{"product_id":"9780062113405_reading-the-silver-screen","title":"Reading the Silver Screen","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the New York Times bestselling author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor comes an indispensable analysis of our most celebrated medium, film.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo art form is as instantly and continuously gratifying as film. When the house lights go down and the lion roars, we settle in to be shocked, frightened, elated, moved, and thrilled. We expect magic. While we’re being exhilarated and terrified, our minds are also processing data of all sorts—visual, linguistic, auditory, spatial—to collaborate in the construction of meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThomas C. Foster’s Reading the Silver Screen will show movie buffs, students of film, and even aspiring screenwriters and directors how to transition from merely being viewers to becoming accomplished readers of this great medium. Beginning with the grammar of film, Foster demonstrates how every art form has a grammar, a set of practices and if-then propositions that amount to rules. He goes on to explain how the language of film enables movies to communicate the purpose behind their stories and the messages they are striving to convey to audiences by following and occasionally breaking these rules.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUsing the investigative approach readers love in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster examines this grammar of film through various classic and current movies both foreign and domestic, with special recourse to the “AFI 100 Years-100 Movies” lists. The categories are idiosyncratic yet revealing. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Reading the Silver Screen, readers will gain the expertise and confidence to glean all they can from the movies they love. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis essential guide for movie lovers will teach you how to see films in a new light, including how to:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDeconstruct the Grammar of Film:\u003c\/b\u003e Go beyond plot and characters to understand the hidden rules that filmmakers from Alfred Hitchcock to George Miller use to tell stories and create meaning.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAnalyze Shots, Scenes, and Sequences:\u003c\/b\u003e Learn the difference between these core building blocks and see how directors assemble them to build suspense, emotion, and unforgettable moments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDecode Visual and Auditory Cues:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover how camera angles, lighting, color, and sound design aren’t just technical details—they are the language of film speaking directly to you.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eConnect with Classic and Modern Movies:\u003c\/b\u003e Apply Foster’s investigative approach to everything from \u003ci\u003eCitizen Kane\u003c\/i\u003e to modern blockbusters, using examples from the AFI's greatest films.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eBecome an Accomplished Reader of Film:\u003c\/b\u003e Transition from being a passive viewer to an active, insightful critic who can appreciate the art and craft behind your favorite movies on a much deeper level.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Thomas C. Foster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46908565192853,"sku":"9780062113405","price":9.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780062113405_d270c3e9-14a7-4301-bda7-d46167024c21.jpg?v=1776890091","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780062113405_reading-the-silver-screen","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}