $17.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Are you young, eager, smart, and heading off to LA to make it big in the entertainment business? Time for a reality check: Leave your diploma at home, put your grandiose dreams on hold (where hopefully they'll get tired and hang up), and start by repeating the first rule of the industry: Who you work for is more important than who you are. Then leapfrog over everyone else by reading The Hollywood Assistants Handbook.

Written by two very sharp and successful assistants to HPPs (Hollywood Power Players), here are 86 lessons packed with a combination of blunt truth, insider humor, and juicy secrets that explain the unwritten rules of how to get a foot in the door and make all the right moves as you climb to the top. Here are the minimum-wage jobs that will put you in the path of HPPs. An annotated resume roundup. The clubs to frequent and the cocktails to order. Movies to watch and books to read (it's called homework). Dressing do's and don'ts. How to get on the Free List. A lineup of boss genres—the Horror Show, the Romantic Comedy, Mr. Action—and how to dodge the tirades that will soon be hurled your way, along with the proper outlets for venting. Plus, the ins and outs of your most important tool, the telephone—when to listen in (always!), who to put through and who to put off, and your new best friend forever, the Plantronics CS70 cordless headset.

With its hilariously snarky tone—the gate-keeping quiz is "How to Tell if You're a Moron Who Should Pack Up the Corolla and Move Back Home"—The Hollywood Assistants Handbook is as baldly entertaining for everyone who loves reading about Hollywood as it is indispensably practical for the job-seeker..
Price: $5.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]