Introduction to Film and Video Communication

Author: Yue Miao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-12-01
Features: The history of communication is as long as that of human society, and the transmission of ideas is as enduring as human culture. Communication studies originated directly from journalism and information science. Westerners took the lead in shaping communication into a discipline. For this "imported discipline" to take root and grow in China, it is essential to study and summarize the history and practice of communication in China. After the introduction and initial stages, communication studies began to provide theoretical support for China's press reform and communication education in the new era. Everyone in the field of communication studies acknowledges that without the nourishment of multidisciplinary knowledge, there would be no communication studies today. The origins of communication studies lie in traditional philosophical and political theory frameworks, sociological and social psychology theories, anthropological, linguistic, semiotic, structuralist and post-structuralist theories, cultural critique theories from the Frankfurt School to neo-Marxism, and more. Communication also exists as a discipline of social practice. In our contemporary society, the significance of communication is hard to imagine. Therefore, on one hand, communication studies has benefited greatly from the nourishment of multidisciplinary knowledge, and on the other hand, it continuously provides society with perspectives and methods to observe reality, connecting this diverse society and the human population separated by cultural gaps. Based on a consideration of the history and reality of communication studies, we have gathered some experts and scholars long engaged in journalism and communication education and research to edit and publish this series, "New Horizons in Communication," aiming to examine communication phenomena from different angles and perspectives, expand the application scope of Western communication studies introduced into China, and summarize the practical experience of the localization of communication studies in China. The contributors include senior journalists from Xinhua News Agency who have long worked overseas, leading scholars in the field of applied communication research, communication scholars with over a decade of study abroad, and emerging academic talents dedicated to communication research. Some of the topics in this series are rarely explored in domestic communication studies, such as the book "Foreign Publicity Reporting and English Writing," which is based on the author's nearly 50 years of practical experience in news reporting, writing, and translation at Xinhua News Agency. The target audience of foreign news communication are foreigners and overseas Chinese, who have different ways of thinking, behavioral habits, and value systems. In news communication, one cannot simply copy the domestic publicity methods. The book "Development Communication and China's Development Reality" explores the role and position of mass communication in the construction of socialist spiritual civilization, based on the new challenges posed by China's socialist market economy to the development of spiritual civilization. Through case studies, it discusses the new developments of "development communication" in China's new era. The book "Introduction to Film and Television Communication and Techniques" broadens the perspective of film and television art, summarizing the development history of film and television art from a communication perspective, which helps improve the appreciation of film and television works. Today is an era of rapid development in communication technology. The study of the natural attributes of information communication, which is a hot discipline in contemporary information science, has become a popular field. Meanwhile, the study of the social attributes of information communication, which is communication studies, has also garnered widespread attention from society and is bound to become a hot discipline. The publication of this series is precisely an attempt to seize these two hot disciplines and explore their connections, the significance of which is self-evident. The discipline of information communication is a cutting-edge field of the 21st century, alongside life sciences, environmental sciences, material sciences, and other fields with great development potential, which are increasingly attracting attention from countries around the world. The widespread use of the Internet will have a revolutionary impact on the field of human information communication. Therefore, research on communication theory and its applied aspects not only relates to the construction of the communication discipline and the cultivation of talent but will also significantly drive the development of the economy and society, bringing about notable social and economic benefits. Since the first edition of this book was published, due to its unique selection, format, and content, it has quickly become a textbook used by many universities. This revised edition has undergone substantial modifications. The book elaborates on film and television communication theory while systematically introducing the development history of film and television in China and abroad. It provides in-depth critiques of a selection of representative outstanding film and television works, discussing the relationship between film and television culture and mass communication media, as well as the effects of film and television communication from a communication studies perspective. When introducing the development history of Chinese film, it explains the achievements of film in different periods and the styles of the fourth and fifth generations of directors, with a dedicated chapter on the development history and directorial styles of Hong Kong and Taiwanese cinema. In introducing the development history of foreign film, it selects several countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States, providing a systematic introduction to their film development history, particularly their film genres, aesthetic characteristics, and renowned directors. The book elaborates on the development history of Chinese television, including Taiwan and Hong Kong, introducing a selection of influential and representative television dramas. It also provides a systematic discussion on the appreciation of film and television art, covering both methods of appreciation and the different characteristics of film and television appreciation. Additionally, the book dedicates a chapter to brief critiques of a selection of outstanding film and television works.