The Reading List 09/15/11

People often ask me what books I’m reading.  What fills my real and virtual bookshelves?    So I decided to list the books that could be practical and inspired resources for the modern content creator.  (These books are available via the Kindle store where noted)
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Motion Graphic Design: Applied History and Aesthetics

(PAPERBACK) (KINDLE)

This book is billed as a rich understanding of the history, theory and practice of motion graphics – and that is exactly what it is.  Great as a textbook for motion graphic design students and lifelong learners of this fascinating craft.
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Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema

(PAPERBACK) (KINDLE)

I’ll never hear the same again.  After reading this book I know why people think of Sonnenschein as the poet of sound design.  The only bad side to a book like this is that it makes you want to handcraft every sound you use in your video.  If only I could find the time because with this book I’ve definitely found the inspiration.
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Ocean of Sound: aether talk, ambient sound and imaginary worlds

(PAPERBACK)

And since I’m talking about poetic books about sound design, there’s no way I could leave out Ocean of Sound.  Here is a great one sentence description of it: “His tour-de-force survey describes a dissonant and invigorating clash of music and noise from western classical to Javanese gamelan, from Claude Debussy to Miles Davis to Brian Eno, from disco to techno to ambient.”  I don’t know what to add to that except to say it’s an immersive experience.  If Julliard had a school on Pandora, this book would be required reading.
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Designers Don’t Read (PAPERBACK) (KINDLE)

I think of Austin Howe as the David Sedaris of design.  Here he has written a book that lives up to its’ provocative title.   It’s a gut check and a call to arms for ad agencies and the designers of the world in general.  I was laughing out loud and thanked my lucky stars that he is not a video editor.  I’ll have to check out the sequel that was just released in July: Designers Don’t Have Influences. (PAPERBACK)
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Music Theory for Computer Musicians

(PAPERBACK) (KINDLE)

If you’re like me, you’re tired of lackluster music loops.  You want your video productions to resemble the musical refinement of your iPod.  This book slowly introduces you to the basic building blocks of music theory.  Overtime you will find yourself using music software like Garageband or Soundtrack Pro in a much more customized and expressive way.
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Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques
(PAPERBACK) (KINDLE)

You may never look at everyday objects the same way again.  Harold Bud could make gum waded up under a desk look like a sacred shroud.  This is the book I wish I had purchased when I had gotten my Canon T21 a year and a half ago.  So instead, I’ve been revisiting old locations and looking at them in a new way.
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Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better
(PAPERBACK) (KINDLE)

As a child of the Bible-belt it would probably be sacrilege to call this my Bible.  Ok, fair enough.  Then can I at least say that this is my ‘Newest Testament’?  Well, at least it’s the newest edition.  And in a world that is constantly upgrading you may find that this book will keep your workarounds masterfully up-to-date as well.
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Fix It In Post: Solutions for Post-production Problems
(PAPERBACK) (KINDLE)

Ahhh…The phrase that launched a thousand boatload of problems.  The genius of this book is that the solutions to common (and not so common) video problems that we encounter in the edit suite are platform-agnostic.  A great reference book for navigating the storms of the post process.
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In the Blink of an Eye Revised
(PAPERBACK)

There’s no avoiding it you know. You’re going to eventually have to find out why this editor is so revered. How he finds the perfect words for an imperfect craft. How he has improvised and standardized the way thousands of editors have worked for years. How in the heck he became “perhaps the only film editor in history to have received Academy nominations for films edited on four different systems” – wikipedia. Make sure you get the 2nd edition. Even though it’s updated it’s still 10 years old. But it’s still worth it to read him talk about a young new upstart trying to take the throne away from Avid Media Composer – Final Cut Pro 1.