Friday, November 27, 2009

Villarejo vs. Armitt, Film vs. Fantasy

After reading both of these novels, I realized how much more I could relate to Villarejo’s, The Basics- Film Studies. Not only do I find myself watching more movies than readings fantasy novels, but I also found the aspects behind it to be a lot more interesting. Armitt did state a lot of facts. However, I feel that Villarejo did a much better job backing up these facts with specific examples. You could tell she was well informed about the topic she was discussing. I’d have to say I was much more impressed with her writing and even though the beginning was very dry and boring, it was a lot easier for me to read.

One of the things that really stood out to me was how she bolded certain terms she was discussing. The definitions of these terms also helped me to understand it a little better. I also liked how she compared the structure of film and language. It is composed of fundamental units, called shots, which rely upon edits to join shots together into larger strings called sequences, just as words become sentences. Many films depend on cinematic conventions (rules), a form of film grammar that’s evolved overtime.

One of the things I didn’t like was how quickly she discussed her topics. I would have liked to see her go into a little more depth to give us, readers a better understanding of each chapter.

Overall, this book would not be one of my top choices to read, but I’d highly recommend it over Fantasy Fiction, by Armitt anyday.

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