I have been reading this book out loud to my freshman in college, who as a result of the introductory course in film analysis that this book is the reading for has decided that film study is not for him--but I have to say that there is a lot to be learned from this book, and one of the great things about it is that it gives specific examples of various film techniques from movies that you can watch, and then read the explanation. Things that I never thought much about are the film techniques that are used (how the story is told, from what angle is it shot, how effective is the editing)--I thought primarily about how well the story was told, how the costumes and setting matched the story and whether the sound track added or detracted from the story. Knowing a bit more about the mechanics of film making has allowed me to have a greater appreciation of each film, as well as a greater enjoyment--at least on a different level than I havd before. I have found on several occasions that in the act of being a good parent and tutor for you son I have actually benefited as much as he has.
The book includes examples from over 200 movies, so watching them all would be a challenge, but it does have two advantages. One is that several chapters have a 2-4 page analysis based on a single film (one of which is 'Citizen Kane', another is a Buster Keaton movie available in full on YouTube, so you are getting a glimpse at some classic material), so you do not necessarily have to be in a class room to learn how to approach film study. It is pretty well written, as text books go, and I am surprised to say that I would recommend it to anyone wanting to think a bit more deeply about the movies that they are watching.
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