Auteur – serie

What happens when we watch feature films or television dramas? Many of our responses to moving-image fiction texts embody "realism" or "truth," but what are we responding to, exactly, and how is our notion of reality or truth to be understood? For film and media students and makers of moving-image fiction in new digital forms, the question of how to get a more objective, rigorous handle on realism has never been more important. In this accessible book, Martin Sohn-Rethel brings a lifetime of teaching film and media to bear on developing a new approach to analyzing the "realism" of the moving image: a set of seven "codes" that plot this tricky field of enquiry more systematically. In doing so, he considers a wide range of film and media texts chosen for their accessibility, including Do the Right Thing (1989), In the Name of the Father (1993), Erin Brockovich (2000), and District 9 (2009).

What happens when we watch feature films or television dramas? Many of our responses to moving-image fiction texts embody "realism" or "truth," but what are we responding to, exactly, and how is our notion of reality or truth to be understood? For film and media students and makers of moving-image fiction in new digital forms, the question of how to get a more objective, rigorous handle on realism has never been more important. In this accessible book, Martin Sohn-Rethel brings a lifetime of teaching film and media to bear on developing a new approach to analyzing the "realism" of the moving image: a set of seven "codes" that plot this tricky field of enquiry more systematically. In doing so, he considers a wide range of film and media texts chosen for their accessibility, including Do the Right Thing (1989), In the Name of the Father (1993), Erin Brockovich (2000), and District 9 (2009).

Studying Videogames is the first book to look at videogames as media texts. Written specifically for advanced level/undergraduate students it covers a broad range of games, industry contexts, and research findings. The book challenges conventional media-analysis approaches; sets out the history, present, and future of games; and interrogates claims about their "social effects." Featuring student activities, interviews with key players in the industry, and an extended case study of the Grand Theft Auto cycle, Studying Videogames seriously engages with this powerful media.

Studying Videogames is the first book to look at videogames as media texts. Written specifically for advanced level/undergraduate students it covers a broad range of games, industry contexts, and research findings. The book challenges conventional media-analysis approaches; sets out the history, present, and future of games; and interrogates claims about their "social effects." Featuring student activities, interviews with key players in the industry, and an extended case study of the Grand Theft Auto cycle, Studying Videogames seriously engages with this powerful media.

Adopting a textual, chronological approach, Studying German Cinema is for students of German and film studies and the general reader with an interest in German cinema. Each of the fourteen chapters focuses on one key film, from the groundbreaking horror Nosferatu (1922) to the Oscar-winning The Lives of Others (2007), and explores industrial practices both in West and East Germany; aesthetic approaches; auteurist traditions (including films by Fassbinder, Wenders, and Herzog); and ideology. Each film is embedded in its cultural and political context, and together they provide an overview of German history from the end of World War I to the present.

Adopting a textual, chronological approach, Studying German Cinema is for students of German and film studies and the general reader with an interest in German cinema. Each of the fourteen chapters focuses on one key film, from the groundbreaking horror Nosferatu (1922) to the Oscar-winning The Lives of Others (2007), and explores industrial practices both in West and East Germany; aesthetic approaches; auteurist traditions (including films by Fassbinder, Wenders, and Herzog); and ideology. Each film is embedded in its cultural and political context, and together they provide an overview of German history from the end of World War I to the present.

Graduate students of media studies have benefited from a variety of books on television genres, yet lower level students lack resources that focus specifically on TV drama. With this genre now dominating this area of study, it is important for students to have a text that investigates and analyzes individual dramas in detail. Studying TV Drama meets this need. Divided into ten chapters, this general introduction begins with the history of UK TV drama, with a specific section on shows broadcast in the U.S. The remaining nine chapters are case studies of specific TV dramas, addressing the significance of the dramatic mode in the development of the genre and in the history of '"television entertainment" in general; content and narrative structure; representation; dramatic style and form; and technical analysis (camera, sound, editing, mise-en-scène). Chosen case studies are very selective and focus on contemporary and continuing drama likely to be familiar to students (such as Dr. Who) as well as landmark productions (such as Bleak House). US drama as a particular mode is represented by the Hugh Laurie vehicle, House. The dramas selected also represent differences in production style, allowing for diverse analyses.Michael Massey served as head of media education at Southgate School and is a regular contributor toMediaMagazine.

Taking a text-led approach, with the emphasis on more recent popular films, Studying French Cinema is directed at non-specialists such as students of French, Film Studies, and the general reader with an interest in post-war French cinema. Each of the chapters focuses on one or more key films from the ground-breaking films of the nouvelle vague (Les 400 coups, 1959) to contemporary documentary (Etre et avoir, 2002) and puts them into their relevant contexts. Depending on the individual film, these include explorations of childhood, adolescence and coming of age (Les 400 coups, L'Argent de poche); auteur ideology and individual style (the films of Jean-Luc Godard and Agnes Varda); the representation of recent French history (Lacombe Lucien and Au revoir les enfants); transnational production practices (Le Pacte des loups); and popular cinema, comedy and gender issues (e.g. Le Diner de cons). Each film is embedded in its cultural and political context. Together, the historical discussions provide an overview of post-war French history to the present. Useful suggestions are made as to studies of related films, both those discussed within the book and outside.

Rona Murray places modern independent cinema within the general history of American independent cinema. Beginning with the work of John Cassavetes, she blends detailed textual analysis with an exploration of creative talent and the moneymen who hope to exploit its commercial potential. In covering the 1990s, discussions of Miramax and Sundance are paired with profiles of Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, and Spike Lee. The auteur-director remains at the heart of American independent filmmaking, and each case study considers the significance and contribution of iconic auteurs. These include established filmmakers such as David Lynch and John Sayles, while also considering recent exponents, such as Todd Solondz and Kimberly Peirce, who can all be characterized by their unwavering commitment to personal vision. Murray examines the diverse inspirations of these artists: European cinema aesthetics, previous independent filmmakers, and wider film history. Production is also a vital part of the picture. Murray reveals the less publicized though no less crucial influence of industry figures who support independent finance in order to preserve artistic freedom. She compares the contribution of mini-majors and studio specialty divisions to the emergence of "Indiewood" and studio support of independent productions, and she details the institutional practices and discourses that influence the reception and characterization of independent cinema. Core issues include American independent cinema as a welcoming space for alternative and innovative voices; its coexistance with mainstream Hollywood; and the impact of theoretical debates, such as new queer cinema.

This book traces the historical evolution of Indian cinema through a number of key decades. The book is made up of 14 chapters with each chapter focusing on one key film, the chosen films analysed in their wider social, political and historical context whilst a concerted engagement with various ideological strands that underpin each film is also evident. In addition to exploring the films in their wider contexts, the author analyses selected sequences through the conceptual framework common to both film and media studies. This includes a consideration of narrative, genre, representation, audience and mise-en-scene. The case studies run chronologically from Awaara (The Vagabond, 1951) to The Elements Trilogy: Water (2005) and include films by such key figures as Satyajit Ray (The Lonely Wife), Ritwick Ghatak (Cloud Capped Star), Yash Chopra (The Wall) and Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!).

This book traces the historical evolution of Indian cinema through a number of key decades. The book is made up of 14 chapters with each chapter focusing on one key film, the chosen films analysed in their wider social, political and historical context whilst a concerted engagement with various ideological strands that underpin each film is also evident. In addition to exploring the films in their wider contexts, the author analyses selected sequences through the conceptual framework common to both film and media studies. This includes a consideration of narrative, genre, representation, audience and mise-en-scene. The case studies run chronologically from Awaara (The Vagabond, 1951) to The Elements Trilogy: Water (2005) and include films by such key figures as Satyajit Ray (The Lonely Wife), Ritwick Ghatak (Cloud Capped Star), Yash Chopra (The Wall) and Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!).

In this accessible introduction to early and silent cinema, which is currently enjoying a renaissance, both academically and in the popular imagination thanks to The Artist, Keith Withall provides both a comprehensive chronology of the period until the birth of sound and also a series of detailed case studies on the key films from the period – some well known (including Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, Eisenstein's Strike and Chaplin's The Kid), some perhaps less well familiar (including Murnau's The Last Laugh and Oscar Micheaux's Within Our Gates). As well as covering in detail the major film-making figures and nations of the period, the author also provides insights into the industry in less well documented areas. Throughout, the films and film-makers are placed in the context of rapid worldwide industrial change. (Please note this book is a revised and expanded version of Early and Silent Cinema: A Teacher's Guide, published by Auteur in 2007.)

In this accessible introduction to early and silent cinema, which is currently enjoying a renaissance, both academically and in the popular imagination thanks to The Artist, Keith Withall provides both a comprehensive chronology of the period until the birth of sound and also a series of detailed case studies on the key films from the period – some well known (including Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, Eisenstein's Strike and Chaplin's The Kid), some perhaps less well familiar (including Murnau's The Last Laugh and Oscar Micheaux's Within Our Gates). As well as covering in detail the major film-making figures and nations of the period, the author also provides insights into the industry in less well documented areas. Throughout, the films and film-makers are placed in the context of rapid worldwide industrial change. (Please note this book is a revised and expanded version of Early and Silent Cinema: A Teacher's Guide, published by Auteur in 2007.)

This collection re-imagines the study of English and media in a way that decentralises the text (e.g. romantic poetry or film noir) or media formats/platforms (e.g. broadcast media/new media). Instead, the authors work across boundaries in meaningful thematic contexts that reflect the ways in which people engage with reading, watching, making, and listening in their textual lives. In so doing, this project recasts both subjects as combined in a more reflexive, critical space for the study of our everyday social and cultural interactions. Across the chapters, the authors present applicable learning and teaching strategies that weave together art works, films, social practices, creativity, 'viral' media, theater, TV, social media, videogames, and literature. The culmination of this range of strategies is a reclaimed 'blue skies' approach to progressive textual education, free from constraining shackles of outdated ideas about textual categories and value that have hitherto alienated generations of students and both English and media from themselves.

Interest in the ancient, the occult, and the "wyrd" is on the rise. The furrows of Robin Hardy (The Wicker Man), Piers Haggard (Blood on Satan's Claw), and Michael Reeves (Witchfinder General) have arisen again, most notably in the films of Ben Wheatley (Kill List), as has the Spirit of Dark of Lonely Water, Juganets, cursed Saxon crowns, spaceships hidden under ancient barrows, owls and flowers, time-warping stone circles, wicker men, the goat of Mendes, and malicious stone tapes.Folk Horror: Hours Dreadful And Things Strange charts the summoning of these esoteric arts within the latter half of the twentieth century and beyond, using theories of psychogeography, hauntology, and topography to delve into the genre's output in film, television, and multimedia as its "sacred demon of ungovernableness" rises yet again in the twenty-first century.

Interest in the ancient, the occult, and the "wyrd" is on the rise. The furrows of Robin Hardy (The Wicker Man), Piers Haggard (Blood on Satan's Claw), and Michael Reeves (Witchfinder General) have arisen again, most notably in the films of Ben Wheatley (Kill List), as has the Spirit of Dark of Lonely Water, Juganets, cursed Saxon crowns, spaceships hidden under ancient barrows, owls and flowers, time-warping stone circles, wicker men, the goat of Mendes, and malicious stone tapes.Folk Horror: Hours Dreadful And Things Strange charts the summoning of these esoteric arts n the latter half of the twentieth century and beyond, using theories of psychogeography, hauntology, and topography to delve into the genre's output in film, television, and multimedia as its "sacred demon of ungovernableness" rises yet again in the twenty-first century.

Tracing the entire career of the British director Terence Fisher, best known for his Gothic horror films for Hammer—such as The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958)—The Films of Terence Fisher covers not only his horror films, but also his film noirs, comedies, and early apprenticeship work to create a full picture of Fisher's life and work.Brimming with rare stills, interviews, and detailed analysis of Fisher's films—both for Hammer as well as his earlier work—this is the ultimate "one-stop" book on Terence Fisher, both in his horror films, and his entire body of work, as well as his legacy to the British cinema.

Tracing the entire career of the British director Terence Fisher, best known for his Gothic horror films for Hammer—such as The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958)—The Films of Terence Fisher covers not only his horror films, but also his film noirs, comedies, and early apprenticeship work to create a full picture of Fisher's life and work.Brimming with rare stills, interviews, and detailed analysis of Fisher's films—both for Hammer as well as his earlier work—this is the ultimate "one-stop" book on Terence Fisher, both in his horror films, and his entire body of work, as well as his legacy to the British cinema.

This book is aimed at helping media and film studies teachers introduce the basics of feminist film theory. No prior knowledge of feminist theory is required, the intended readers being university undergraduate teachers and students of film and media studies. Areas of emphasis include spectatorship, narrative, and ideology. Many illustrative case studies from popular cinema are used to offer students an opportunity to consider the connotations of visual and aural elements of film, narrative conflicts and oppositions, the implications of spectator “positioning” and viewer identification, and an ideological critical approach to film. Explanations of key terminology are included, along with classroom exercises and practice questions. Each chapter begins with key definitions and explanations of the concepts to be studied, including some historical background where relevant. Case studies include film noir, Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days and the work of directors Spike Lee, Claire Denis, and Paul Verhoeven.Studying Feminist Film Theory is a revised and expanded version of Feminist Film Studies: A Teacher’s Guide, published by Auteur in 2007.

This book is aimed at helping media and film studies teachers introduce the basics of feminist film theory. No prior knowledge of feminist theory is required, the intended readers being university undergraduate teachers and students of film and media studies. Areas of emphasis include spectatorship, narrative, and ideology. Many illustrative case studies from popular cinema are used to offer students an opportunity to consider the connotations of visual and aural elements of film, narrative conflicts and oppositions, the implications of spectator “positioning” and viewer identification, and an ideological critical approach to film. Explanations of key terminology are included, along with classroom exercises and practice questions. Each chapter begins with key definitions and explanations of the concepts to be studied, including some historical background where relevant. Case studies include film noir, Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days and the work of directors Spike Lee, Claire Denis, and Paul Verhoeven.Studying Feminist Film Theory is a revised and expanded version of Feminist Film Studies: A Teacher’s Guide, published by Auteur in 2007.

Aimed at teachers and students new to the subject, Studying Horror Cinema is a comprehensive survey of the genre from silent cinema to its twenty-first century resurgence. Structured as a series of thirteen case studies of easily accessible films, it covers the historical, production, and cultural context of each film, together with detailed textual analysis of key sequences. Sitting alongside such acknowledged classics as Psycho and Rosemary’s Baby are analyses of influential non-English language films such as Kwaidan, Bay of Blood, and Let the Right One In. The author concludes with a chapter on 2017’s blockbuster It, the most financially successful horror film of all time, making Studying Horror Cinema the most up-to-date overview of the genre available.