Moving Pictures: An Introduction to Cinema
Russell Sharman’s Moving Pictures: An Introduction to Cinema provides an enjoyable introduction to the study of film and covers much of what is expected from an introductory text. Its level of comprehensiveness is a bit double sided. On one side, the text provides a considerable background of both the aesthetic and social importance of film. In addition, almost half of the text is dedicated to extra-textual issues: historical background and production practices. On the other side, the hermeneutics of understanding film and its meaning-making language is somewhat sacrificed. There is the occasional nod (low-angle shot presents a character as larger than life), but introducing the skills concerned with interpreting a cinematic text is not developed systematically. It is one thing for a student to recognize the difference between a close-up and a long shot, but it is another to understand how and what each of these stylistic elements signify in certain contexts. The heavy attention to the historical background and practices of production might stem from the author’s experience as both a cultural anthropologist and a filmmaker, not sure. I will add that the text does provide a great introduction to the history of cinema and the intricacies of the production process, if that is what you are looking for. If your andragogical approach to film studies stems more from a literary or philosophical perspective, then you may need to supplement the text with an introduction to cinematic interpretive frameworks and the general semiotics of cinema.
Sharman’s text provides a good amount of formal terminology for the introductory student along with an evolution of many of the concepts behind the terms. The terminology is also all defined accurately. The text’s many forays into film history and the production process are also described accurately. The last section of the course, which deals with the social content of and representation in film, is ideologically heavy, but I would not call it inaccurate.
The text is very relevant and up to date (for the time of this review). It documents numerous contemporary films and transitional periods of film history. Since the text does focus on many current issues affecting cinema, then I suppose there will be some required updating in the future as new issues emerge. But for the current time, I think the text is up to date for an introductory book. Other than the investigations into these contemporary and current issues, the text should maintain its longevity as it devotes most of its attention to structural, historical, and technological features of cinema. It evens makes several references to the latest technological innovations (digitization, etc.) in film production. The author also includes the new mode of closed-form streaming narratives into many discussions. To reiterate, however, the text lacks some relevancy for an introductory course that needs a focus on cinema interpretation.
The text is easy to read and to follow. The writing is both informative and entertaining. It introduces much technical terminology and many concepts but never at an inaccessible level. The writing maintains an inviting and approachable tone throughout, making it easy for the introductory student to follow without lapsing into the tediousness into which textbooks often devolve.
As mentioned above, the text maintains a consistent entertaining and informative tone throughout. I think the author’s inviting and entertaining mood makes for a welcoming read. Every time the text is re-opened, the student will instantly recognize this convivial voice. Also, the author clearly displays his deep interest in the study of film, an interest that beneficially should prove contagious. The text is littered with comedic parenthetic asides, as indirect attempts to personalize the author’s voice. At first, these might be more inviting than they later become. Overall, the text could probably benefit some readers with a reduction in the quantity, but not duration, of these asides.
Because the text is organized in a well-thought-through manner, where some chapters necessarily must precede others, it may not rank the highest in modularity. However, modularity, in my mind, is a bit overrated. In the end, the text does form a unified whole, but teaching out of sequence would require some creativity.
The text is organized into two main parts: “An Introduction to Cinema” and “Representation in Cinema.” The former covers the formal elements of film (mise en scène, cinematography, editing, acting, etc.) while the latter covers the social importance of film (cinematic representations of and by women and African Americans). The first part takes up the lion’s share of the text and even begins with an introductory chapter that presents many of the concepts that will be developed in more detail and with examples in separate chapters. The second part of the text also begins with a brief explanation of the importance of representation in cinema. The first two chapters of the text provide a brief history of cinema and a chapter explaining what we do when we watch film. Overall, the text flows well and its purposive design works logically and developmentally. It makes sense that the text provides a formal explanation of cinema before delving into its social significance. One could, however, treat them separately, as the text presents them. So, I guess, modularity slips into the back door after all.
The text is relatively easy to navigate from chapter to chapter. It also includes a table of contents with a drop-down menu that allows the reader to jump to any designated chapter. There are numerous relevant embedded videos scattered through each chapter, and all are bibliographed at the conclusion of the chapters. A handful of the embedded videos were, however, unavailable at the time I read the text. Only a small minority, however. The embedded videos highlight certain matters of formal, historical, and production importance. Alongside the attention to history and production, I would like to see some video clips that highlight how film signifies, how certain formal or stylistic elements indicate a specific significance or meaning. But this is not really a major purpose of this particular text.
I only noticed a few typos in the text, none, however, that interrupted the flow to a significant extent.
As mentioned above, Sharman’s attention to representation in cinema makes the text culturally relevant. One chapter deals with the representation in cinema of and by women and the other deals with the representation in cinema of and by African Americans. Both chapters provide a critique the cultural hegemony by white men that has historically dominated the cinema industry. Eventually tying the first chapter to the recent MeToo movement and the latter to the also recent OscarsSoWhite campaign provides a culturally relevant examination of important cultural changes taking place in the entertainment industry. While Sharman only focuses on the representation and woman and African Americans, he recommends delving into the issue of representation of other historically underrepresented groups in the cinema for any users of his text.
Except for the lack of concentrated attention to the semiotics of cinema, it is hard to fault Moving Pictures. I think this text is an ideal text for use in academic programs that cross the divide between film production and film studies. For programs whose concentration slants more toward studying film as a finished product (studying Shakespeare’s sonnets without recurse to creative writing, for instance), this lack would require supplemental material.