Bill Nichols ist eine Schlüsselfigur in der zeitgenössischen Dokumentarfilmstudie. Seine Arbeit leistete Pionierarbeit bei der Anwendung moderner Filmtheorie auf die Dokumentaranalyse und trug dazu bei, Filmwissenschaft als robuste akademische Disziplin zu etablieren. Durch einflussreiche Bücher und Aufsätze hat Nichols das kritische Verständnis der Dokumentarform und ihres Platzes im Kino geprägt. Sein Vermächtnis liegt in seiner tiefgreifenden Fähigkeit, die Essenz des Dokumentarfilms zu zerlegen und zu definieren.
The third edition of Bill Nichols's best-selling text provides an up-to-date introduction to the most important issues in documentary history and criticism. A new chapter, "I Want to Make a Documentary: Where Do I Start?" guides readers through the steps of planning and preproduction and includes an example of a project proposal for a film that went on to win awards at major festivals. Designed for students in any field that makes use of visual evidence and persuasive strategies, Introduction to Documentary identifies the genre's distinguishing qualities and teaches the viewer how to read documentary film. Each chapter takes up a discrete question, from "How did documentary filmmaking get started?" to "Why are ethical issues central to documentary filmmaking?" Here Nichols has fully rewritten each chapter for greater clarity and ease of use, including revised discussions of earlier films and new commentary on dozens of recent films from The Cove to The Act of Killing and from Gasland to Restrepo.
Introduction to Film Studies is a comprehensive leading textbook for students of cinema. This completely revised and updated fourth edition guides students through the key issues and concepts in film studies, traces the historical development of film and introduces some of the worlds key national cinemas. A range of theories and theorists are presented from Formalism to Feminism, from Eisenstein to Deleuze. Each chapter is written by a subject specialist, including four new authors, and a wide range of films are analysed and discussed. It is lavishly illustrated with over 123 film stills and production shots, many of them in colour. Reviewed widely by teachers in the field and with a foreword by Bill Nichols, it will be essential reading for any introductory student of film, media studies or the visual arts worldwide. Key features of the fourth edition are : full coverage of important topics for introductory level updated coverage of a wide range of concepts, theories and issues in film studies in-depth discussion of the contemporary film industry new chapters on Rediscovering Film; Ethnicity, Race and Cinema; Documentary; Film, Form and Narrative; British Cinema; Approaches to Cinematic Authorship new case studies on films such as Bamboozled , Wild Strawberries , Run Lola Run , Grey Gardens , Grizzly Man , Boys Don't Cry , Love Actually , and many others marginal key terms, notes, cross-referencing suggestions for further reading, further viewing and a comprehensive glossary and bibliography website resources including updated popular case studies from previous editions, a chapter on German Cinema and links to supporting sites Individual chapters introduce : Rediscovering Film Studies - The Industrial Contexts of Film Production - Film Form and Narrative - Approaches to Cinematic Authorship - Genre, Theory and Hollywood Cinema; Stardom and Hollywood Cinema - Spectator, Audience and Response - The Documentary Form - The Language of Animation - Gender and Film - Lesbian and Gay Cinema - Ethnicity, Race and Cinema - African American Film - British Cinema - Indian Cinema -Soviet Montage Cinema of the 1920s - French New Wave Contributors include : Chris Darke, Lalitha Gopalan, Terri Francis, Chris Jones, Mark Joyce, Searle Kochberg, Lawrence Napper, Jill Nelmes, Patrick Phillips, Suzanne Speidel, Paul Ward, Paul Watson, Paul Wells .
In what ways do films influence and interact with society? What social forces determine the kinds of movies that get made? How do movies reinforce—and sometimes overturn—social norms? As societies evolve, do the films that were once considered ‘great’ slip into obscurity? Which ones? Why? These questions, and many others like them, represent the mainstream of scholarly film studies today. In Engaging Cinema, Bill Nichols offers the first book for introductory film students that tackles these topics head-on. Published in a handy 'trade paperback' format, Engaging Cinema is inexpensive and utterly unique in the field—a perfect complement to or replacement for standard film texts.
