Visible Fictions

by John Ellis

This revised edition of a standard textbook combines an examination of the cinema and television industries with a detailed analysis of their aesthetic and semiotic characteristics. John Ellis draws on his experience as an independent television producer to provide a comprehensive and challenging overview of the place of film, television and video in our daily lives and their future prospects in a changing media landscape.

Genres: Film

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[JYTTE HOLMQVIST · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Ellis' Visible Fictions was originally written in 1982 but has been republished in several editions since then. This comes as no surprise since this very comprehensive and timeless book provides an excellent overview on cinema, video and TV as technically sophisticated forms of media that also engage their viewers and audiences on an abstract, aesthetic level. The book is perfectly used for academic purposes, and I personally found it extremely useful as a work to fall back upon, the theoretical underpinnings of the cinema and television industries perfectly explained, as I drew from a number of relevant chapters as part of the film theory classes I taught at the University of Melbourne in 2013. I also found Ellis' explanation of the "photo effect" very applicable to my doctoral analysis of Ventura Pons' cinema, particularly the film Barcelona (un mapa), from 2007. In Visible Fictions, Ellis clarifies and explains complex techniques and elements, sharing his many insights with readers benefited by a book that is instructive, stimulating and engaging all at once, and which comes highly recommended.
(Dr Jytte Holmqvist, 18 Feb. 2019).

[Jytte Holmqvist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and all-encompassing, this book provides solid insights into the three types of media and is particularly relevant in its focus on film, cinema and the viewing experience where historical references are made to cinema as a spectacle and the audience seen as a community engaged in an event. Still relevant to draw from in university courses; this valuable book standing the passing of time./ Dr Jytte Holmqvist

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anything and everything you never knew you may have never wanted to even know about TV and Cinema (written in the 80s).