5 comments about All You Need to Know About the Movie and TV Business: Fifth Edition.

1. I would say that overall this book is an excellent reference for anyone thinking of getting into the Film and TV business. This book breaks down and provides samples of contracts, terms, negotiating points, how to break into the industry, and plenty of other information in regards to Hollywood. I'd say the "meat and potatoes" of the book lie in the last few chapters about negotiating and where the money goes, but it's great.
   
   The only issues I have with this book is that 1) It's mostly directed towards actors. I am an up and coming producer/director, and even though much of the content was still relevant to my interests, the authors are primarily writing to inform actors. 2) The book is for the most part LA-centric. The authors make sure you know this from the book's foreward. I am a New Yorker!
   
   I would definitely recommend this for anyone interested in an above the line position on a movie production.



2. I usually don't write reviews but I was very happy with the information in this book and the flow of everything. Not a lot of non-useful information and fancy writing skills - just the facts in plain english and to the point. A great overview and understanding of the movie and television business for beginners.
   Just what I needed.
   Thanks,
   Howard Gatch



3. I wentto a model convention and he was ur monologue teacher. Well he gave me a callback andi talkedto h for about an hour. He is a very sar andawsome man and writer. I definately would recommend this book. Im actually an actor becaue of his help and others. Thanx Scott.



4. This book is definetly a beginning actor's guide. It focused primarily on the acting business for someone who is new to Hollywood. It was helpful in understanding some other roles in the movie business which are not as pretty,but overall I found it informative but lacking what it really takes to land a first job in TV or film. If you know nothing about the business...this book is for you.



5. This is a phenomenal guide to the different positions in the film industry. From the small to the big screen, to the credits that roll by unnoticed and unregarded, this book covers every position with a description of each. There is a chapter on contracts. Another on directing. Another on acting. Another on producing. Virtually a plethora of information, and a must-must-read for anyone going into, or interested in television or movies.

5 comments about Dynamic Belly Dance, The Joyful Journey of Dancemaking and Performing.

1. This is a brilliant book, beautifully written by a very knowledgeable and passionate dancer and instructor. It draws us in with its exquisite photographs and descriptions of belly dancing. For those who don't belly dance, it will bring depth of appreciation to this art form and may encourage them to give it a try. For those who belly dance, there is insightful information on how to progress to that next level. Other dancers will also enjoy this book for the parallels it draws between belly dancing and their genres.
   
   There is something in here for everyone. A truly enjoyable read!



2. I am a stickler for quality and professionalism. This book is exquisite. Beautiful full-color photography, depth of perspective on technique and choreography, extremely well-written and laid out in a manner to captivate and hold your attention. This is a great text for a master class or university dance course, a tool for dance teachers and students, and a beautiful gift as a coffee table book for anyone valuing classic beauty - all in one. It is exceptional to be able for one book to serve well in all of these diverse areas. Quite a feat!



3. Ramona has done an excellent job at breaking down how to figure out choreography. The book is clear, well-written and has lots of photos and diagrams to supplement. I would recommend this book to bellydancers of all levels - from beginners tackling their first performance to seasoned dancers with hundreds of choreographies under their belt. There is something in here for everyone - it is a pleasure to read!



4. This is a book that I think is the first in its kind in the realm of belly dance and one that certainly delivers its point of giving you what you really need to go from beginner to real dance-making. It is also gratifying to know that the author is a really accomplished lady that not only is a belly dancer but has scientific and academic training. That made my wife very happy, as she struggles herself into choosing his career (she studied forestry) and belly dance performing and teaching. Now she knows that doing both, and doing them well, is possible.



5. This is a great book for any level of belly dancer who wants to create their own improvised and/or choroegraphed dances. Whatever style of Middle Eastern or bellydance you do, you will find that the advice, theory and practical exercises can help you develop your own dance and enhance your performance. The author touches on musical interpretation, presentation, considering the audience, design concepts, individual expression as well as different ways to organize a dance performance. There is so many ideas and excercizes in this 157 page book that it would take me several months, maybe years of practice and experimentation, to exhaust all the concepts.
   
   The writing is clear, friendly and easy to read and the book is peppered with photographs and diagrams. I foundthe book very well organized. The author is very generous in sharing her personal perspective on the subject, and she includes a list of numerous resources the reader can use to further explore the material.
   
   My wish for future material from this author would be a dvd companion to demonstrate some of the concepts and lead me through some of the exercises and a book has certain limitations. In the meantime, IAMED's dvd "Star Power!" with Amaya offers content on a similar subject from a slightly different perspective. I personally find that the two together have really helped increase my confidence and awareness of the performance aspects of this dance.

2 comments about Exploring Sound Design for Interactive Media (Design Exploration Series).

1. The book is not really about sound design. It does not give any new techical information and the musical stuff is very basic. In the book says that the CD files can be used for classes but ther isn't anything that is worthwile (and they are only a few!!!). The only information that it has some interest is about games sound design but is very very short.It was disapointing.Do not be fulled by the tittle.



2. Cancellaro has written a thorougly accessible text here. This isn't one of those dry thousand-page tomes that will never get read. He writes like a real human being speaks - which makes the learning all the easier.
   
   Whether you are a musician, digital video artist or a college student learning digital audio - this is the book for you. It covers everything from basic audio and acoustic theory, digital concepts and compression issues and even introduces music theory - and keeps it all fun and approachable.
   
   Highly recommended.

1 comments about A Midsummer Night's Dream (Arkangel Complete Shakespeare).

1. I bought this audio recording of MSND to use as I taught the play to my 10th graders. The actors do well, and this is the complete version of the play. However, some of the character sound effects can get annoying, as well as some of the music.
   
   For whatever reason, the faeries' voices have a slight echo effect, which isn't too annoying, but when a faery--such as Puck or Oberon--is placing a spell on someone, there is an extreme echo placed on the voice. The echo was so extreme for the end of Act III, when Puck is confusing Lysander and Demetrius, that it gave me a slight headache. Also, while the use of a little music can be nice, many of my students didn't like it and I found that the music was on a little too long in some places and it stalls the progression of the play. The "braying" of Bottom sounds more like a pig grunt, which gets really old after awhile.
   
   Overall, I would recommend this version to those who don't mind slight annoyances like these--and maybe I'm being nitpicky--but if you think that those will wear on you, try to find another version.

5 comments about Serpent of the Nile: Women and Dance in the Arab World.

1. Lots of colour pictures ... past & present ...including old paintings, quotes & accounts of the people who actually watched belly dancing...& then tried to describe it!

   For those just starting out to find out about Bellydancing & such enthusiasts,there are some pictures of famous older dancers, past & present .. Samya Gamal, Fifi Abdou & Sohair Zaki.
   More like a collection of cameos than a real in-depth exploration of the Art Form, or Elucidation of the styles & Expression... but it IS a good coffee-table book & nice, informative read .




2. I can't speak to the accuracy of Wendy Buonaventura's history of belly dancing, though I found no evidence of the most controversial complaint, that she fails to note the role of European Orientalists in fabricating our notions of Middle-Eastern dance. In fact, she discusses this very thing at length.

   The treasure in the book is the collection of paintings. Where else can you see Dinet's gorgeous watercolors? I had never even heard of him. Are the pictures accurate? I suspect they are. Are they representative? Of course not. Like Gauguin in Tahiti, the Orientalists saw what they wanted to see.




3. Wendy Buonaventura obviously loves raks baladi ("country" or folkloric belly dance) with a passion. As sometimes happens with authors passionate about a subject, she unfortunately treats her opinions as facts upon occasion. As a dancer, I love the glorious Orientalist pictures, early 20th-century photos and fascinatingly slanted accounts from Western travellers, and I love her feelings for the dance. It's a beautiful book to peruse, and you can get some marvelous ideas for theatrical costuming from it. But like the Orientalists she reviews, Buonaventura presents an exotic and monolithic Middle East, where Egypt represents this entire diverse region and where nothing changes over time. She also perpetuates the popular myth that this is a *women's* dance, whereas in truth both sexes dance at private functions, and in both Egypt and Turkey, men historically performed as well. (Western tourists just weren't interested!) Read this for its lovely artwork and, if you're a dancer, for a feel-good spiritual connection with earlier dancers--but if you're interested in the subject of dance history, do some further research. And if you are involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism, PLEASE don't use this book for costume documentation. Egyptian clothing pre-1600 was very, very different.



4. The quality and quantity of pictures in this book is wonderful and there is also some good information but unfortunately all the information is not very accurate and there are even many things that are not true. As a book this is nice to watch but as this book has become "a bible of belly dance" when other more accurate documents have been hard to find I can't rate this higher because readers tend to believe everything that is written here.



5. "Serpent of the Nile" is a wonderful book for anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern Dance, which is currently gaining tremendous popularity in the West. The author traces the art of 'Beladi,' what we now refer to as 'belly-dancing' from its origin to how it has changed over time. There is a lot of very interesting information in here, written concisely and accessibly, even for those of us who are not overly concerned with history; such as the need for male dancers to entertain the public when women were forbidden to do so, how the patriarchal nature of Arabic society affected Beladi, and how the Westerners exoticised and perhaps even corrupted the original form of dance. But the beauty of this book lies in its stunning pictures, a treat for the eyes! Photographs of sculptures, paintings and engravings of dancers and musicians fill the pages and make it an ideal coffee table book. A wonderful resource.

No comments about Produced By . . .: Balancing Art And Business In The Movie Industry.

4 comments about The Big Lebowski.

1. The genius of thew Coens captured in this outstanding comedy. The characters, as ever, outdo the narrative, but the quotable lines come close to matching their masterpiece, Raising Arizona. Remember - nobody f#*k with the Jesus!



2. Although the words don't match exactly from the book to the movie, due to ad-libbing of the actors, this book is a must-have for any fan of The Big Lebowski. This book will make you laugh as much as the movie did.



3. One of the Coen Bros' best works. Their twisted world is never more hilarious as it is here.



4. This scriptbook is essential to the uncompromising Lebowski fanatic. Great for neighborhood plays too! An easy way to study the simply brilliant use of dialogue found and recycled throughout the film. What's more, the cover image is far out and would make a great poster.

No comments about Devising Performance: A Critical History (Theatre and Performance Practices).

No comments about "Master Harold" and the Boys (The Harcourt Brace Casebook Series in Literature).

2 comments about Dancing Longer, Dancing Stronger: A Dancer's Guide to Improving Technique and Preventing Injury.

1. This book is the most comprehensive guide to the physiology of dancing. It answers important questions about what is normal and what can cause problems. It also deals with correcting technique problems and preventing injuries by proper strengthening exercises. It covers the entire body from head to toe. In my opinion every dance teacher should read this book so they can responsibly develop young dancers. This book should be reprinted --- anyone who dances should read it and keep it handy as a valuable resource.



2. Dancing Longer, Dancing Stronger is for anyone who desires to understand their body and how to make it work more effectively. Along with detailed anatomical descriptions of all the bones and muscles in the body and how they interact, are exercises for both strengthening and lengthening each muscle set. You don't have devote a fortune in expensive equipment or a large amount of time doing repetive, boring movement. Suggestions in the Question and Answer sections help you define your structural weaknesses and suggest exercises within the program for overcoming them. Plus you never have to count past 8! Each exercise is done to one of four 8 count rhythms with most exercises being either 4 or 8 reptitions each. As a figure skater, this book has provided me with the best off-ice training I've found to date. Even my coach wants a copy!