How Movies Work

About the Book

How Movies Work, offers the filmgoer an engaging and informative guide to the appreciation and evaluation of films. It provides a comprehensive consideration of movies from idea to script, casting, financing, shooting and distribution. Bruce Kawin addresses the book not just to students of film but to any filmgoer curious to know more about the process of the conception and creation of our favorite entertainment and art form.

About the Author

Bruce Kawin is Professor of English and Film Studies, University of Colorado, and author of Mindscreen: Bergman, Godard, and First-Person Films and editor of Faulkner's MGM Screenplays.

Reviews

"The stylistic and intellectual energy of this book are astonishing."—Film Quarterly

Part I
Film •d the Physical World
1. Film Appreciation
2. Parts and Wholes
3. Primary Categories
4. Montage and Mise-en-Scene
in the Narrative Film

Part II
From Shot to Bequance
1. Raw Materials
2. The Frame
3. Black-and-White and Color
4. The Soundtrack
5. The Shot
6. The Scene
7. The Sequence

Part III
The Flm Artist and the Movie Bainess
1. Who Makes a Movie?
2. Development
3. Pre-production
4. Production
5. Post-production
6. Distribution

For Further Reading
A Note to the Instructor
Glossary of Key Terms
Index