The Endless End of Cinema: A History of Crisis and Survival in Hollywood

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Description

Film is dead! Three little words that have been heard around the world many times over the life of the cinema. Yet, some 120 years on, the old dogs ability to come up with new tricks and live another day remains as surprising and effective as ever. This book is an exploration of films ability to escape its own The End title card. It charts the history of cinemas development through a series of crises that could, should, ought to have ended it. From its origins to Covid - via a series of unlikely friendships with sound, television and the internet - the book provides industry professionals, scholars and lovers of cinema with an informing and intriguing journey into the afterlife of cinema and back to the land of the living. It is also a rare collaboration between an Oscar-winning filmmaker and a film scholar, a chronicle of their attempt to bridge two worlds that have often looked at each other with as much curiosity as doubt, but that are bound by the deep love of cinema that they both share.

Reviews

Sergis scholarly insights and Rydstroms unique love and professional knowledge of sound (along with his wonderfully dry sense of humor) create a truly unusual and rich take on the history of the film industry - while at the same time, giving us an eccentric perspective on world historical events that laid the rollercoaster tracks for Hollywoods ups and downs. Film and history buffs alike will enjoy the read! * Brenda Chapman, Writer/Director for Disney/Pixars Brave and co-director for Prince of Egypt, USA *

Author Bio

Gianluca Sergi is the Director of the Institute for Screen Research Industries and Associate Professor of Film and Television at the University of Nottingham, UK. A leading industry expert and scholar in the film and screen industries with over 25 years of experience, Sergi has published widely on film production and the cinema industry. He has also consulted for world leading studios and industry organisations in the US, UK and China. Gary Rydstrom is a sound designer at Lucasfilms Skywalker Sound, USA. He has won 7 Academy Awards in sound, for Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, Titanic, and Saving Private Ryan. At Pixar, he directed the animated short films Lifted and Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation. For Lucasfilm, he directed the animated feature Strange Magic. Rydstrom is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, USA, and continues to be involved in film education.