Behind the Silver Screen – serie

How does a film come to look the way it does? What influence does a film's look have on our reaction to it? Cinematography's role as a science and an art is often forgotten. Cinematography remedies this omission by examining the highlights of the art of the cinematographer and providing the first comprehensive overview of how the field has rapidly evolved, from the early silent film era to today's digital imagery. It shows how the art of cinematography has been influenced by both technological advances and trends in the movie industry, from the rise of big-budget blockbusters to the spread of indie films, with detailed views of films and profiles of the major cinematographers. It is a valuable behind-the-scenes look at the profession and a stirring celebration of the art form, that will equip general readers, students & industry professionals with a fresh eye for what appears on the screen.

Screen acting is generally considered in terms of the on-screen performance, which is actually the outcome of collaborative work and ever-changing conventions of the group activity that is filmmaking. New technologies and aesthetic developments, for example, continue to change how actors perform on screen..These elements are explored in this readable, in-depth investigation of the dynamic role of acting in the creation and evolution of Hollywood. Expert contributors take readers from the inception of film acting in 1895, when spectators thrilled at the sight of vaudeville performers and Wild West stars, through Hollywood's different eras, up to the current tendency to blend human actors with CGI. Special attention is paid throughout to definitive performances by notable film stars, including Lillian Gish, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Nicholas Cage, Denzel Washington and Andy Serkis.

Sound in cinema is a fascinating area that is just beginning to get the attention it deserves. This innovative book highlights the workers who collaborated inside and outside Hollywood to produce dialogue, sound effects and music for motion pictures. It demonstrates the transformative powers of sound as they shape the specific ways in which film meaning is made. It interrogates the statement that 'the silent screen was never silent', shows how Altman & Malick pushed the boundares of dialogue, what Dolby did to movies, how Walter Murch, Alfred Newman, John Williams and many more scored and composed and how cinematic sound is adapting to digital exhibition on computer screens and smartphones. The overall objective is to make it hard for us to see films in the same way again.

Producers raise money and supervise development, they procure a script or book or 'pre-sold property' (like Harry Potter or Batman) & more. This book is all about what producers have actually done during Hollywood's history, delving into the careers of the exemplary figures, from Irving Thalberg to the multiple co-producers of 7 Years a Slave. This is also a great introduction to the ways in which the Hollywood industry works as a business; producers are at the money, business end and their work runs through the entire process of getting a movie onto the screen - or failing to do so.

The expert contributors together trace how the arts of editingand effects have evolved in tandem, starting with the 'trick films'of the early silent era, which astounded audiences by splicingin or editing out key frames, all the way to today's cutting-edgeeffects technologies. Multiple filmmaking techniques are exploredthroughout, from classic Hollywood's rear projection and matteshots to the fast cuts and wall-to-wall CGI of the contemporaryblockbuster. The book introduces readers to the analog and digitaltools used in these crafts, showing the impact of changes in the filmindustry itself.

Costume, Makeup and Hair reveals how these three crafts have continually adapted to new conditions, making the transitions from stage to screen, from monochrome to colour, and from analog to digital. It considers them in relation to a wide range of film genres, from sci-fi spectacles to period dramas, as well as examining how they have been active participants in the marketplace for fashion and beauty products. Drawing on rare archival materials and lavish colour illustrations, the expert contributors provide readers in film and fashion with groundbreaking film history and an appreciation of cinematic costume, makeup and hairstyling as distinct art forms.

Costume, Makeup and Hair reveals how these three crafts have continually adapted to new conditions, making the transitions from stage to screen, from monochrome to colour, and from analog to digital. It considers them in relation to a wide range of film genres, from sci-fi spectacles to period dramas, as well as examining how they have been active participants in the marketplace for fashion and beauty products. Drawing on rare archival materials and lavish colour illustrations, the expert contributors provide readers in film and fashion with groundbreaking film history and an appreciation of cinematic costume, makeup and hairstyling as distinct art forms.

Of all the artisans who work in the American film industry, directors have been given the lion's share of attention. Yet few books in this literature address the ways directors have worked with others and have negotiated the constraints and opportunities posed by a complex production process and a sprawling commercial industry. Directing fills this gap. It provides the historical context necessary to understand the key role of directors in the Hollywood system. It covers iconic directors like Cecil B. DeMille, Francis Ford Coppola and Terrence Malik. It also shows how a selection of remarkable filmmakers confronted issues encountered during a given period; for example, how Ida Lupino negotiated 1950s ingrained sexism and how black directors like Charles Burnett operated in the system. It follows the working strategies of independents like Steven Soderbergh or Tim Burton and of directors dealing in twenty-first century digital cinema. Both readable and detailed, the book has appeal across the study of film and film production to the broader interest in the director's art.