Realer Than Reel


Book Description

Television and globalization have transformed the traditional documentary almost beyond recognition, converting what was once a film genre devoted to public service and education into a popular televisual commodity with productions ranging from serious public affairs programming to TV "reality" shows and "docusoaps." Realer Than Reel offers a state-of-the-art overview of international documentary programming that investigates the possibilities documentary offers for local and public representation in a global age, as well as what actually constitutes documentary in a time of increasing digitalization and manipulation of visual media. David Hogarth focuses on public affairs, nature, and reality shows from around the world, drawing upon industry data, producer interviews, analyses of selected documentary programs, and firsthand observations of market sites. He looks at how documentary has become a transnational product through exports, co-ventures, and festival contacts; how local and regional "place" is represented in global documentary, especially by producers such as Discovery Networks International and the National Geographic Channel; how documentary addresses the needs of its viewers as citizens through public service broadcasting; and how documentary is challenging accepted conventions of factuality, sense, and taste. The concluding chapter considers the future of both documentary as a genre and television as a global factual medium, asking whether TV will continue to "document" the world in any meaningful sense of the term.




Realer Than Real


Book Description

"Compelling, gritty, heartbreaking, beautiful, humorous, and altogether God-honoring . . . a real work from the heart" are just a few words readers have used to describe Realer Than Real, a true story of a Nebraska family's journey to find grace, hope, and healing amidst tragedy, regret, and disappointment. The tale is told by Ryan, the Wilkins family's only son, who chronicles a life-changing loss the family suffered in 2004, the tragedy's impact on the family, and the unique, winding, complex spiritual paths each family member walked before intersecting in the wake of new misfortune. With candor and perceptiveness, Ryan develops characters the reader feels he or she knows. He displays a remarkable willingness to be transparent and vulnerable in all aspects of the personal struggle, grief, and suffering that his family endured, individually and collectively. He seamlessly weaves humor and insight around heavy subjects-including death, disability, divorce, and abuse, among others-and breathes life into the family's high and lows, incredible miracles and devastating tragedies, in a way that is both honest and instructive.Cumulatively, the Wilkins family's struggles and setbacks over the past decade seemingly defy all probability that one group could endure so many traumatic events over a relatively short period of time and come through it stronger, not weaker. But through reliance on their Christian faith and an outpouring of community support, the family withstood and grew through these trials, learning much about God and themselves in the process. With insight and vulnerability, Realer Than Real captures the struggle, pursuit, perseverance, and restoration that accompany faith. The book will captivate readers across walks of life, inspiring them to behold their blessings and to trust God through their trials. "Once you begin reading, it is almost impossible to stop."




Quentin Tarantino FAQ


Book Description

(FAQ). Quentin Tarantino is a man who came to Hollywood and didn't break the rules so much as make plain that he didn't even notice them. Making the films he wanted to see, Tarantino broke through with Reservoir Dogs in 1992 and then cemented his reputation in 1994 with the release of Pulp Fiction . As his fame grew, he spread his love for movies that are far from commonplace through his promotion of older films and theaters and by reviving the stalled careers of actors such as John Travolta, Pam Grier, and David Carradine. Quentin Tarantino FAQ examines the movies directed by Tarantino, the influences on his work, and the inspiration he gave to others. There are also chapters on certain recurring elements in his films, from fake "product placement" to the music, actors, and even cinematic moments used. The book also reviews his work in television, the articles written about him or by him over the years, his acting career, his public battles, and some of the projects he abandoned along the way. It all comes together to tell the story of a man who forged his own unique path and helped shape the way movies are made today.




Pixilated Practices


Book Description

Media is a big part of our lives. We see and hear it everywhere. In this book Miller demonstrates how media has taken the place of ritual(s). Our everyday lives are constantly facilitated by media rituals. This media ritual process exists regardless of its content and is a phenomenon that overcomes our subjective experience with a constant flux of representations and seduction. Memory and mind are in a perpetual process of re-imaging, distortion, and violence. Human relationships can be comprised of sheer information sharing from any distance around the globe. The objective world around us is experienced and interpreted through the virtual worlds we are forced to participate in. The dialectic is barred and the flood of media images captures us in the univocal. Persons then understand that truth comes from their singular, isolated, and violated self. Therefore, the body in the real world feels foreign and we feel dissociated and anxious, reaching in a vain attempt for more media to fill and restore our bodily and spiritual needs. Our personhood and everything that we are lie under the influence of this media ritual process.




Non-Representational Methodologies


Book Description

Non-representational theory is one of the contemporary moment’s most influential theoretical perspectives within social and cultural theory. It is now widely considered to be the logical successor of postmodern theory, the logical development of post-structuralist thought, and the most notable intellectual force behind the turn across the social and cultural sciences away from cognition, meaning, and textuality. And yet, it is often poorly understood. This is in part because of its complexity, but also because of its limited treatment in the few volumes chiefly dedicated to it. Theories must be useful to researchers keen on utilizing concepts and analytical frames for their personal interpretive purposes. How useful non-representational theory is, in this sense, is yet to be understood. This book outlines a variety of ways in which non-representational ideas can influence the research process, the very value of empirical research, the nature of data, the political value of data and evidence, the methods of research, the very notion of method, and the styles, genres, and media of research.




Dreyer's English


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A sharp, funny grammar guide they’ll actually want to read, from Random House’s longtime copy chief and one of Twitter’s leading language gurus NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY O: The Oprah Magazine • Paste • Shelf Awareness “Essential (and delightful!)”—People We all write, all the time: books, blogs, emails. Lots and lots of emails. And we all want to write better. Benjamin Dreyer is here to help. As Random House’s copy chief, Dreyer has upheld the standards of the legendary publisher for more than two decades. He is beloved by authors and editors alike—not to mention his followers on social media—for deconstructing the English language with playful erudition. Now he distills everything he has learned from the myriad books he has copyedited and overseen into a useful guide not just for writers but for everyone who wants to put their best prose foot forward. As authoritative as it is amusing, Dreyer’s English offers lessons on punctuation, from the underloved semicolon to the enigmatic en dash; the rules and nonrules of grammar, including why it’s OK to begin a sentence with “And” or “But” and to confidently split an infinitive; and why it’s best to avoid the doldrums of the Wan Intensifiers and Throat Clearers, including “very,” “rather,” “of course,” and the dreaded “actually.” Dreyer will let you know whether “alright” is all right (sometimes) and even help you brush up on your spelling—though, as he notes, “The problem with mnemonic devices is that I can never remember them.” And yes: “Only godless savages eschew the series comma.” Chockful of advice, insider wisdom, and fun facts, this book will prove to be invaluable to everyone who wants to shore up their writing skills, mandatory for people who spend their time editing and shaping other people’s prose, and—perhaps best of all—an utter treat for anyone who simply revels in language. Praise for Dreyer’s English “Playful, smart, self-conscious, and personal . . . One encounters wisdom and good sense on nearly every page of Dreyer’s English.”—The Wall Street Journal “Destined to become a classic.”—The Millions “Dreyer can help you . . . with tips on punctuation and spelling. . . . Even better: He’ll entertain you while he’s at it.”—Newsday




Understanding Intuition


Book Description

Understanding Intuition: A Journey In and Out of Science explores the biological and cognitive mechanisms that account for intuition, and examines the first-person experience. The book integrates both scientific and personal perspectives on this important yet elusive mental capacity. It uses specific encounters to illustrate that intuition is enhanced when we can attend to the subtle aspects of our inner experiences, such as bodily sensations, images, and differing kinds of intuitive evaluative feelings, all of which may emerge no further than on the fringe of awareness. This awareness of subtle inner experiences helps forge a more fluid exchange between the unconscious and conscious minds, and allows readers to calibrate their own intuitions. Over the course of the book, readers will gain a deeper appreciation and respect for the unconscious mind and its potential sophistication, and even its potential wisdom. Understanding Intuition is a timely and critical resource for students and researchers in psychology, cognitive science, theology, women’s studies, and neuroscience. Stresses the powerful influence of the unconscious mind and its important adaptive role Frames intuition as significant and novel unconscious insight Presents a systematic framework for understanding different kinds of intuition Examines the emotional underpinnings of intuition, giving special emphasis to the role of somatic feelings and their derivatives




Understanding the Hospitality Consumer


Book Description

'Understanding the Hospitality Consumer' presents a unique perspective on consumer behaviour in the hospitality sector. It seeks to focus on the role of consumption in hospitality and to investigate our understanding of its place in the contemporary industry. Taking the view that successful marketing demands focusing on the customer, this text concentrates on understanding and determining customer needs, relevant factors in consumer buying behaviour and the effectiveness of today's marketing techniques. Using industry based case studies and examples 'Understanding the Hospitality Consumer' : * Introduces and explores the role of consumer behaviour theory in the context of hospitality management * Discusses the principles and research of consumer behaviour and illustrates how they are used in the hospitality industry today * Examines the value of consumer behaviour research as applied to the contemporary hospitality industry * Explores the challenges to traditional approaches to consumption posed by the postmodern hospitality consumer The book's targeted focus and practical application ensures that it is well suited for both students and practising managers in the hospitality field.




Theatre Histories


Book Description

This thoroughly revised and updated third edition of the innovative and widely acclaimed Theatre Histories: An Introduction offers a critical overview of global theatre and drama, spanning a broad wealth of world cultures and periods. Bringing together a group of scholars from a diverse range of backgrounds to add fresh perspectives on the history of global theatre, the book illustrates historiographical theories with case studies demonstrating various methods and interpretive approaches. Subtly restructured sections place the chapters within new thematic contexts to offer a clear overview of each period, while a revised chapter structure offers accessibility for students and instructors. Further new features and key updates to this third edition include: A dedicated chapter on historiography New, up to date, case studies Enhanced and reworked historical, cultural and political timelines, helping students to place each chapter within the historical context of the section Pronunciation guidance, both in the text and as an online audio guide, to aid the reader in accessing and internalizing unfamiliar terminology A new and updated companion website with further insights, activities and resources to enable students to further their knowledge and understanding of the theatre.




Couplets


Book Description

In Couplets, Brian Massumi presents twenty-four essays that represent the full spectrum of his work during the past thirty years. Conceived as a companion volume to Parables for the Virtual, Couplets addresses the key concepts of Parables from different angles and contextualizes them, allowing their stakes to be more fully felt. Rather than organizing the essays chronologically or by topic, Massumi pairs them into couplets to encourage readers to make connections across conventional subject matter categories, to encounter disjunctions, and to link different phases in the evolution of his work. In his analyses of topics ranging from art, affect, and architecture to media theory, political theory, and the philosophy of experience, Massumi charts a field on which a family of conceptual problems plays out in ways that bear on the potentials for acting and perceiving the world. As an essential guide to Massumi's oeuvre, Couplets is both a primer for his new readers and a supplemental resource for those already engaged with his thought.