2 comments about Manhattan Diary.

1. I was remiss in not reviewing this book when it was originally published last year. I read it in one sitting (minus a couple of bathroom breaks) and absolutely loved it.
   The previous reviewer didn't like Manhattan Diary as much as Hollywood Diary because he/she felt Mr. Lamparski was the central figure in this book. I partially agree with that assessment. Mr. Lamparski was the central figure around which his supporting cast/list of luminaries revolved. However, he had one hell of a cast of characters. And his story/stories were incredible! Where I choose to disagree with the previous review is that this book was just as good as Hollywood Diary. Truth is stranger than fiction, and Richard Lamparski deftly handled this collection of stories with incredible honesty and a lot of humor. He spared no one......and least of all himself. By all means, read this book. Lamparski made me hungry for more after reading his 'diaries'.



2. I did not enjoy this one as much as it's Hollywood predecessor because Mr Lamparski spent more time reflecting on himself than on the subjects. There are several people that I was looking forward to learning more about but the theme tended to go more towards the author's personal predilections.

5 comments about Communicating Ideas with Film, Video, and Multimedia: A Practical Guide to Information Motion-Media.

1. Mr. Shelton's book looks beyond the technical aspects of good media production and provides thoughtful and practical guidance on how to plan, shape and organize media presentations that will surprise, charm, inform and influence audiences. His emphasis is on informational rather than narrative media. At a time when we tend to be bedazzled and distracted by the remarkable technology now within easy reach we need frequent reminding that the idea is everything and that all that follows must be designed to deliver that idea to our intended audience forcefully, memorably and persuasively. This book will show producers of documentary, sponsored and informational films and other motion-media (Mr. Shelton's term) exactly how to proceed. Particularly valuable are the many examples, format samples, check lists and illustrations he includes. The Communication Analysis Plan is the best and most complete I have seen. This book can teach and encourage informational filmmakers who of late tend to be over-shadowed by our Hollywood brothers/sisters. The fact is, however, our productions can be equally creative, well-crafted and moving if we remember that most of the work needs doing long before we pick up a camera as we ponder and analyze exactly what is to be done, for what audiences, in what way, with what result. Shelton's book will certainly help. I recommend it highly for those who want to become better and more efficient information media producers and as a text book.



2. Whether you're a motion media professional or a student of visual communications, this book is a "must read" for you. The author - drawing on some forty years of experience as a successful information motion-media professional - writes with clarity and authority about both the theory and practice of communicating ideas through film, video, and multi-media. Shelton argues persuasively that the main objective of all information motion media is to influence the thought and behavior of the target audience, and that all the resources - creative and technical - that a motion media specialist has at his or her disposal must be directed toward that end. But he cautions that creativity used for its own sake may result in failed communications and a waste of the client's money. Building on this theme, the author elucidates an array of time-tested principles that he strongly advocates should be applied in the design and production of effective motion media. Not to be missed is an appendix featuring some fascinating "quotable quotes" that the author has collected over the years (though perhaps some individuals might consider having been quoted a dubious honor). In sum, there is no better book available on this topic, and I recommend it without reservations.



3. I strongly recommend S. Martin Shelton's book to practitioners of any profession seeking to influence the actions or thoughts of others through the power of media, be it through the written word or the transmission of images. As a Foreign Service officer I should have had this book 30 years ago. Though the focus of his book is film and video, his explanation and exploration of the principles of the communication process has application in all facets of interpersonal dealings. To cite but one example, this is especially true in the field of advertising--print, video, or radio. Much too often, media fails to motivate audiences to do what the sponsor has in mind, from the prosaic act of choosing between competing brands of toothpaste to such altruistic goals as inculcating healthful life choices. Such failure, as clearly expounded by Mr. Shelton, is in large part attributable to a growing lack of understanding of the underlying tenants of the art of communications. For one, the seductive explosion of technology's rapidly expanding capabilities has led to a shift in focus from communicating a message to enthralling with pixel glitz. Incorporating Shelton's ideas garnered and developed over years of practical experience and a background rich in theoretical knowledge, will improve significantly what we see and hear in our daily lives-bringing clarity to much of the "noise" surrounding us. Kenneth Albright, US Foreign Service (Retired)



4. This book is the distillation and compilation of the knowledge Shelton has gained from many years of experience in tehse fields. It is well written and his comprehensive knowledge of the field is evident. He is sometimes acerbic but his advice is heartfelt and should be of great value to beginnners as well as professionals in these areas. His "FUNDAMENTAL VERITIES OF INFORMATION MOTION-MEDIA" will be of particular usefulness as it is pithy and to the point. The book could well be used as a text in a college-level course. I recommend it unreservedly.
   
   Dr. E. V. Ruhnke, Sr., Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University-Kingsville



5. Mr. Shelton's book on filmic communication is an important breakthrough in the understanding of how and why films work with audiences. For the first time in the many years I've been in the profession I've found a book that tells me how motion media works and how to make it work. With masterful insight he analyzes the very foundation of my profession-how to use film and video to motivate our audiences, how to get them involved. To anyone in our profession or to any aspiring students, Shelton's book may well be the key to your success.

4 comments about The Illustrated Dance Technique of Jose Limon.

1. My dance teacher uses this syllabus in class and we all love it. The different levels of exercises are perfect, as we can build upon them each week. THis is a very useful book.



2. the principles found in the beginning lend necessary insights into the exercises that follow; great for the creative mind.



3. This book is a true expirience, but it is definately not for beginners in dance.I am a former dancer, now choreographer.
   The book gives you a more than well insight in Jose Limons work and working-methods, and contains wonderful pictures. You get facinated and humble the more you know about Jose Limon.
   The examples of exercises in the book is a valuable part of it. They are carefully written down, so you can follow them. If you can read notation there is a unique part with short pieces of choreographies.
   I really enjoyed to read the book. Limons work comes even more alive and shows his uniqe technique. So if you are a dancer or have a good basic in dance, the book is highly recommed.
   It is one of those books you just want to add to your collection.



4. This book really shows the incredible skill of Jose Limon. I am a dancer and I really enjoyed this book because it clearly showed the technique of Jose Limon. I would suggest this book to any dancer because it really gives you new perspective on some types of movement. This book really made Limon's technique and movement come alive.

No comments about Creative Drama in the Classroom.

3 comments about One Voice.

1. I was a student of Joan's at Cal State Fullerton in the Theatre Arts program and consider myself fortunate to have worked with her and given valuable information on vocal work. She integrates movement with vocal strengthening and presents the necessary understanding and incorporation of diction, pronunciation, and phonetics. She's a singer, musician and a master dialectician. If you're a beginning actor and you aren't able to take a class with Joan, this book is an incredible investment for your training.



2. I highly recommend this text! Joan Melton clearly explains through exercises how to link the singing voice with the speaking voice via Fitzmaurice voicework. The anatomy and vocal physiology sections of the book are also very useful.



3. A comprehensive physical approach to voice training that draws extensively from the groundbreaking work of Catherine Fitzmaurice and her innovative approach to destructuring and restructuring the breathing. Highly recommended for singers and actors alike.

1 comments about The Making of Exile Cultures: Iranian Television in Los Angeles.

1. An amazing insight into the development of the Iranian-American community. This book shows the power of media and politics in the development of identity. The true strenght of this work is that it is applicable to all people. As the role of the media comes under greater scrutiny and people begin to question what they see, read and hear, we understand why this book is so powerful. As Naficy takes us on the ride into Los Angeles, the center of the Iranian-American community, we begin to understand that the construction and creation of the Iranian community is very much imagined and developed by the media and press. This production of identity and image is essential study for all Iranians living in the US and important to all people who want to see how powerful mass media can be in shaping our thoughts, ideas and images of others and ourselves. The only knock on this work is the dense anthropological language that is used to discuss the various psychological and technical subject matters. However that is unavoidable in such a work.

No comments about LA 411 2008 (La 411).

5 comments about Writing the Action Adventure Film: The Moment of Truth.

1. This book provides very little insight to action films. It talks all about the importance of story, which every screenwriting book does, most of them much more comprehensively. There are much more informative, better written and better edited works like Story or Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach which stress even more compellingly that protagonists & antagonists must each have their own moral code, actions must be motivated, blah blah. What I wanted from Mr. Hicks was to get into the mechanics of writing Action-Adventure stories, their tone, setting up action sequences, how to handle the interplay of different Action-Adventure characters, how to meet and defy the audience expectations...this book just skims the surface of all this.
   
   Not to mention, Mr. Hicks is far too firmly grounded in the films of yesteryear. Three Kings doesn't fit his narrow requisites so it isn't a good movie? Come on. The Action-Adventure protagonist should remain free of emotional entanglements? What would Mr. Hicks say of Bond in Casino Royale....
   
   Finally, his history of the genre, going back to Westerns and plotting their development as a result of societal trends, is pure overgeneralized BS. As is the analysis of foreign action films. He obviously hasn't been watching Asian films from the last two decades, only early Jackie Chan films.
   
   Don't waste your money like I did.



2. This book seems to be written by amatures!
   
   It is unorganized, I could not follow the subject that the author is explaining.
   
   It is a research book rather that intended for eduaction.
   
   If you want to write a film, please ignore this book.
   
   If you are a regular movie goer, take it, if you have a spare of 10 $.Probably you will know more about the dynamics of the action film



3. The positive reviews here obviously come from Hicks' pals (check out his website). The book is poorly-written, incoherent, and gives no specific (or recognizable) advice on how to write an action film. It is basically a rambling (and very odd)discourse on the history of war movies.

   I can highly recommend Tobin, Epstein, Martell, and Walker if you want to learn how to write action--or any other--films.




4. Not a lot of substance here. I did not find this book at all useful, a waste of money over all. A lot of talk about nothing specific, writer wonders around willy nilly, and no real how tos. Information such as formatting of action elements, or just how specific you should be when writing action scenes would have been much better served here, but alas, not to be. Books such as Crafty Screenwriting or Screenwriters Bible go much, much further.



5. If you want to understand the Action Adventure Genre, this is THE book. Great models, insights, rules to use or break.
   Neill Hicks is a screenwriter who's written scripts that have been made into successful hit movies -- Rumble in The Bronx, First Strike. There are a lot of books on screenwriting written by people who are still trying to see their script go to production, let alone be a hit. This book's wisdom, insight and practial observations and advice shows why Hicks made it.
   He has a very nice across genre model of protagonist characteristics which he also mentioned more briefly in his previous book, Screenwriting 101-- another excellent source.

No comments about Digital Practices: Aesthetic and Neuroesthetic Approaches to Performance and Technology.

2 comments about The Collected Works of Paddy Chayefsky: The Screenplays Volume 2 (Collected Works of Paddy Chayefsky).

1. I have just finished this particular collection of screenplays, two of which are Academy Award winners and I am knocked out, just completely bowled over by them. I've always been a fan of Chayefsky, ever since I first saw NETWORK (included), perhaps his best known film. I hadn't seen THE HOSPITAL and caught only part of ALTERED STATES on television once. Let me say, they are every bit as dark and funny and pertinent to today as NETWORK.

   Brief summaries: NETWORK is a satire on Network television, the story of a news anchor who goes crazy (or not so crazy) and the ensuing descent of his network as they play to the lowest common denominator for ratings. Through Peter Finch, Chayefsky has bequeathed us the immortal line, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more." Fans of the film will notice this script contains some extra dialogue and one brief scene, all of which was probably shot, but which the great director Sidney Lumet saw fit to cut. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1976.

   THE HOSPITAL script also won an Academy Award. Here Chayefsky satirizes a bevy of denizens in a large New York hospital complex and the activists of the surrounding neighborhood, making them all complicit in the killing of "God" who checked himself in as a patient. It's a fantastically snarky story, full of dialogue like

   BOCK: What do you say Miss Drummond?
   BARBARA: I expect you can call me Barbara, considering you ravished me three times last night.
   BOCK: Three times?
   BARBARA: Oh, look at him, pretending he didn't count.

   Finally, there is ALTERED STATES, perhaps my favorite, which did not win any awards, and is considered somewhat of a failure as a film. Well there's a story behind that. Chayefsky, with his reputation (he also won a screenwriting Oscar for MARTY), was able to secure an unheard-of contract for the movie: not a single line could be changed. This is standard in theater, but film is considered a director's medium -- and the director, Ken Russel, was adamant about rewriting. He tried to change a few lines and Chayefsky shut him down. Russel retaliated by trying to film the dialogue in the worst way possible, having it interrupted by other sounds, turned down too low, having actors speak it in weird ways. After reading this script, one will agree this was a tragedy. ALTERED STATES is nothing less than Chayefsky's answer to every scientific and religious question. It packs a mind-blowing philosophical punch behind a science fiction story about a psychologist who regresses to a primitive consciousness. It is also completely, touchingly human in the end.

   There are other volumes of his screenplays, teleplays and stageplays -- all of which I am now desperate to get my hands on and read. For anyone who reads screenplays, this book is an absolute essential. I'm going to keep it in a reverent place on my shelf. Staggeringly good. 5/5 stars!




2. If you love movies, if you want to write screenplays, how can you not read this collection? Paddy Chayefsky's talent, passion and rage leap off every page. His eye for the absurd is as fresh today as when his scripts were shot. Look at what's on TV today, then read NETWORK, written with amazing foresight, 25 years ago.