Product Description

This best-selling text is a succinct guide to thinking critically and writing precisely about film.

 

Both an introduction to film study and a practical writing guide, this brief text introduces you to major film theories as well as film terminology, enabling you to write more thoughtfully and critically. With numerous student and professional examples, this engaging and practical guide progresses from taking notes and writing first drafts to creating polished essays and comprehensive research projects. Moving from movie reviews to theoretical and critical essays, the text demonstrates how an analysis of a film can become more subtle and rigorous as part of a compositional process.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #261914 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 190 pages

About the Author

Timothy Corrigan is a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Customer Reviews

A very useful and interesting book
As a film student this book was on our list of books in the first term, and has proved to be incredably helpful! Even though I studied A-level film and knew a lot by the time I started my Degree, I still struggled when it came to writing essays and this book guides you onto the right path in terms of film anaylising. Now in my second year we are expected to write more sophisticated work, but I still use this book as a guide whenever I'm stuck and can always gain something new from it everytime I use it. Well worth buying if you are a student.

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
One thing I can say is I enjoy a good film. O.K. if it moves I’ll watch it. But until I read this book I really was just looking with out seeing.
It is nice to have this guide confirm what one knows as common sense. Probably because the guide is designed to take you from ground zero to a level of appreciation and allow you to convey your opinion intelligently.
If you have an earlier edition you will still get the essence of the book. Newer editions add different resources and research information.
Some of the highlights are:
• A shot-by shot analysis of a sequence from the film “Potemkin”
• Suggestions on using the Internet
• Sample student writing

Some contents:
Writing about the Movies
Preparing to Watch and Preparing to Write
Film Terms and Topics
Six Approaches to writing about Film
Style and Structure in Writing
Researching the Movies
Manuscript Form

This guide is an eye opener.

Extremely useful!
Whereas a lot of books out there tell you how to view and appreciate a film, there is not much guidance as to how to put these impressions into words. We all watch films on a regular basis and might be able to discuss them somewhat knowledgeably, but neverthess writing a review, a screening report or even a film analysis can be a difficult and intimidating task. Corrigan's book fills tis gap. This book does not only provide theoretical advise, but it is also full of sample texts written by critics, academics or students. Anybody writing on film will find this book immensely useful and very hands-on. It is very clearly structured and very "econimically" written, a style Corrigan advocates throughout. I read this book from start to finish when I first bought it and still go back to it on a regular basis when I feel stuck writing a film analysis. This book is invaluable!!!