Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 22:01:46 -0400
To: inflatedimpressions@prodigy.net
From: Todd A Neufeld <tneufeld@bu.edu>
Subject: Books v. Video

 > Do you (personally) prefer books or videos for instructional purposes?


Hi Tim-

I definitely prefer books to video.

No question about it.

First of all, you can put more information in a book than on a video.  Most 
balloon videos cover 8-12 things.  Most of my books have a lot more.  You 
can do more things in a video if you move quickly, but then you force 
people to constantly rewind.  Books let you learn leisurely.

Also, when I am watching a balloon video I monopolize the whole TV 
room.  No one else likes watching them, and I can barely stand most of the 
boring balloon videos on the market.  Several have put me to 
sleep.  Non-twisters feel that they're on par with the 4th level of Dante's 
Hell.  And they all get annoyed when I take over the TV.  With a book I can 
actually learn new things while everyone else watches The Sopranos.  And no 
one gets bored.

I can also bring books with me.  That means that if I'm at a gig, or hotel 
room and I have an hour or so to kill, I can crack open the book and learn 
some new things before the gig.  Last I happen to have the WAY Cool Prequel 
book in my balloon bag and took it with me to do some busking.  Of course I 
was asked for a Vader.  So I popped open the book and had the kid help me 
construct it.  He loved being a real helper, and his mom tossed me a $10 
tip for making him part of the learning process.  There's no way I could 
have done that with a video.

The best thing about books is that they can be used as a reference. There 
have been countless times when I try to remember a certain trick, 
technique, or bit, and simply could not get it right.  So I go over to my 
bookshelf, and start flipping through my books and magazines for it.  But 
if it's tucked away on a video, them I'm SOL.  Even if I could remember 
which video, it's not that easy to find one small bit on a video 
tape.  That means that my videos are less useful than my books.

In my opinion, a CD-ROM/DVD is definitely the way to go.  They are easily 
searchable.  Favorite things can be printed out for easy portability.  New 
techniques can be shown in video clips, which are more manageable than one 
long video.  Also, a performer can demonstrate the material with 
supplemental video footage from a real event without losing the quality of 
the instruction.

Well Tim, sorry for the long answer to your short question.  Good luck on 
your project!


-Twistin' Todd