Movies & Meaning 4e

This comprehensive introduction to film focuses on three topics: how movies express meanings, how viewers understand those meanings, and how cinema functions globally as both an art and a business. Using clear, accessible, and jargon-free writing, this is the only introductory film text to examine the elements of film style and the viewer's contribution to the cinema experience. How do viewers interpret the effects filmmakers create? How do filmmakers anticipate, and build on, the likely ways viewers will react to certain kinds of stories and audio-visual designs? The text examines both how filmmakers create images and sounds and the mechanisms and processes by which viewers make sense of images and stories on screen. This approach helps students understand not only the basic concepts but also how their own reactions and opinions impact the overall film experience.Includes case studies of prominent films- Lord of the Rings, Memento, A Beautiful Mind, Natural Born Killers, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Charlie's Angels, Saving Private Ryan, The Silence of the Lambs, The Matrix, Rear Window, The Graduate, Weekend, Last Tango in Paris and others-to provide in-depth coverage of the art and technology of filmmaking.Thoroughly examines the contemporary film industry, the major studios, and the interplay between business and aesthetics to show students how various elements interact and influence films. Offers sidebar material to extend major topics of discussion and to profile major directors, giving students greater insight into the field. Explores how digital production methods are affecting and altering the areas of cinematography, editing, and acting to provide up-to-date coverage of contemporary filmmaking. Discusses the market forindependent films, offering a more comprehensive view of the film industry.