This introductory textbook is for beginners or for a first course in film editing. Reed (Stevenson U., MD) begins by reviewing the history of film editing, discussing aesthetics and genre considerations, and outlining different editing techniques for narrative and documentary films. Techniques are demonstrated with breakdowns of various film scenes. After a review of the impact of nonlinear editing systems such as AVID and Final Cut Pro, the book progresses to various tasks and effects using Final Cut Express, covering basic and advanced techniques as well as formats, compression, and importing and exporting. Instructions are illustrated with b&w screenshots. Three separate chapters lead readers through cutting the same footage (supplied on the DVD) for comedy, drama, and suspense. Review questions and discussion/essay questions are included. The book is distributed in the US by International Publishers Marketing. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)