Unfortunately, there is no "Buy this and become and Instant Master!" deal out there... you could get all the DVDs and books in the world and you'd still have to put in the practice and the time. I don't mean to discourage, but do not expect to become a master in a matter of weeks or even months... Sure, you can get good in a matter of months, but mastering it takes quite a good bit of practice. I consider myself to be pretty good at Maya, but I've been using it for about 3 years now. There's still a ton I don't know yet.

Good luck! I think the SM vip videos would be an excellent, low-cost method of instruction, especially as we add more content in the next few months.