Film Studies: Teach Yourself

An unpretentious guide for all those who want to learn to analyse, understand and evaluate films. Film Studies: An Introduction provides an overview of the key areas in film studies, including aesthetics, narrative, genre, documentary films and the secrets of film reviewing. From Hitchcock and Tarantino to Spielberg and Bigelow, you will gain a critical understanding of legendary directors and the techniques and skills that are used to achieve cinematic effects. Whether you are a film studies student or just a film buff wanting to know more, this book will give you an invaluable insight into t.;Cover; Book title; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Film aesthetics: formalism and realism; Mise-en-scène; Set design; Mise-en-shot; Film sound; Theoretical analysis of film aesthetics; 2 Film structure: narrative and narration; Narrative structure; Restricted and omniscient narration; 3 Film authorship: the director as auteur; The origin of the auteur policy; Style and themes in Alfred Hitchcock's films; The cinema of Wim Wenders; The cinema of Kathryn Bigelow; The contemporary auteur; 4 Film genres: defining the typical film; Problems in the study of genres; Genre film as myth.