>It seems to me that this thread takes it for granted that film instructors

>need a textbook. I wonder if this is true. Perhaps FILM ART is the only

>vaguely workable textbook because their isn't a great need for such books.

>They seem to be mostly labor saving devices used to cut down on time spent

>developing a class. A few charts on handouts and some competent lectures

can

>accomplish the same thing.



Hell, according to "best director" Steven Sodenbergh, he can teach

anyone "with a brain" to be a director in an hour:

http://us.imdb.com/PeopleNews/2001/20010328.html#1



Oh, and a bunch of DVDs help too.



Personally I'm quite grateful to have had Film Art and Understanding Movies

back in the 80s. But does anyone actually read them anymore? I ask because

in recent years I've heard a lot of noise from people saying "I want letter-

box! I want widescreen TV." Especially film students (who usually have

these as standard texts). And it seems, while I was sleeping, widescreen

digital will soon become standard (assuming everyone can afford $7000 TVs).



Now I haven't seen the latest editions but I remember some good

explanations about various film formats, including soft-matting. Yet even

supposably educated film students and instructors still believe that you

always see more of a movie in "letterbox." And most full-frame films are

considered "pan-and-scan" even though there's no panning or scanning or

cropping.



Being one who supports democracy I wonder, can anyone explain why we're

switching to a new TV standard when the current standard is already

embraced by most Hollywood movies, and certainly about 100% of all currrent

programming? Is it necessary to see Scully & Mulder's foreheads and chins

be cropped off when we watch re-runs of the X-Files on our new digital TVs?



I guess we'll have to develop a "doorway" process to insert black bars on

the side.



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