Barron's Educational Ser.

100 careers in the music business, 2d ed.

Crouch, who has worked within the music industry for many years, offers this practical guide for choosing a career within this very competitive environment. Topics include matching resumes to job openings, how to find legitimate job interviews in the industry and how to get hired. The author emphasizes that the music industry, reeling from recent sales trends toward MP3 downloads, is shifting in its focus, but good jobs can still be found using this guide, which is in its second edition, as a resource. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

501 movie directors.

Schneider, a film critic and scholar who has previously written 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, now offers this survey of film directors who have advanced the medium in a significant way. Each entry offers a brief biography, a synopsis of directing style, and examples of the director's best work. While the table of contents at the front of this volume will help film students and general audiences find information on a specific director, listing each entry alphabetically instead of chronologically might have made more sense. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Barron's GED Canada; high school equivalency exam, 6th ed.

This study guide to the Canadian GED high school proficiency exam begins with a diagnostic test and concludes with two practice exams. The 23 chapters in between cover fundamentals in language arts and writing, social studies, science, and math, including brief review tests at the end of each lesson. Updates account for changes in the exam. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Storyboard design course; principles, practice, and techniques; the ultimate guide for artists, directors, producers, and scriptwriters.

Storyboard design is an important component in modern media production, including film, TV, animation and even computer games. Cristiano, an Italian artist and cartoonist who has taught storyboarding skills for years, has written this basic guide to creating effective storyboards. The author covers all the bases, such as how to develop sketching skills, how to understand storyboard language and how to build scenes and work with composition and continuity. This is an effective and well-organized manual for anyone looking to break into the world of product design and art direction. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)