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Books > Arts & Architecture > Performing arts > Films, cinema > General
"Commerce in Culture" is an innovative study of how states have responded to the globalization of the film sector. Concerned with more than film content or substance, the book exposes the ongoing political and economic struggles that shape cultural production and trade in the world. The historical focus is on Hollywood's engagement with rivals and partners in two leading developing countries, Egypt and Mexico, beginning with the birth of their national film industries in the late 1920s. State and market institutions evolved differently in each context, acting like national prisms to mediate international competition and produce distinctive results. As filmmaking has become a dynamic focal point in the new economy, "Commerce in Culture" reveals a vital but neglected part of the global terrain.
Compact Cinematics challenges the dominant understanding of cinema to focus on the various compact, short, miniature, pocket-sized forms of cinematics that have existed from even before its standardization in theatrical form, and in recent years have multiplied and proliferated, taking up an increasingly important part of our everyday multimedia environment. Short films or micro-narratives, cinematic pieces or units re-assembled into image archives and looping themes, challenge the concepts that have traditionally been used to understand cinematic experience, like linear causality, sequentiality, and closure, and call attention to complex and modular forms of cinematic expression and perception. Such forms, in turn, seem to meet the requirements of digital convergence, which has pushed the development of more compact and mobile hardware for the display and use of audiovisual content on laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Meanwhile, contemporary economies of digital content acquisition, filing, and sharing equally require the shrinking of cinematic content for it to be recorded, played, projected, distributed, and installed with ease and speed. In this process, cinematic experience is shortened and condensed as well, so as to fit the late-capitalist attention economy. The essays in this volume ask what this changed technical, socio-economic and political situation entails for the aesthetics and experience of contemporary cinematics, and call attention to different concepts, theories and tools at our disposal to analyze these changes.
How do we experience disaster films in cinema? And where does disaster cinema come from? The two questions are more closely related than one might initially think. For the framework of the cinematic experience of natural disasters has its roots in the mid-eighteenth century when the aesthetic category of the sublime was re-established as the primary mode for appreciating nature's violent forces. In this book, the sublime is understood as a complex and culturally specific meeting point between philosophical thought, artistic creation, social and technical development, and popular imagination. On the one hand, the sublime provides a receptive model to uncover how cinematic disaster depictions affect our senses, bodies and minds. On the other hand, this experiential framework of disaster cinema is only one of the most recent agents within the historical trajectory of sublime disasters, which is traced in this book among a broad range of media: from landscape and history painting to a variety of pictorial devices like Eidophusikon, Panorama, Diorama, and, finally, cinema.
RICHARD LINKLATER A new study of the American filmmaker Richard Linklater (b. 1960) whose movies include Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Before Sunrise and A Scanner Darkly. This new edition the only full-length appreciation of Linklater s available anywhere includes his latest films Me and Orson Welles and Inning By Inning. FROM THE FOREWORD Welcome to the world of Richard Linklater, the extraordinary US movie director from Austin, whose broad range of films - from indie (Slacker) to mainstream (School of Rock) - makes it impossible to pigeonhole him. What is not open to debate is quality of his output - his films are entertaining, intelligent, philosophical, innovative, adventurous, unpredictable, eclectic... to be honest, the adjectives could go on ad infinitum. Welcome also to the world of Thomas A. Christie, whose pioneering attempt to pin down the elusive nature of the maverick auteur makes for a follow-up to his recent volume on Liv Tyler. This new work bears all the hallmarks of the earlier book - wide-ranging and meticulous research, and intelligent commentaries on each film, backed up by well informed and even-handed opinions. In chapter after chapter Christie demonstrates his knowledge of Linklater, his films and movieland in general - you feel safe in his cinematic hands. His opinions are authoritative - you know that Christie s judgements are the result of viewing and analysis of Linklater s oeuvre, seen through a sharp and perceptive mind. Christie shows once again that he is master of fine detail and formulated opinion, expressed in the clearest narrative prose. We couldn t ask for a better guide to the world of Linklater. If you don t know Linklater s films, this book will make you want to see them. If you feel you know them all already, think again you ll want to re-view them again and again after reading Christie s thought-provoking volume. THOMAS CHRISTIE has a life-long fascination with films and the people who make them. Currently reading for a PhD in Scottish Literature, he lives in Scotland with his family. He is the author of Liv Tyler, Star in Ascendance: Her First Decade in Film (2007) and The Cinema of Richard Linklater (2008) which are also published by Crescent Moon.
LAPD's best Blade Runner and detective, Aahna 'Ash' Ashina, has been assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Isobel and Cleo Selwyn, the wife and daughter of business tycoon, Alexander Selwyn, a close personal friend of Eldon Tyrell. Ash's search will take her on a journey from the crime-ridden underbelly of Los Angeles to the promised land of the Off-World Colonies and back home again as she uncovers a terrible secret and a desperate conspiracy that forces her to confront her own hatred for Replicants - the synthetic humans that she hunts with such vengeance. Collects Blade Runner 2019: Los Angeles/Off-World/Home Again, Home Again.
Winner of the Southwest Popular and American Culture Association's 2016 Peter C. Rollins Book Award in the category of Film/Television The popular music industry has become completely interlinked with the film industry. The majority of mainstream films come with ready-attached songs that may or may not appear in the film but nevertheless will be used for publicity purposes and appear on a soundtrack album. In many cases, popular music in films has made for some of the most striking moments in films and the most dramatic aesthetic action in cinema, like Ben relaxing in the pool to Simon and Garfunkel's 'The Sound of Silence' in The Graduate (1967), and the potter's wheel sequence with the Righteous Brothers' 'Unchained Melody' in Ghost (1990). Yet, to date, there have only been patchy attempts to deal with popular music's relationship with film. Indeed, it is startling that there is so little written on subject that is so popular as a consumer item and thus has a significant cultural profile. Magical Musical Tour is the first sustained and focused survey to engage the intersection of the two on both an aesthetic and industrial level. The chapters are historically-inspired reviews, discussing many films and musicians, while others will be more concentrated and detailed case studies of single films. Including an accompanying website and a timeline giving a useful snapshot around which readers can orient the book, Kevin Donnelly explores the history of the intimate bond between film and music, from the upheaval that rock'n'roll caused in the mid-1950s to the more technical aspects regarding 'tracking' and 'scoring'.
The park is open! Celebrate one of the most thrilling movie sagas of all time with this in-depth look at the making of the Jurassic World trilogy. Following the release of director Colin Trevorrow's smash hit Jurassic World in 2015, the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar once again dominate the public imagination. This book delivers a comprehensive look at the making of the first hit film, as well as its thrilling sequels Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Dominion. Through rare and never-before-seen imagery and exclusive interviews with key creatives, this deluxe volume explores the entire creative process, from the films' stunning dinosaur designs to the epic location shoots and the creation of the films' incredible visual effects. Fans will also discover a fascinating look at the wider world of the saga, including the Netflix animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, video games, toys, comics, theme park attractions, and more. Unearth the story behind the making of the Jurassic World trilogy with this definitive collector's book, a must-have for fans of the action-packed saga.
Martini Man goes beyond the simple caricature of the boozy lounge singer with a penchant for racy humor to reveal the substantive man behind that mask. Although Martin's movie roles receive in-depth attention in this incisive biography, as does his career-defining partnership with Jerry Lewis, details of Dino's personal life also abound, such as how Shierly MacLaine dropped by his house "to tell Dean she was in love with him-even though his wife was in the other room." William Schoell's chronicle is a sympathetic portrait that recreates the life and times of one of America's favorite entertainers.
Explore the Dark Arts of the Harry Potter films, with more than a dozen collectible stickers, cards, patches, prints, and more! Open the sturdy portfolio to discover the secrets behind Voldemort, Death Eaters, Horcruxes, and more in this exclusive collection of over a dozen authentic prop facsimiles, artifacts, stickers, and stationery inspired by the Dark Arts. Filled with facts and photos, fans will learn about the dark side of the Wizarding World, relive moments from the films, and delve into the behind-the-scenes magic that brought Harry Potter to life on the big screen. AUTHENTIC COLLECTIBLES: More than a dozen exclusive, official Harry Potter collectibles inspired by the Dark Arts including a 16-page journal, stickers, and more! BEHIND-THE-SCENES MOVIE FACTS: Dark Arts-related facts, trivia, and stories from the set of the Harry Potter films. STUNNING ART AND IMAGES: Photos from the films and gorgeous illustrations bring the world of the Dark Arts to life! PERFECT GIFT: An ideal and unusual gift for the Harry Potter fan. COLLECT THEM ALL: Harry Potter: Dark Arts joins the of Artifacts of the Wizarding World series that includes Harry Potter: Wand Magic, Harry Potter: Travel Magic, Harry Potter: Gryffindor Magic, Harry Potter: Slytherin Magic, Harry Potter: Hufflepuff Magic and Harry Potter: Ravenclaw Magic
By the time the Berlin Wall collapsed, the cinema of the German Democratic Republic-to the extent it was considered at all-was widely regarded as a footnote to European film history, with little of enduring value. Since then, interest in East German cinema has exploded, inspiring innumerable festivals, books, and exhibits on the GDR's rich and varied filmic output. In Re-Imagining DEFA, leading international experts take stock of this vibrant landscape and plot an ambitious course for future research, one that considers other cinematic traditions, brings genre and popular works into the fold, and encompasses DEFA's complex post-unification "afterlife."
Cinema-going was the most popular commercial leisure activity in the first half of the twentieth century. UK cinema attendance grew significantly in the Second World War and peaked in 1946 with 1.6 billion recorded admissions. Though `going to the pictures' remained a popular pastime for the remainder of the forties, the transition from war to peacetime altered citizens' leisure habits. During the fifties, a range of factors including increased affluence, the growth of television ownership, population shifts and the diversification of leisure activities led to rapid declines in attendance. By 1965, admissions had plummeted to 327 million and the cinema held a far more marginal existence in the nation's leisure habits. Cinema attendances fell in all regions, but the speed, nature and extent of this decline varied widely across the United Kingdom. By linking broad national developments to detailed case studies of two similarly-sized industrial cities, Belfast and Sheffield, this book adds nuance and detail to our understanding of regional variations in film exhibition, audience habits and cinema-going experiences during a period of profound social and cultural change. The use of a wide range of quantitative and qualitative sources, such as oral testimony, box-office data, newspapers and trade journals, conveys the diverse nature of the cinema industry and the importance of place as a determinant of cinema attendance. Sam Manning is a postdoctoral researcher on the AHRC European Cinema Audiences project. He has recently published articles in Cultural and Social History and Media History.
This work is a behind-the-scenes look at the making and influence of three classic Western movies bound together by the "code of honour" that they explore. "High Noon" (1952, directed by Fred Zinnemann), "Shane" (1953, directed by George Stevens), and "The Searchers" (1956, directed by John Ford), resonate with the rugged simplicity and honesty typifying the genre. The work examines the controversies surrounding the films, the problems experienced in their production, and the drama - or comedy - that occurred among the cast and crew members.
This book covers significant new ground, examining the impact and imprint of new leading technology on a range of popular expressions. This technology includes the internet, the computer, the cell phone, television, and radio, among others. Some of the specific expressions and phenomena treated include: tourism, big budget films, sports, video games, entertainment culture, religious and gospel culture, mobile culture, popular music, writing and technology, and porn. The work shows acute awareness of the wider global contexts--social, cultural, political, and spiritual--that form the backdrop for Caribbean cultural reconfiguration. Curwen Best argues that Caribbean culture has gone wireless, virtual, and simulated in the age of the machines.
Starring Tom Cruise examines how Tom Cruise's star image moves across genres and forms as a type of commercial product that offers viewers certain pleasures and expectations. Cruise reads as an action hero and romantic lead yet finds himself in homoerotic and homosocial relationships that unsettle and undermine these heterosexual scripts. In this volume, editor Sean Redmond shows how important star studies is not just to understanding the ideological, commercial, and cultural significance of one star but to seeing how masculinity, ethnicity, sexuality, and commodity relations function in contemporary society. The volume is divided into three parts. Part 1 explores the ways that Cruise's star image and performances are built on a desiring gaze, nearly always complicated by perverse narrative arcs and liminal character relationships. This section also explores the complex and contradictory ways he embodies masculinity and heterosexuality. Part 2 places Cruise within the codes and conventions of genre filmmaking and the way they intersect with the star vehicle. Cruise becomes monomythical, heroic, authentic, and romantic, and at the same time, he struggles to hold these formulas and ideologies together. Part 3 views Cruise as both an ageless totemic figure of masculinity who does his own stunts, as well as an aging star-his body both the conduit for eternally youthful masculinity and a signifier of that which must ultimately fail. These readings are connected to wider discursive issues concerning his private and public life, including the familial/patriarchal roles he takes on.Scholars writing for this collection approach the Cruise star image through various vectors and frames, which are revelatory in nature. As such, they not only demonstrate the very best traditions of close ""star"" textual analysis but also move the approach to the star forward. Students, scholars, and readers of film, media, and celebrity studies will enjoy this deep dive into a complex Hollywood figure.
"A timely intervention into debates on the representation of feminist and feminine identities in contemporary visual culture. The essays in this collection interrogate how and why certain formulations of feminism and femininity are currently prevalent in mainstream cinema and television, offering new insights into postfeminist media phenomena"--
This book presents a unique insight into an extraordinary period of European history that had far-reaching significance for British cinema and for the way history itself is represented. The work collected in this volume draws from the best knowledge, enthusiasm and critical insight of leading scholars, archivists and historians specialising in British cinema. The editors are experts in the field of British silent cinema; in particular, its complex relationship to the Great War and its afterimage in popular culture. As the Great War continues to fade from living memory, it is a significant task to look back at how the cinema industry responded to that conflict as it unfolded, and how it shaped the war's memory through the 1910s and 1920s.
The fall of the Soviet Union had the effect of making Russia even more of a riddle to the foreign observer than it had ever been. This book incorporates into an organic whole the realities of film production, the films themselves, and the socio-political-cultural context, weaving these three threads into a narrative discourse. It aims to integrate the films of the 1990s with life, and to provide a global picture of Russia (with Moscow in the foreground) as the big stage on which the drama unfolded. The author discusses some eighty films made between 1990 and 2000. Many reflect the reality of the present day, either in dramatic or grotesque form. Others reassess the past, placing different spins on various epochs and figures according to the director's ideological orientation. Still others offer escapism into imaginary worlds. The films selected may vary in technical quality and depth of thought; they may be mainstream pictures, or art films. But taken together, they provide an eloquent portrait of Russia, entering the new millennium still in search of its true identity.
As the movie and music industries have changed, film scoring has become an overwhelmingly independent process. Film composers have more responsibilities than ever before, and they must fulfill them with smaller budgets and shorter schedules. As a result, composers are increasingly becoming armies of one. In Guerrilla Film Scoring: Practical Advice from Hollywood Composers, Jeremy Borum provides valuable guidance on how to make a good film score both quickly and inexpensively. This handbook encompasses the entire film scoring process including education, preparation, writing and recording a score, editing, mixing and mastering, finding work, career development, and sample contracts. Offering strategic tools and techniques, this insider's guide draws on the expertise from a number of prominent composers in movies, television, and video gaming, including Stewart Copeland, Bruce Broughton, and Jack Wall. A straightforward do-it-yourself manual, this book will help composers at all levels create the best-sounding scores quickly and cost effectively-without jeopardizing their art. With access to rare and extremely useful input from the best in the business, Guerrilla Film Scoring will benefit not only students but also professionals looking to update their game.
How do we define the globalized cinema and media cultures of Bollywood in an age when it has become part of the cultural diplomacy of an emerging superpower? Bollywood and Its Other(s) explores the aesthetic-philosophical questions of the other through, for example, discussions on Indian diaspora's negotiations with national identity.
A socio-cultural analysis of the relationship between modernism and science fiction, from the 1870s to the 1970s, with examples drawn from literature and other media in Britain, Europe and the Americas. The book challenges how high and low culture has been mapped in the twentieth century.
This collection addresses the significant cultural phenomenon of the 'zombie renaissance' - the growing importance of zombie texts and zombie cultural practices in popular culture. The chapters examine zombie culture across a range of media and practices including films games, music, social media, literature and fandom.
The interactions between popular culture and public policy in general, and foreign policy in particular, have always been an important area of scholarly enquiry and popular interest. However with the end of the bipolar world system and the emergence of a single world superpower in the form of the United States of America, which is waging a War Against Terror, this nexus has become critical. This is especially true because of the almost Manichean tendency of the United States to see other countries in terms of "good" or "evil." Indeed President Bush himself has coined the term "The Axis of Evil" for states, which in a kinder age were simply referred to by his predecessors as being "Rogue States." This book draws together elements from several academic disciplines - politics, international relations, psychology, film and cultural studies and examines US foreign policy toward the so-called "rogue states" and the products of the Hollywood film industry in relation to these states, which promises to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the 'soft power' that is popular culture. |
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