Film Studies: An Introduction (Film and Culture Series)

by Ed Sikov (Author)

New
Hardcover
2010
$98.40

Ed Sikov builds a step-by-step curriculum for the appreciation of all types of narrative cinema, detailing the essential elements of film form and systematically training the spectator to be an active reader and critic. Sikov primes the eye and mind in the special techniques of film analysis. His description of mise-en-scene helps readers grasp the significance of montage, which in turn reveals the importance of a director's use of camera movement. He treats a number of fundamental factors in filmmaking, including editing, composition, lighting, the use of color and sound, and narrative. Film Studies works with any screening list and can be used within courses on film history, film theory, or popular culture. Straightforward explanations of core critical concepts, practical advice, and suggested assignments on particular technical, visual, and aesthetic aspects further anchor the reader's understanding of the formal language and anatomy of film.

Synopsis

Ed Sikov builds a step-by-step curriculum for the appreciation of all types of narrative cinema, detailing the essential elements of film form and systematically training the spectator to be an active reader and critic. Sikov primes the eye and mind in the special techniques of film analysis. His description of mise-en-scene helps readers grasp the significance of montage, which in turn reveals the importance of a director's use of camera movement. He treats a number of fundamental factors in filmmaking, including editing, composition, lighting, the use of color and sound, and narrative. Film Studies works with any screening list and can be used within courses on film history, film theory, or popular culture. Straightforward explanations of core critical concepts, practical advice, and suggested assignments on particular technical, visual, and aesthetic aspects further anchor the reader's understanding of the formal language and anatomy of film.

$98.40

Quantity

1 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 232
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 08 Jan 2010
ISBN 10: 0231142927
ISBN 13: 9780231142922
Book Overview: Ed Sikov is undeniably brilliant at explaining things--his style is unusually lucid. -- Robert Lang, University of Hartford Ed Sikov has written a film book that is both user friendly and genuinely helpful to anyone who is starting out in learning how to 'read' films. He explains in good, clear, and often witty language the basics of film analysis. His book bristles with helpful information and prose that allows information to be ingested painlessly--in fact pleasurably--by the student. -- John Simons, Colorado College

Media Reviews

[Sikov] has produced one of the most comprehensive and accessible texts of its type and it is likely to become a staple for introductory film studies curricula. Metapsychology Film Studies: An Introduction offers the clearest and most concise introduction to the field. PLAYBACK A valuable tool for the beginning film scholar... [Sikov] establishes a firm foundation on which to build for further film analysis and appreciation. Journal of Social and Human Sciences Engaging and affordable, Sikov's Film Studies: An Introduction is an ideal and concise textbook for professors to supplement with articles of their own choosing in order to introduce students to various cultural and ideological approaches to film analysis. -- Elisabeth Weis, Brooklyn College A wonderful introductory text. Sikov's Film Studies: An Introduction discusses film form in very clear and thoughtful ways while emphasizing the thematic and intellectual value of form, making an 'academic' topic deeper and more humane. Very highly recommended. -- George Butte, Colorado College Film Studies: An Introduction is a superb, remarkably efficient textbook. One of the best prose stylists in film studies, Sikov is witty and precise, providing a perfect model for the student looking to write better papers. -- Patrick Keating, author of Hollywood Lighting From the Silent Era to Film Noir

Author Bio

Ed Sikov has taught at Haverford College, Colorado College, and Columbia University. He is the author of seven books, including On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder, Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis, Mr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers, and Laughing Hysterically: American Screen Comedy of the 1950s. He lives in New York City.