Making Great Television: Four Essential Ingredients (Gardner's Guide Series). 7.5" X 9" size. 192pp, $24.95. ISBN# 1-58965-018-2. Author: Dee LaDuke

Great television series all share the same salient factors that separate them from the pack. What do The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Sopranos, and other great television series have in common? Four Essential Ingredients.
There has never been enough good television to satisfy hungry viewers and advertisers. Every year, studios spend millions of dollars developing a fresh slate of programs for the new season, but only a fraction of what is developed actually gets on the air. The simple steps outlined in this book help clarify which projects are most likely to be written as pilot scripts, produced, and ultimately given a series order. Making Great Television presents a new twist on the old notion of formulaic television. By analyzing the best television has given us, a new formula emerges-the four essential ingredients common to all successful television series: Immediacy, The Mirror, Character, and Time. Great comedy, drama, half hour, or miniseries can utilize this New and Improved Hollywood Formula.

Dee LaDuke recently completed her sixth season on the UPN series Girlfriends where she served as Executive Producer and is currently Consulting Producer.

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"Dee LaDuke identifies the crucial ingredients of creating great television programming."
--David Janollari, Executive Producer, Six Feet Under

"[Making Great Television] is everything that we all want good television to be-entertaining, comprehensive, insightful, funny, thought provoking and stimulating."
-- Sheldon Epps, Television Director, Girlfriends, Frasier, and Friends

"LaDuke identifies the distinctive characteristics of this medium, demonstrating how it can be evaluated and improved."
--Paul V. Turner, Wattis Professor of Art, Stanford University

Gardner's Guide to Non-linear Editing: The Cutting Edge. ISBN# 1589650212. Pub Date:2006.296pp. $34.95. Author: Charles Domokos

Gardner's Guide to Non-linear Editing: The Cutting Edge provides a foundation for the college-level media student who is ready to make the leap into the world of film and HD-based professional post-production as practiced in the Hollywood media community, and learn the fundamentals of non-linear editing. This book covers the basic techniques and generic editing procedures fundamental to popular visual non-linear editing software such as Avid, Adobe, Final Cut Pro, and audio editing programs such as Pro Tools. Gardner's Guide to Non-linear Editing: The Cutting Edge also provides step-by-step tutorials for basic procedures such as synchronization of audio to visuals, film-to-tape conversion, output to tape, output to film, standard definition to high-definition conversions, and everything in between. This reference includes sample work-flows, illustrative film stills, diagrams, and other instructive tools that will help students of all ages understand the fundamentals of non-linear editing.

Charles Domokos taught post-production classes at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema & Television and at the USC Summer Production Workshop (various Avid platforms). more

"This text is more than ideal for film students looking to get their foot in the door."

--Vaughn Obern, Chair, Cinema-Television Department, Los Angeles City College

Gardner's Guide to Finding Money for School Online. 7.5" X 5" size. 208 pp, $19.95. ISBN# 1-58965-012-3. Pub Date: 7-2003 Author: Christina Edwards

There's money out there, you've just got to find it. Gardner's Guide to Finding Money for School Online will show you how. This reference book cites a multitude of institutions, both public and private, that have funds to help students get a college education. Any student searching for money for college will find this guide up-to-date and conveniently organized with listings that range from scholarship services to government resources and much more. Readers will also hear from experts telling students not only how to find the best scholarships, but how to win them.

Gardner's Guideto Finding Money for School Online offers financial help for any kind of student, no matter the intended major, grade point average, or test score. This book contains thousands of scholarship and grant resources, expert advice on maximizing scholarship eligibility, preparing the application and essay, and how to spot a scholarship scam.

Gardner's Guide to Finding New Media Jobs Online. 7.5" X 5" size. 208 pp, $19.95. ISBN# 1-58965-013-1. Author: Christina Edwards

The job search today is as much about being online as it is about who you know off-line. Gone are the days where the job seeker has to knock on empty doors or cold call; nowadays, it's about sending e-mails and making a presence on the Web. This definitive Gander's Guide is a valuable resource to harnessing the Internet's powerful job search capabilities. This book offers expert advice on how to find and use online job fairs, job listings, recruiters, discussion groups, job sites, and resume-posting services. The reference book format is easy to follow, easy to understand, and filled with practical information, including:

Local, state-by-state, government, and international resource listings and opportunities
Online career resources
Specific career path information
Listings of popular job listing and recruiting Web sites
Interviews with major job sites and employers

In the information age, all that is needed to find a job is access to the Internet and a little guidance. Using Gardner's Guide to Finding New Media Jobs Online gives you the knowledge you need to land the right job today.