This was my least favorite of my film books. This book was just jam-packed with too much information given to the readers ar far too quick a pace. Definitely not a book for beginners.
Useful information though some of it is outdated in this digital age. In many ways it's a history of filmmaking and why certain things were done because of limitations.
This was the text book for my beginning filmmaking course in college, and I literally still have the book. Between being a really good reference book and being JUST the right size, it's a handy thing to keep around. Fun fact: I use its fourth edition as the textbook for the beginning filmmaking course that I now teach at a filmmaker's institute.