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Digital video has arrived

Computers have reached the point when everyone can use moving images in their work and play. It's probably the most exciting development since computers first arrived. No longer do you have to work in the film industry or have access to expensive equipment to make films. Now everyone can do it and it's perhaps the most creative and satisfying thing you'll ever do.

This website will tell you all you need to know. But before we go forward, let's look back for a moment:

First there were words:
The first breakthrough came when computers began to be used for writing (word processing) and we realised what a powerful tool they are. For the first time in history text was truly plastic and malleable.

Then came desktop publishing (DTP) and we found the tools of the printing world were on our desktop - fonts, typestyles, images and layout meant we could produce our own posters, brochures and newsletters.

Then there were pictures . . .
Next came image processing and we realised that the camera can lie. Using computers we can manipulate images just as flexibly as we can manipulate text.

. . . and sounds:
And then there was sound. Using computers to process sounds meant that you no longer had to learn an instrument to make music. Computers emancipated the human race so that now everyone can be a musician. There were unexpected side effects too. The powerful media industries suddenly realised they weren't in the business selling CDs any more - illegal music downloads changed the rules irrevocably and bands like the Arctic Monkeys made their name on the Internet.

Finally, movie making arrives:
And now at last computers have finally become powerful enough to process moving images and everything has come together.

Movie-making now belongs to everyone,
not just a powerful film industry.

New innovations like YouTube and Google Videos mean we can all publish movies to the world.

Movie making is the new Literacy. In place of words and grammar you use shots and soundtracks. Read on to become a master in this new literacy.