Film Studies for Dummies

From Hollywood to Bollywood, explore the fantastic world of film

Whether you’re preparing to study film at university or you simply have a passion for cinema, you’re bound to enjoy this book. Here’s where you’ll learn how people communicate ideas in films, how the industry works and who’s on the team, the impact of film on popular culture, the different genres and styles, film theory, the joys of animation and so much more.

• Explore far-reaching effects – examine the narrative, artistic, cultural, economic and political implications of cinema
• Compare and contrast film and reality – explore conceptual frameworks for a film’s relationship to reality
• Find out just how they do it – discover how stories are developed in movies and how a storyline is related to broader issues in society
• Work out what it’s all about – get to grips with avant-garde cinema and find out what such films really offer
• Take the incredible world tour – sample the unique styles of cinema in Europe, Japan, India and other countries
• Go larger than life – learn about greats in the industry, venture into film analysis and look at the transitions into 21^st century cinema

Open the book and find:

• How people tell stories in film
• Ways film is used to explore current issues and attitudes
• Responsibilities of cinema tographers and producers
• The mysteries of mise-en-scene
• All about digital-age animation
• Auteurs from the 1930s to today
• What poststructuralism and postmodernism really mean
• Ten must-watch movies

James Cateridge is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes University. He researches and teaches British cinema, film policy and the international film industry. James has also worked with the Arts Council of England and as a film journalist for the London Film Festival.

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started with Film Studies 5

Chapter 1: Becoming a Fantastic Film Student 7

Chapter 2: Putting Words and Pictures into Motion: The Film-Making Team 25

Chapter 3: Watching the Stars Come Out: Film Stars, and Why We Love Them 47

Chapter 4: Building Movie Stories 67

Part II: Taking All Types: Genres, Modes and Style 89

Chapter 5: Distinguishing Films by Type: Genres and Style 91

Chapter 6: Getting Animated about Animation 123

Chapter 7: Leading from the Front: Avant-Garde Film 141

Chapter 8: Getting Real: The Truth about Documentary 157

Part III: Travelling a World of Wonders: Global Cinema 177

Chapter 9: Bringing Hollywood into Focus 179

Chapter 10: Enjoying the British Invasion: From Brit-Grit to Frock Flicks 201

Chapter 11: Admiring European Films: Culture and Commerce 221

Chapter 12: Mixing Monsters, Musicals and Melodrama: World Cinema 241

Part IV: Bringing In the Big Ideas: Theories and Beyond 261

Chapter 13: Theorising about Film: How Movies Work 263

Chapter 14: Praising Great Directors: Auteur Theory 283

Chapter 15: Exploring New Approaches to Film Theory – and Beyond 307

Chapter 16: Outliving Celluloid: Cinema in the 21st Century 325

Part V: The Part of Tens 343

Chapter 17: Ten Film Writers You Need to Read 345

Chapter 18: Ten Must-Watch Movies 353

Chapter 19: Ten Film-Makers You Need to Know Better 363

Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Becoming a Film Student 371

Index 379

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