Where Is Abbas Kiarostami?
When Abbas Kiarostami suddenly passed away in July 2016, he was already an iconic figure in world cinema--and his reputation as a master filmmaker has only grown since. In this book, celebrated scholar Hamid Dabashi offers a new way of looking at Kiarostami's artworld, one that questions the very idea of film philosophy. Dabashi's authoritative account of the philosophical resonances of Kiarostami's oeuvre offers an iconoclastic critique of the field's Eurocentrism and, in vivid prose, makes the case for a new method of appreciating the work of this essential figure. The result is a provocative perspective on the totality of Kiarostami's legacy that, with deep roots in Iranian aesthetic and Persian poetic and philosophical traditions, overcomes film's provincial preoccupation with its Western heritage and charts a new path forward for film-philosophy.
An Atonal Cinema
This is a book about Palestinians elsewhere and Palestinian elsewheres. Articulating an ambiguous right to remain out-of-place as a spatialized response to the fossilized present, the films and filmmakers in this book examine Palestine, as a place and idea, from the dissonance of exile. An Atonal Cinema: Resistance, Counterpoint and Dialogue in Transnational Palestine theorizes a transnational consciousness within contemporary Palestinian cinema as one which articulates an 'atonal' cinema, utilizing contrapuntal dialogue as a mode of resistance with which to respond critically to the 'place-myth' of Palestine in films produced within Palestine but without Palestinians. Drawing on a genealogy of Edward Said's atonal thinking of counterpoint, the author argues that the films in this book display a 'double-consciousness', through which Palestine is simultaneously elided and re-inscribed in a contrapuntal dialogue between the 'here' of its contemporary reality and the 'elsewhere' of its historical image. An Atonal Cinema's radical approach includes cinematic texts from Europe, South America and Israel in its corpus, which have both triggered and been shaped by critical responses in contemporary Palestinian cinema. Drawing on both literature and cinema, it draws on the work of Edward Said, Mahmoud Darwish, Jean Genet and Carlo Levi. Films by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Jean-Luc Godard, Menahem Golan and Miguel Litt穩n are read contrapuntally through contemporary responses from Ayreen Anastas, Basma Alsharif, Mohanad Yaqubi, Elia Suleiman and Kamal Aljafari.
The History of German Literature on Film
A 2024 CHOICE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE This book tells the story of German-language literature on film, beginning with pioneering motion picture adaptations of Faust in 1897 and early debates focused on high art as mass culture. It explores, analyzes and contextualizes the so-called 'golden age' of silent cinema in the 1920s, the impact of sound on adaptation practices, the abuse of literary heritage by Nazi filmmakers, and traces the role of German-language literature in exile and postwar films, across ideological boundaries in divided Germany, in New German Cinema, and in remakes and movies for cinema as well as television and streaming services in the 21st century. Having provided the narrative core to thousands of films since the late 19th century, many of German cinema's most influential masterpieces were inspired by canonical texts, popular plays, and even children's literature. Not being restricted to German adaptations, however, this book also traces the role of literature originally written in German in international film productions, which sheds light on the interrelation between cinema and key historical events. It outlines how processes of adaptation are shaped by global catastrophes and the emergence of nations, by materialist conditions, liberal economies and capitalist imperatives, political agendas, the mobility of individuals, and sometimes by the desire to create reflective surfaces and, perhaps, even art. Commercial cinema's adaptation practices have foregrounded economic interest, but numerous filmmakers throughout cinema history have turned to German-language literature not simply to entertain, but as a creative contribution to the public sphere, marking adaptation practice, at least potentially, as a form of active citizenship.
Thai Cinema
One of the fastest growing and most internationally renowned cinemas in Southeast Asia is that of Thailand. In the first ever book devoted solely to this major centre of creative filmmaking, experts on contemporary and historic Thai film provide a timely overview and discussion of key films, directors and current movements in the region in a comprehensive encyclopaedia format. What many critics, analysts and scholars have retrospectively christened `New Thai Cinema' began to take shape in the late 1990s when national film moved away from its position as lower-class and provincial entertainment and became a firm fixture in Bangkok multiplexes and festivals worldwide. This book will provide information on the influential figures behind the films - up to and succeeding the 1997 watershed film Dang Bireley's and Young Gangsters that began the breakaway movement - as well as detailing and explaining the traditions of popular and art-house genres specific to Thailand. Featuring contributions on Thai visionaries such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Wisit Sasanatieng and providing rare insight into early Thai cinema, this is an essential scholarly guide to a vibrant aspect of Southeast Asian cinema - its history, industry and aesthetic trends - for scholars and students alike.
The Metropolitan Police and the British Film Industry, 1919-1956
This groundbreaking book investigates the murky relationship between the Metropolitan Police Press Bureau and the British film industry, shedding new light on police-media relations. Beginning with the culture of suppression during the interwar period, when retired police inspectors were threatened with loss of pension should they become involved with the film industry, the relationship shifted when a forgotten pioneer of public relations, Percy Fearnley, was appointed to the role of Metropolitan Police Public Information Officer in 1945. Fearnley was the first-ever journalist to take up this role and, through him, the Metropolitan Police embarked on a series of collaborations with the highest echelons of postwar British cinema, including J. Arthur Rank, Ealing Studios and Gainsborough Studios. Using newly-declassified internal Metropolitan Police and Home Office correspondence, Alexander Charles Rock tells the story of the Metropolitan Police's project to manipulate the British film industry into producing propaganda under the guise of mainstream entertainment cinema. In doing so he offers a radical re-reading of the context of production of a number of canonical British films such as The Blue Lamp (1950), I Believe In You (1952) and Street Corner (1953).
Contemporary Art Cinema Culture in China
How do contemporary Chinese audiences access art cinema? What are the alternative channels for the distribution and exhibition of art cinema in China? How is Chinese art cinema changing with the booming of internet media and commodity culture in the 21st century? To answer these questions, Xiang Fan explores the dynamic networks of art cinema in China in the 21st century, highlighting the cultural practices of intermediaries such as independent programmers, internet critics, and fan translators. Offering insights gleaned from original ethnographic research, Fan reveals how these intermediary practitioners think about cinema, negotiate judgement and appreciation, construct a discourse of value and taste, and most importantly, constitute a coordinated and interrelated network for the sharing of art cinema. She argues that although their motivation was derived from a cinephilia seeking to forge an alternative mode of distribution and reception, the 'new' cinema culture they have produced simultaneously negotiates a subtly complicit relationship with authoritative and market forces. In doing so, she offers an original interdisciplinary perspective on contemporary art cinema culture in Chinese society.
Czechoslovak cinema Czech cinema
Czechoslovak cinema experienced a golden age in the 1960s, both in qualitative terms and in terms of international recognition, when it won two successive Oscars for Best Foreign Film and made the festival circuit with a bang and admiration that included awards and hype at Cannes. This phase began in the early 1960s and had a precise end; the day the Warsaw Pact tanks invaded the country, putting an end to the Prague Spring. From this moment on, some filmmakers remained in the country, filming in much more difficult conditions, while others, as is customary after an authoritarian coup, went into exile, mainly to Hollywood, where only Milos Forman managed to pursue a remarkable career. Ricardo Luiz de Souza works on Czechoslovak cinema, emphasising the 1960s, i.e. its golden age, but he also pays attention to films that were produced later and that sometimes managed to match the great films produced at the time.
Beyond Virtual Production
Beyond Virtual Production brings together a range of creative practice research projects that have been undertaken in The Void, an early-adopter university-based virtual production studio at Flinders University in South Australia.From a cross-disciplinary short virtual production film, to a VR simulation of the last 100 seconds of life of earth, to the live performance of the virtual band Big Sands, to augmented and extended reality, to archaeological projects, this collection captures the potential applications of virtual production technology and provides a framework for cross-disciplinary work and industry collaborations both in a university context and beyond. It offers insight into the development of virtual production courses and encompasses research into theories of performance, liveness, methods for co-creation, gender in virtual production careers, and object digitization and its representation while highlighting significant pathways of industry partnerships alongside experimental art practices.Creative technology and interdisciplinary practitioners, researchers, students, and teachers will find inspiration and practical guidance in these chapters.
Organisations and environmental approaches
With the advent of market transformations and the emergence of new management models, organisations have realised the importance of the environmental aspect. Nowadays, the environmental degradation caused to the environment is no longer acceptable, after all, it is from the environment that the material inputs that become goods to be consumed are extracted. Therefore, it is inseparable that goods and services are possible to meet current needs, but at the same time, a compatible balance must be sought that allows future generations to also enjoy this right. Therefore, this work presents a brief perception of the environmental paradigm, within the studies carried out, and encourages discussions on the subject.
Hallyuwood
Ride the Korean wave (Hallyu) of cinema and explore the most exciting and captivating films in the world today. From smash hits like Parasite to cult favorites Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Train to Busan, Korean cinema has revolutionized the film industry. Hallyuwood is a comprehensive, cultural dive into Korean cinema from 1900 to the present highlighting more than 100 major films from Golden Age classics to intriguing indies. Asian film expert and writer Bastian Meiresonne explores how Korean cinema found its roots and the cultural, historical, and political forces that have shaped the industry over the last 125 years. With vibrant film stills and original movies posters throughout, Hallyuwood is a celebration of the past, present, and future of Korean cinema and a gateway to everything you need to know about these unique and thrilling movies.
Stories In Motion
Transform Chaos into Cinematic Mastery with Stories in Motion: The Filmmaker EntrepreneurAre you a filmmaker struggling to balance creativity with the demands of running a business?Do you find yourself overwhelmed by budgets, crew management, and the endless logistics of production?Ever wonder how to navigate the chaos of filmmaking while staying true to your artistic vision?Leif is a young, ambitious filmmaker who thought he could survive in the industry on passion alone. Living in a cluttered apartment and juggling dreams with reality, He is all about the art of storytelling - until he's thrown into the uncharted waters of film production's business side. His journey is one of discovery, resilience, and transformation, revealing the harsh but exhilarating realities of being a filmmaker and an entrepreneur.Stories in Motion gives a raw and humorous account of the ups and downs of filmmaking, peeling back the layers of what it truly takes to bring a creative vision to life. And through Leif's experiences, you'll discover what it actually takes to not just survive but thrive in the demanding world of film.How to manage a film crew without losing your sanity...Master the art of pitching to investors, even with a limited budget...Strategies to navigate the constant chaos of film production...Insights into crowdfunding and securing funding for your dream project...Tested ways to balance creativity with practical business needs...The importance of a supportive network and collaboration...Inspiration from real-life examples of overcoming setbacks in filmmaking...It's time to embrace the journey, learn from the setbacks, and fuel your next project with the wisdom of those who've been in the trenches.
LEXX Unauthorized, Series 3
LEXX Unauthorized, Series 3 - It's Hot and It's Cold. The continuing story of Kai, an undead assassin, Zev, a combination of love slave and cluster lizard, Stanley Tweedle, a hapless security guard and 790, a robot head, careening through space together in the LEXX, a stolen, planet destroying, biological warship shaped like a dragonfly. The third series sees a radical reinvention of the show into a thirteen episode serial, as the LEXX falls into a stationary orbit between two warring planets, Fire and Water, which are really Heaven and Hell. Special Bonus - A behind the scenes look at the principal Creators and Stars of the show. LEXX was one of the strangest and most wildly surreal space operas ever conceived, owing as much to Luis Bunuel and Alejandro Jodorowsky as to to Star Trek and Star Wars. It was unique and unforgettable, mixing black comedy and absurdism with epic drama, and an astonishing visual sense. Backstage, the story of the creation of the series was even more extraordinary, a tale of regional Atlantic film makers, renegade artists, cult film makers, wild experimentation, Canadian cultural nationalism, German entrepreneurs, new computer generated imagery technologies and backstage chaos intersecting in wildly unpredictable ways, to create truly exotic images and stories. The product of years of research and dozens of interviews, this is a 'must buy' for any fan of the show itself or of science fiction movies television generally, and an eye opening insight into film and television production, especially Canadian and international productions.
Maverick Secrets
At a city-run Senior Center in San Antonio, a multicultural group of seniors is playing Texas Hold'Em poker and chatting. These casual friends have developed a habit to gather mornings to play cards before the Center's free lunch service begins. They overhear an old Western being broadcast on TV monitors from the nearby exercise area. They discuss how Westerns unconsciously influenced them as children to hold biased attitudes about cultural minorities, women's roles, and openly-carried firearms.Bonnie is a Jewish, divorced woman who moved to South Texas from back East and is fascinated by the contrasted cultures.Mashawn is a Black man, married guardian of his pre-teen grandson whose father is incarcerated. This Center is near his child's school.Valinda is a Black, single, wheelchair-bound diabetic woman, who in younger days danced on the TV show, Soul Train. Her daughter was shot to death by an abusive boyfriend. Keith, of Irish extraction, is native Texan, a married, retired military man. He became an expert card player in the service and also developed passions for gun ownership and game hunting.Lupe, a married Mexican-American woman, has lived with her family in Tejas for many generations, since the first migrations of Canary Islanders and Spaniards in the 1600s.Maverick Secrets. Decoding Early TV Westerns is a dramatic script developed by Catherine Lee, funded in 2024 with a Literary Arts grant to her as an Individual Artist from the City of San Antonio, Texas, Department of Arts & Culture. It is extensively notated and contains bibliographies of both Works Cited and Research Consulted for opinions expressed by the characters.
The Way They Were
The first ever account of the making of the cinematic classic The Way We Were starring Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford, revealing the full story behind its genesis and continued controversies, its many deleted scenes, its much-anticipated but never-filmed sequel, and the real-life romance that inspired this groundbreaking love story... It's one of the greatest movie romances of all time. Fifty years on, the chemistry between Barbra Streisand as Jewish working-class firebrand Katie Morosky and Robert Redford as all-American golden boy Hubbell Gardiner remains potent. Yet ­the friction and controversy surrounding The Way We Were were so enormous, the movie was nearly never made at all. Impeccably researched and eye-opening, here is the full story behind the challenges, rivalries, andreal-life romance surrounding the movie. Even the iconic casting was fraught. Screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote the role of Katie with Streisand in mind, but finding Hubbell was another matter. Redford was reluctant to play what he perceived as the "Ken doll" to Streisand's lead, resulting in ten writers--among them Francis Ford Coppola--being called in to rework the script. The first preview was disastrous. Several scenes were cut, angering Streisand and Laurents, yet the new version was a resounding success, and its appeal endures, earning it a regular spot in the AFI's annual Top 10 movie romances. The Way They Were also explores the deep, surprising love story that inspired the screenplay--the relationship between Laurents, a Jewish Brooklyn-born college leftist, and his longtime partner, Tom Hatcher. Drawing on Laurents's unpublished writings, as well as interviews with Streisand, Redford, and other key players, this is the definitive account of a film that changed the rules of moviemaking and has defined romance ever since.
LEXX Unauthorized, Series 2
LEXX Unauthorized, Series 2 - The Light At the End of the Universe. LEXX, one of the strangest and most wildly surreal space operas ever conceived. In the second series, our intrepid crew travels from the Dark Zone back to the Light Universe, searching for a new home, or at least a good time, while in their wake a mysterious force is destroying the universe. Featuring detailed information on the production of both made and unmade episodes based on extensive interviews with cast and crew.
LEXX Unauthorized, Backstage at the Dark Zone
LEXX Unauthorized, Backstage at the Dark ZoneThe Story of Kai, an undead assassin; Zev, a combination of love slave and cluster lizard, Stanley Tweedle, a hapless security guard, and 790 a lovestruck robot head, careening through space together in the LEXX, a stolen planet-destroying biological warship shaped like a dragonfly.The strangest and most wildly surreal space opera ever conceived, owing as much to Bunuel and Jodorowsky as to Star Trek and Star wars. Unique and unforgettable, LEXX mixed black comedy and absurdism with epic drama and an astonishing visual sensibility. The product of years of research and dozens of interviews, LEXX Unauthorized is a 'must buy' for any fan of the show itself or of science fiction movies and television generally. It is an eye opening window into film and television production.
Empirical Narratives
This is not a conventional book; it is a collection of scholarly articles that present the author's scientific findings. The content of the book develops logically, transitioning from the conceptual and theoretical foundations of research to the analysis of data. Unfortunately, science is often misunderstood. The term "science" is employed with varying meanings and contexts by amateurs, journalists, politicians, scholars, and even scientists themselves. For some, science carries a prestigious connotation; for others, it represents true knowledge. Yet for others, it signifies the objective study of empirical phenomena.
Through the Camera Hole
This book explores a recurring pattern of Carrollian motifs from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There in three Alfred Hitchcock movies: Rebecca, Notorious, and Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock's cinematic oeuvre will be argued to be full of such Carrollian elements as dreams, falls, doors, and identity puzzles. Not only are they part of the director's iconography, but they also immerse the audience in the cinematic world and enhance psychological intensity. By examining the Carrollian elements in Hitchcock's movies through various cinematic techniques, this research seeks to offer a fresh perspective on Hitchcock studies. The Hitchcarrollian relationship will be defined in terms of adaptation studies as the most suitable framework to bridge Carroll and Hitchcock as representatives of literature and film, respectively. Additionally, this book is also interested in how Carrollian motifs, representing the "Hitchcockian unconscious" as a Victorian child, intertwine with his composite nationality within the framework of transnational studies.
Bollywood
Dive deep into the dazzling world of Bollywood!This updated edition of "Bollywood" is your backstage pass to India's vibrant film industry. Explore its global reach, from Mumbai to New York, and how it's become a powerful force in cultural diplomacy.But Bollywood is more than just glitz and glamour. Discover how a new wave of filmmakers are challenging norms and sparking important conversations. Uncover the secrets behind Bollywood's economic success, its passionate fan culture in the digital age, and the immense power wielded by its iconic stars.Here's what awaits you inside: Bollywood's Global Takeover: Witness how Bollywood's magic transcends borders and captivates audiences worldwide.A New Wave of Storytelling: Explore bold narratives that challenge stereotypes and push the boundaries of Indian cinema.Social Commentary on the Silver Screen: See how Bollywood tackles critical issues like gender equality, social justice, and representation.Fandom in the Digital Age: Journey through the exciting world of online fan communities, social media engagement, and the evolving relationship between stars and their fans.The Business of Bollywood: Uncover the financial forces that drive the industry, from box office hits to merchandising empires.Bollywood vs. Hollywood: Compare and contrast these two cinematic giants, exploring their unique styles, values, and global impact.The Star System: Delve into the lives of Bollywood's biggest names, understanding their influence, power, and the responsibilities that come with fame.The Future of Bollywood: Get an exclusive glimpse into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this ever-evolving industry.More than just a book, this is a celebration of Bollywood!Whether you're a die-hard fan or a curious newcomer, this second edition offers fresh perspectives, untold stories, and a whole lot of Bollywood love. Get ready to be entertained, enlightened, and maybe even inspired to break into a dance!
Old Hollywood
What if there was a book that gives you all the information on Old Hollywood that you usually don't get? Not the long history and the biographies - but the little-known facts and interesting details about life, movies and business back then: The scandals and the feuds, the friendships and the family relations, the real names and the hidden talents, the business ventures and the endorsement deals, the injuries and health issues, the diet plans and workout regiments. And all that, ideally, presented in a snackable way. This book is exactly that. 

Expect to find information on stars like Bebe Daniels, Kay Francis, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Mae Murray, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, Dorothy Dandridge, Jane Russell, Anna May Wong, Mae West and many more.
Under the Mistletoe
When you think of holiday romance in popular culture, you probably imagine the formulaic made-for-TV movies we all love to watch: a career gal moves from the big city to a small town, where she finds the love of her life and the true meaning of Christmas. Yet, as with so much of the romance genre, our favorite holiday movies, books, TV episodes, and plays are so much richer than the oft-derided formula. The 22 essays in this volume turn a scholarly eye to one of our most beloved and under-examined subgenres, offering celebrations and criticisms alike of Christmas, New Year, Hanukkah, and Diwali romances. This work includes voices from global scholars across an impressive breadth of disciplines: literature, history, theater, media, gender and sexuality studies, sociology, psychology, anthropology, law, and victim studies. Readers will delight in celebrations of old classics like Christmas in Connecticut, new favorites like A Holly Jolly Diwali, and everything in between.
Thailand, Western Cinema, and Imagery
In this book, Andrew Russell explores Western media's fascination with images of the East by focusing primarily on Thailand as a case study. Russell argues that Hollywood's representation of Thailand still relies heavily on an Orientalist gaze filled with stereotypes that exoticise and eroticise both the country and its people. Furthermore, he also addresses the impact this has had on Thai filmmakers, who have at times utilised a process of erasure by reducing national specificity in their films to prime them for global export, building on previously successful waves from other areas of Asia, like the J-Horror cycle, that made way for their inclusion in the Western marketplace. Despite these trends, however, this book finds that Thai filmmakers are reclaiming the imagery of their country and people in the arthouse sector, utilising critically divisive slow cinema aesthetics to address pertinent allegorical content. Ultimately, this book argues that through an understanding of the context and culture of production, we can gain new understanding of important political, factual, and artistic history that reveals a unique version of Thailand not previously seen on Western screens. Scholars of film studies, Asian studies, cultural studies, and history will find this book of particular interest.
In the Rhythm of Brazilian Cinema
The film Cidade Mulher (1936), produced by Brasil Vita Filme, directed by actress Carmen Santos and directed by Humberto Mauro, has a soundtrack composed almost entirely by samba singer Noel Rosa. In view of the disappearance of numerous films from this period, such as Cidade Mulher, this project set out to rescue the film which, we believe, included several significant elements that reflect social and cultural issues of the time: samba and the work of Noel Rosa, a fiction about Rio de Janeiro, the emblematic Federal Capital, the work of Humberto Mauro, who had just had a great success with Favela dos meus Amores (1935); and Carmen Santos, an enthusiastic producer and actress of national and popular themes. The musical repertoire was essential for this recovery and for understanding the relationship between image and sound, and the plot in its relationship with the culture and society in which it is immersed.
Disney's Live-Action Movie Bombs, 1979-2019
This book explores the history of Disney's biggest live-action movie failures from the late 1970s to the late 2010s. That stretch of time was a transformative period in which the company made many financial gains but gradually lost its identity, which had largely been synonymous with founder Walt Disney. The chapters explain why each movie was made, the casting process, production details, and why each movie failed financially. Covered here are cult classics like Tron and Hocus Pocus alongside more well-known bombs like John Carter and The Lone Ranger.
All I Need to Know I Learned from the Golden Girls
5th Anniversary Edition of the newly EDITED soon to be bestseller, you never knew you always wanted! If you're looking for the ultimate Golden Girls trivia book then this is not the book for you and you should probably look somewhere else. Same if you're looking for a summary of each episode, interviews with the cast, gossip from backstage, or anything factual or related to any sort of biographical or informative type of work. But, if you're looking for a fun and silly memoir that lovingly chronicles how the wit, wisdom, and storylines of the Golden Girls television show can touch our lives THEN this IS the book you've been looking for. AND - for those who complained about editing issues, we heard you and went through the text with a fine comb, not once, but twice! We've been told that everything we need to know about life can be found in the lessons of kindergarten, Little Golden Books, or from the Twilight Zone. In truth, while those sources make great points, the real lessons of life can be found by hanging out with The Golden Girls. For over thirty years the wit and wisdom of those four sassy broads has withstood the test of time and brought us not only a blueprint for living well, but also the knowledge we need to do good (in bed if Blanche has anything to do it) and be good (also in bed) as well as vivacious, strong, and fierce (those are both in bed and out of bed). This collection of anecdotes is replete with musings on life, death, love, and the many Italian dishes of Sophia Petrillo. Through the lens of one of the best shows ever to be on television (well, it's no T.J. Hooker, but c'mon, what is?) we go on a journey with the author that is both personal and amusing. The author engages us by relating the virtues and moral ideas gleaned from the show to incidents and characters from her own life. Personal narratives that include: the required endurance needed to be married to an Englishman, how to date ex-convicts when you don't know you are (seriously, this happened), and even life with a family that includes murderers and drug dealers (same person, but I have to make this exciting). All of this along with a back drop that includes tales from Miami in the 80s. So, grab your shoulder pads, a box of condoms, your St. Olaf yearbook, and a bucket of marinara and relax the one book guaranteed to change your life - even if the only change is having lost a few hours of it to the nonsense in these pages. Or, as the girls would teach us - grab life by the ziti, love each other to the fullest, and never give up on ourselves or our sex lives.
The Art of Immersive Storytelling
Level up your storytelling with award-winning experience designer, world builder, and former Disney Imagineer. Immersive experiences and interactive exhibits are popping up all over the world, telling stories that engage our imaginations and sense of play like never before. Exploring the parallels between video games and the world's most exciting, innovative spaces, this sequel to the groundbreaking Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds explains how the same techniques that pull players into games for hours at a time can be employed to draw participants into immersive experiences. Join Margaret Kerrison as she guides our next generation of immersive storytellers on a deep dive into the creative possibilities of this new realm of storytelling.
Where Social Identities Converge
Where Social Identities Converge examines adolescent girlhood as a metaphorical site in Latin American and Latinx film. Author Traci Roberts-Camps analyzes the work of a series of female directors from Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and the United States to understand how female adolescence and young adulthood are represented in film. She argues that using an intersectional lens reveals how these directors present the image of adolescent girlhood as a site of early trauma that presages women's lived experiences with institutional, interconnected forms of oppression. The book thus considers intersectionality through young female protagonists who represent identity struggles in Latin America and US Latinx communities. In doing so, it examines a range of genres, such as fictional film, documentary, and television miniseries. Each chapter includes a close reading of specific scenes that offer insight into the young female protagonists' multiple identity markers and a continuous comparison between chapters.
Shirley Clarke
Shirley Clarke: Thinking Through Movement is the first film-philosophy book on "radical, pioneer, visionary' (Dargis 2013) filmmaker Shirley Clarke and the films she edited and directed. The book draws on film analysis, archival research, dance and film theory, and creative practice expertise, to think through Clarke's work as a dancer turned multi-award-winning editor and director of dancefilm, fiction, documentary, and video art. This account of Clarke's creative oeuvre offers the reader insight into a too long overlooked filmmaker. Its creative practice and distributed cognition framework provides tools for dismantling some of the exclusionary aspects of authorship theories and offers a novel method for analysis of films, filmmaking practices and cultures of film production.
Black Social Television
In this book, Sherri Williams explores the digital activism of the Black social TV audience, a subset of Black Twitter. In addition to demands for social equality and shifts in social justice, Williams argues, the Black social TV audience advocated for a representation revolution in television, leading to some shows being blocked from airing, some being taken off the air, and others even being revived. Williams positions this activism as an extension of Black people's historic advocacy related to the use of their image, dating back a century to when the NAACP attempted to block screenings of the notoriously racist 1915 film The Birth of a Nation. This book details how Black audiences' use of social media impacted the way television is watched, developed, and produced through digital discourse and activism, primarily on Twitter (now known as X). Williams also demonstrates how Black content directors, like Justin Simien and Quinta Brunson, used social networks to develop their content and loyalty among audiences to ultimately bypass Hollywood's traditional gatekeepers. Finally, the book touches on contemporary events, such as the COVID pandemic and Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, have affected the ways in which Black content creators engage with their content and audience and vice versa. Scholars of television studies, social media studies, cultural studies, and sociology will find this book particularly useful.
The Dressing Room
A recurrent and popular setting in American cinema, the dressing room has captured the imaginations of filmmakers and audiences for over a century. In The Dressing Room: Backstage Lives and American Film, the only book-length study of the space, author Desir矇e J. Garcia explores how dressing rooms are dynamic realms in which a diverse cast of performers are made and exposed. Garcia analyzes the backstage film, which spans film history, modes, and genre, to show how dressing rooms have been a useful space for filmmakers to examine the performativity of American life. From the Black maid to the wife and mother to the leading man, dressing rooms navigate, shape, and challenge society's norms. The stakes are high in dressing rooms, Garcia argues, because they rehearse larger questions about identity and its performance, negotiating who can succeed and who cannot and on what terms.
Where Social Identities Converge
Where Social Identities Converge examines adolescent girlhood as a metaphorical site in Latin American and Latinx film. Author Traci Roberts-Camps analyzes the work of a series of female directors from Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and the United States to understand how female adolescence and young adulthood are represented in film. She argues that using an intersectional lens reveals how these directors present the image of adolescent girlhood as a site of early trauma that presages women's lived experiences with institutional, interconnected forms of oppression. The book thus considers intersectionality through young female protagonists who represent identity struggles in Latin America and US Latinx communities. In doing so, it examines a range of genres, such as fictional film, documentary, and television miniseries. Each chapter includes a close reading of specific scenes that offer insight into the young female protagonists' multiple identity markers and a continuous comparison between chapters.
Contemporary Directors' Cinema
Contemporary Directors' Cinemarefreshes the argument about the role of the director through the practice of evaluative criticism. The book identifies what makes nine recent films successful achievements by their directors and collaborators.Each chapter gives some context for the director's work, but the central argument focuses on the style, form and themes of each film, while explicating aspects of point of view and tone. Contemporary Directors' Cinemaargues that in each of its nine case studies the director's work is central to the achievement of economy, unity, eloquence, subtlety, depth, vigour, vividness and intensity. By offering critical readings of nine films from mainstream film culture, Contemporary Directors' Cinema demonstrates that cinema remains vital as a directors' medium.The films discussed in this book are: Pain and Glory (2019); Shoplifters (2018); Parasite (2019); The White Ribbon (2009); Les Chansons d'amour (2007); The Bling Ring(2013); The Great Beauty (2013); Leviathan (2014); and Winter Sleep(2014).
Queer Slashers
From Norman Bates dressed as "Mother" in Psycho to the rouged cheeks of Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, many slasher icons have borne traces of queer and gender nonconforming behavior since the subgenre's very beginning.Queer Slashers presents the first book-length study of how and why the slasher subgenre of horror films appeals to queer audiences. In it, Peter Marra constructs a reparative history of the slasher that affirms its queer lineage extending back as early as the 1920s. It also articulates the queer aspects of the slasher formula that forge an unlikely kinship between queer audiences and these retrograde depictions of queer killers. Marra establishes a queer history and function for the slasher, analyzing several key contemporary "queer slashers"-that is, slashers that are made by queer filmmakers-to better understand how queer artists take up the slasher iconography and put it toward modern queer aims.Featuring analysis of films such as John Waters's Serial Mom, Peaches Christ's All About Evil, and Alain Guiraudie's Stranger by the Lake, Queer Slashers illuminates the queer meanings of slashers, their foundations, and their future possibilities.
Lloyd Kaufman
After nearly fifty years of disrupting media, gleefully Rabelaisian uberindie filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman (b. 1945) has been maligned, mocked, and--worst of all--ignored throughout the general course of his wildly eclectic and impactful filmography. As the equally huckster-ish and self-denigrating cofounder and president of Troma Entertainment--responsible for the likes of such schlocky "midnight movie" fare as The Toxic Avenger, Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., Surf Nazis Must Die, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Tromeo & Juliet, and, most recently, #ShakespearesShitstorm--Kaufman has indisputably left his slimily viscous fingerprints on moviemaking throughout the past half century. Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews gathers together no-holds-barred commentaries, op-eds, Q&As, arguments, and retorts from the prodigious filmmaker. Considering the typical Troma film is known, if at all, for the brand's signature egregious gore, unabashedly scandalous sexual fetishism, sophomoric scatology, and provocative contrarianism, it's easy to understand why Kaufman and his (still metastasizing) oeuvre go without much notice in the mainstream trades or classroom discussions. Like a modern-day P. T. Barnum, if there's one way that Kaufman finds a pragmatic hold on the cultural zeitgeist, it's through his tsunamic deluge of often vivacious, often vulgar, often vicious, and often (most dangerous of all) presciently insightful speaking engagements and interviews provided at an almost manic pace across the globe. Complete with an exclusive interview conducted by volume editor Mathew Klickstein, Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews is an extensive deep-dive omnibus from one of cinema's most indefatigably ardent auteurs who may make us all uproariously laugh but refuses to not be taken deadly seriously.
Tv's American Dream
TV's American Dream examines how the U.S. television industry in the 2010s pursued audiences whose ideas about hope, fairness, work, and economic class were shaped by the Great Recession. While Americans navigated the trauma of the economic meltdown, the television industry faced growing pressure stemming from new program distribution and viewing methods, increasingly fragmented audiences, shifts in methods of advertising, and regulatory changes. To cut through the clutter of television content to appeal to elusive viewers, television programming reimagined some of the traditional representations of the American Dream and continued to bolster others. Exploring shows on different platforms from legacy networks to Netflix, Selznick takes a deep dive into representations of the American Dream on television. Each chapter of this book focuses on a particular strategy mobilized in the second decade of the new century to speak to audiences about their expectations for and concerns about the Dream. Bringing together research on industrial practices with an examination of sociocultural context, TV's American Dream demonstrates how interconnected forces give rise to the television programs that reinforce and redefine audiences' ideas about the world in which they live.
Lloyd Kaufman
After nearly fifty years of disrupting media, gleefully Rabelaisian uberindie filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman (b. 1945) has been maligned, mocked, and--worst of all--ignored throughout the general course of his wildly eclectic and impactful filmography. As the equally huckster-ish and self-denigrating cofounder and president of Troma Entertainment--responsible for the likes of such schlocky "midnight movie" fare as The Toxic Avenger, Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., Surf Nazis Must Die, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Tromeo & Juliet, and, most recently, #ShakespearesShitstorm--Kaufman has indisputably left his slimily viscous fingerprints on moviemaking throughout the past half century. Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews gathers together no-holds-barred commentaries, op-eds, Q&As, arguments, and retorts from the prodigious filmmaker. Considering the typical Troma film is known, if at all, for the brand's signature egregious gore, unabashedly scandalous sexual fetishism, sophomoric scatology, and provocative contrarianism, it's easy to understand why Kaufman and his (still metastasizing) oeuvre go without much notice in the mainstream trades or classroom discussions. Like a modern-day P. T. Barnum, if there's one way that Kaufman finds a pragmatic hold on the cultural zeitgeist, it's through his tsunamic deluge of often vivacious, often vulgar, often vicious, and often (most dangerous of all) presciently insightful speaking engagements and interviews provided at an almost manic pace across the globe. Complete with an exclusive interview conducted by volume editor Mathew Klickstein, Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews is an extensive deep-dive omnibus from one of cinema's most indefatigably ardent auteurs who may make us all uproariously laugh but refuses to not be taken deadly seriously.
Tim Burton: Designing Worlds
An expansive exploration of the role of design and creative practice in director Tim Burton's unique approach to building worldsThis book is the official catalog for the exhibition at the Design Museum, as well as the first publication to explore the relationship between Tim Burton's artistic creations and the world of design. The reader is invited into an examination of what is now broadly referred to as the "Burtonesque," exploring his iconic style and the impact his unique design aesthetic has on broader visual culture. The book unpacks Burton's distinctive visual language, exploring the intersection of gothic, carnivalesque and fantastical elements that define his cinematic masterpieces. Insightful essays by design experts and film critics, interspersed with images featured in the exhibition, will offer a deeper understanding of the director's creative process, making this catalog an homage to the role that design practice plays in the hauntingly beautiful worlds he creates.Tim Burton (born 1958) grew up in Burbank, California, and studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts. He is best known for his dark, gothic films about quirky outsiders, including Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and many more. Most recently, he directed and produced the TV series Wednesday (2022), which became the second-most-watched show on Netflix. He lives and works in London.
Gender-Based Violence and Digital Media in South Africa
This book presents a new paradigm for attending to gender-based violence (GBV) social media discourse among marginalised Black women in South Africa.Focusing on the intersections of television and social media, the study charts the morphing and merging of the "inside" of the soap opera and the "outside" of the real world, amid a rise in feminist social media activism. The analysis begins with coverage of gender-based violence in a long-running South African soap opera and social media discussion of these issues, in parallel with real-world events and the collective social media response. The author offers pertinent insights into audiences in sub-Saharan Africa, presenting a new feminist trajectory for women and activism in the region.Offering new insights into an important issue, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of gender, cultural studies, film studies, television studies, sociology, development studies, feminism, media, and journalism.
Big Smoke, Big Screen
What if you gathered together some of the UK's most passionate film critics and asked them to explore the subject of London and cinema?Big Smoke, Big Screen features 20 essays combining film analysis, history, and personal reflection. This collection, ranging from love letters, laments, and directorial deep dives, touching on subjects as diverse as pubs, Paddington, and Palmers Green, contemplates the ever-changing relationship between celluloid and the city, tracing how we live in and perceive London through its rich cinematic culture - both in person and on screen.Includes 200+ film recommendations
Cinematic Portrayals of African Women and Girls in Political Conflict
This book provides an interdisciplinary exploration of the cinematic representations of the experiences of African women and girls in situations of political conflict.The role of cinema is important in providing information about the situation of women and girls in situations of political conflict, and the main characters often also become signifiers of wider social, political and economic ideas, at both global and local levels. Drawing on fictional and biographical cinematic representations, this book considers films covering a range of different regions, experiences, historical periods and other contexts, to draw a nuanced picture of African women and girls who participate in or are affected by African political conflicts. The films are analysed using a decolonial feminist cultural approach, which combines cultural approaches, African feminisms and the contrapuntal method to ensure an inter-textual, intersectional and decolonial examination. The book engages with multiple themes and topics, including nationalism, nation-building, neocolonialism, memory, history, women's and girls' agency and activism. Through these themes and topics, the book explores how the films represent African women's and girls' agency in relation to their participation in social, economic and political activities.This book will make a significant contribution to literature focused on African women and girls within politics, conflict studies and film studies.
Participatory Worlds
This book is an in-depth analysis of participatory worlds, practices beyond the mainstream models of content production and IP management that allow audience members to contribute canonically to the expansion of storyworlds, blurring the line between the traditional roles of consumers and producers.Shifting discussions of participatory culture and cross-media production and consumption practices to more independent media contexts, the book explores the limits, borders and boundaries of participating in today's digital media storyworlds. The text examines how audience participation works, identifying opportunities to make it a meaningful practice for audiences and an asset for IP owners, and discussing the challenges and barriers that the application of participatory culture brings along. The book defines what meaningful participation is by introducing the concept of 'intervention' and explains a range of factors impacting the way in which participatory worlds and relationships between producers, audiences and the world are shaped.This volume will be of great relevance to media practitioners, scholars and students interested in transmedia storytelling, fandom, literary studies and comparative literature, new media and digital culture, gaming and media studies.
Gender and Genre in 1990s Hollywood
The 1990s was a decade of significant turmoil in Hollywood cinema, which resulted in a watershed moment in the interplay of gender and genre. Patricia Di Risio argues that cinematic representations of unconventional women had an important effect on traditionally male oriented genres, such as the crime thriller, road movie, western, film noir, war film, sci-fi, and horror. Di Risio analyses seven key films from the decade, including Blue Steel (1990), Thelma & Louise (1991), The Quick and the Dead (1995), Bound (1996), Jackie Brown (1997), G.I. Jane (1997) and Alien: Resurrection (1997), paying particular attention to their use of irony, allusion, and pastiche. She highlights how their female protagonists, a majority of whom are decidedly queer or gender questioning personas, produce an intense crossover in genre conventions, largely driven by their gender rebellion. She examines how a deconstruction of gender simultaneously allows genre hybridity and intertextuality, taking these films into unexpected new directions. In doing so, she delineates a clear line between the unconventional nature of the representation of the female protagonists and innovative changes to genre filmmaking practices.
Desire and Consent in Representations of Adolescent Sexuality with Adults
This book presents an innovative comparative view of how the issue of adolescent sexuality and consent is differently treated in various media.Analyzing teenage sexual encounters with adults across a variety of media, including films, television, novels, and podcasts, the volume takes a positive stance on the expression of teenage sexuality, while remaining sensitive to the power of adults to abuse and manipulate. The anthology treats these representations as negotiations between conflicting forces: desire, sexual self-knowledge, unequal power, and the law, the latter both actual legal statutes and internalized law in the philosophical and psychoanalytic sense. Questions of unequal power inherent in such relations are theorized. The authors examine variations of this configuration of sexual relations between teenagers and adults from different perspectives, to consider how various forms of expression rework it formally. These essays are attuned to both nuances of presentation and contexts of reception, and they consider how aesthetics play a role.Contributing to the general debate about the ways that societies construct and regulate adolescent sexuality, this book will be of great interest to scholars and students of media studies, cultural studies, film studies, television studies, sociology, and gender studies
Fred Schepisi: Interviews
In the New Yorker, Stephen Schiff has described Fred Schepisi (b. 1939) as "probably the least-known great director working in the mainstream American cinema--a master storyteller with a serenely muscular style that can make more flamboyant moviemakers look coarse and overweening." Schepisi's launch in Australia during the country's film renaissance of the 1970s and his ongoing international work have rightfully earned him a reputation as an actors' director. But he has also become a skillful stylist, forging his own way as he works alongside a talented team of collaborators. This volume includes twenty interviews with Schepisi and two with longtime collaborators, cinematographer Ian Baker and composer Paul Grabowsky. The interviews trace the filmmaker's career from his beginnings in advertising, through his two early Australian features--The Devil's Playground and The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith--to his subsequent work in the United States and beyond on films as various as Plenty, Roxanne, A Cry in the Dark, The Russia House, Six Degrees of Separation, Empire Falls, Last Orders, and Eye of the Storm. Schepisi's films are diverse thematically and visually. In what is effectively a master class on film direction, Schepisi discusses his creative choices and his work with actors and collaborators behind the scenes. In the process, he provides a goldmine of insights into his films, his filmmaking style, and what makes him tick as an artist.
Polish cinema
Few European countries have had a history as marked by tragedy as Poland - a recurring victim of massacres and invasions that led to its disappearance as a political unit - with Warsaw being the European city that suffered the most from Nazi barbarism, in addition, of course, to the annihilation of Japanese Jews. There was also the imposition of Stalinism by the Soviet Union, with its usual dark and grey features, replaced by a ravenous capitalism. All these stages were accompanied by Polish filmmakers, who transformed their cinema into one of the most critical on the European continent, albeit in a climate of permanent oppression. In Polish Cinema: 1947 to 2015, Ricardo Luiz de Souza analyses Polish cinema from the first film made in the country after the end of the Second World War_ released in 1947_ to recent works, analysing this cinematography from films made by some of its most famous filmmakers, to little-known names, but authors of masterpieces that didn't achieve the proper repercussions.
Watching TV
Castleman and Podrazik present a season-by-season narrative that encompasses the eras of American television from the beginning in broadcast, through cable, and now streaming. They deftly navigate the dizzying array of contemporary choices so that no matter where you start on the media timeline, Watching TV provides the context and background to this multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Drawing on decades of research, the authors weave together personalities, popular shows, corporate strategies, historical events, and changing technologies, enhancing the main commentary with additional elements that include fall prime time schedule grids for every season, date box timelines, highlighted key text, and selected photos. Full of facts, firsts, insights, and exploits from now back to the earliest days, Watching TV is the standard chronology of American television, and reading it is akin to channel surfing through history. The fourth edition updates the story into the 2020s and looks ahead to the next waves of change. This new edition is the first to also be available in a digital format.
David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials
An illustrated monograph on the work of legendary writer/director David Cronenberg, master of body horror and cinematic provocateur behind films such as The Fly, Scanners, Naked Lunch, Eastern Promises, and Crimes of the Future David Cronenberg's films have long enjoyed a cult following, pushing the boundaries of taste, blending high art with horror, and straddling the commercial and the cutting-edge. With this handsome book, the familiar and unfamiliar aspects of iconic films such as Videodrome, The Fly, Naked Lunch, and Crash is explored. Though dividing the book into two halves suggests a binary, the Jungian-inspired chapters within each emphasize that this work--and the world itself--is perpetually shifting. The reader progresses through these different stages (of Jungian individuation and therapy) and sees how the recurrent narrative, cultural, and visual themes loop back and intersect with one another. Rather than a straightforward narrative about a filmmaker, this book is a dreamlike exploration of all that is Cronenbergian. Featuring a foreword by Oscar-nominated actor Viggo Mortensen, it also includes interviews with composer Howard Shore, production designer Carol Spier, cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, and producer and playwright/screenwriter Jeremy Thomas.
Jason King
This is a reference book on the television series Jason King, which ran for 26 hour-long episodes from 1971-72. The book includes all episodes in original release order, complete cast listings, numerous photographs, and a story synopsis for each episode. Jason King starred Peter Wyngarde as the title character, depicting his further adventures following the 1969 series Department S, in which Wyngarde also played King.
