Book Description
Since its original publication in 1987, Channels of Discourse has provided the most comprehensive consideration of commercial television, drawing on insights provided by the major strands of contemporary criticism: semiotics, narrative theory, reception theory, genre theory, ideological analysis, psychoanalysis, feminist criticism, and British cultural studies.
The second edition features a new introduction by Robert Allen that includes a discussion of the political economy of commercial television. Two new essays have been added—one an assessment of postmodernism and television, the other an analysis of convergence and divergence among the essays—and the original essays have been substantially revised and updated with an international audience in mind. Sixty-one new television stills illustrate the text.
Each essay lays out the general tenets of its particular approach, discusses television as an object of analysis within that critical framework, and provides extended examples of the types of analysis produced by that critical approach. Case studies range from Rescue 911 and Twin Peaks to soap operas, music videos, game shows, talk shows, and commericals.
Channels of Discourse, Reassembled suggests new ways of understanding relationships among television programs, between viewing pleasure and narrative structure, and between the world in front of the television set and that represented on the screen. The collection also addresses the qualities of popular television that traditional aesthetics and quantitative media research have failed to treat satisfactorily, including its seriality, mass production, and extraordinary popularity.
The contributors are Robert C. Allen, Jim Collins, Jane Feuer, John Fiske, Sandy Flitterman-Lewis, James Hay, E. Ann Kaplan, Sarah Kozloff, Ellen Seiter, and Mimi White.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Overview of Media Studies Methodologies.......2002-07-04
In a critical writing course I taught in Spring 2002, I used Channels of Discourse, Reassembled as the core text for the course readings. The many chapters within are written by the best of the best in the fields of media studies and cultural studies, and the methodologies are presented in an easy-to-read manner which is informative and full of examples and case studies. This is an excellent book for media studies students, as its chapters lay out the basic information they should know about many of the methodologies often used in media criticism.
Book Description
" . . . this engaging, thoughtful, accessible, and comprehensive work will stimulate many." --
Choice
Noted film scholar Bill Nichols provides a one-of-a-kind overview of the most important topics and issues in documentary history and criticism. Designed for students in any field that makes use of visual evidence and persuasive strategies, from the law to anthropology, and from history to journalism, this book spells out the issues and concepts that characterize documentary film and video production and provides the foundational key to further explorations in this exceptionally vital area of filmmaking today.
Customer Reviews:
Bad Introduction.......2006-06-19
How to take seriously a comparatively recent book that first claims that all films are documentaries and than goes on to explain how there are various kinds of documentaries (some of which are obviously not documentaries at all)? Naturally, the terminology in film studies is not very well systematized, but there is no need to forget the work done in this field so far - this contemporary book, in a sense, seems to have been written immediately after classical (but somewhat dated) writings of John Grierson and Andre Bazin! A great deal of Grierson's and Bazin's writing is still interesting, much of it still holds water, but this is a diluted and clumsily combined version of their respective approaches.
"Reality" is a dangerous concept if we don't explain or define it, so is "realism" and of course, in this book particularly, so is the "documentary".
After the start that confuses the issues, some lucid observations and potentially explanatory examples lead nowhere and promote confusion. It's a pity.
Book Description
Featuring the debut of a brand-new Bond and set in a number of spectacular European locations, Casino Royale is the latest addition to the most successful film series ever made. Working alongside cast and crew, premier showbiz photographer Greg Williams creates a unique visual record of the making of the movie.
Customer Reviews:
If you loved the DVD, this is a nice addition........2007-08-24
A wonderful compliment to the DVD. I loved the movie and was not disappointed by the extremely candid photography taken on the set of Casino Royale. Greg Williams captured the film set beautifully. My only request would have been to include more photos of the entire cast. Otherwise, this is a true example of professional photography at its' best.
Nice but could have been more........2007-05-15
I liked the book,but it's a little thin on imagery. I would have loved more photo's of the characters and scene's. A stronger narrative of the movie. And the ladies,what a missed opprotunity!
COOL BOOK - GREAT PRICE.......2007-04-03
This is a COOL BOOK! Mainly just pictures - no distracting graphics, text, etc... except for some candid thoughts here and there. Eva Green being funny, smoking at the piano between takes... And you see how Daniel Craig really put himself into the physical side of the film: nursing a black eye with an ice pack, busting through a wall of sheetrock (it's really him), wearing bandaids on a swollen hand (cover picture).
The color and black/white photos are large, close-up and feel almost vintage/period. A favorite already is one of Bond resting between takes through the window of his stunt car... all black/white/silver looking. Very cool.
As others have also commented, I was unsure of this new Bond until I saw the film - now it's my favorite. This book is definitely worth more than the Amazon price - I added it on a whim to my order of the soundtrack - and am glad I did.
Best Bond.......2007-04-02
I've always been a Sean Connery Bond man. Some guys are Roger Moore guys...etc..
I even thought Pierce Brosnan was the best since Connery. So when the announcement of Daniel Craig as Bond surfaced I was not too thrilled. But as soon as I saw the movie I was sold! If not actually better than Connery (I'm still debating), he's right on par with a new take.
"Bond on Set" is a great picture essay all about the making of "Casino Royale". It puts you there like a little visit to the set. If you like Bond and if you like the reboot of "Casino Royale", pick it up!
Fans of Daniel Craig and Casino Royale will love this book.......2007-03-30
This stylish coffee table book is filled with stunning color and black and white behind the scenes shots. The book also contains concise and interesting commentary about the filming of Casino Royale and its various cast members, Daniel Craig in particular. I could not resist buying this book. Not only is Daniel Craig my favorite actor, but I also collect film/cinematography books.
Book Description
The formula for Hollywood success has long baffled even its greatest visionaries. For every blockbuster there are countless flops. Directors, producers, and actors who achieve great success with one film often suffer abject humiliation on the next. After all, George Lucas may have created the Star Wars franchise, but he also created Howard the Duck. Now Peter Bart, the editor-in-chief of Variety, co-host of Sunday Morning Shootout, and the former studio executive whose hits include The Godfather and Rosemary's Baby, presents a fascinating look at the hits that sizzle and the flops that fizzle.
In Boffo, Peter Bart reveals the backlot secrets behind the biggest hits and misses in both film and television: how movies with the biggest stars and budgets turned out to be bombs and how unknowns with no studio support overcame great adversity to make cinematic history. In so doing, Bart tells the history of pop culture itself. He looks at the mega successes of today, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to the CSI phenomenon, the smashes of the past including Easy Rider, American Graffiti, and All in the Family, as well as the progenitor of all blockbusters, Birth of a Nation. Bart offers his signature straight-shooting analysis of the silk purses and the sows' ears of the entertainment world.
Customer Reviews:
A 'must' for any film director, producer, or Hollywood wannabe........2006-10-15
BOFFO! HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE THE BLOCKBUSTER AND FEAR THE BOMB comes from the editor-in-chief of Variety and co-host of AMC's Sunday Morning Shootout, and provides a vivid, experienced look at Hollywood, using nearly thirty hits from film, TV and theatre to examine the making of blockbusters and the lessons they hold for any would-be hit maker. From budget concerns to anticipating changes in audience tastes, BOFFO covers pitfalls as well as successes and is a 'must' for any film director, producer, or Hollywood wannabe.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Mini "making of" documentaries.......2006-08-22
Think of each of these essays as half hour VH1 specials on "The Making of . . ." a series of unexpected and unlikely hits. It seems hard to believe that all of the films, TV shows, plays, and personalities here (CSI, All in the Family, The Godfather, Lord of the Rings, Oprah, Cats, and more) - things that are American media icons - were once turned down, cut back, and, once they were finally allowed to begin, had so many chips stacked against them (organized crime wasn't so sure they wanted anyone making THE GODFATHER), that it's a miracle any of them saw the light of day. Andrew Lloyd Webber was about to pull the plug on CATS a week before it opened. How each of these productions and people eventually made it to the top makes for fascinating reading.
A real grab-bag.......2006-06-12
Peter Bart admits that the book is a grab-bag of essays on blockbuster movies, TV series and stage shows. I found it entertaining enough, but I'm not sure I got much out of it. He basically presents the history of a couple of dozen shows, several of which have already been chronicled in longer, more informative books (Casablanca, I Love Lucy, King Kong, etc.). This book is not unlike a Reader's Digest version of famous show business stories. I did find one item that I think is a mistake. In his "I Love Lucy" chapter, he writes that William Frawley and Lucille Ball hated each other. I've never read that before. I think he meant to write that Vivian Vance and Frawley hated each other.
Book Description
Who was Rita Hayworth? Born Margarita Carmen Cansino, she spent her life subjected to others' definitions of her, no matter how hard she worked to claim her own identity. Although there have been many "revelations" about her life and career, Adrienne McLean's book is the first to show that such disclosures were part of a constructed image from the outset.
McLean explores Hayworth's participation in the creation of her star persona, particularly through her work as a dancer—a subject ignored by most film scholars. The passive love goddess, as it turns out, had a unique appeal to other women who, like her, found it extraordinarily difficult to negotiate the competing demands of family, domesticity, and professional work outside the home. Being Rita Hayworth also considers the ways in which the actress has been treated by film scholarship over the years to accomplish its own goals, sometimes at her expense. Several of Hayworth's best-known star vehicles—among them Gilda (1946), Down to Earth (1947), The Lady from Shanghai (1948), and Affair in Trinidad (1952)— are discussed in depth.
Customer Reviews:
Exploring the creation of this popular movie star's persona.......2005-01-12
Being Rita Hayworth: Labor, Identity And Hollywood Stardom by Adrienne L. McLean (Assistant Professor of Film Studies, University of Texas-Dallas) strives to answer the question "Who was Rita Hayworth?" Exploring the creation of this popular movie star's persona, beloved in movies such as "The Lady from Shanghai" (1948) and "Affair in Trinidad" (1952), Being Rita Hayworth takes an especial interest in her appeal to other women of the day who were struggling to navigate the demands of family and work outside the home. Careful research of Hayworth's life frames the chapters, which meticulously pick apart fabricated image and propaganda from what can be verified as truth. An excellent read for anyone with an especial interest in not only Hayworth's career, but the ripple effect her star persona had on the hearts and minds of a female generation.
Book Description
The death of a celebrity is often as fascinating as--and sometimes more fascinating than--a star's actual life. From the grisly end of Sharon Tate at the hands of the Manson family and the mysterious demise of Bob Crane to the peaceful passings of Lucille Ball and George Burns, The Hollywood Book of Death is a captivating and appealingly packaged volume of more than 125 television and movie stars' final curtain calls.
Arranged in an encyclopedic approach by manner of death, these well-researched accounts include details of celebrities' colorful lives and unusual deaths, their funerals, and the intriguing aftermath. With more than 100 rare photographs and a special "necrology" index of more than 6,000 stars and directors, along with a section revealing where Hollywood personalities are resting in eternal sleep, this enthralling reference promises to be on every film and television buff's "Top 10" gift list.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-08-24
This is a great book. Anyone interested in the seedy history of Hollywood stars will definitely enjoy this book.
Excellent book.......2007-01-12
Very Good book, well written.
I for some reason have a morbid fascination into hollywood deaths and this book definately satisfies my curiosity.
Highly recommend
How did they really die.......2006-10-05
The title of the book says it all. The book details the deaths and often the lives of some of Hollywoods favorite players. It is broken up into sections depending on the type of death. Some of the catagories and people in them are:
1. Mysterious:
a. Natalie Wood
b.Sal Mineo
c. Bruce and Brandon Lee
and many more
2.in obserity-these people had not been in the limelight in a while
a. Lucille Ball
b. Joan Crawford
c. Mary Pickford
as well as many more
3. suicide
a. Freddy Prinz
b. Lupe Velez
as well as others
4. Drugs/alcohol
a. Judy Garland
b. Chris Farley
c. John Barrymore
and many more
This book is full of interesting tidpits that any person who loves old Hollywood will definitly injoy
Bizarre Read.......2006-03-16
This had all the bizarre,and perverse stories I have read in a long time. I have read accounts of some of these deaths but they weren't quite as sordid as these.
Not all that impressive.......2006-02-05
I like this book, but felt it left out so many interesting cases.
Most of the entries were not sordid or bizarre as the cover states but simply sad.
Amazon.com
Between all the critical acclaim, Greg Kot's book on the band, and the introspective I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary, you'd think that pretty much everything has already been said about Wilco. But The Wilco Book--the influential rock band's own scrapbook of photos, observations, and random notes--has more than a few revelations for fans. Here we get beautiful photographs of musical instruments (taken apart, being fixed and played) interspersed with quotes about their studio, their performance and recording habits, and their songwriting. Some may think a close-up of a Gibson guitar is a mundane affair, but to Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, that tool of the trade is an important element in the music-making process, worthy of plenty of attention. In addition, there are numerous shots of the band, random images by Fred Tomaselli, a new essay on the ensemble by Rick Moody, and "The Angel Is My Watermark," a piece by Henry Miller that resonates with the group. The enclosed 12-track CD contains previously unheard tracks from the A Ghost Is Born sessions. A couple tunes ("Diamond Claw," "What Good Am I") rank with Wilco's best work, while the rest show the band in the midst of the creative process, making aural sketches. All-told, the poignant randomness of The Wilco Book unfolds like a great Wilco album: it's a wonderful mix of compelling experimentation and heartfelt sentiment. A must-have for Wilco lovers. --Jason Verlinde
Tweedy Talks
Amazon.com Music Editor Jason Verlinde talks with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy about the book, the band's music, and more in our special audio interview:
Jeff Tweedy on The Wilco Book
Jeff Tweedy on Wilco's fame and status
Wilco on Record
Looking for more Wilco? Check out Amazon.com's complete list of Wilco on CD.
Book Description
This is a book about Wilco and the pictorial, literary, and musical world it conjures up on record and in performance. Created in collaboration with Jeff Tweedy, Wilco, and Tony Margherita, this primarily visual book explores what Wilco does, how it does it, and where it all comes together. The band narrates the book in the form of long captions accompanying a variety of images: a Korean postcard, a Stratocaster, a backstage practice session, and so on. Along the way, central topics such as instruments, touring, and recording are covered both in general (i.e., what happens, physically, when a guitar string breaks) and specific to Wilco. Just as the band assembles its disparate talents and inspirations to make music, this book coheres in the end to reveal a 40 minute CD of original, unreleased songs. Just as Wilco experiments with music by turning convention on its head, this book is an utterly new take on the old genre of the rock 'n' roll book. The Wilco Book will look and read like a Wilco record sounds; it's a translation of the band's sensibility from sound into print.
Customer Reviews:
Gracing my coffee table for years to come.......2007-08-06
This is a wonderful buy for all fans of the band. It really brings you into the Wilco circle. Excerpts and essays by and about the band, their methods, and their ideas are attractively presented through a series of pretentiously artsy photos. There is not nearly as much hard info as Greg Kot's magnificent Wilco: Learning How to Die, but the two books are completely different reading expereinces. The Wilco Book is not meant for plowing through; it is meant for experiencing.
The book also comes with a CD. These are not the polished studio gems of Summerteeth or the country rockers of AM. These are sonic experiments from the "a Ghost is Born era", and have a feeling of no pressure. Tweedy and co work together - Glenn's influence is really felt here. "Pure Bug Beauty" is a favorite of mine, although "diamond claw" is cool, "barnyard pimp" struts its stuff, and the alternate version of "hummingbird" will be a highlight for many.
Great Book For any Wilco Fan.......2006-08-22
Great book for any Wilco fan. Just finished the book today. It also comes with a nice CD of unreleased songs! That was a nice little surprise. Very high quality book with alot of pictures. Good read.
Lighten up, Francis.......2005-08-06
If this last guy wants to go off on Tweedy for being pretentious, then he shouldn't use the word "didatic" and then misspell "heywire" (it's spelled haywire, dude).
I think the price of enjoying an artist that refuses to fit into a box is that he sometimes can seem a bit pretentious. Deal with it. If you can't then go back to you Nickelback CD's...
Coffee Table Art.......2004-12-27
The Wilco Book is a great book if you enjoy the creative process. This book is less about the band and more about how they record, why they do it, and what the environment around them looks or feels like while they are doing it. It's an open-minded look at a process most of us don't enjoy on the same scale, but that we can all relate to in our own creative lives.
The accusations of pretense are understandable. But if you are someone who loves the process as much as the finished product this will be an inspiring piece. The cd and the book fit perfectly together in creating a mood of idea exploration. I found this book insightful and a very nice addition to a progressingly great body of work.
Self-Congratulation Run Amok.......2004-12-16
Wilco is a great band (their latest, A ghost is born, notwithstanding), but they've let their pretentions get the best of them. The once great Rick Moody's essay, in particular, is particularly painful in every way an essay can be. I was greatly disappointed by this book of self-congratulation: Essays detailing why Wilco is so great (answer according to them: because their experimentation is better than a nameless Everyone Else's status quo - as if The Flaming Lips and Beck and numerous others don't even exist); pointless photographs (example: a boombox with a leaf next to it. Gee, thanks guys); and a CD full of Noise, which Wilco has officially decided is DEEPER than real music. They have become blinded by the notion that impenetrability equals depth and brilliance. In the case of this book and cd, it most certainly does not. They got the balance right on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and now they just don't know what to do anymore. It's a shame they've opted for arty pretention, because they still have the potential to be one of our time's most vital bands. I would only recommend this book to huge wilco fans that have lots of money to waste.
Book Description
Directors from Eisenstein to Spielberg have used storyboards to visualize their stories before production.
Customer Reviews:
not much here.......2007-06-12
All of what this book says could have been said in 5 or 6 pages. There are a few basic concepts the book covers that are worthwhile, but I found it to be heavily padded and very basic. A much better book is Profores' Film Directing Fundamentals, which comes at storyboarding and other visualization tools from a director's viewpoint, rather than an illustrator's.
VALAUABLE FOR PREVIZ.......2007-02-11
I found the book invaluable as it gives a great insight into the real world of storyboarding. I am a 3d previz artist trying to establish an economical previz solution to productions of smaller budgets.
I believe the traditional storyboard artist and illustrators are an integral part of the process of previz, all my 3d previz begin with boards all sketches.
I think this book is excellent for anyone wanting to tune their skills towards a professional storyboarding career.
tony
[...]
A MUST READ.......2006-10-27
I found this book an excellent read and a great tool. I write screenplays, so my characters have specific duties. This book helps me determine what the camera shots should look like (without having to direct the director, which is a big no-no in screen writing).
Informative and an easy read.......2005-05-09
Very informative and interested. The best book I have read on storyboarding. This book is a page turner with funny, real-life experienced stories at the end of each chapter. It explained clearly, in full detail how stoyboards are done and even got into perspective and technique. I learned a lot of important information that got me thinking about filmmaking on a whole new level. I have used what is detailed in this book for my short film. I highly recommend reading it before making a film or if you are going to be doing storyboards.
Perfect Introduction to Filmmaking in General.......2005-04-21
This is such a cool book for anyone interested in putting together a film. I am interested in directing and cinematography at the moment and this book taught me things that even my specialized textbooks didn't. It's easy to ready, and over before you know it. Feels good too.
Book Description
When Lost debuted on ABC last fall, viewers were immediately captivated. On a remote South Pacific Island, 48 plane crash survivors are forced to scavenge what they can and battle cruel weather and, at times, each other. Some panic. Others pin their hopes on rescue. And some find strength they never knew they had. But the island has many secretsand hidden dangersas more than 17 million viewers are discovering. The Lost Chronicles is the must-have guide for those fans. Filled with a detailed episode guide and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show, the fully illustrated book offers plot twists and backstories that will help fans uncover the mysteries of Lost. Also included are reflections and anecdotes from cast members, writers, and executive producer/ creator J. J. Abram that readers wont find anywhere else. In addition, the book comes with an exclusive hour-long DVD containing unaired scenes from the show. Lost is known for compelling and mysterious story lines. Each episode features the backstory for one character, while new stories develop on the island. This companion serves as a resource for viewers and will take them through the trials and tribulations of the survivors on the island, as well as the histories of the characters.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating.......2007-07-20
If you're a fan, you will love reading the "back story to the story": how the premise was created, who thought up the polar bear, how the actors were chosen and how the scenes were shot.
it was pretty good.......2007-02-13
not bad but it didnt have as much inside info in it as i would have expected.
Pretty good read.......2007-01-16
This book had lots of details and information in it about LOST. I think the book was designed mainly for Season 2 because some of the details were ones I already knew know that Season 2 is over and we're on Season 3. It had a neat DVD included with it in the back. I gave it as a gift to another die hard LOST fan and he really enjoyed it!
Overall...Good.......2007-01-02
I really did like this book overall. What was in it interested me. But not all of the information is correct. For example they say that Charlie's brother's name is Ian, but it is actually Liam. I'm probably just being a little too nit-picky, but eh...what can you do? So yeah...4 stars from me!
loved it!.......2006-10-03
this show is simply spectacular. people who say they don't like it are just the ones who don't watch it every week. true, you have to watch intently and consistantly, but it is definitly worth your time. i am telling you, it is insanely good!
Book Description
Since the early 1990s, while mainland China’s state-owned movie studios have struggled with financial and ideological constraints, an exciting alternative cinema has developed. Dubbed the “Urban Generation,” this new cinema is driven by young filmmakers who emerged in the shadow of the events at Tiananmen Square in 1989. What unites diverse directors under the “Urban Generation” rubric is their creative engagement with the wrenching economic and social transformations underway in China. Urban Generation filmmakers are vanguard interpreters of the confusion and anxiety triggered by the massive urbanization of contemporary China. This collection brings together some of the most recent original research on this emerging cinema and its relationship to Chinese society.
The contributors analyze the historical and social conditions that gave rise to the Urban Generation, its aesthetic innovation, and its ambivalent relationship to China’s mainstream film industry and the international film market. Focusing attention on the Urban Generation’s sense of social urgency, its documentary impulses, and its representations of gender and sexuality, the contributors highlight the characters who populate this new urban cinema—ordinary and marginalized city dwellers including aimless bohemians, petty thieves, prostitutes, postal workers, taxi drivers, migrant workers—and the fact that these “floating urban subjects” are often portrayed by non-professional actors. Some essays concentrate on specific films (such as Shower and Suzhou River) or filmmakers (including Jia Zhangke and Zhang Yuan), while others survey broader concerns. Together the thirteen essays in this collection give a multifaceted account of a significant, ongoing cinematic and cultural phenomenon.
Contributors. Chris Berry, Yomi Braester, Shuqin Cui, Linda Chiu-han Lai, Charles Leary, Sheldon H. Lu, Jason McGrath, Augusta Palmer, Bérénice Reynaud, Yaohua Shi, Yingjin Zhang, Zhang Zhen, Xueping Zhong
Books:
- China on Screen: Cinema and Nation (Film and Culture Series)
- Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes (World Film & Television)
- Cinema for French Conversation: Le Cinema en Cours de Francais, Second Edition
- Cinema for French Conversation: Le Cinema en Cours de Francais, Second Edition
- Cinema Today
- Classic Questions and Contemporary Film: An Introduction to Philosophy with PowerWeb: Philosophy
- Clint: The Life and Legend
- Complete Home Bartender's Guide: 780 Recipes for the Perfect Drink
- Facade Construction Manual (Construction Manuals)
- Film and Literature: An Introduction and Reader
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care and Patient Safety
- Care and Breeding of Popular Tree Frogs: A Practical Manual for the Serious Hobbyist
- The World's Biggest Book of Brainteasers & Logic Puzzles
- Western Civilization: Volume II: Since 1500
- A Table for Two: Recipes from Celebrated City Restaurants
- Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee - by Their Son Dodd Dari
- Animal Habitats: Dicovering How Animals Live in the Wild
- Cravath, Swaine & Moore: The VaultReports.com Law Firm Profile for Job Seekers
- Thought Leaders: Insights on the Future of Business
- Merriam-Webster's Guide to International Business Communications, Second Edition
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Approaches to Popular Film (Inside Popular Film)
Television: The Critical View
Media Analysis Techniques
This Thing of Ours
Television: Technology and Cultural Form (Routledgeclassics)
