----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > I work in the film industry but all of my knowledge comes >from >practical experience and simply enjoying watching films. Now >this List >has me curious about the analytical side of things. So where >do I start? > What's a good primer to introduce the subject to an >essentially >non-academic type? Maybe then I'll have some idea what the >hell you folks >are talking about. Well , would not say that there is an easy starting point. Analysis is not a linear activity nor is learning the role of different interpertitive modes. There are many different texts you could read depending on what perspective you desired (historical, formalist, mainstream, genere, deconstructive, semitoic, auter etc....) Some text that I got alot out of are as follows: Denis Hollier: Against Architecture the writings of George Bataille Scott MacDonald: A Critical Cinema 2 Teresa de Lauretis: Technologies of gender Richard Dyer: The matter of Images Kaja Silverman: The Subject of Semiotics Stephen Heath: Questions of Cinema Linda Williams: Figures of Desire Rolland Barthes: The Pleasure of the text Slavoj Zizek: The Sublime Object of Ideology Clearly there are tons of texts you could read on the topic! I suggest these texts since none of them participates (IMHO) in the stupid activity of explaining how to view a film. This is a mix of film criticism and general theory. They all ofer conceptual models that you can observe and judge for yourself. All will teach a great deal about the process of looking and interacting with a text, filmic or otherwise. I found the Zizek and the MacDonald the most entertaining. The Silverman and the Heath are very strong works and you do not need alot of background to work with them. The Silverman is the most complete text in that it does a great deal of explaining, I believe It is a stadnard text for undergrads in film and semiotic studies. Hope this helps -D.H.