Table of Contents

Introduction: Meaning in Movies Shot-by-Shot Analysis Writing About Film: The Art of Active Viewing Part One: Technique and Meaning Chapter One - Composition Chapter Two - Camera Work Chapter Three - Editing Chapter Four - Art Direction (Set, Lighting, Color, Sound) Chapter Five - Narration Chapter Six - Metaphor, Structure, Character, Motif Chapter Seven - Film Style: Realism and Expressionism Part Two: Critical Analysis Chapter Eight - Historical Criticism Chapter Nine - Structuralist Criticism Chapter Ten - Psychological Criticism Chapter Eleven - Ideological Criticism Chapter Twelve - Gender Criticism Chapter Thirteen - Ethnic Criticism Chapter Fourteen - Political Criticism Chapter Fifteen - Poststructuralist Criticism Chapter Sixteen - Scientific Criticism: Evolutionary Theory Index

Promotional Information

An innovative textbook combining an introduction to filmmaking technique with rigorous and comprehensive training in film interpretation.

Promotional Information

An innovative textbook combining an introduction to filmmaking technique with rigorous and comprehensive training in film interpretation.

About the Author

Michael Ryan is Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs in the School of Communications and Theater at Temple University, USA. He has taught film for thirty years at Northeastern University, Miami, University, and the University of Virginia. His books include Camera Politica: The Politics and Ideology of Contemporary Hollywood Film, Politics and Culture, Cultural Studies: An Anthology, and American Film: A Short History. He is editor of Politics and Culture: An International Review of Books. He is writing a book on American film and American literature entitled Make Believe: Political Argument in American Culture. Melissa Lenos is a tenure-track Professor of Communication Media at Brookdale Community College, USA. Her primary research areas are narratology and Hollywood with a focus on film remakes. Her current project is an extension of her dissertation: Déjà View: Cultural Functions of Hollywood Remakes.

Reviews

Here is an ideal text for film study -- perfect for both beginning and advanced students. An exhaustive, thoughtful and entertaining single source that provides an insightful survey of film vocabulary, narrative, scene composition, camera work, art direction, and editing -- as well as an accessible introduction to the various schools of film theory. Michael Ryan and Melissa Lenos furnish everything needed to construct a compete film course with copious citations of apposite films to illustrate the many concepts introduced. This is sure to become a standard work for college film departments.--Mark Rosenthal is the writer of numerous feature films. He teaches film at Temple University and is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences