Against Immediacy is a history of early video art considered in relation to television in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. It examines how artists questioned the ways in which "the people" were ideologically figured by the commercial mass media. During this time, artists and organizations including Nam June Paik, Juan Downey, and the Women's Video News Service challenged the existing limits of the one-to-many model of televisual broadcasting while simultaneously constructing more democratic, bottom-up models in which the people mediated themselves. Operating at the intersection between art history and media studies, Against Immediacy connects early video art and the rise of the media screen in gallery-based art to discussions about participation and the activation of the spectator in art and electronic media, moving from video art as an early form of democratic media practice to its canonization as a form of high art.

"Every film starts with an idea...logical...experiential... fueled by passion...originated on a napkin...filled with stars. And then there's the rub...a movie must be physical...until a sense of logic is formed." CJ Powers authors his fourth groundbreaking book as an out- growth of his popular CJ's Corner blog. Notes from the Napkin is filled with golden nuggets of truth or Easter eggs of knowledge for the independent filmmaker. Based on CJ's Corner, each chapter is loaded with CJ's practical experiences or insights from processionals that CJ met on set, at festivals, conferences and workshops, or on location. The book is written in three sections based on the viewpoints of a screenwriter, director and producer. Some chapters are written for up and coming filmmakers, and other chapters are aimed at independent professionals. CJ's style is informal and enjoyable to follow, as he unpacks complex issues in his simple, easy to understand fashion. CJ thrives on learning from others, especially those little tips that universities and books don't cover. Many of the insights shared in this book came from professionals during passing off-the-cuff moments. The conversations weren't planned and the professionals hadn't memorized any elevator speeches, but instead genuinely shared from their heart on filmmaking, which CJ is now passing on to his readers.

Hollywood thinks you are stupid From all-too revealing trailers and remakes, to over-priced fuzzy 3D movies, is there no end to the condescending ways the big studios will try to sell you their latest blockbusters? American Popcorn is a compilation of scathing, honest commentaries from film critic Dennis Willis on a wide variety of subjects, including the broken MPAA rating system, ill-conceived movie star vanity projects, and how tough it is to be a Star Wars fan. Funny and insightful, you'll never look at movies the same way again

Against Ambience diagnoses - in order to cure - the art world's recent turn toward ambience. Over the course of three short months - June to September, 2013 - the four most prestigious museums in New York indulged the ambience of sound and light: James Turrell at the Guggenheim, Soundings at MoMA, Robert Irwin at the Whitney, and Janet Cardiff at the Met. In addition, two notable shows at smaller galleries indicate that this is not simply a major-donor movement. Collectively, these shows constitute a proposal about what we wanted from art in 2013. While we're in the soft embrace of light, the NSA and Facebook are still collecting our data, the money in our bank accounts is still being used to fund who-knows-what without our knowledge or consent, the government we elected is still imprisoning and targeting people with whom we have no beef. We deserve an art that is the equal of our information age. Not one that parrots the age's self-assertions or modes of dissemination, but an art that is hyper-aware, vigilant, active, engaged, and informed. We are now one hundred years clear of Duchamp's first readymades. So why should we find ourselves so thoroughly in thrall to ambience? Against Ambience argues for an art that acknowledges its own methods and intentions; its own position in the structures of cultural power and persuasion. Rather than the warm glow of light or the soothing wash of sound, Against Ambience proposes an art that cracks the surface of our prevailing patterns of encounter, initiating productive disruptions and deconstructions.

"Consciously Created Cinema: The Movie Lover's Guide to the Law of Attraction," the latest book from author Brent Marchant, takes an inventive approach to a topic that's both enlightening and entertaining-how the world of film helps to illustrate how we create the world we experience. Marchant's singular perspective on the subjects of movies and conscious creation (also known as the law of attraction) offers readers an engaging, practical look at these topics and the complementary relationship between them for explaining how our reality comes into being. By citing examples from genres as diverse as comedies, dramas, science fiction and even documentaries, the author acts as a cinematic tour guide to the mystery and magic of how we manifest our existence.