Post-Cinematic Affect is about what it feels like to live in the affluent West in the early 21st century. Specifically, it explores the structure of feeling that is emerging today in tandem with new digital technologies, together with economic globalization and the financialization of more and more human activities. The 20th century was the age of film and television; these dominant media shaped and reflected our cultural sensibilities. In the 21st...

The definitive work on Larry Gottheim, a key figure in the history of American experimental film. Gottheim's account of the evolution of his work over the decades provides an extraordinary window onto the development of the art form in America in the late 20th century. His own account of his lifelong exploration of the boundaries of cinematic perception is here combined with the reflections of other major film artists and critics on...

In the summer of 2009, Miranda July was struggling to finish writing the screenplay for her much-anticipated second film. During her increasingly long lunch breaks, she began to obsessively read the PennySaver, the iconic classifieds booklet that reached everywhere and seemed to come from nowhere. Who was the person selling the "Large leather Jacket, $10"? It seemed important to find out-or at least it was a great distraction from the screenplay. Accompanied...

This oversized book is the comprehensive companion to the art and making of the The Venture Bros. and includes a foreword by Patton Oswalt! Ken Plume sits down with series creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer to have a conversation about the creation of every single episode through season six and much more. From the earliest sketches of Hank and Dean scribbled in a notebook, pitching the series to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, learning the ins...

Gilles Groulx (1931-1994), figure marquante du cinéma québécois, était hostile à toute forme de compromissions. Du Chat dans le sac (1964) à Au pays de Zom (1982) en passant par 24 heures ou plus (1972), il a produit une œuvre cinématographique d'une grande exigence stylistique et thématique. Le cinéma de Groulx — loin d'apparaître comme un simple phénomène de mode — reste indéniablement d'actualité.

Crossing genres of films, this book contains movies that have lessons in them as a way of finding insights into daily life. While other critics summarize a film, focus on the amount of profanity and nudity it contains, and decide whether it's worthwhile to watch, Herbert Cohen takes a different tactic and views films as life lessons. This collection of meaningful films, with inspiring and emotional stories that help understand the plight of others,...

A study of an important but neglected director that fills many gaps and updates our knowledge of a major filmmaker of the silent period and beyond. The profusion of research on film history means that there are now few Hollywood filmmakers in the category of Neglected Master, but John M. Stahl has been stuck in it for far too long. His strong association with melodrama and the "woman's film" is a key to this neglect, those mainstays of popular cinema...

"What lurks in the shadows, just below waking consciousness?" Subtext can be the most important element in text and in a performance. It's an unseen force that speaks directly to the reader's unconscious, deepening meaning and understanding. Great subtext reveals more than simple dialogue and action and is at the heart of the best books and films. It is what glues us to the screen. This book goes far beyond dialogue, action, gestures, genre, and...

Professional screenwriters know that the rewriting process is what separates the money-makers from the neophytes. This illustrated, step-by-step guide shows the process of re-writing and why it is so essential.

Memo From the Story Department offers a battery of storygenerating engines and storyimproving tools, and reliable methods tested on hundreds of Hollywood productions. It goes far beyond the standard advice given in most screenwriting manuals. Drawn from sources as varied as vaudeville, classical Greek comedies, and Russian fairy tales, the book outlines a series of practical templates for creating believable characters and emotionally satisfying plots....