The Craft of Editing w/ FCP
Review by Michael Sacci

Author: Michael Wohl
Published by Peachpit Press

The full title is The Craft of Editing with Final Cut Pro: A comprehensive Curriculum for Video Editing Technique. Boy is that a lot to say or type.

This is the 3rd Level of training for FCP 6 users. This book replaces the Advanced Editing Techniques in FCP 5 with most of the same content and lessons. It has expanded the nonfiction section with a chapter on Adding B-Roll footage and the audio section by including a chapter on Sound Design.

This book is vastly different from the rest of the Apple Pro Training series in the fact that is really is not about how to use FCP (although it does reenforce a lot of the FCP how’s as you work through the projects), it is all about the how to edit a story. These are lessons in the language of storytelling, whether it is fiction or nonfiction, a fight scene or interviews there are rules to follow and advice on when and how to break the rules for intentional effect.

This is a must have book for any editor. The information contained within these pages cannot be found in the manuals or other how-to-books or videos. You are walked through the actual editing process and in the end you have a scenes that work and now you know why they work.

In this day and age a lot of us are one man/woman production teams, we are involved in production as well as post, with the knowledge that you learn in these lessons you will be better prepared on set. You will have a better understanding of what type of coverage to get which makes it easier on you when you are in the editing room.

One other addition to this version of the book is a chapter on The Big Picture. Whereas the rest of the chapters deal with individual scenes, this chapter helps you put it altogether to make a complete story by teaching you how to make it shorter and how to transition between scenes.

From an old infomercial tag line, "If you or someone you know is an editor, GET THIS BOOK!"