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Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema
People love films. Whether it is going out for an evening to the cinema or curling up at home with a DVD, movies are one of our favourite forms of entertainment. It is important for our Christian growth that we learn to watch films thoughtfully rather than just seeing them as entertainment. It's important that we understand the messages which films communicate and how they relate to the good news of Jesus Christ. There are also important sections on 'questions to consider when watching a film' and 'the problem of content - sex and violence'.
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 10, 2016
This was a decent introduction to worldview discernment in film and storytelling. The list of questions at the back of the book to assist in analysing a film will provide hours of thoughtful discussion.
Personally, I would have liked a more in-depth approach; I feel I learned more substantive worldview discernment tools from Nancy Pearcey's SAVING LEONARDO, for instance. I was also really keen to learn more about how cinematography, lighting, and composition communicates meaning, and I didn't feel this was addressed in quite enough depth.
Finally, I was surprised to find I had sincere disagreements with Watkins over the final appendix, on content. He thinks that explicit sex scenes or swearing are no worse than depictions of other sins, and may be necessary for telling the story. I disagree, because an actor may pretend to punch someone or pretend to be greedily materialistic, but when it comes to blaspheming or sex scenes, there's no pretending on the part of the actors.
Just a point of disagreement specific to film. Still a great introduction to worldview discernment in film, especially if you've never considered it before.
Personally, I would have liked a more in-depth approach; I feel I learned more substantive worldview discernment tools from Nancy Pearcey's SAVING LEONARDO, for instance. I was also really keen to learn more about how cinematography, lighting, and composition communicates meaning, and I didn't feel this was addressed in quite enough depth.
Finally, I was surprised to find I had sincere disagreements with Watkins over the final appendix, on content. He thinks that explicit sex scenes or swearing are no worse than depictions of other sins, and may be necessary for telling the story. I disagree, because an actor may pretend to punch someone or pretend to be greedily materialistic, but when it comes to blaspheming or sex scenes, there's no pretending on the part of the actors.
Just a point of disagreement specific to film. Still a great introduction to worldview discernment in film, especially if you've never considered it before.
August 3, 2009
I like this book because it gave a really good framework of how to watch movies and engage with others about the meaning. It really opened my eyes to how movies can start good conversations about society even if its Spice Girls!
June 16, 2011
Helpful book, I love Watkins' heart to analyze film and seek to find the good while not ignoring the bad. The last 2 chapters were excellent.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews