books recently read // May 12, 09:39 PM
Mythologies by Roland Barthes
It's Barthes' seminal book and one that can actually be read with sanity. It served as my reference (of course) for the paper on semiotics and motion design.
Part of Barthes' motivation with writing the book is that he saw history routinely presented as nature in media and mass communication through myth. Barthes defines a myth as a type of speech (p. 109) that by it's nature eschews the critical. The theory of semiotics postulates that a semiological sign consists of a signifier and the signified. Barthes sees mythology as a language system in which a typical sign becomes the mere signifier, thus building up a semiological chain.
The books actually consists of very brief essays (28 of them) that Barthes' wrote and published in various papers and journals on topics (should I say myths?) of popular culture. Thus they're approachable and surprisingly amusing. Those looking for a theoretical reference won't be disappointed either since the last chapter titled "Myth Today" outlines the theoretical framework for essays prior.
How to Read a Film: The World of Movies, Media, Multimedia: Language, History, Theory by James Monaco
rating: 4 of 5 stars My review
Big qualification: I only read two chapters from this book. My chapter of interest was on semiotics ("The Language of Film: Signs and Syntax") since I used "How to Read a Film" as a reference for a paper I was writing on semiotics and motion design. In fact, Monaco's description of how semiotics can be investigated in film is astute and served as my primary reference. Monaco describes signifiers and signifieds, the trope, indexes, metonymy, and the gap that semiotic inquiry is trying to bridge between literature and film.
There are 6 chapters dealing with various aspects of film such as art, history, media, technical, etc. which is the way I personally prefer a multidisciplinary topic tackled.
Monaco's writing style is descriptive and compelling, and it's no surprise that it's a seminal book in the study of film and film history. Particularly captivating is Monaco's ability to connect different ideas and transition between them in a loose manner.
If you're simply a casual viewer interested in historical or artistic aspect of film, or an art history buff looking to expand your knowledge base onto moving image, this is a book to check out.
There is a freely available pdf somewhere on the web but all images are stripped from it, and is thus of limited use.
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Kent State VCD Senior Show 09 (Photos) Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival 2009 (BHFF)