At the outset, Hiebert tells the viewer that the DVD is a visual accompaniment to her book The Papermaker's Companion. With that in mind Hiebert does not go into a lot of detail. The viewer gets an overall idea of what it takes to make paper by hand. It is an engaging teaser to try one's hand at making paper and delving more into the specifics through the book. Hiebert's even-keel narration makes us feel that it isn't any big task to make paper. It is about choices and exploring the medium. The camera focuses on what the hands are doing during any given process. It is mesmerizing. You feel like you are in the studio with the maker right in front of you. Hiebert's straightforward and spare commentary gets across the basics of what is happening in the demonstration. This approach allows the viewer to carefully watch what is going on rather than focusing too much on the verbal explanation. In addition to her own demonstrations, Hiebert incorporates clips of other papermakers at work in their own studios. These clips are effective and give us a peek into other private studios that one does not normally gain access to. More is shared of these artists in the extra video footage. Hiebert emphasizes what needs to happen during the many steps of the basic papermaking process. She recommends several types of tools made from various materials used for each of the steps. We are shown other options in the studios of other papermakers. By presenting a variety of solutions, Hiebert conveys to The Papermaker's Studio Guide DVD reviewed by andrea peterson winter 2013 - 45 Stills from The Papermaker's Studio Guide DVD. Courtesy of Ian Lucero. the viewer that there are many ways to complete the same job. This sense of resourcefulness and flexibility makes the process tantalizing, full of possibilities. Drying handmade papers can make or break a project. This is one area of weakness of the DVD. Hiebert mentions, but does not demonstrate different processes of drying paper, and says very little about air or loft drying. The novice papermaker would greatly benefit from seeing examples of various drying methods. When I am perusing videos, documentaries, and movies, I always look at the length of time the filmmakers need to tell their stories. More than judging by the length of the running time alone, I ask myself whether the filmmaker has accomplished the task at hand efficiently during that time. You all know what I am talking about. I still have not seen the 1997 Academy-Awardwinning movie Titanic because I cannot imagine sitting for 3 hours and 17 minutes to watch a boat sink in 5 minutes. Hiebert packs the basics into an hour of footage that leads the viewer efficiently from the start of the process to the end. An odd aspect of viewing the DVD is that it does not play straight through. At the conclusion of each chapter, the viewer is led back to the main menu. The interruptions are distracting and seem to suggest that the DVD is not of one piece. My sense is that the viewer should watch from start to finish to get the complete story that Hiebert sets out to share with us. This DVD will be appealing to anyone who is interested but would not have a clue as to how to begin. Everything in this DVD is accurate. It is excellent information for the beginner as a starting point of the papermaking adventure. Teachers will also find The Papermaker's Studio Guide DVD a good way to inspire the next generation of papermakers.
