观影艺术The Art of Watching Films

The Art of Watching Films

Preface

Making films is an art, but so is watching them. Most students come into an introductory film course having watched plenty of movies, but in the course of the semester they develop ways to engage in the experience on a deeper, more meaningful level.

    With an emphasis on the narrative film, The Art of Watching Films challenges students to take their film experience further by sharpening their powers of observation, developing the skills and habits of perceptive watching, and discovering complex aspects of film art that they might otherwise overlook. The first chapter offers a rationale for film analysis while providing suggestions for deepening film appreciation from day one of the course. Following Chapter 1, the text presents a foundation for understanding theme and story, key aspects of understanding narrative films (Chapters 2 and 3), before moving on to discussions of dramatic and cinematic elements (Chapters 4 to 11). A framework for integration and application of these elements into an analysis of the whole film is set forth in Chapter 12. Subsequent chapters explore special topics including adaptations, genre films, remakes, and sequels.

    The Art of Watching Films introduces the formal elements and production process of films, and helps students analytically view and understand films within their historical, cultural, and social contexts. The text presents an analytical framework that can be applied to all movies as distinctly different as Avatar, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Vertigo, Iron Man, Man on Wire, and The Hurt Locker:

    • Images and Captions: More than 450 images with extensive, informative captions illustrate key points in the text to provide context and a critical look at the examples.

    • Balanced Selection of Films: Quintessential classics such as films by Alfred Hitchcock, The Great Train Robbery, and the French New Wave remain as great examples, while the addition of new films, such as Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Kids Are All Right, illustrate cinematic concepts in relevant and relatable ways. As always, we include a large number of contemporary films that today’s students are likely to have seen (New Moon, Knocked Up, Indiana Jones 4).  We do this with the understanding that students learn better and are more