• Review:: 'An incredible introduction to film. Gianetti continues to produce the ultimate in introductory film texts. He seemlessly introduces us to the history of cinema while teaching us everything we need to know to fully understand film. After finishing this text you will no longer look at films the same way. The end of the book was by far the most intriguing. Gianetti devotes a whole chapter to what is arguably the greatest film in history, Citizen Kane. His synopsis allows the reader to truly understand the beauty of the movie as well as cinema as a whole. A must buy for anyone truly interested film.
• Review:: 'Giannetti's cash cow? I'm with reviewer Robert Jordan on this one. I've taught film courses and used Giannetti's book. It is strongest on film analysis -- mise en scene, lighting, movement, etc. It is less strong in other areas, like the sociology (ideology?) of film. I haven't seen the current edition, but have been annoyed in the past by the general lack of real revision in new editions of the book. Indeed, most of the text stays the same, only the film examples are updated. Maybe this appeals to students who like to see their recent faves in a textbook but -- as the other review notes -- this hardly warrants the expense of a new book (now over $70!). In past editions, I have also been especially disappointed in Giannetti's section on lesbians and gays in film. This is an exploding field -- from Randy Shilts' book The Celluloid Closet (which Gianetti cites but gives little evidence of having read) to queer cinema and theory. For several editions running, Giannetti's attention to this area carried the long-outmoded title "Gay Liberation" (not used among gay people for decades) and never ventured much in the way of cultural deconstruction. I'm scheduled to teach a film course next term and will undoubtedly look at Giannetti's text again, but sure do hope to find something else. Since I teach at a community college of cash-strapped students, I'll also be looking at something less expensive.
• Review:: 'Review of 10th edition Hey, wanna make a bunch of money? Let's write a college text book! We've got a captive audience that has no choice but to buy our book. Then every two or three years we can release a new edition and eliminate that nasty habit students have of reselling used text books they no longer need. Too much work, you say? Okay, let's just slap a different picture on the cover and release the old edition again! Can't quite picture it? Need an example to emulate? Try this one:

  I've been using Louis Giannetti's Understanding Movies since the second or third edition. Over the years I've occasionally been pleased to see a new edition which boasts some major improvements. But in my opinion, there haven't been any since the seventh edition. Now here's the tenth edition and every film student in the country has to fork out for it rather than getting their roommate's 9th edition for a buck or two.

  So what do you get for that extra money? A new cover certainly. I don't know about you but I wouldn't be caught dead with a text book with Gladiator on the cover - that would be SO three years ago! And there's an entirely new chapter! That's worth paying an extra fifty bucks - no, wait. Same chapter that's been there since Clinton was president. They just renamed it.

  Did some technological revolution change the face of cinema, warranting a new version of the book to address it? Giannetti has added a new section on special effects to the chapter on photography. It's less than one page of text. I haven't read the entire book yet, but I've yet to see any reference to the fact that some films have been shot entirely on hi-def video rather than celluloid, or that this might be a significant trend in the future. The closest thing to a landmark film in the last ten years has been Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But the only reason Giannetti even mentions it is to point out that Ian [McKellen]Create? is gay.

  But while we ignore or slight what could have made this edition fresh and vital, we keep that which makes it antiquated. Yes, I'm talking about the shot by shot reproductions of important films seen in Understanding Movies as far back as I can remember. We have SIXTY images from The Battleship Potemkin's justly famous Odessa Steps sequence. There's TWENTY-FOUR PAGES of story-board images from Hitchcock's North by Northwest. Giannetti's not alone here - lots of film textbook authors do this. Come on! If anyone wants to do a shot-by-shot analysis of a film like Potemkin or North by Northwest, they can get the DVD. If a film instructor thinks it's that important for students to have this level of exposure to those scenes, they can be screened in class. In the 21st century I consider it just book padding to add thirty pages of superfluous material to a text like this.

  Okay, I've calmed down a bit. There's really nothing terribly wrong with Giannetti's book. It's interesting. It covers the subject material quite well. It's just that it did that ten years ago and it offends me when every two or three years students discover at the end of their courses that their books can't be resold and the following semester every student will discover there are no used editions to purchase. Sweet racket.

  So enjoy that photo of Sean Penn on the cover - it cost you an extra fifty bucks!

• Review:: 'Pull that movie apart And put it back together again.
  There are many good books on the market that specialize one or two aspects if films and/or the film industry. However this book "Understanding Movies" by Louis Giannnetti, takes you from near ground zero to a good understanding of such aspects as:
  Photography
  Mise en Scýne (pronounced meez on sen, with the second syllable nasalized)
  Movement
  Editing
  Sound
  Acting
  Drama
  Story
  Literature
  Ideology
  Theory

  The films used for examples range from classics to contemporary. You will have seen most if not all of them. The author did not go off in some mission to describe some weird out of the way movie. This helps you focus on the subject being discussed.

  A side benefit is that this book is a great picture book to remember your favorite movie and occasionally the one you missed.

• Review:: 'A pleasurable, very educational book about film I picked up this book, in part, because of the several ...[good ratings]... Isn't it great when people you don't even know turn you on to a GREAT book? I have always been a movie enthusiast, but recently, having discovered how great DVDs look and sound, I am starting to re-discover my love of movies. I want to know more about how movies work, and how different effects are acheived. This book has been wonderful in helping my understanding of cinema. From the first chapter onward, I have found insights into movies that help me look at them with a slightly different eye: why are the colors like that in this scene? Why is the shot framed like it is? Although this book seems like it could be used as a textbook in a beginning film class, I carry it around with me and read it, and even re-read parts. Thanks for the great tip. Yes a five-star book! Fun to read!

• Similar books:
• A Short Guide to Writing About Film, Fifth Edition
• Teach Yourself Film Studies
• Reel Baseball- Essays and Interviews on the National Pastime, Hollywood, and American Culture
• How to Read a Film- The World of Movies, Media, Multimedia- Language, History, Theory
• A Short History of the Movies (8th Edition)

The Writer's Guide to Writing Your Screenplay- How to Write Great Screenplays for Movies and Television

The Writer's Guide to Writing Your Screenplay

How to Write Great Screenplays for Movies and Television:

• test an idea for its commercial potential
• plan a compelling script
• write great openings and endings
• create characters that grow and evolve
• revise and hone your script to attract Hollywood agents and producers

Includes lists of the best movies to study—and why!

Cynthia Whitcomb has sold more than 70 feature-length screenplays, 25 of which have been filmed. She has made millions of dollars for her work, and her scripts have won and been nominated for many awards, including the Emmy Award, Cable Ace Award, Edgar Allan Poe Award, Humanitas Award, and Writers Guild of America Awards. Her students have also gone on to write successful box-office hits. She has taught screenwriting for many years, including seven at the acclaimed UCLA Film School.

Whitcomb's commercial success and teaching experience make this an essential resource for anyone who wants to write winning scripts for Hollywood.

• Review:: 'Finally, somebody who knows what they're talking about! Whenever I am about to buy a 'how to write' book, I first look at the bio to see what the writer has actually done. Just about every 'how-to' is written by a 'haven't-done-much.' Cynthia Whitcomb's professional experience is far and away the most. Not to say other books don't have sound advice, but I sensed a depth here that was lacking elsewhere. I attribute that to her experience. BTW, I'm a published prose writer, and I recommend this book for prose writers, since a lot of what she says translates over to the written page. It wouldn't hurt novelists to structure plots and develop scenes with as much craft and skill as screenwriters do.
• Review:: 'Writer's Guide to Writing Your Screenplay As an old writer who is new to the field of screemwriting, I have found the industry full of mystery when attempting to write a screenplay. Cynthia's book takes away a lot of the confusion and worry by succinctly explaining terms, giving multiple clear-cut examples, and laying out the entire process so that rookies can learn the basics, and experienced writers can get a quick review from an entertaining source. I am sincerely hoping Cynthia plans to write a similar book in the future with regards to publishing hints!
• Review:: 'Informative, thorough, easy to read; a great tool to have! I recently purchased Cynthia's book and am about two-thirds done reading it. What an informative and helpful book. Cynthia does a fantastic job of presenting the methodologies she has incorporated in her successful career, and balancing them with very practical, real-world examples. (ie. Equally balanced protagonist/antagonist like in the movie "Face-Off") As a rookie in the screenwriting world, I have found page after page of helpful hints and can already see a ton of ways I can improve a script I had previously written. For purchasers of this book living in the NW, Cynthia also teaches a screenwriting class through Portland State University [...] I begin these classes in just over a week and can hardly wait to tap into this wonderful resource. If my plan continues and you see me winning an award for Best Original Screenplay in the next few years, just know that after God and my wife/family the next person on my list to thank will definitely be Cynthia Whitcomb!! Enjoy the book and good luck with your screenwriting!
• Review:: 'EZ read, intro, overview, methods to writing screenplays This is an easy to read introduction to screen writing by someone who has successfully written scripts and has taught at UCLA Film School. The author, Cynthia Whitcomb, provides a detailed, step-by-step method to turn your story ideas into a screenplay. The book quickly gives you an overview of the process that she teaches in classes and seminars and then spends a chapter on each topic she considers important to developing your script. For example, in Chapter 1, the author has you running your story idea against a 16 point checklist to make sure it is a likely to be accepted and produced. In Chapter 2, she's giving you hints on how to do your research. Her thoughts on "lunch interviews" were very interesting. In Chapter 3, she reviews the 3 act structure weaving in examples from the movie Erin Brockvitch. Then in Chapter 4, she has you filling out 3x5 cards for the scenes in your story. Although the use of 3x5 scene cards is not new, she proposes some unique ways to develop and go through the cards as you develop your story. After that, in Chapter 5 she provides very clear material involving sub-plots, and how to integrate those with your 3x5 cards. Chapter 6 was quite interesting to me and covered the topic of characterization and how to analyze and develop the character's transformation. From this point forward, the book continues on to other important topics - one chapter for each. Some are: the ticking clock, keeping scenes tight, set-ups in order to prepare your audience for logical and big emotion events (pay-offs). She provides many references and a great list of videos to watch at home if you are going to analzye the various aspects of screen writing. The book is aimed at the introduction through the intermediate level. The author works hard to present an orderly process for you to follow in screen writing. John Dunbar Sugar Land, TX
• Review:: 'Second-best only to being in Cynthia's class is her book. Ask me my candidates for the desert-island scenario, and I'd tell you Robert [McKee]Create?'s "Story" and Cynthia Whitcomb's "Writing Your Screenplay." No others. OK: Shakespeare and the Bible. Unique in this volume are Cynthia's levels of evolution in character transformation, her clear-sighted personal knowledge of what keeps Hollywood readers submerged in your story, and illustrative excerpts from her own screenplays. Of all the publications in my screenwriting library, this is the one I most frequently revisit in support of my own work when I want to widen choices of character action, invent an unexpected direction, strengthen a subplot. Cynthia creates seeds I mentally plant for the gigantic orchid fireworks that make screenwriting an experience Hollywood has yet to duplicate.

• Similar books:
• How Not to Write a Screenplay- 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make
• Screenwriting for Dummies
• Writing Screenplays That Sell- The Complete, Step-By-Step Guide for Writing and Selling to
• The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters- Insider's Secrets from Hollywood's Top Writers
• How to Write a Selling Screenplay