Many folks would love to be in a movie or on television—if not in front of the camera, then perhaps behind it. Today’s technology makes that dream possible for anyone: the average smartphone has a very nice camera that can also be used for video recording. Digital cameras are affordable as well. The only element often missing is the software to put everything together.
Many will begin their video/film careers with the free Apple application iMovie. If the free application is too limiting, the next step is Final Cut Pro. From iMovie to Final Cut Pro X, by Tom Wolsky, is the perfect transition book. It covers all the basics: importing media, editing, audio, titles, and effects. The publisher also provides supplemental media on their website.
Green screening is a form of chroma key compositing in which two images, still or video, are layered. The technique is used in film special effects and even the weather report on the local news station. The Green Screen Makerspace Project Book by Todd Burleson, a teacher, maker, and librarian, is an excellent compendium of video projects. While geared more toward a younger audience, the projects are fun for everyone and add another layer to video productions.
Camtasia is a screen recorder and video editor that is popular with educational institutions, and useful for creating professional-looking video tutorials and similar presentations. David Demyan’s E-learning with Camtasia Studio covers getting started and project planning, script and storyboard creation, basics of recording and editing, and video sharing via the web or LMS. For faculty using Camtasia for e-learning, the book also includes a chapter on creating quizzes and interactive hotspots.
Adobe After Effects is a software useful for post-production work for film/video making, perfect for creating animated effects, and it syncs extremely well with other Adobe apps. Adobe’s official “Classroom in a Book” guide to the software, Brie Gyncild and Lisa Fridsma’s Adobe After Effects CC: 2018 Release, is a must-have for anyone using the software. Adobe Press makes lesson files and a web version of the book available to its purchasers.
Adobe after Effects CC Classroom in a Book (2018 Release) by 
