Television: Critical Methods and Applications (Lea's Communication) (Paperback)

by Jeremy G. Butler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Written in clear and lively prose, Television explains how television programs and commercials are made, and how they function as producers of meaning. Author Jeremy Butler demonstrates the ways in which cinematography and videography, acting, lighting, set design, editing, and sound combine to produce meanings that viewers take away from their television experience. This popular text teaches students to read between the lines, encouraging them to incorporate critical thinking into their own television viewing.

Television provides essential critical and historical context, lucidly explaining how different critical methods have been applied to the medium, such as genre study, ideological criticism, and cultural studies. Hundreds of illustrations from television programs introduce the reader to the varied ways in which television goes about telling stories, presenting news, and selling products, and a companion Web site (www.TVcrit.com) supplements the text with color frame grabs and illustrative video clips.

Highlights of this third edition include:
*new segments on “reality” television and television animation since 1990;
*an updated and expanded chapter surveying critical methods applied to television;
*a wide variety of examples, including recent television shows; and
*a supplemental DVD to provide teachers with video examples and exercises.

With its distinctive approach to examining television, this text is appropriate for courses in television studies, media criticism, and general critical studies. In addition, Television will encourage critical thinking in television production courses.

Book Description

Written in clear and lively prose, Television explains how television programs and commercials are made, and how they function as producers of meaning. Author Jeremy Butler demonstrates the ways in which cinematography and videography, acting, lighting, set design, editing, and sound combine to produce meanings that viewers take away from their television experience. He teaches students to read between the lines, encouraging them to incorporate critical thinking into their own television viewing.
 
Highlights of this third edition include:
*new segments on “reality” television and television animation since 1990;
*an updated and expanded chapter surveying critical methods applied to television;
*a wide variety of examples, including recent television shows; and
*a supplemental DVD to provide teachers with video examples and exercises.
 
With a companion Web site (www.TVcrit.com) providing color frame grabs and illustrative video clips, this text is appropriate for courses in television studies, media criticism, and general critical studies. In addition, Television will encourage critical thinking in television production courses.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum; 3 edition (September 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805854150
• ISBN-13: 978-0805854152
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #417,202 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Text Book, February 23, 2006

By	H. Parrish "darknessembraced" (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Television: Critical Methods and Applications (Second Edition) (Lea's Communication) (Paperback)

I was required to buy "Television: Critical Methods and Applications" for my Film and Television class, and it is by far the most interesting text book i've read so far in my college career. It addresses advanced concepts in language that is easy to follow and understand.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author Comments, January 17, 2003

By	Jeremy G. Butler (Tuscaloosa, AL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Television: Critical Methods and Applications (Second Edition) (Lea's Communication) (Paperback)

Television: Critical Methods and Applications encourages readers to think critically about TV.

Videography, editing, acting, set design, lighting and sound are analyzed and explained in terms of how they are used to tell stories, present news, and sell products to TV viewers.

This student-friendly text provides critical and historical contexts, discussing how critical methods have been applied to the medium and highlighting the evolution of television style through the decades.

Television is illustrated with hundreds of frame grabs from TV programs. Its companion Website presents color versions of these black-and-white figures and augments them with video clips, sample student papers, syllabi, and other material.

Reviews of the first edition:

"This is, quite simply, the best book out there for teaching introductory TV courses. The text is well-conceived and engaging, and Butler does a superb job of illustrating the formal and aesthetic structures of television in a clear and readable manner."

--Tara McPherson (USC School of Cinema-TV)

"An ideal text for courses introducing television to undergraduates."
--David Bordwell (U Wisconsin; Author, Film Art)

"The best textbook on television available today."
--Ellen Seiter (UCSD)