As the first collection of new work on sound and cinema in over a decade, Lowering the Boom addresses the expanding field of film sound theory and its significance in rethinking historical models of film analysis. The contributors consider the ways in which musical expression, scoring, voice-over narration, and ambient noise affect identity formation and subjectivity. Lowering the Boom also analyzes how shifting modulation of the spoken word in cinema results in variation...

In this collection, contributors analyze the depiction of scientists in a wide range of films and television programs that span across genres, including horror, science fiction, crime drama, comedy, and children's media. Scientists in popular culture, they argue, often embody the hopes and fears associated with real-life science, which continue to be prevalent in both fictional and non-fiction media. By becoming the “human face” of scientific insight and innovation, the scientist in popula...

First published in 1980, Competitive Strategy contradicted the accepted wisdom of the time that said firms should focus on expanding their market share. Instead, Porter claimed, they should analyze the five forces that mold the environment in which they compete: new entrants, substitute products, buyers, suppliers, and industry rivals. Then they could rationally choose one of three ‘generic strategies’—lowering cost, differentiating their product, or catering to a niche market—to gain a co...

Because the potential returns appear to be greater in poorer countries than in the developed world, modern economic theory implies that rich countries should continually invest in poor countries until returns balance out. But this doesn’t happen and economist Robert E. Lucas Jr. asked why in his ground-breaking 1990 article on what has become known as the Lucas paradox. Lucas analyzes the problem, focusing especially on the role of human capital—the skill and experience that people bring t...

Updated and expanded for a new edition, this is the perfect starter text for students of film studies. Packed full of visual examples from all periods of film history up to the present, Film:A Critical Introduction illustrates film concepts in context and in depth, addressing techniques and terminology used in film production and criticism, and emphasising thinking and writing critically and effectively.With reference to 450 new and existing images, the authors discuss con...

A Theory of Adaptation explores the continuous development of creative adaptation, and argues that the practice of adapting is central to the story-telling imagination. Linda Hutcheon develops a theory of adaptation through a range of media, from film and opera, to video games, pop music and theme parks, analysing the breadth, scope and creative possibilities within each.This new edition is supplemented by a new preface from the author, discussing both new adaptive forms/p...

Bringing together twenty-five years of work on what he has called the "historical poetics of cinema," David Bordwell presents an extended analysis of a key question for film studies: how are films made, in particular historical contexts, in order to achieve certain effects? For Bordwell, films are made things, existing within historical contexts, and aim to create determinate effects. Beginning with this central thesis, Bordwell works out a full understanding of ...

A Comics Studies Reader offers the best of the new comics scholarship in nearly thirty essays on a wide variety of such comics forms as gag cartoons, editorial cartoons, comic strips, comic books, manga, and graphic novels.The anthology covers the pioneering work of Rodolphe Töpffer, the Disney comics of Carl Barks, and the graphic novels of Art Spiegelman and Chris Ware, as well as Peanuts, romance comics, and superheroes. It explores the stylistic achievements o...

First Published in 1998. Understanding Animation is a comprehensive introduction to animated film, from cartoons to computer animation. Paul Wells' insightful account of a critically neglected but increasingly popular medium:* explains the defining characteristics of animation as a cinematic form* outlines different models and methods which can be used to interpret and evaluate animated films* traces the development of animated film around the world, from Betty Boo...

Beginning film studies offers the ideal introduction to this vibrant subject. Written accessibly and with verve, it ranges across the key topics and manifold approaches to film studies. Andrew Dix has thoroughly updated the first edition, and this new volume includes new case studies, overviews of recent developments in the discipline, and up-to-the-minute suggestions for further reading.The book begins by considering some of film's formal features - mise-en-scène, editing...

This handbook provides powerful ways to understand changes in the current media landscape. Media forms and genres are proliferating as never before, from movies, computer games and iPods to video games and wireless phones. This essay collection by recognized scholars, practitioners and non-academic writers opens discussion in exciting new directions.

Film theory no longer gets top billing or plays a starring role in film studies today, as critics proclaim that theory is dead and we are living in a post-theory moment. While theory may be out of the limelight, it remains an essential key to understanding the full complexity of cinema, one that should not be so easily discounted or discarded.In this volume, contributors explore recent popular movies through the lens of film theory, beginning with industrial-economic analysis befor...