Screen Media Analysing Film and Television

Presenting a manner of thinking "on both sides of the screen," this review offers screen enthusiasts the analytical and theoretical vocabulary required to articulate responses to film and television. It provides guidelines for developing the skills to understand and analyze how and why a screen text was shot, scored, and edited in a particular way, as well as for considering what impact those production choices might have on the audience. Production techniques and approaches to screen analysis are presented in a historical context. Other topics discussed include recent technological developments; the implications of increasing convergence of film and television technologies; and the aesthetics, narrative, realism, genre, celebrity, and cult media of global screen culture. Featuring extensive international examples, this is an ideal introduction to critical engagement with film and television.

Jane Stadler is the author of Pulling Focus and the coauthor of Media and Society. Kelly McWilliam is the author of When Carrie Met Sally and the coeditor of Story Circle.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Thinking on both sides of the screen1 By design: Art direction and mise en sc ne construction2 Cinematography: Writing in light and movement3 The invisible magic of sound4 At the edge of the cut: Editing from continuity to montage5 Plotting and planning: Storytelling and reviewing techniques6 Screen narratives7 Reality and realism: Seeing is believing8 Genre: Something new based on something familiar'9 Star struck: Fandom and the discourse of celebrity10 Skating the edge: Cult media and the (inter)active audience11 The crowded screen: Transcultural influences and new directions in visual cultureGlossaryBibliographyFilm creditsGame creditsTelevision credits