Customer Reviews

Film Art: An Introduction and Film Viewers Guide

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The previous review of this book was by a film professor. This one is by a film STUDENT. This book was required reading for my first film class which was an introduction to film class called: the Language of Film. This book is definitely a great introduction to the art of film. It is not a book about filmmaking. It is a book that introduces with each chapter a new angle from which film can be studied. Everything about film is covered: Film history; genre films; narrative form; the stages of film production, distribution, and exhibition; mise-en-scene; editing and sound in cinema; film criticism; and the future of film. Each section is accompanied by examples and screen captures from popular classic and modern films, and scattered quotations from popular and obscure filmmakers.

The title of this book is a perfect description of what the book is. If you are a beginner, it is perfect for an overview or outline of what film is. If you are an advanced film student, it is great for sharpening your knowledge of film.

With regard to the previous review by the film professor who was afraid that this book would put off his/her students, it would be better for students to know early on what they are getting themselves into. If you are actually turned off after reading this book, you shouldn't go any further with your film studies.

In conclusion, this is a great book that introduces the purely cinematic aspects of film that distinguishes it from every other art form. I highly recommend it.

Since an earlier review was from a film professor who trashed this book, I thought it would be a good idea if another film professor stepped forward to defend it. The complaints from the aforementioned film professor are vague -- Film Art is apparently "pretentious" and "full of itself." If my college professors advanced criticisms that were as vague as that, and provided absolutely NO evidence or further explanations of their opinions, I wouldn't have continued my studies. It's pretty sad when a beginning undergraduate film student offers a much more articulate and thorough review of a text than a professor.

In any case, Film Art is an excellent introduction to the study of film, largley because it is NOT pretentious or full of itself. Unlike many theoretical accounts of film, Film Art is set forth in extremely clear language, is painstakingly organized for maximum clarity, is filled with visual examples and evidence from a staggeringly wide variety of films (Hollywood, foreign, documentary, avant-garde, old, new, etc.), and is thoroughly informed by both a mastery of film aesthetics and history, but also a practical knowledge of film production. Though it is not about film production and was not written by fillmmakers, its authors are totally familiar with the practices of film production and, unlike so many film scholars who leave production details to the techies, employ this body of practical knowledge to clarify how films work.

An excellent resource for teachers and students alike!

This is one of the best introductions to film studies. The bulk of the book is about the formal analysis of film, from genre, to editing, staging, sound, and mise-en-scene. Although this is an introductory book, it goes very in-depth into all the formal elements of film-making. All terms are carefully defined with many examples. Film has its own "language," and this book helps readers to understand that language. After reading this book, you will never watch a film in the same way again. It will vastly increase your understanding. The writing is clear, accessible, well-organized, and straightforward. There are also chapters on film production and distribution, and a helpful chapter on film history. Reading a film textbook tends to be an exercise in frustration, since there is so much technical analysis of films that either you haven't seen, or haven't seen recently. The many pictures help with that problem to some extent. The physical size of the book is rather awkward for reading, unless you're sitting at a large desk with the book laid out in front of you. The accompanying CD includes a few very short film clips and some quizzes on the chapter materials.

We used this as our textbook for a course on "The Art of Film" at my university. It's packed with a lot of great detail, obviously written by someone who knows and loves the subject. The problem is that it's not as well organized as it could be. For example, the authors will make a comment along the lines of "there are three important reasons why X works the way it does." Then you spend the next 28 pages trying to find the three reasons (since you KNOW you're going to be tested on this), which are usually buried among a lot of very interesting details. A few well-placed paragraph and sub-paragraph headings would help alleviate the need to play "where's Waldo" with important concepts.

My other beef isn't so much with the content of the book but with McGraw-Hill's penchant for printing paperback textbooks like this one on the **heaviest** paper they can find. Not that the paper is thicker or more durable or anything, it just weighs a TON. Add a couple of these tomes to your backpack, and it's off to the chiropractor. The paper also has a kind of "sheen" to it that makes it very difficult to read under library lights (most lights, for that matter) due to the glare that appears on the pages. I usually end up holding the book at some odd angle just to be able to see through the bright spots. Obviously, this is not something the authors necessarily have any control over, but I believe it deserves mention.

I would have given this book a rating of 4.5 had that been an option, as the content IS quite good. Over the course of my class, I've been making a list of "movies I must see before I die" based on some of the comments and examples used in this book. As I mentioned above, the biggest problem is organization, and unless you're a student with limited time, this probably wouldn't be an issue.

I used this text for my Introduction to Film and Film Studies course. It was usually an easy to read and understand text. The main problem that I have with the text itself is the examples used. I highly doubt that introductory students have seen a lot of the films used such as Ozu's "Tokyo Story" and Resnais's "Last Year at Marienbad". The authors might want to consider using examples from films that are a little more widely viewed than Eisenstein's films.

If you're a prof and considering this book, please make sure that what you call a tracking shot actually matches what the textbook says. If you don't, it can create endless confusion.

Also, the publisher of this book really need to go into the text and fix some problems. More than once I was told that an example was on page 000 and there's a section in the mise-en-scene chapter that says that information has been removed and should be put back in. This can be confusing and also makes the book look sloppy.

I was taking a intro to audio class and my teacher who worked in the sound industry has recommended this book for all kinds of reasons. Starting from story boarding to angle shots and sounds, and all kinds of very interesting information that just cannot be covered by me talking.

Very awesome book and whoever is in the industry should try using it.

This book is excellent for the fundemental understanding of film and its various stages. It allows readers to look at films through the eyes of filmmakers and critics alike. It simply allows you to understand how films work, as well as provide a summerized yet thorough hisotry of early film all over the world. The book provides readers with movie titles that are important in the developement and influence for movies today. Overall, the book is worth every penny for those who are looking for a detailed understanding of film and film history.