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).

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.

Aimed explicitly at students and teachers coming to British cinema for the first time, the Studying British Cinema series considers key texts from the decade under discussion and accessibly considers them in their artistic and historical contexts. Beginning with an extended introduction, 1960s British Cinema analyses this famously revolutionary decade, showing how changes in society and culture changed the face of Britain irreversibly, beginning freedoms and trends that would affect the way the country would be perceived forever. Using key filmic texts as its starting point, 1960s British Cinema examines the events that changed the country reflected in the film of the day. The book examines the reputation of the decade as 'swinging' and explores issues of class, race and sexuality whose boundaries paved the way for a greater awareness of the county's identity. Contents: A Glimpse of the Future - Peeping Tom (1960); Keeping it Real - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) and Billy Liar (1963); Living the Dream - A Hard Day's Night (1964); The Empire Strikes Back - Goldfinger (1964); Sex and the Sixties: Darling (1965); Agent of Change - The Ipcress File (1965); London Life - The Knack...and How to Get It (1965); Kaleidoscopic Nation - Blow Up (1966); Decadence and Rebellion - If... (1968).

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.)

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.