Art of Technique, The: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production

Book Description

This book provides readers with a teaching tool not currently available. It fills a gap in the literature by going beyond simple discussions of hardware usage, basic technical knowledge, and descriptions of technique to in-depth discussions of how this knowledge can be applied in a coherent approach to production.

Customer Reviews:

A first-rate primer for the aspiring filmmaker.......2002-01-21

"The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production," is more of a primer than it is a critique of cinema. Yes, there is a big difference between this volume by John S. Douglass and Gleen P. Harnden and "Film Art: An Introduction" by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson. The latter utilizes literally hundreds of frames from both classic and relatively unknown films to demonstrate cinematic techniques. "The Art of Technique" does the same thing with student models. Whether this has to do with the cost of using copyrighted images and/or transforming them into individual frames for use in a book, this is a major difference between the two textbooks. When Douglass and Harnden discuss something, like Ingmar Bergman's use of Extreme Close-ups (ECU) in "Scenes from a Marriage," they can only talk about the extraordinary intimacy it gave the production, without offering visual evidence to support their claim. However, the authors do use their "homemade" examples to good use at time; for example, when exploring the concept of framing they provide examples of "bad" shots (filled with distracting clutter) before showing better choices for the cinematographer.

"The Art of Technique" is divided into two main sections. After an introductory chapter on "Interpretation and Treatment," there are six chapters focusing on the various ways a film can tell a story, essentially pre-production considerations. There is a nice little section detailing the basic types of stories Hollywood tells over and over again ("Jack the Giant Killer," "Fish Out of Water," etc.). Clearly the emphasis here is more on production than criticism, which makes the orientation of this textbook more towards the filmmaker than the movie audience. This first section ends with a look at Mise en Scene and questions of design. In terms of concepts covered, separate from the issue of how those concepts are presented in the textbook, the authors provided a comprehensive, well-organized presentation.

The second half of the book covers "Techniques for Interpretation," which starts with a consideration of the trinity of how the camera, editing and lighting can be used for interpretation. Again, everything is here; I could not find a concept or technique that was an obviously glaring omission. The book concludes with a pair of chapters on Symbols and Significance, which get into the impact film can have on an audience. You might expect to find a glossary at the back of the book, but instead we have a pair of appendixes on Electricity and Measuring Light, which only serves to reaffirm that this book is geared towards the novice filmmaker. If you are looking for a textbook that because you are a budding film critic, then this is not going to be your first choice. I can even make the argument that by not saturating their textbook with frames from dozens of films, Douglass and Harden do their readers a favor, because instead of borrowing shots and techniques from the acknowledged masters of the art form, they are being asked to reinvent the wheel. Do not knock this, because that is basically how we think Orson Welles made "Citizen Kane."

An Excellent Overview.......2002-01-15

This book explores many aspects of filmmaking in a logical, easy-to-follow manner. A great find, albeit a bit pricy. I used it as my text for teaching a video class as it offers some aesthetic considerations for why techniques may or may not be used in a given situation. This approach helps to minimize the technique-euphoria beginners tend to have with techniques which are new to them (ala George Lucas in the new Star Wars...)

good intro for the novice filmmaker.......2000-04-21

this book works very well as an introduction to the creative use of techniques for filmmaking. it is quite clear and concise and is not bogged down by too much technical details or dicussions on film theory. a good starting point.

Stick to "Film Art" by Bordwell/Thomspon.......2000-04-17

I was shocked when I looked over this book. I had always relied on "Film Art" which is the standanrd intro to film but I wanted to branch out. I found this book to be a superficial approach to cinema, no probbing analysis or challenge to interpretaion of technique or narrative. Save your money and stick to the classics. No one seems to use this book in higher education film studies- ask your professor to suggest a book.

Best introduction to filmmaking I've found.......2000-02-16

I teach filmmaking, and needed a book that covers all the basics in a few meaty and meaningful pages. This is it. Most books on filmmaking technique either wax philosophical on the author's pet theories or get lost in gee-wiz-you-can-do-this-neat-trick-with-the-camera mania. There's little of either here; instead, you'll find a focused, highly readable series of lessons on what really matters most--how to communicate a meaningful message on film or video. Unlike some VERY annoying books that give examples of lighting and other techniques via badly drawn line-art, this book shows every technique with actual stills from video shoots so you can see how lighting, framing, lens use, etc. actually change the appearance and impact of a scene.

There are also numerous references to excellent classic and modern films with quite specific suggestions for examining the techniques that make those films work so well. Perhaps most important of all, the authors never lose sight of the fact that filmmaking is about interpreting and creating a reality that evokes a meaningful and powerful experience for the audience.

Book Description

This book describes the major aesthetic image elementslight and color, space, time-motion, and soundand how they are used in television and film. Zettls comprehensive coverage of aesthetic theory and his inclusion of effective visuals and examples place this text in a class by itself.

Customer Reviews:

5 stars.......2005-10-10

The book is totally new and under very good condition, and the dilievery time is much earlier than i expected.

Best in field.......2004-12-28

This text thoroughly explains the intricacies of applied media asthetics in a concise and completely accessible way. It is a well organizied text that ehances its presentation through the use of many illustrations. I believe that this is the best text on the subject and that it has been since its first edtion.

motion graphics professor.......2002-06-04

"Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics explains the WHY of film and video production. If you're looking for HOW then turn to another book."

I would disagree with the above review. Only by learning WHY first, can we learn HOW later. This book is more than a cookie cutter approach to film and video. If you want to "click and drag" your way through an editing program, then true, this book is not for you. Add this to your collection if you want a book that teaches how to see and create film. Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics has staying power.

Fundamental book on the theory of the moving image.......2001-05-20

This was the assigned textbook for my digital video 2 class, and it is simply wonderful. Zettl is a very knowledgable man on the subject of creating images for film, video, and even new media. (Zettl's text Video Basics 3 was used in my digital video 1 class as well) This book lays a solid foundation for the theory behind how and why the viewer perceives the moving image, and how the filmmaker and video producer can create more pleasing and coherent productions.

While the biggest complaint I've heard about this book is it's over-reliance on theory, it still does a good job of contextualizing theory into practical application. Thus the title of the book: APPLIED Media Aesthetics. Although I haven't read any of Eisentien's theories behind filmmaking, I suspect that Zettl's treatment would compete rather well, and is probably more accessible for a modern reader.

This book covers all the bases from color and light, time and space and structuring audio to image. Zettl succintcly deconstructs the intelligent mind behind the images and sound of our cultures film and television productions.

Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics explains the WHY of film and video production. If you're looking for HOW then turn to another book.

The Filmmaker's Bible of Aesthetics or What Works and Why.......2000-11-04

This is probably the most important textbook a film production student can have on his/her shelf. NOT for how to work with actors or how to light a scene, but for understanding the underlying reasons of why things work due to our learned aesthetics and Western sensibilities.

Professor Herbert Zettl has written the most concise manual on why we has film viewers percieve things the way we do. He explains in detail (and layman's terms) how our aesthetics have been formed to interpret the dynamic medium of film and television.

How editing of action from shot to shot creates the illusion of continuous motion. How stagelines work so not to give the effect that your actor is jumping around from one side of the scene to the other. How to crop your shot BETWEEN the bodies natural cut-off points (i.e. neck, elbow, waist) to prevent the actor from looking like a disembodied head or torso.

This book is cover-to-cover insights into what we as viewers take for granted when we watch a good filmmaker's work, but may not consider when faced with the daunting task of mounting a film production and the on-set "reality" problems that dominate the filmmaker's mind when shooting a film.

I first read this book when I was in film school twenty years ago. Since then I have directed many professional film productions and I still review it before starting a new one to refresh myself.

Book Description

Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics is a comprehensive manual that teaches the essentials of filmmaking from the perspective of the director. Ideal for film production and directing classes, as well as for aspiring and current directors, Directing covers all phases of preproduction and production, from idea development to final cut. Thoroughly covering the basics, Directing guides the reader to professional standards of expression and control, and goes to the heart of what makes a director. The book outlines a great deal of practical work to meet this goal, with projects, exercises.

The third edition emphasizes the connection between knowing and doing, with every principle realizable through projects and exercises. Much has been enhanced and expanded, notably: aspects of dramaturgy; beats and dramatic units; pitching stories and selling one's work; the role of the entrepreneurial producer; and the dangers of embedded moral values. Checklists are loaded with practical recommendations for action, and outcomes assessment tables help the reader honestly gauge his or her progress. Entirely new chapters present: preproduction procedures; production design; script breakdown; procedures and etiquette on the set; shooting location sound; continuity; and working with a composer. The entire book is revised to capitalize on the advantages offered by the revolutionary shift to digital filmmaking.

*Comprehensive manual that dissolves the barriers between the aesthetic, conceptual, and technical

*Completely updated to reflect the revolutionary shift to digital filmmaking

*Practical exercises throughout along with detailed outcomes assessments to judge progress

Customer Reviews:

Good book with a slight pessimist POV.......2007-06-26

I like the overall value offered in this book and the coverage of topics is pretty nice. However I find the author is slightly pessimist or maybe pragmatic (who knows) and that is the biggest turnoff of this book. I hope if the author had written with a slight optimist POV it'd have been much better. Every one knows that the Film industry is pretty competitive but you don't have to be pessimist to convey the message.

A little discouraging.......2006-12-02

A little discouraging...but helpful. I don't think it will take nearly as long to break into the industry as a writer/director as Rabiger suggests. I think Rabiger's view is more intended for those who want to make it big in the studio production side of directing...I would definitely recommend this book as a resource and I think anyone that wants to be a director should read it....but don't take to heart too much of his pessimistic attitude towards becoming a successful director. I think if you have talent and determination, you can supersede all that "working in other areas of the industry to pay your dues B.S." Read it with a grain of salt....extract what is helpful and ignore his jaded attitude.

This thing's a beast.......2006-06-29

This is 600 pages packed with deep analysis. It will take a while to read, but you will probably know more than many Hollywood directors by the time you finish it.

Of course like anything take it with a grain of salt. I find many of the example films he uses boring and pretentious. The kind of things praised by critics but don't mean much to audiences. He really stresses subtext and that is good because it's missing in many films, but the main story line has got to be compelling and fresh along with a good subtext to make a great film in my opinion.

Just what I wanted.......2006-03-18

This book helped me to understand the inner philosophy of cinema and its techniques. I'm a Director in film and tv industry. I tried to find resources about the art of my specialty. This book is what I wanted it's writing about Low budget film making but in a totally profecional way. I was so bored of these books writing about the "HOLLYWOOD" filmmaking standards. I appreciate that this book brings the art of Cinema in the hands of ordinary people, with no money to make the "extraordinary production" films but in people which trying to find the real essence of Cinema.

Plain speak on directing.......2004-09-07

I have read many books on directing, and recently been directed my first project with a real budget, real crew. This book is the best for learning the production process, and covers it all in a plain-speak nuts & bolts fashion. A great resource ro prepare a director who wants to work at the professional level.

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Film Sound

Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0231056370

Book Description

The only comprehensive book on film sound, this anthology makes available for the first time and in a single volume major essays by the most respected film historians, aestheticians, and theorists of the past sixty years. In addition, it provides useful models for the analysis of sound stylistics in the form of case studies of a number of the most important sound films ever made. It is a compact primer/handbook which reviews in a coherent, rigorous, yet eminently accessible way the techniques and practices of sound filmmaking from initial recording to final playback in the theater. The book contains essays by Douglas Gomery, Barry Salt, Rick Altman, Mary Ann Doane, S. M. Eisenstein, V. I. Pudovkin, Rene´ Clair, Rudolf Arnheim, Bela Balazs, Siegfried Kracauer, Christian Metz, David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, Noe¨l Burch, Arthur Knight, Lucy Fischer, Noe¨l Carroll, Alan Williams, Fred Camper, and others. Essays deal in detail with such filmmakers as Lubitsch, Clair, Mamoulian, Vertov, Lang, Pabst, Stahl, Welles, Hitchcock, Renoir, Bresson, Godard, Altman, and Coppola.

Manet, Baudelaire and Photography Book 1

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Manet, Baudelaire and Photography Book 1
Larry Leroy Ligo
Manufacturer: Edwin Mellen Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0773456953
Release Date: 2007-02-28

Product Description

This book represents a radical reappraisal of the life and work of ??douard Manet. Through a thorough examination and interpretation of nearly every major painting (and many of the prints) Manet exhibited publicly between 1861 and 1882, the author arrived at the following conclusions. First, Manet was vitally and consistently concerned with the iconographical content of his major work; second, the iconographical content of Manet s work throughout his career was determined by a single underlying set of principles; third, the underlying principles from which Manet s iconography consistently derived had their origins in the aesthetics of Charles Baudelaire; fourth, the form of Manet s Baudelairean content was consistently derived from the appearance and ontology of mid-nineteenth century photography; fifth, Manet consistently presented emblematic, veiled self-portraits in his work; and sixth, the particular feature of Baudelairean aesthetic employed by Manet at any given time in his career was determined, to a large extent, by autobiographical concerns. The author argues that Manet s widely acknowledged adaptation of japonisme and impressionism can also be seen as further manifestations of his underlying Baudelairean cosmology.

Manet, Baudelaire and Photography Book 2

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An astute iconology of Manet

Manet, Baudelaire and Photography Book 2
Larry Leroy Ligo
Manufacturer: Edwin Mellen Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 077345697X

Customer Reviews:

An astute iconology of Manet.......2007-07-03

Manet, Baudelaire and Photography Book 1 &
Manet, Baudelaire and Photography Book 2 by Larry Leroy Ligo (Edwin Mellen Press)
The point [of the interpretive act] is . . . not to add one more interpretation to the good-enough pile, but to invite one to see something which is right there in the text. --Jonathan Lear
In order to appreciate Larry L. Ligo' s monograph we need to see it in the larger context of Manet studies in particular and of the current state of art historical methodology in general. Since the early 1970s, the discipline of art history has been undergoing a number of seismic changes that Manet scholarship, including the book at hand, exemplifies.
Broadly speaking, from its origins in the second quarter of the nineteenth century to the early 1970s, art history was characterized by two competing methodological approaches. The first, grounded in the work of Immanuel Kant and, more particularly, Georg W. F. Hegel, conceived art as a sphere separate from ordinary life, one whose developments, like those in philosophy and the sciences, were essentially internal and teleological, at least in its particular historical episodes. In short, Hegel's "Zeitgeist," the spirit of the entire age, became "Kunstwollen," art's autonomous developmental will. In this conception the artist was not an individual who expressed either his own concerns or those of his patrons but a "genius" capable of channeling larger art historical forces into aesthetically compelling masterpieces. In short, biography, social history, and art history were separate spheres. The major early figures in this "formalist" tradition included Alois Riegel, Heinrich Wolfflin, and Erwin Panofsky.
Panofsky is best known, however, as the father of iconography and iconology, the study of the symbolic features of art. His pioneering work in this field, Studies in Iconology: Humanist Themes in the Art of the Renaissance (1939), was published four years after his emigration to the United States. Panofsky apparently thought of iconography/iconology as the necessary complement to stylistic analysis.
Although in the post war period Panofsky became the authoritative model for American art historians, the chief spokesperson for the "Hegelian" tradition during those years was Clement Greenberg, an art critic. Greenberg's defense of the Abstract Expressionists and their heirs was grounded in the conviction that the history of modernist art was that of art's teleological evolution away from depiction towards the purity and certainty of its own means, which for Greenberg began with Manet's elimination of half-tones. Greenberg's ideas were embraced by a generation of American modernists, including, Michael Fried, whose considerably reworked 1962 doctoral thesis, Manet's Modernism: or, The Face of Painting in the 1860s (1996) represents the survival of that current. (Fried argues that Manet's work played a pivotal role in art's two-century-long struggle to defeat theatricalization.)
The second approach, which developed in reaction to Hegel, conceived art as a product of a particular socio-political context. Its chief practitioners during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were Jacob Burckhardt, Anton Springer, and Aby Warburg. Its major spokespersons following WWII were Marxists, particularly Arnold Hauser and Frederick Antal.
Until the early 1970s, the social historians of art played only a marginal role in the practice of art history in Britain and the U. S. At the dawn of the decade art history graduate students at the leading English-speaking institutions (with the exception of Columbia, where Meyer Schapiro taught) could choose between style and iconography as their focus.
By the end of the decade, however, the situation had completely changed. Those committed to the social history of art, which they cleverly called "the New Art History," had completely routed those committed to stylistic or iconographic analysis, which they dismissed as "the Old Art History." Dissatisfaction with the conception of art as something apart from the life of its makers and users, which had been steadily mounting, climaxed during the decade as a result of two symbiotic developments. One was the feminist social movement that found sympathetic voices among women art historians eager to participate in the improvement of women's status by resurrecting ignored or underappreciated female artists and by analyzing art as evidence of how women had been (mis)treated in history. Because of Manet's interest in women as subjects, feminists have found his work a particularly fertile terrain. See, for example, the essay by Griselda Pollock in Bradford Collins' collection, Twelve Views of Manet's 'Bar' (1996).
The second development was the emergence in England of a less mechanical brand of Marxist analysis, one that conceived the artist as an individual responding to social conditions, not merely reflecting them. This neo-marxism was brought to the United States by a number of British expatriates, including, most prominently, T. J. Clark. His most important study is perhaps The Painting of Modern Life: Paris in the Art of Manet and his Followers (1984), wherein he makes a persuasive case for Manet as the first painter of the particular nexus of problematic experiences, including alienation and estrangement, that have come to characterize life in the modern industrial (i. e., capitalist) city.
During this heady, contentious decade a number of art historians reacted, in turn, to what they perceived as the neo-marxist failure to acknowledge the way artists have used their art to address purely personal concerns. Working on the assumption that the modern artist, at least, works primarily to satisfy him- or herself, one issue that must always be asked with regard to any modern art work is how it may have served the psychological needs of its maker. This question has given rise to another camp of art historians, loosely referred to as Freudians. Despite the absence of the kinds of primary documents on which such practitioners usually depend, Manet has also been the subject of considerable scholarship of this type. Nancy Locke's tantalizing study, Manet and the Family Romance (2001), is perhaps the best-known example.
Because the neo-marxists, Freudians, feminists, and their various offshoots (from the multi-culturalists to those devoted to so-called queer studies) relied so heavily on the theoretical writings of sundry authoritative "father" or "mother" figures, theory itself became a recognized branch of the discipline. The most controversial facet of this new emphasis depended on post-structuralist literary theory, particularly the writings of Jacques Derrida and Roland Barthes, which emphasize the impossibility of recovering authorial meaning because all communication is vague and meaning depends not on what was intended by the author/artist but on how his or her statement/image is subjectively interpreted by the viewer.
The combined fashion for "readings" and the tendency of both feminists and neo-marxists to care more about social progress than about historical accuracy have themselves created a growing backlash. An increasing number of art historians are committed to a corrective pendulum swing that would refocus attention on recovering what Umberto Eco calls intentio operis. These reformers insist that knowledge of the past may be imperfect, but it is not impossible. And to say that interpretation is conducted by a subject is not to say that a considerable degree of objectivity is not possible. According to Eco the key to a legitimate objective interpretation of artistic intent is to check it against the text as a coherent whole . . . Any interpretation given of a certain portion of a text can be accepted if it is confirmed . . . by another portion of the same text. In this sense the internal textual coherence controls the otherwise uncontrollable drives of the reader. (The Limits of Interpretation, Indiana University Press)
Ligo's monograph is an exemplary demonstration of what Eco recommends. His specific controlling device is the consistent iconography to be found throughout Manet's "text", his oeuvre. While much of the "Old Art History" needed to be discarded, Ligo demonstrates that iconography, at least, must remain an essential hermeneutic tool for inviting the viewer "to see something which is right there in the text"--which is undoubtedly the strength of Ligo's work. More specifically, what Ligo persuasively reveals is what Manet himself seems consciously to have intended. By focusing on that aspect of Manet's work Ligo's study nicely complements those of historians such as T. J. Clark, Nancy Locke, and others, who have focused more on what the artist unconsciously achieved.
Excerpt: Abundant evidence does exist, in the iconographical content of the work itself. The lion's share of the present study, therefore, will be devoted to a systematic, chronological study of Manet's work from the vantage of its iconography. Before beginning, however, I shall introduce, in Part One, the theoretical foundation upon which my iconographical interpretation of Manet's work has been based.
The first chapter examines all the known instances in which Baudelaire directly discussed Manet's work, either in his writing or in statements attributed to him and recorded by others. Although few, they are very informative. Baudelaire said nothing about Manet' s work that would contradict the basic thesis of the present study and, in fact, said much to support it. Although Baudelaire nowhere specifically affirmed that Manet's painting took the same aesthetic position as his poetry (which at the time could have meant the kiss of death for Manet's career), he did acknowledge that Manet's work included a number of features that were essential if it was to be considered modem, in Baudelaire's definition of the word.
The second chapter presents a brief outline of Baudelaire' s aesthetic: in order to recognize the Baudelairien content of Manet's iconography it will be necessary first to recognize such Baudelairien content when we see it.
The third chapter examines those features of the Baudelairien aesthetic that could have led Manet to consider photography as a logical channel through which he could transform Baudelaire's aesthetics of poetry into an aesthetics of painting. This chapter also examines how Manet may have reconciled Baudelaire's well-known antipathy toward photography with his decision to adopt photography as the
fundamental "form" from which to hang the "content" of his work.
Part One concludes with a brief chapter summarizing the many photographic features of Manet's oeuvre as they emerged in the 1860s and continued until his death in 1883.
Part Two is a systematic, chronological examination of the Baudelairien content of Manet's oeuvre as manifested in the form of photography, from 1859 to 1870. Part Two concludes with 1870 for two basic reasons. First, the war between France and Prussia, declared in August of that year, enforced a hiatus in Manet's career and, consequently, an opportunity for summation and evaluation. Second, and more important, a number of events associated with the Salon of 1870 suggest that Manet's long struggle had finally been acknowledged and appreciated.
Part Three is a brief discussion of each of the paintings Manet submitted to the Salon between 1872 (the first Salon to be held following the Franco-Prussian war) and the Salon of 1882 (the last Salon to which Manet submitted work before his death) in light of the central thesis presented in this book. The evidence reveals that in every major painting produced during these years, including his summation painting of 1882 A Bar at the Folies-Bergere (fig. 146), Manet remained faithful to the same aesthetic position he had formulated years earlier in 1859-60. We will see that Manet ended his career as he had begun it twenty-three years before--as a Baudelairien painter-photographer of modern life.

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman & His Circle

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Why Don't Our Kids Know About Berman?

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman & His Circle
Stephen Fredman , Michael Duncan , Wallace Berman , and Cameron
Manufacturer: D.A.P./Santa Monica Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1933045108
Release Date: 2005-09-15

Book Description

The quintessential visual artist of the Beat era, Wallace Berman (1926-1976) remains one of the best kept secrets of the late 20th century. A crucial figure in California's postwar underground, Berman was a catalyst who traveled through many different worlds, transferring ideas and dreams from one circle to the next. His larger community is the subject of Semina Culture: Wallace Berman & His Circle, a catalogue to the exhibition organized by the Santa Monica Muesum of Art including previously unexhibited works by 52 artists. Anchoring this publication is Semina, a free-form art and poetry journal that Berman published in nine issues between 1955 and 1964. Although privately made and distributed to a mere handful of friends and sympathizers, Semina is a brilliant compendium of the most interesting artists and poets of its time. Showcasing the individuals who came to define a still potent strand of post-war beat counter-culture, Semina Culture subtly outlines the energies, values, and foibles of this fascinating circle. Also reprduced here are works by various artists and writers who appear in Berman's own photographs-approximately 100 of which were recently developed from vintage negatives, and will be seen here for the first time.

Customer Reviews:

Why Don't Our Kids Know About Berman?.......2006-01-25

Okay, we sort of tell kids that art is a good thing. We tell them that artists are to be admired. We sort of tell them poetry is a fine thing, but God forbid anyone really teaches this stuff any more! When looking through this book I was awed and angered. Presented here are some of the most influential artists, of nearly every medium, that worked in America during the late 20th Century, but I would like to see how many of these names have any familiarity to people.

I conducted my own little experiment. I asked people to tell me who Allen Ginsberg was. I chose Ginsberg because I thought he had the most recognizable name. Out of the 20 I asked, three were able to tell me they "thought" he was a writer. One told me he was a poet, but when I asked if he wrote "Howl!" or "A Coney Island of the Mind", he didn't know. (He wrote "Howl!" Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote the other.)

Get this book and let it lead you to dozens more books and see the depth of artistic experiment that Wallace Berman encouraged. Then go get outraged and start loudly reciting poetry on the train platform while you're waiting to get into the city for your job at the bank.

This beautiful coffee table book is an intriguing study of the people and their lasting contributions to our culture. It should be in every library and in every school that claims it is educating our children.

Architecture / Art / Parallels / Connections

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A must have for the architects library
Inspiration for the Creative Process

Architecture / Art / Parallels / Connections
Barry A. Berkus
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Barry A Berkus: Sculpting Space (House Design)

ASIN: 0823002934

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Squares, circles, columns, pyramids, grids, and the like are the vital constants of any kind of visual representation, appearing not only across eras and cultures but across such media as "fine" art and its more "applied" cousin, architecture. Californian Barry Berkus, a big-time architect as well as a major collector of modern art, is fascinated by how such elemental shapes and forms reflect each other in art and architecture, and in this beguilingly curated volume, a sort of personal scrapbook of the highest order, he explores just that. How? Largely by pairing sumptuous full-color photographs of his own architectural projects--the majority of which are lavish, fanciful, geometrically daring residences in the American Southwest--with some of the great pieces of modern and contemporary art, plus some shots of such lovely antiquities as Italian hillside villages and the whitewashed alleys of Mykonos. It's all in the interest of showing us how said elemental forms echo across time, regions, and craft; to those ends, we have the "female" curves of a charmingly sunny-hued OB-GYN office Berkus designed in Santa Barbara across from the abstracted curves of the woman in Picasso's 1932 Reading, or the archways of a garden court arcade he designed in 1989 for Villa Lucia, a private residence in Montecito, flush up against archways from the Roman ruins, or the one over the doorway in the gorgeously crumbling front façade of an old home in Torgiano, Italy.

Berkus's annotations are unremarkable--many of the ideas are general and overfamiliar, and it often reads somewhat like Rem Koolhaas without the wacked-out, idiot-savant lyricism. But no matter, as the real treasures of this book are the photos of Berkus's architecture itself. It's not without its common themes across projects--namely, a fondness for massing a toybox's worth of warmly colored basic shapes into improbably elegant, sprawling clusters--but it nonetheless dazzles in its diversity, and Berkus seems as comfortable and innovative designing in full-bore geometric-postmodern as he does in neo-Italianate villa or pueblo modular. Pair his own satisfying designs with his cosmopolitan appreciation of everyone and everything from Corbu, Calder, and the Case Study Homes to Zen temples, the agorae of ancient Greece, and the coolly ironic work of contemporary artists like Ed Ruscha and Ann Hamilton, and you have a palette that's at the very least a pleasant spree. At its best, though, it's a literate and often poignant study of those elements of the visual world we just can't stop coming back to. --Timothy Murphy

Book Description

A visual and intellectual tour de force, this stimulating, copiously illustrated book traces the parallels among painting, sculpture, and architecture through a broad selection of works and sites, both historical and contemporary. The author, an eminent architect, explores the common threads found in a variety of visual experiences. He begins by examining basic design principles as they are revealed in works of art, then relates those principles to a wide range of projects in both the built and unbuilt environment. Drawing his examples from many schools of art and architecture, he reveals his passion for particular works that have influenced his and others' architectural styles, citing world-famous paintings by Magritte and Czanne, traditional Japanese woodblock prints, farm structures of the American Midwest, and other powerful influences from diverse design arenas that impact on contemporary architecture.

Customer Reviews:

A must have for the architects library.......2001-02-03

This collection of works offers a unique view into the inspiration that fueled the creative energy of one of the most influential architects of this century. The title is true to its name. The usage of parallel imagery is found throughout the book and catalyzes the reader to look closer at the world around them recognizing and combining complementary forms to create magnificent modern structures. A must read for architects, aspiring and practiced, who are looking to develop or uncover new perspectives in there work.

Inspiration for the Creative Process.......2000-10-03

Anyone involved in creative endeavors, regardless of background or profession, or those who merely appreciate the fruits of creativity, will gain valuable insight from this book.

Berkus, an architect, traces the inspiration for his designs from his vast experience of places, objects, and works of art. Berkus' built forms are juxtaposed with the work of renowned artists. Each page is visually compelling and as much an education about art as it is about architecture.

I particularly appreciated Berkus' down-to-earth approach to writing - no technical jargon or "experts" language here. Berkus' concepts are far-reaching and visionary - this is seen strongly in the final section of the book "Building for the Future."

Book Description

Science and engineering research must be communicated within the research community and to the general public, and a crucial element of that communication is visual. In Envisioning Science, science photographer Felice Frankel provides a guide to creating dynamic and compelling photographs for journal submissions and scientific presentations to funding agencies, investors, and the general public. The book is organized from the large to small -- from photographing laboratory equipment to capturing new material and biological structures at the microscopic level. Full-color illustrations including many side-by-side comparisons provide an extensive gallery of fine science photography.

The book begins with a brief historical overview in a foreword by science educator Phylis Morrison. Frankel discusses technical issues and, just as important, her personal approach to creating images that are both scientifically informational and accessible. This is a handbook that should become a standard tool in all research laboratories.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected.......2007-07-04

This book is not a coffee table book of Frankel's amazing pictures, it is basically a textbook of her techniques. The pictures are not the focus. The focus is on instruction- creation, exposure, color, composition, and the like. I'm not a photographer, and really couldn't care less about that stuff. I just wanted a book of her work. If I had looked at this book in a bookstore first, I would not have bought it.

Very useful book for scientists.......2004-01-08

I had the opportunity to hear Ms. Frankel at the Materials Research Society meeting and bought the book as a consequence of her talk. Certainly, having heard some of the stories about some of the pictures helps make the book more alive, but I am convinced the book would still be a 5 star one without that advantage.

Ms. Frankel does a good job covering the basics of photography (mostly film, but some digital). She spends a lot of time talking about how to use the image and construct the image to tell the story. My observation is that scientists often don't do a good job getting the image and the story out in a terribly effective way. From the perspective of using images to tell a story (particularly a technical story), this book is by far the best resource I've seen on that subject. I strongly recommend the book to scientists working with images and to those interested in journalism about science.

Simply wonderful.......2003-10-27

This is at least two different books. The first is simply in the pictures themselves. Frankel's photography complements, even improves the quality of the science with which she works. The scientist's goal is to make new knowledge available, and Frankel has unique talent in doing this visually.

The second book lies in the text around these beautiful pictures. This is an introductory guide to scientific photography. The text will work for a novice as well as a photographer experienced in other kinds of images.

Above all, this is a book about communication - about visual presentation of knowledge. In a chapter of his own, the book's designer makes it clear that the book itself is an example of visual communication.

Perhaps some people think that art and science are somehow opposed to each other. I think such people just don't understand either. This book shows that art and science are complements, perhaps just different ways of finding and sharing new truths.

100 years from now, we'll be talking about this book.......2002-09-16

I first read about this book in the New York Times, and I agree with Mandelbrot's observation that it's a "masterpiece." Frankel's work will have a tremendous impact, not just on science, but on art, design, architecture, aesthetics, and the way we view the world.

Science will never be the same.......2002-09-02

Frankel is the Muybridge and Edgerton of the new century. Anyone who reads this arresting book will never see science--or life--quite the same. Life is more exquisite and magical than we know, and thanks to her, we are able to see just how. She gives us privileged views of worlds that we could never see without her help. This book, and her previous volume "On the Surface of Things," are must-haves for any thinking person.

Nonlinear Editing: Storytelling, Aesthetics, & Craft

Average customer rating:

A must read!
Very good advice for beginners

Nonlinear Editing: Storytelling, Aesthetics, & Craft
Bryce Button
Manufacturer: CMP Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Audio & Video Editing | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1578200962

Book Description

The art of editing in a nonlinear mode cannot be gleaned from software application manuals. This book is designed to convey the artistic considerations and techniques that both new and experienced editors need to employ in editing digital stock. Readers learn the importance of timing, emotion, and art in assembling a cohesive project that tells a story with the appropriate flow and pace. Each chapter features interviews with professionals and exercises relevant to the subject matter under discussion.

Nonlinear Editing is chock full of provocative ideas, insights, resources, tools, and exercises that will inspire you to making better decisions in the edit bay and in your career. For editors, directors, producers, and screenwriters.

Customer Reviews:

A must read!.......2003-06-10

I Bought this book as a reference for technical issues (formats, standards, procedures) but I got much more. Button gives you the whole layout of this art/craft of film editing. The topics covered range from editing equipment to film theory, color harmony&design basics to writing resumes. Light, sound - this book covers it all. Not all topics are discussed in great length, but there are excellent reference lists for further reading and websites.
Bryce Button seems to be an experienced editor and a film scholar and clearly enjoys teaching.
I have been a film editor for 10 years -I've still learned a lot. Some of the information will be redundant to the more experienced but still- very well written, packed with knowledge, insight - in short, a real inspiration. Well Done!

Very good advice for beginners.......2003-05-24

The book contains tons of very good advice for novice editors. The tips on planning will save a lot of time when the real work begins. The suggestions on the practical and aesthetic (including sound) aspects of editing will speed up the process and improve the quality of the finished work, perhaps by the equivalent of at least a few month's apprenticeship. The chapters on dealing with stress and team members, clients and the business, give an idea of the work environment to be expected. After reading the whole book, chapter 13 summarizes the most important tips as "cheat sheets" - very useful.

The only thing I didn't like was a number of typos, and what I thought was an occasional lapse in a couple of explanations.

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