Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Filmmaker's Bible of Aesthetics or What Works and Why, November 3, 2000
By A Customer
This is probably the most important textbook a film production student can have on his/her shelf. NOT for how to work with actors or how to light a scene, but for understanding the underlying reasons of why things work due to our learned aesthetics and Western sensibilities. Professor Herbert Zettl has written the most concise manual on why we has film viewers percieve things the way we do. He explains in detail (and layman's terms) how our aesthetics have been formed to interpret the dynamic medium of film and television. How editing of action from shot to shot creates the illusion of continuous motion. How stagelines work so not to give the effect that your actor is jumping around from one side of the scene to the other. How to crop your shot BETWEEN the bodies natural cut-off points (i.e. neck, elbow, waist) to prevent the actor from looking like a disembodied head or torso. This book is cover-to-cover insights into what we as viewers take for granted when we watch a good filmmaker's work, but may not consider when faced with the daunting task of mounting a film production and the on-set "reality" problems that dominate the filmmaker's mind when shooting a film. I first read this book when I was in film school twenty years ago. Since then I have directed many professional film productions and I still review it before starting a new one to refresh myself. Just as Syd Field's book "Screenplay" is the bible for screenwriting, "Sight Sound Motion" is the bible on understanding what works in film/video and why.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
motion graphics professor, June 3, 2002
By A Customer
"Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics explains the WHY of film and video production. If you're looking for HOW then turn to another book." I would disagree with the above review. Only by learning WHY first, can we learn HOW later. This book is more than a cookie cutter approach to film and video. If you want to "click and drag" your way through an editing program, then true, this book is not for you. Add this to your collection if you want a book that teaches how to see and create film. Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics has staying power.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sight Sound Motion: Advanced?, August 9, 2011
Can't say much here since this was a text book purchased for the class. Nevertheless, it is not a book that I would recommend or have bought on my own. Most of Zettl's examples are difficult to understand and the explanations limited and not clearly written.
I admit that a three dimensional perspective can be hard to imagine from a two dimensional plane, but I've seen much better graphics. For example, the placement of a box with a figure and his perspective placed appropriately would have cut through a lot of confusion especially when referring to linear perspective.
In addition, the chapter on camera lenses (wide angle etc.)was also not particularly enlightening. If I didn't already know what meant, I would have never understood from the book's example. What's worse, it's not pleasant or entertaining to read.
Bottom line, if you're a beginner studying media, forget this book. If you're intermediate or advanced, just be prepared to use other references to fill in the blanks and expand on limited definitions, concepts and terms. The only good news is the material of the hardcover book is quality; the page color and printing are great. I'd give it a 2 out of 5
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