The Elements of Cinema

by Stefan Sharff

Book Overview

Beginning with the proposition that there exist uniquely cinematic elements of meaning and structure, Stefan Sharff clearly and systematically lays the foundation for "literacy" in cinema--a sensitivity to the aesthetic elements intrinsic only to film. Sharff presents the basic elements of structure, modes of expression, and rules which he argues create a specific "language" and "syntax" of cinema.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231054777
• ISBN13: 9780231054775
• Release Date: October 1982
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 187 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

a complex work, very interesting

For a long time I've been trying to find out just what it is that makes a film a film and this book helped me out considerably. The book pinpoints a few of the elusive traits of the cinema and explains how they are used in combination to produce all the cinematic subtleties. In each chapter it has shot by shot analysis of a scene demonstrating a particular structure and it's full of diagrams and charts which help explain it's ideas. It has been a great help for me in both watching and constructing films.Be warned, you'll need all your concentration to get through this one. It is intense.