Other performing arts Books
Faber & Faber Going Out Out
£10.44
John Wiley & Sons Inc Filmmaking For Dummies
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part 1: Getting Started with Filmmaking 5 Chapter 1: So You Want to Be a Filmmaker 7 Chapter 2: Genres in General 21 Chapter 3: Penning and Pitching a Great Story 39 Part 2: Gearing Up to Make Your Movie 55 Chapter 4: Scheduling and Budgeting Your Movie 57 Chapter 5: Financing Your Movie 77 Chapter 6: Location, Location, Location 93 Chapter 7: Crewing Up: Hiring Your Crew 109 Chapter 8: Assembling Your Cast of Characters 129 Chapter 9: Storyboarding Your Movie 145 Part 3: Ready to Roll: Starting Production on Your Movie 161 Chapter 10: Shooting through the Looking Glass 163 Chapter 11: Let There Be Lighting! 191 Chapter 12: Sound Advice: Production Sound 209 Chapter 13: Directing Your Actors: And Action! 227 Chapter 14: A Sense of Direction: Directing Your Movie 243 Part 4: Finishing Your Movie in Post 265 Chapter 15: Cut to: Editing Your Movie — Shot by Shot 267 Chapter 16: Posting Your Movie’s Soundtrack: Adding Music and Effects to the Mix 287 Chapter 17: Conjuring Up Special Effects 305 Chapter 18: Giving Credit and Titles 325 Part 5: Finding Distribution for Your Movie 337 Chapter 19: Distributing Your Movie 339 Chapter 20: Exploring and Entering Film Festivals 363 Part 6: The Part of Tens 377 Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Discovering New Talent 379 Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Get Publicity for Your Movie 385 Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Avoid Murphy’s Law 391 Chapter 24: Ten Tips for Shooting on Your Smartphone 397 Index 405
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd We Need to Talk About . . . Kevin Bridges
Book SynopsisThe comic autobiography of 2014 A comedian''s autobiography? I wonder if he''s ever used humour to deflect from his insecurities? To avoid being bullied? Is there heartache behind the humour? I wonder if he''s a manic-depressive? Tears of a clown? Yes, all of that. Discover the hilarious life-story of one of Britain''s best-loved comedians in Kevin Bridges'' brilliant memoir. ''First of all, I have never written a book before, you probably haven''t either, so there we have it; a connection is established between reader and writer . . .'' Aged just 17, Kevin Bridges walked on stage for the first time in a Glasgow comedy club and brought the house down. He only had a five-minute set but in that short time he discovered that he really could earn a living from making people laugh. Kevin began life as a shy, nerve-ridden school-boy, whose weekTrade ReviewKevin Bridges might just become the best stand-up in the land . . . he will go and deliver a one-liner that you want to jot down and frame * The Times *The Best Scottish Stand up of his Generation. * The Scotsman *A wonderfully dry and deadpan Glaswegian comic . . . one the most exciting talents to have emerged from Scotland since Billy Connolly * Guardian *Wonderfully sharp, assured stand-up from the preternaturally gifted young comic * Independent *Scotland's young comedy prodigy * Guardian *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Spectacles
Book SynopsisDiscover the woman behind the spectacles in the hilarious, incredibly moving memoir from much loved comedian, writer and presenter Sue Perkins, star of Mel & Sue and The Great British Bake Off''Very funny. Reading her memoir is very like meeting her'' Sunday Times''Tight & bright & full of inspiration'' Chris Evans, Radio 2 When I began writing this book, I went home to see if my mum had kept some of my stuff. What I found was that she hadn''t kept some of it. She had kept all of it - every bus ticket, postcard, school report - from the moment I was born to the moment I finally had the confidence to turn round and say ''Why is our house full of this shit?''Sadly, a recycling ''incident'' destroyed the bulk of this archive.This has meant two things: firstly, Dear Reader, you will never get to see countless drawings of wizards, read a poem about corn on the cob, or marvel at the kilos of brown flowers I so loviTrade ReviewDrama, tears and laughs - Spectacles has got it all. A brilliant, touching memoir suffused with love, it reminds you that life is best lived at wonky angles. I ADORED it -- Jessie Burton bestselling author of * The Miniaturist *Very funny . . . It seems there are two Sue Perkins: the TV one, who gabbles and pratfalls, and the sensitive one who aches. The first of course, exists to protect the second. They can both write. The first writes comedy, the second tragedy; in this sense, reading her memoir is very like meeting her * Sunday Times *It's a proper book . . . so well written. Tight & bright & full of inspiration -- Chris Evans * Radio 2 *Utterly wonderful. It's very, very funny and poignant and it's very Sue Perkins and that's the bliss of it -- Nina Stibbe, bestselling author of * Love, Nina and Man at the Helm *Relentlessly cheering, Spectacles is as charming and funny as Perkins herself. Like going for a long, slightly drunken lunch with your naughtiest friend * Red Magazine *Brilliantly written... fearlessly honest and full of heart, it will also make you laugh like a gibbon * Heat ***** *I absolutely loved it . . . whip smart and very funny -- Fanny Blake * Woman & Home *Life, love and loss - it's all here ... Warm, crisp and beautifully layered - like its author,Spectacles is a complete delight * Independent on Sunday *[A] deftly written and belly-laugh funny autobiography . . . Though she never suggests she might be remotely brainy, she clearly is. Her vocabulary makes Will Self's seem lacking, her writing is full of discreetly clever allusions . . . If she wants her readers to like her, she certainly achieved it with this reviewer who laughed and cried and secretly wants her as a best friend -- Elizabeth Fremantle * Daily Express *Sue's memoir will leave you feeling like you've made a new best friend. Introducing us to a cast of friends, family and love interests, and not forgetting a psychopathic nun, Sue picks apart life in a refreshingly honest, warm and downright hilarious way... Spectacles firmly cements her as an exciting writer of the future * OK Magazine *This smart and funny story is far from the photo-heavy, ghost-written volumes that it will compete with . . . Perkins is such a good writer . . . incapable of writing a boring sentence -- Cathy Rentzenbrink * Sunday Express *
£9.99
Penguin Books Ltd Circus of Mirrors
Book SynopsisDiscover the dazzling new historical novel from the author of That Green Eyed Girl and 73 Dove StreetPerfect for fans of City of Girls, Cabaret and Sunday Times bestseller, The Whalebone Theatre - available to pre-order in paperback! ''Sexy, electrically stylish, and beautiful - a gorgeous story about sisterhood, and a glamorous, evocative passport to a period we all long to get lost in'' Daisy Buchanan, award-winning author of Insatiable''Julie''s best novel yet'' Georgina Moore, bestselling author of The Garnett GirlsLadies and gentlemen, welcome to the Babylon Circus . . .'Berlin, 1926: young Leni finds work as a cigarette girl wide-eyed, dodging stray hands as the painted dancers and revellers party the nights away. It's all for her little sister Annette to put a roof over their heads, food in their bellies. Because the two sisters have no one but each other.Then Leni meets pianist Paul, and embarks on a passionate, all-consuming love affair. But for Paul, Berlin is a dangerous place to be. If he and Leni are to have a future together, they must flee the city.For Leni, it's an impossible choice: her sister or the love of her life?The consequences of her decision will ripple through the next four decades . . .***Immersive, tender, simmering with secrets' Alex Hay ''A tale of two sisters and a city, all three of them so vividly drawn, I felt I knew them. Superbly atmospheric, with convincingly flawed characters that just leap off the page'' Frances Quinn, author of The Bonesetter Woman ''An all-singing, all-dancing, moving and masterful book about two complex sisters living in incredibly complex times. Brilliant.'' Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl ''Bold, brave and absorbing'' Elizabeth Buchan, author of Bonjour, Sophie ''With hints of Atonement, this is an epic novel' Louise Fein, author of Daughter of the Reich Praise for Julie Owen Moylan ''Touching, entertaining and hopeful'' Sunday Times ''Dazzling'' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ''I was gripped from the first page'' SARA COX ''Psychologically astute and emotionally absorbing,'' DAILY MAIL ''A wonderfully evocative, immersive novel that brings 50s London to life, from the smog and the nightlife to attitudes towards women'' SUNDAY EXPRESS ''Emotional, immersive and utterly absorbing'' JENNIFER SAINT
£9.49
John Murray Press Be a Great Standup
Book SynopsisFrom one of the UK's most acclaimed and successful tutors of stand-up comedy comes this guide to understanding, developing and, most importantly, delivering a great comedy routine. Features practical tips, exercises, and expert advice.Trade Review"The author's love for his job shines through...it has inspired me to pencil a date in my diary for my own return to stand-up after a ten-year hiatus." * - www.channel4.com/4laughs *"With advice from several comics and tips on how the business end of comedy works, anyone who reads it will feel empowered, full of confidence that they can take to the stage." * - www.chortle.co.uk *Stand-up is such a visual and oral medium, how could you possibly gain anything other than very basic advice from a self-help book? Logan Murray has succeeded. The highly experienced stand-up and comedy course tutor, has written a very useful guide to starting out as a stand-up comedian. * - LaughRiot.co.uk *Table of Contents : introduction : part one: theory 01: where do jokes come from? : do we create funny ideas or do they come : and find us? : practical creative games : some modern theories of humour : what is a joke? : attitude, the comedian’s secret weapon : attitude games 02: building a joke : extreme attitudes to specific points can : lead to humour : always ask yourself: ‘what is the comedian’s : answer to this particular problem?’ : finding the joke : afterthoughts : afterthought games 03: comedy ground rules : style or content? : kill little Mr/Ms social control in your head : stupid name game : what’s your attitude to the subject? : more attitude games : be specific : games to develop specific thinking : be concise : the longer the set up, the funnier the : punchline had better be! : if it doesn’t add, it detracts : detracting the audience verbally : detracting the audience with your body : language : avoid the temptation of burying your : routines in the past : always remember: start with your best stuff; : finish with your best stuff; let the middle : take care of itself 04: what sort of comic are you? : your persona : comedic flaws and how to use them : comic archetypes : mixing and matching : games to uncover comedic flaws : part two: practical sessions 05: unlocking your creativity : don’t worry about the result: just write! : writing activities 06: a word about emotional exaggeration : breaking the habits of a lifetime: be bigger, : be broader! : reasons why comics start exaggerating : their emotional responses… : reasons why new comedians might : overlook their emotional performance… : why comedians need to be more extreme… : activities to encourage emotional : exaggeration 07: creating material : workshop 1: the thank you list : workshop 2: building routines : workshop 3: putting your set together : pruning your material : ‘less is more’ activities : workshop 4: the hate list : workshop 5: creating your own lists : workshop 6: joke forms : workshop 7: finding different voices : stereotype activities : creating a character act 08: stagecraft : think about your attitude to your audience : treat the audience exactly how you would : treat your friends : force yourself to look at the audience : try to ‘read’ the crowd : slow down! : speeding through your set means that : inevitably your timing will be off : how to deal with nerves 09: microphone technique : microphone mistakes 10: hecklers and crowd control : why a gig can go bad : how to make a gig better : hecklers : crowd control exercises 11: what other comics think : Milton Jones : Richard Herring : Steve Hall : Sarah Kendal : Pat Condell : Katy Bagshaw : Marek Larwood : Mark Maier : Robin Ince : Greg Davies 12: business : how to get started : learn to market yourself : publicity : phoning for work : etiquette : do your time on stage : building your set : compèring : beyond stand-up : competitions : festivals : agents and managers 13: your first gig : booking the gig : three or four days before the gig : the day before the gig : on the day of the gig : on the evening of the gig : on stage : after the gig 14: the future : appendix 1: group games : appendix 2: the fall and rise of stand-up comedy : taking it further : index : acknowledgements
£10.99
Hodder & Stoughton Truths Half Truths and Little White Lies
Book Synopsis''No life can really be all black, right? Even during the darkest times, what got me through that bleakness was laughter and time. With enough of both of these things I reckon you could get over just about anything.''Nick Frost burst onto our screens in a blaze of camo fatigues and weaponry as the Territorial Army obsessed loveable idiot Mike Watt in the hit cult comedy Spaced. Since then, fans around the world have watched him with a fervent devotion as he fought zombies, rescued aliens and salsa''d his way to box office smash after smash.It''s quite a story. But it''s not this story. This story isn''t the romp from movie set to Hollywood party. This is a story of a life like no other.With blistering candour Frost recounts his childhood growing up in Essex in a household full of love and optimism but tragically blighted by alcoholism, illness and sudden life shattering misfortune. Dogged by his own personal demons, Nick tells of the hil
£11.69
Thunder's Mouth Press Shock Value: A Tasteful Book About Bad Taste
Book Synopsis
£14.24
Histria LLC Revealing the Inner Contours of Human Emotion:
Book SynopsisAntony Tudor stands as one of the pillars of twentieth-century ballet choreography. An English born choreographer who found a home in the United States, Tudor gained renown as the most innovative choreographer of his day. He explored the inner contours of human emotion as he sculpted one-act short stories about ordinary men and women. Based on a series of interviews with the curators of the Tudor legacy: Sally Bliss, Trustee of the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust, and four of the RÉpÉtiteurs, the professionals tasked with restaging the Tudor ballets, this book discusses the legacy of Antony Tudor and the restaging of his ballets to preserve their unique qualities that make them Tudor ballets. The author, Christine Knoblauch-O’Neal, is Director of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance Program in the Performing Arts Department at Washington University in St. Louis. Before beginning her academic career, Christine performed for twenty years as a dancer with companies such as the American Ballet Theater (where she worked with Antony Tudor), the National Ballet, and the Cincinnati Ballet.
£16.16
Allen & Unwin Sunshine
Book SynopsisThere are a lot of Ambers in the stripping world. And Aprils and Summers, and Skys and Rains. There are quite a few gems: Sapphires, Diamonds, Rubies and even an Amethyst. And exotic creatures: Tigers, Cheetahs, Phoenixes and Kitties. Plenty of weather conditions, like Misty, Stormy and Cloudy. There are, of course, a selection of fruits: Cherry, Berry, Peaches and Apple. And confectionery to go with it, like Candy, Lolly and Caramel. And then there are the generic hot-girl/sexy names: Lolita, Tiffany, Chanel, Lulu, Sasha and Brigitte.Meet Sunshine. That's her stage name. Follow her downstairs into the shadowy underworld of the so-called Gentlemen's Clubs, where men hide in dark corners and pay gorgeous women like Sunshine to take their clothes off. Follow her to the private rooms where the lap dances happen, the hustle plays out and the real money flows. Sit with her in the back room with the other dancers, her friends and colleagues, who laugh and cry and rake in the dollars and party as though a zombie apocalypse is on the horizon.Sunshine tells us in her own brutally honest and audacious words what it's like to work as a stripper, both in Australia and overseas.Confessional, confronting, revealing, wildly entertaining and often laugh-out-loud funny, Sunshine: The diary of a lap dancer will take you into a world that most of us can only imagine and that others know all too well. But only the dancers know what really goes on - and this book shows you their world stripped bare.
£11.69
John Blake Publishing Ltd Micky Flanagan: Funny Geezer - The Unofficial
Book SynopsisMicky Flanagan is one of Britain's best-loved cheeky-chappy comedians, thanks to his stand-up routines about how he's gone from growing up in London's East End in the 1970s to his life now in middle-class suburbia. To date he has two sell-out tours under his belt, nominations from the British Comedy Awards and the Edinburgh Fringe (for Best Comedy Newcomer), not to mention regular stints on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week and The Last Leg, as well as guest appearances on The Jonathan Ross Show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, The Graham Norton Show and The One Show. Yet a career as a professional comedian was not something that he had ever dreamed of when, as a troublesome teen, he left school aged 15 to work in a fish market. Abi Smith looks at how Micky, who was laughed at by his teachers when he said he wanted to be a vet, has triumphed from his early days working as a fish porter in the East End and as a dishwasher in New York. In this page-turning biography you'll also discover why his mum labelled him a drama queen, and how he tried his hand at various professions - including trainee teacher and painter and decorator - before having the last laugh by becoming one of the country's most popular funny men. So, pour yourself a cup of Rosie Lee, take the weight off your plates and prepare for a right giraffe as you read this engaging tale of 'an East Boy done good'.
£9.49
The Gresham Publishing Co. Ltd Dear Green Sounds - Glasgow's Music Through Time
Book SynopsisGlasgow has always been known for its live music, and at the heart of any music community it is the live venues and buildings that are important, and play host to local and touring acts. One of the main reasons for Glasgow's continued blossoming as a cultural capital is the infrastructure of clubs and buildings available for live performances. This book in glorious colour throughout tells the history of the city's music through Glasgow's famous landmark buildings by people best placed to tell those stories - music writers and journalists and historians. This book is a collection of memories and stories about the buildings that hosted stars such as Michael Jackson, Joan Armatrading, Joy Division, among many thousands more - ranging from the Apollo to the Pavilion, Piping Centre, Sub Club and King Tut's.Table of Contents(Random order at this stage) 1. Piping Centre and The College of Piping John Purser 2. Glasgow Pavilion - Ewan McVicar (including reference to The Scotia and the Alhambra, and the Empire) 3. The Grand Ole Opry - Martin Cloonan 4. Mono - Neil Cooper 5. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall - Tom Service 6. King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - Vic Galloway 7. The Apollo - Graeme Virtue 8. Glasgow Cathedral - Elaine Moohan 9. BBC Scotland - John Purser 10. Barrowland Ballroom - Graeme Virtue 11. City Halls - Tom Service 12. Empire Theatre- Alison Kerr 13. Sub-Club - Malcolm Jack 14. The St Andrew's Hall- Hugh Macdonald 15. The SECC (Big Red Shed) - Martin Cloonan 16. The Old Scotia Bar- Ewan McVicar 17. Rottenrow - Ewan McVicar 18. Postcard Records - Vic Galloway 19. Theatre Royal - Conrad Wilson
£13.50
Triarchy Press Nine Ways of Seeing a Body
Book SynopsisThis book presents nine lenses through which the body is conventionally viewed. The body as object, the body as subject, the phenomenological body, the contextual body, the interdependent body, the environmental body, the cultural body and, finally, the ecological body. Designed to be a guide and stimulus for teachers, students and practitioners of dance, performance, movement, somatics and the arts therapies - and for anyone troubled by the idea of a brain on legs.Trade ReviewIn this compact and accessible book Sandra Reeve invites the reader to engage with 'the body' through nine different lenses. The ensuing thought provoking journey will be of particular value to psychotherapists, arts therapists, and those interested in new ways of being. Anna Chesner: London Centre for Psychodrama This book is a delightful, readable set of beginning points or lenses through which to constantly consider and reconsider embodied practice - I am already looking forward to the second book. Phillip Zarrilli: Artistic Director, The Llanarth Group
£11.88
Bonnier Books Ltd Dynamo: The Book of Secrets: Learn 30
Book SynopsisA MASTERCLASS IN MAGIC FROM THE WORLD'S COOLEST MAGICIAN: DYNAMO In this fully illustrated guide to modern magic, Dynamo shows you how you can perform magic yourself. Learn how to make water freeze instantly, read your friends' minds, make chewing gum float 360 degrees around your head, slice a banana without even touching it, discover superhuman strength and many more mind-blowing illusions.The Book of Secrets will be the first step on an exciting journey for budding magicians, providing hours of breathtaking fun for all the family.#BeTheMagic
£15.29
Triarchy Press Body and Awareness
Book SynopsisOur growing understanding of embodied awareness is one of the less known and most extraordinary areas of contemporary research and practice. On one side (the left brain, as it were), neuroscience in all its forms is constantly shedding new light on subjects like embodied cognition, the distributed brain (brain-in-the-gut, brain-in the-heart), the workings of the left and right hemisphere of the brain (McGilchrist and others) and the processing of sensory and emotional data. On the other side (the right hemisphere, as it were) our study and awareness of the experience of being in our bodies, moving, feeling pain, dreaming, meditating, growing, becoming ill and healing, is becoming increasingly nuanced. Academic research is approaching the experience of consciousness and awareness 'from the inside' and making remarkable discoveries. The emerging field of 'body and awareness' is transdisciplinary and multifaceted - it has no subject listing in libraries and academia or in booksellers' metadata. But it is of central importance to those interested in understanding art, dance, the psychology of health, child learning and development, trauma, the psycho-ecology of extinction, loss and climate change, proprioception and enteroception, ecological awareness, meditation, and the need for societal transformation in an age of multiple convergent crises.Table of ContentsThe Actively Imagining Body ~ Helen Edwards The Alchemical Body ~ Hilary Kneale The Awakening Body ~ Anna Murray-Preece The Changing Body ~ Paula Kramer The Choreoauratic Body ~ Becca Wood The Dreamweaving Body ~ Sarah Hyde The Enfolding Body ~ Kim Sargent-Wishart The Imaginary Body ~ Alex Crowe The Instrumental Body ~ Olga Masleinnikova The Integrative Body ~ Elaine Hendry Westwick The Intuitive Body ~ Margaret Kerr The Moving Body ~ Sandra Reeve The Pain Body ~ Jamila Rodrigues The Poetic Body ~ Carran Waterfield The Proprioceptive Body ~ Laura Haughey The Psychodynamic Body ~ Sandra Kay Lauffenburger The Signing Body ~ Sheila Ryan The Transformative Body ~ Ditty Dokter The Unveiled Body ~ Celine Butte The Vegetal Body ~ Ali East
£23.23
Hachette Livre - BNF La Belle Et La Bête, Comédie-Vaudeville En 2
Book Synopsis
£10.00
Quarto Publishing PLC Last of the Summer Wine
Book SynopsisQuite simply, Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running comedy programme in the world. It premiered 37 years ago, in 1973, and, after 31 series it finally came to an end last year - even though all its original protagonists - Compo, Foggy, even Nora Batty - are now dead. Remarkably, for a series of such longevity and international appeal, it is all about elderly people, has little action or plot, and is set and filmed in and around the small Yorkshire town of Holmfirth. Now, Andrew Vine, the deputy editor of Yorkshire's daily newspaper, has written the definitive history of this television phenomenon. It covers the show's inauspicious beginnings, with low ratings, its endless reinvention as participants like Bill Owen, Michael Bates, Brian Wilde and Kathy Staff retired or died, the appearance of a string of guest stars from John Cleese and Norman Wisdom to Thora Hird and Russ Abbott (both of whom soon found themselves fixtures in the cast), and the ingenious plot contrivances as the protagonists became too old and frail to attempt any of the slapstick stunts with runaway prams - indeed any outdoor action. Holmfirth is now a year-round tourist attraction, and endless repeats and new DVD box sets will ensure a readership for this book for years to come.Trade Review'Thorough, affectionate and well-written, this is a must-have for all fans of the show' Choice magazine 'Celebrate the final series of this television classic with this superb book' The Daily Telegraph, Books 'An authoritative history of the show' -- Roger Lewis Mail on Sunday
£11.69
Hawthorn Press Stories to Light the Night: A Grief and Loss
Book SynopsisOver 90 healing stories for telling during difficult times, written and collated by acclaimed therapeutic storyteller Susan Perrow, including 30 contributions from different cultures and countries worldwide. The book covers issues of grief, bereavement, separation and loss. Chapters include: Loss of a Loved One; Loss of Place; Loss of Family Connection; Loss of a Pet; Loss of Health and Well-being; Other Kinds of Loss; Environmental Grief and Loss; Cycles of Life and Change; plus Patterns and Templates for Extension Activities (provided for some of the stories).The stories in this book are deeply tender, consoling gifts for children and adults who are wounded by overwhelming loss. They matter. A lot. Alida Gersie Ph.D. author of Storymaking in Bereavement. Dragons Fight in the Meadow.Grief is inevitable for everyone. Experiencing some kind of bereavement is something that none of us can avoid. So why are we so afraid to talk about it? This hopeful and uplifting book helps children and families make meaning after loss. It offers a grief toolkit' for sharing stories about a subject so often shrouded in silence and discomfort.Jane Harris, The Good Grief Project
£16.99
Columbia University Press Storythinking
Book SynopsisThis book explains how and why our brains think in stories. Angus Fletcher, an expert in neuroscientific approaches to narrative, identifies this capacity as “storythinking.”Trade ReviewFletcher’s done it again. His polymathic erudition and word-wizardry elegance pull off the equivalent of a Copernican revolution in our understanding of storytelling—in all its resplendent iterations. With Storythinking he invites us on an extraordinary odyssey that enriches understanding of our deep, instinctive impulse to create stories as makers and transformers of our world. Storythinking is nothing less than a cosmological paradigm shift that puts story making and thinking at the center of all that we do. -- Frederick Luis Aldama, award-winning author and Jacob & Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, UT AustinAngus Fletcher explains why effective narrative prioritizes the unique, shifts viewpoints, and encourages conflict. Not for their own sake. It makes a writer create and clarify more thoughtful ideas and leads readers to intuit and retain the message. Both revelatory and pragmatic, and so gracefully explained. -- Shane Greenstein, author of How the Internet Became Commercial: Innovation, Privatization, and the Birth of a New NetworkStorythinking is absolutely excellent: a much-needed reminder of and expansion on the transformative power of story, story as an enriched form of learning and as a valid epistemology. The book is a lovely, readable addition to academic and public life. I am eager to see the use of story resurrected! -- Lisa Miller, Ph.D., Professor & Founder, Spirituality Mind Body Institute, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityStory is a basic mental operation. Most of our experience, knowledge, and thinking is formed and organized by story: prediction, evaluation, planning, explanation, agents and actors, processes, goals. Story is an indispensable element of creativity. Human beings project from story to story and blend stories to create new concepts, new proposals, new science. How can we push the cognitive science of story forward? Fletcher, in this captivating and inspiring new book, leads the way. -- Mark Turner, author of The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and LanguageThe quickest way to elicit a scoff from 'serious thinkers' is to mention 'story'. But as someone who has built a career as a science communicator, who consistently straddles the line between art and science, and whose work is grounded in neuroscience, I know intuitively that storytelling is fundamental to how we think. Finally, Angus Fletcher brings his deep understanding of narrative together with his keen scientific mind to explain why we think in stories, why embracing story structure is the way forward, and how stories provide an architecture to thought as powerful and important as logic. Read this book. -- Indre Viskontas, Cognitive Neuroscientist, University of San Francisco[Storythinking] is a most unusual book, plumbing the depths of history to find where philosophy went off the rails, examining neurobiology for insight into creativity, and festooned with stories about great characters all the way through. I can honestly report I’ve never read anything like it. And that’s a good thing. * The Straight Dope *Table of Contents1. Story2. Story and Thinking3. The Origin of Story4. Why Our Schools Teach Logic, Not Story5. The Limits of Logic—or Why We Still Need Storythinking6. The Brain Machinery of Storythinking7. Improving Storythinking8. Storythinking for Personal Growth9. Storythinking for Social Growth10. Story’s Answer to the Meaning of LifeCoda: Conversations with a StorythinkerNotesIndex
£18.00
Hawthorn Press The Storytellers Way: A Sourcebook for Inspired
Book SynopsisLearn how to tell stories for entertainment, teaching, coaching, healing or making meaning. It contains a wealth of stories, exercises, questions, tips and insights to guide your storytelling path, offering time-tested and trusted ways to improve your skills, overcome blocks and become a confident and inspirational storyteller.
£17.00
Oxford University Press Inc Creative Health for Pianists Concepts Exercises
Book SynopsisCreative Health for Pianists: Concepts, Exercises & Compositions is a practical method book for musicians of all abilities. It provides a new way of thinking about the piano, emphasizing the pianist-reader''s innate capacity to respond creatively to a musical and technical stimulus. Author and veteran educator Pedro de Alcantara suggests that every pianist, from a complete beginner to a concert artist, may approach the instrument with the frame of mind of an improviser and composer, in which curiosity, inventiveness, and technical skills are inseparable.Throughout the book, original music snippets that encapsulate one or more aspects of piano playing are presented and explained, then developed through tweaks, variations, and compositions of increasing complexity. Every chapter contains variations suited to a complete beginner, as well as musical challenges that will capture the imagination of advanced players. Most chapters contain improvisational prompts and games with step-by-step rules, leading to the development of new creative skills combining musical depth and technical intelligence. Creative Health for Pianists is supported by a dedicated companion website with 48 pedagogical video clips.Trade ReviewThis method from Pedro de Alcantara forms a fantastic repository of tools to address all kinds of fundamental piano requirements in a playful way. In addition to the interest of his compositions, it is his particular approach that attracts me as a pianist and a teacher, because it stimulates creativity and independence and can be adapted to the study of the entire repertoire. By insisting on the need to take time, to listen, and to feel, this method perfects the skills of the pianist, moving away from a purely mechanical approach to one offering the means to train hands and ears in a healthy and creative way. * Lara Erbès, Professor of Piano, Conservatoire de Strasbourg *Pedro de Alcantara's Creative Health for Pianists presents fundamental musical concepts, using imaginative pedagogical tools with clarity, humor, real-life examples, and boundless creativity. His progression from archetype to variation/improvisation to composition, which underlies each chapter, develops the pianist's creative potential, linking mind, soul, ear, and hand. In the course of the book, the reader absorbs new material through the act of fearless creation and the freedom to curate their own, unique learning experience. A highly recommended text! * Vladimir Valjarević, Piano and Piano Pedagogy Faculty, Mannes School of Music; Steinway Artist *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface Introduction 1. Dialogue 2. Heartbreak 3. Seesaw 4. Celeste 5. The Circle 6. Gesture 7. Advanced Seesaw 8. Sonic Play 9. Horn Call 10. Mudra Conclusion Appendix: Practicing the Circle of Fifths Resources
£19.99
Hawthorn Press Storytelling with Children
Book SynopsisTelling stories awakens wonder and creates special occasions with children, whether it is bedtime, around the fire or on rainy days. Encouraging you to spin golden tales, Nancy Mellon shows how you can become a confident storyteller and enrich your family with the power of story.
£15.29
Hawthorn Press The Natural Storyteller: Wildlife Tales for
Book SynopsisGeorgiana Keable introduces us to a staggering wealth of world stories all about nature and our role as humans in it. These are traditional stories that have stood the test of time. They often speak of something universal or enduring about our experience and relationship with nature. Culturally diverse and all told with great energy and panache, the stories will engage young readers and encourage them to become natural storytellers.The book includes several storymaps to help the reader think visually about stories as well as other ways to remember the different stages that make up each tale. The author also reflects on the heart of each tale, what it's about, and whether there is a way the reader can turn their own experience into a story. Each section has a practical activity that can be undertaken individually or as a group.The author's message is clear: the resources needed for Natural Storytelling are abundantly around us nature and our imagination.
£17.99
Oxford University Press Inc Growing Songwriting
Book SynopsisGrowing Songwriting is a groundbreaking book on the pedagogy of songwriting that starts with the essential question: How do I begin to write songs myself and with my students? In this book, Randles suggests that we start with cover songs, then explore the middle ground of remixes and sampling, and finally, jump into the world of lyric writing and the musical world of original songs. A growing metaphor also features throughout: lesson seeds are presented along with water in the form of stories of how people have written songs in the past and sunlight in the shape of ideas for continuation and inspiration. It is all about growing! In this book, you will be inspired by stories of how riffs were created, how lines were penned, and how songwriters capture their ideas in journals. Original music making is part inspiration and mostly hard work. This book gives you a window into the world of craft that surrounds the working lives of professional songwriters and pulls you into that world in small manageable steps. In looking to the metaphor of nature for pedagogical answers--answers that may very well usher in the most profound curricular growth period in the history of music education--Growing Songwriting aims to sow the seeds of songwriting in your life so that it can also flourish in the lives of your students.
£22.99
Oxford University Press Inc New Directions in Musical Collaborative
Book SynopsisDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, creative communities were faced with unprecedented challenges and forced to embark upon a re-evaluation of traditional approaches to artistic collaboration. In the wake of these discussions and experiments, New Directions in Musical Collaborative Creativity asks how new technology can be used to enhance creativity and how this creativity increases our knowledge in relation to musical interactions in group contexts. Focusing on a case study of a leading musical improvisation group--the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, and their online music sessions established during the COVID-19 lockdowns of March 2020--the book''s five authors probe the transformative impact of online and hybrid improvisation and explore the crucial role of interactive (visual and sound) technology in the emergence of new identities and hybrid working practices.Virtual improvising, though a relatively new type of creative activity, has significant implications for how researchers can better understand improvisation generally as well as musical interactions in non-virtual environments. The book''s topics range from an overview of digital music frameworks to an investigation of how improvisations begin and end, the unique context of the online sessions, the integration of audio and visual stimuli to produce audio-visual compositions, and new types of creative activities. The authors explore how improvisation--and online improvising in particular--can engender a fresh sense of community while presenting innovative opportunities for experimentation, communication, community involvement, educational enrichment, the cultivation of new virtuosities, and the promotion of health and well-being. Furthermore, they delve into the ramifications of these insights for education and health, emphasising the importance of new technologies and their potential to produce significant creative breakthroughs.Ultimately, the book points us toward novel manifestations of technologically-mediated and community-centred creative engagement, delineating avenues for future advancement and scholarly investigation. Bringing together a multidisciplinary and cross-generational author team with a wealth of complementary academic and artistic experience, this book responds to the significant growth in interest in improvisation as a musical and artistic practice and situates this research within the study of collaborative creativity in the contemporary hybrid context. A companion website features a series of films that document sessions of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, showing the innovative collaborative artistic practices as they emerged.
£22.99
Hachette Books How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And
Book SynopsisIn these pages Roger Corman, the most successful independent filmmaker in Hollywood relates his experiences as the director and/or producer of such low-budget classics Attack of the Crab Monsters, The Little Shop of Horrors, The Raven, The Man with the X-ray Eyes, The Wild Angels, The Trip, Night Call Nurses, Bloody Mama, Piranha, and many others. He also discusses his distribution of the Bergman, Fellini, and Truffaut movies that later won Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category. Corman alumniJohn Sayles, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Vincent Price, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Peter Fonda, Joe Dante, and Jonathan Demme, among otherscontribute their recollections to give added perspective to Corman''s often hilarious, always informative autobiography.
£15.19
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc Blue Man World
Book SynopsisAs entertaining and hilarious as the show itself, Blue Man World reveals everything you ever wanted to know about the Blue Men, but couldn''t get them to tell you. The first-ever Blue Man Group book, published on the occasion of their 25th anniversary, Blue Man World is a glorious combination of music, comedy, and state-of-the-art technology, Blue Man Group has evolved from its underground roots in New York City to one of the world''s most beloved events. The show has been seen by 35 million people worldwide and its fans includes kids and adults, ages 8 to 80.Blue Man World is a graphically rich, textually dynamic, cheekily clever deep dive into the world of the Blue Men, as well as a hilarious cultural satire. Including archival photographs, specially commissioned artwork, infographics, and interviews with Blue Man experts (both real and potentially not real), it asks and sometimes answers all the burning questions: Who are these Blue Men? Where do they come from? Why are there only three of them? What drives their curiosity? What do they want to accomplish? Blue Man Group is a global entertainment company best known for the award-winning Blue Man Group show. A dynamic combination of music, comedy, and technology, the show appeals to a broad ranges of age groups and cultural backgrounds. It is continually refreshed with new music, stories, custom instruments and state-of-the-art technology.
£18.70
Taylor & Francis Ltd The Classical Hollywood Cinema
Book Synopsis''A dense, challenging and important book.'' Philip French Observer''At the very least, this blockbuster is probably the best single volume history of Hollywood we''re likely to get for a very long time.'' Paul Kerr City Limits''Persuasively argued, the book is also packed with facts, figures and photographs.'' Nigel Andrews Financial TimesAcclaimed for their breakthrough approach, Bordwell, Staiger and Thompson analyze the basic conditions of American film-making as a historical institution and consider to what extent Hollywood film production constitutes a systematic enterprise, in both its style and its business operations.Despite differences of director, genre or studio, most Hollywood films operate within a set of shared assumptions about how a film should look and sound. Such assumptions are neither natural nor inevitable; but because classical-style films have been the tyTrade Review`At the very least, this blockbuster is probably the best single volume history of Hollywood we're likely to get in a very long time.' - City Limits`Persuasively argued, the book is also packed with facts, figures and photographs.' - Financial Times`An exhaustive study of Hollywood cinema to 1960.' - Times Education Supplement`A dense, challenging and important book.' - The ObserverTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface Part One: The classical Hollywood style, 1917-60 1. An excessively obvious cinema 2. Story causality and motivation 3. Classical narration 4. Time in the classical film 5. Space in the classical film 6. Shot and scene 7. The bounds of difference Part Two: The Hollywood mode of production to 1930 8. The Hollywood mode of production: its conditions of existence 9. Standardization and differentiation: the reinforcement and dispersion of Hollywood's practices 10. The director system: management in the first years 11. The director-unit system: management of multiple-unit companies after 1909 12. The central producer system: centralized management after 1914 13. The division and order of production: the subdivision of the work from the first years through the 1920s Part Three: The formulation of the classical style, 1909-28 14. From primitive to classical 15. The formulation of the classical narrative 16. The continuity system 17. Classical narrative space and the spectator's attention 18. The stability of the classical approach after 1917 Part Four: Film style and technology to 1930 19. Technology, style and mode of production 20. Initial standardization of the basic tehnology 21. Major technological changes of the 1920s 22. The Mazda tests of 1928 23. The introduction of sound Part Five: The Hollywood mode of production, 1930-60 24. The labor-force, financing and the mode of production 25. The producer-unit system: management by specialization after 1931 26. The package-unit system: unit management after 1955 Part Six: Film style and technology, 1930-60 27. Deep-focus cinematography 28. Technicolor 29. Widescreen processes and stereophonic sound Part Seven: Historical implications of the classical Hollywood cinema 30. Since 1960: the persistence of the mode of film practice 31. Alternative modes of film practice Envoi Appendix A: The unbiased sample Appendix B: A brief synopsis of the structure of the United States film industry, 1896-1960 Appendix C: Principal Structures of the US film industry, 1894-1930 Appendix D: Lighting plots and descriptions Notes Select bibliography Photograph credits Index
£39.99
The University of Michigan Press The Bodies of Others Drag Dances and Their
Book SynopsisExplores the politics of gender in motion. From drag ballerinas to faux queens, and from butoh divas to the club mothers of modern dance, this book delves into four decades of drag dances on American stages, tracing the ways in which bodies can be imagined otherwise.
£28.95
Transworld Publishers Ltd Drag Queen of Scots
Book SynopsisLawrence Chaney isn't just the people's princess, they're the reigning Queen... of Drag Race UK. Lawrence hails from Glasgow, Scotland but has exploded globally after winning Drag Race. This is their first book.Trade ReviewIt's no mystery or secret how much I enjoy Lawrence Chaney. * RuPaul *Lawrence Chaney is queen of the one-liner and the funniest queen by a country mile. She has delivered the laughs a locked down nation needed in abundance. But there's much more to Chaney than her quick wit. Her vulnerability is also part of her natural gift. * Vogue *Gorgeous, hugely talented, funny, charismatic, adorable, Chaney is a goddess and brings us joy. * Lorraine Kelly *If you were obsessed with Lawrence when they were competing on Drag Race (and who wasn't?), you'll want to get yourself a copy asap * Cosmopolitan *Hilarious... gives a fresh perspective on the autobiographical drag queen format. Lawrence shares some of her most intricate and personal stories, as well as her extremely professional opinion on various subjects such as concocting a drag name, mental health and dating. * Gay Times *
£10.44
Harvard University Press The Sound of Modern Polish Poetry
Book SynopsisThe Sound of Modern Polish Poetry unearths recordings from Polish poets such as Czesław Miłosz, Wisława Szymborska, and Zbigniew Herbert. Analyzing their singular performance styles, Aleksandra Kremer argues that twentieth-century Polish artists developed new aesthetics of reading and novel concepts of the poetic self.Trade ReviewKremer shows…public poetry readings, especially in times of upheaval, were lofty, almost religious events…It is precisely through those authorial renditions, however, that we can glimpse the intricate relationships between the poet, the poem and the audience. Kremer investigates this rarely researched area using the recordings of several prominent Polish poets born in the first decades of the twentieth century. Her method is an odd but effective combination of machine-assisted, quantitative analysis of the poets’ pitch, stress and intonation with impressionistic digressions about their art, life and sociopolitical involvements…Kremer captures the moment when poetry ceases to be fixed on a page and enters time, with all its ephemerality and contingency. -- Jaroslaw Anders * Times Literary Supplement *Brilliant…The Sound of Modern Polish Poetry is an impressive work of scholarship…Given the dearth of scholarship on Polish literature in English, this is a wonderful addition to knowledge, and one that will delight any reader interested in Polish poetry, culture and history. -- E. M. Stańczyk * Slavonic and East European Review *An impeccably researched, well-argued, and original work of scholarship. It is also an erudite and highly readable history of twentieth-century Polish literature and the individuals who shaped it…The book’s unique approach will doubtless appeal to many readers and open new avenues of research on the intersection between literature, performance, and technology. -- Łukasz Wodzyński * Russian Review *Excellent…Her analyses of the selected recordings create surprising constellations and shed light on the development of Polish poetry, as well as on the historical and cultural changes that affected the writers’ self-awareness and the reception of their recordings. Kremer’s book can therefore serve as a manual on the cultural and intellectual history of postwar Poland. -- Łukasz Tischner * Slavic Review *An exemplary study of poets’ sound recordings, public and private, in postwar Poland. Aleksandra Kremer reads poetic performance styles through history, aesthetics, national culture, ideology, and translation, often using machine-assisted prosodic analysis. Her close listenings reveal the many ways in which poets’ voicings exceed their texts. -- Charles Bernstein, author of Close Listening: Poetry and the Performed WordErudite, lively, and brilliant, this book examines Polish culture through an original point of entry: poetry performance. Exploring the audio practices of canonical modern poets within the context of history, Kremer achieves a true breakthrough in literary and performance studies. -- Irena Grudzińska-Gross, author of Czesław Miłosz and Joseph Brodsky: Fellowship of PoetsListening closely to an audio archive of postwar Polish poets including Miłosz, Herbert, Różewicz, and Szymborska, Aleksandra Kremer shows how each one navigated the cultural and political pressure to embody the Polish people and country. These writers strove to recapture the singularity of everyday speech, wresting their voices from the state and the dramatic stage actors who often performed poetry. The paradox at the center of this rich account is how the strategic downsizing enabled by tape recording ultimately expanded Polish poets’ range of address. -- Lytle Shaw, author of Narrowcast: Poetry and Audio ResearchAleksandra Kremer makes a compelling case for modern Polish culture as a ‘laboratory of poetry performance’ in this original, masterfully researched study. It is a must-read not just for specialists, but for anyone interested in postwar Polish writing or indeed, in new ways of combining the humanities with technology while doing full justice to both. -- Clare Cavanagh, author of Lyric Poetry and Modern Politics: Russia, Poland, and the West
£33.11
Penguin Books Ltd The Life of Lee
Book SynopsisLee Evans is one of the best-loved comedians in the country; a Hollywood star able to sell out arenas in the blink of eye. But he was not always such a roaring success. This title presents his life story.
£10.44
Ebury Publishing What the is Normal
Book SynopsisIf you grow up in a world where wrinkles are practically illegal, going bald is cause for a mental breakdown, and women over size zero are encouraged to shoot themselves (immediately), what the hell do you do if you’re, gasp … DISABLED?Trade ReviewHer observations and perspective are unique and powerful. This is a funny, compassionate and inspiring story of how 'being different' can become, with the right attitude, an unlikely advantage. Also, it's bloody funny and touching * Russell Brand *A cheerful optimistic belly-laugh broadside at prejudice and a wonderful testament to the power of “being funny”, I love Francesca Martinez * Steve Coogan *A wonderful read! Warm, funny and unforgettable * Jonathan Ross *A very, very important [book] ... I can’t think of a work that has so brilliantly expressed how a person disabled from birth sees herself -- Dominic Lawson * The Sunday Times *As entertaining as it is moving ... this book is a wonderful, funny, warm coming-of-age memoir about finding your own path in life. Long may she wobble. Five stars. * Viv Groskop, The Telegraph *
£9.99
Running Press,U.S. Fellini The Sixties Turner Classic Movies
Book SynopsisStyle. Beauty. Passion. Vision.These are just a few of the words often used to describe the films of the single most celebrated director in Italy, and one of the most important directors the world has ever known,Federico Fellini. Fifty years since their initial releases, his films of the 1960s still inspire, shock, and delight. More than just encapsulating the ''60s, these films also helped define the style of the decade. With a staggering twelve Academy Award nominations between his four feature films during this period, Fellini reached the heights of fame, film artistry, and worldwide prominence. Studied, analyzed, and re-released over the years, these films continue to amaze each new generation that discovers them. Their impeccable style makes them timeless. Their images make them unforgettable. Their passion brings them to life. And their singular vision makes them unique in all of cinema. Fellini: The Sixties is a stunning photographic journey through the director''s most iconic Trade Review"Italy's most celebrated filmmaker gets a royal salute in Fellini: the Sixties, a lavishly illustrated tribute to director Federico Fellini and his iconic, often shocking movies of that era, including La Dolce Vita, 81/2 and Fellini Satyricon." -Parade.com "For Federico Fellini aficionados, the lavishly illustrated new book Fellini: The Sixties is the equivalent of a mouthwatering plate of spaghetti and a glass of the best Chianti. It's a fantastic voyage into the magical world of one of cinema's greatest masters..." -LA Times
£46.75
Running Press,U.S. Audrey and Givenchy
Book SynopsisAudrey and Givenchy is a stunning showcase of the most influential teaming of star and designer in fashion history: Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy.Legendary screen star Aubrey Hepburn and designer Hubert de Givenchy were a brilliant meeting of fashion-forward minds. Over the course of their forty-year friendship and professional partnership, both became fashion icons whose collaborations influenced trends for generations to come -- the words Audrey style still conjure images of ballet flats, little black dresses, bateau necklines, capri pants, and countless stunning fashions.With gorgeous photography throughout, Audrey and Givenchy is a celebration of the duo''s collaborations both onscreen and off, featuring fashion profiles on such classic films as Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany''s, Charade, How to Steal a Million, and Funny Face, as well as their greatest off-screen fashion hits for awards shows and events.
£15.29
Floris Books Storytelling for Life
Book SynopsisIntroduces the value of storytelling throughout life and how it can transform challenging situations in both childhood and adulthood. Offers practical advice on how to tell stories in different situations.Trade Review'Josie Felce has been a storyteller for thirty-five years, and has travelled the world gathering tales and wisdom from diverse cultures. Far more than a simple practical guide her book is a rich amalgam of storytelling theory and history, alongside a selection of traditional tales.'-- Families SouthWest Magazine 'Josie vividly describes the power of stories, why they are so important and the history behind them.'-- Juno'Josie Felce has written a wonderfully clear, concise and soul warming book ... Storytelling for life offers many wonderful short stories to illustrate the subject matter. In this way we can experience first-hand the healing powers and spiritual depths in them which provide the soul with sustenance.'-- New View'An inspiring and instructive book.'-- Network Review'Storytelling for Life should be on every parent's and teacher's bookshelf. Her practical and inspirational guide introduces readers to the value of storytelling throughout life -- how stories can be therapeutic and also helpful when we are faced with challenges.'-- Family Interest
£15.29
John Wiley & Sons Inc Ballet For Dummies
Book SynopsisWhether you want to participate in ballet or just watch it, the ballet experience can excite and inspire you. Ballet is among the most beautiful forms of expression ever devised: an exquisite mix of sight and sound, stunning, aesthetics, and awesome technique. Ballet For Dummies is for anyone who wants to enjoy all that the dance forms offers as an onlooker who wants to get a leg up on the forms you''re likely to see or as an exercise enthusiast who understands that the practice of ballet can help you gain: More strength Greater flexibility Better body alignment Confidence in movement Comfort through stress reduction Infinite grace for life From covering the basics of classical ballet to sharing safe and sensible ways to try your hand (and toes) at moving through the actual dance steps, this expert reference shows you how to: Build your appreciation for ballet from the ground up. Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part 1: Ballet Dancing from the Top 7 Chapter 1: Curtain Up! Welcome to the Ballet 9 Chapter 2: Stocking the Tools of the Trade 17 Chapter 3: Getting Toasty: Warming Up Your Body 31 Chapter 4: Leaping into Ballet Basics 47 Chapter 5: Music, Maestro! 63 Part 2: Belly Up to the Barre 73 Chapter 6: Basic Barre-Tending 75 Chapter 7: Stepping It Up at the Barre 97 Chapter 8: Getting a Leg Up 115 Part 3: Center Floor, Anyone? 137 Chapter 9: Getting to Center Floor 139 Chapter 10: Ballet’s Tasmanian Devil: The Pirouette 155 Chapter 11: Linking It Together: The Steps Between the Steps 173 Chapter 12: Ground Control to Ballet Dancer 187 Chapter 13: Getting More Air Time 205 Part 4: Living the Ballet Life 219 Chapter 14: Partners Aren’t Just for Square Dancing 221 Chapter 15: Exploring Choreography 235 Chapter 16: What the Heck Are They Saying? The Art of Ballet Mime 249 Chapter 17: Watching Ballet in Action 267 Part 5: The Part of Tens 281 Chapter 18: The Ten Most Commonly Used Ballet Steps 283 Chapter 19: Ten Best-Loved Classical Ballets 287 Chapter 20: Ten Great “Contemporary” Ballets 295 Chapter 21: The Ten Best Ballet Terms for Cocktail Parties 303 Chapter 22: Ten Fascinating Facts about Professional Ballet Dancers 307 Glossary of Ballet Terms 315 Index 323
£16.99
John Wiley & Sons Inc Bollywood For Dummies
Book SynopsisTake the trip of a lifetime into the past and present of Bollywood Fascinated by the high energy, high emotion, high color, endless dance routines, and sheer scale of Bollywoodbut afraid you'll never really know your Ghazals from your Qawwalis, or your Khans from your Kapoors? Well, in the immortal line from the Hindi-language blockbuster Sultan, No one can defeat you unless you accept defeat yourself, and there's no need to be defeated at all when you can sit back with Bollywood For Dummies and immerse yourself in the glamorous whirl of one of the most exciting movie industries on Earth. Starting with the time-travel adventure of the book's main featurethe history of the Hindi-speaking industry from people and events of early to mid 20th century Mumbaiyou'll also journey in space, taking fascinating documentary side trips to get to know Tollywood's Telegu-language cinema in southern India, as well as the growing influence of Lollywood across the border in Pakistan. Written by the cohosts of Desi Standard Time, a podcast that explores Bollywood and South Asian movies and media, you'll see how the unique cinema culture of Bollywood in particular has become a global phenomenon, reflecting the rise of India as an independent nation and presenting its long historyand it's exciting and multifaceted presentin new, influential, and enduring forms. Whatever you paid the price of entry for: the popular Bollywood Masala movie style that emphasizes music, comedy, romance, and action; sensitive critiques of a fast-changing society by the Indian Social Realism movement; new forms of music from Indian disco to Sufi boogie; or a look at the lives and talents of the great acting dynastiesit's all here. And there'll still be plenty more plot twists beyond these to surprise and delight you. Get to know the people who built BollywoodDiscover the main music and dance stylesExplore and recognize Bollywood's influence on Western cinemaGo social and join up with the liveliest Bollywood fan communities You're right to be excited: for newbies a whole new world awaits, and for aficionados, there's always so much more to know. So, sit back with this book, grab some popcorn or a plate of samosasor why not bothand prepare to begin an electric feast to sizzle all your senses.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 2 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started with Bollywood 5 Chapter 1: Introducing Bollywood 7 Addressing What Bollywood is 7 Identifying the Families of Bollywood 9 Looking at Bollywood’s Evolution 10 Focusing on the 1940s to the 1960s 10 Eyeing the 1970s and 1980s 11 Considering the 1990s and 2000s 11 Arriving at the present day 12 Grooving and Moving: Bollywood Incorporates Music and Dance 13 Understanding the importance of the soundtrack 13 Recognizing the roles of different genres 14 Shaking your groove thang: Dance in Bollywood 15 Appreciating Bollywood Worldwide 15 Chapter 2: Focusing on Family Over Everything Else 19 Introducing Kapoor and Sons 20 The first generation of Kapoors 20 The second generation of Kapoors 21 The third generation of Kapoors 24 Building the Bachchan Family 25 Contending to be the GOAT: Amitabh and his wife, Jaya Bachchan 25 Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan 27 Keeping Up with the Khans 28 Bollywood’s king: Shah Rukh Khan 28 Saif Ali Khan 29 Aamir Khan 29 Salman Khan 29 The forgotten Khans 30 Meeting the Johars 32 Yash Johar 32 Karan Johar 33 Bhatt-ing their Way Into Bollywood 33 Mahesh Bhatt 34 Alia Bhatt 34 Emraan Hashmi 35 Examining the Chopras: More than Priyanka 35 Yash Chopra 36 Aditya Chopra 36 Uday Chopra 36 Priyanka Chopra 37 Navigating the Roshans 37 Rakesh Roshan 37 Rajesh Roshan 38 Hrithik Roshan 38 Zayed Khan 38 There’s Something about Mukherjee 39 Kishore Kumar 39 Kajol 40 Rani Mukerji 40 Ajay Devgn 40 Part 2: Bollywood through the Years 41 Chapter 3: Looking at the Golden Age, from the 1940s to the 1960s 43 Parting Ways: The Effect on Indian Cinema 44 First Some Sour, Then Some Sweet: Realist Cinema Giving Way to Romance 45 A sign of the times: Indian social realism 46 The subsequent dominance of romance 46 Meeting the Evergreen Actors 49 Master of mannerisms: Dev Anand 49 Award winner: Dilip Kumar 50 The singing actor: Kishore Kumar 51 Introducing the Classic Gentlemen 51 The multitalented star: Raj Kapoor 51 The first superstar: Rajesh Khanna 52 Overcoming adversity: Sunil Dutt 53 Shining the Spotlight on Leading Ladies 53 International beauty: Madhubala 53 Dancer turned star: Waheeda Rehman 54 Presenting All Things Grace and Presence 55 Beloved beauty: Nargis 55 Pakistani princess: Noor Jehan 56 Chapter 4: Spotlighting Classical Bollywood in the 1970s and 1980s 57 Going Beyond Musical Romance Films 58 Ramping Up the Action 59 Dominating the Industry: The Killer “B” 61 Recognizing Bachchan’s legacy in Bollywood 61 Moving beyond Bachchan’s star status 63 For Richer or Kapoor-er: The Kapoors 65 The remake king: Jeetendra Kapoor 65 The ageless actor: Anil Kapoor 65 Boy wonder: Rishi Kapoor 66 Identifying the Original Gangsters 67 Tall and tough: Jackie Shroff 67 The roller coaster career: Sanjay Dutt 68 Villain and hero: Vinod Khanna 69 Meeting the Method Men 69 Disco King: Mithun Chakraborty 69 The Theatric: Shashi Kapoor 70 Stranger than Fiction: Feroz Khan 71 Appreciating the Divine Divas 71 Sex symbol: Mumtaz 71 Eyes to die for: Sridevi 72 The versatile vixen: Rekha 72 The dream girl: Hema Malini 73 Breaking Stereotypes: Actresses Stepping Out of the Box 73 Stereotype shatterer: Parveen Babi 74 Unconventional yet refined: Dimple Kapadia 74 Tackling tough subjects: Shabana Azmi 75 Staying consistent with Queen Zeenat Aman 76 Lifelong Devotee: Neetu Singh 76 Chapter 5: Going Contemporary: Bollywood in the 1990s and Early 2000s 77 Never-Ending Rom-Khans: Shah Rukh and the Other Khans 79 King Khan: Shah Rukh Khan 80 The critically acclaimed Khan: Aamir Khan 81 Macho man Khan: Salman Khan 82 The fun-loving Khan: Saif Ali Khan 83 Laughing with the Comedy King: Govinda Ahuja 83 High Octane and High Energy: The Action Stars 84 The stuntman: Akshay Kumar 84 Perennial tough guy: Sunil Shetty 84 Coming of Age: Sons of Industry 85 Killer B’s son: Abhishek Bachchan 85 Dancing into the limelight: Hrithik Roshan 85 The serial kisser: Emraan Hashmi 86 Meeting the Method Actors 86 Posing with Models-Turned-Actors 87 Voice (and muscles) of stone: Arjun Rampal 87 Heartthrob heaven: John Abraham 88 Dancing Backup to the Leading Man: Shahid Kapoor 89 Buzzing with the Queen Bee: The Inimitable Madhuri Dixit 90 Keeping It in the Family 91 The Kapoor sisters: Karisma and Kareena 91 The Mukherjee cousins: Kajol and Rani 92 Identifying the Pageant Winners 93 Sweet and wholesome: Juhi Chawla 93 Renowned beauty: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan 94 International star: Priyanka Chopra 95 Identifying Critically Acclaimed Darlings 95 Multi-award winner: Tabassum Hashmi 95 Powerhouse performer: Manisha Koirala 96 Recognizing the Leggy Leading Ladies 97 Reality-star-turned-actress: Shilpa Shetty 97 Item number specialist: Katrina Kaif 97 Smiling with the Sweethearts 98 The mast-mast girl: Raveena Tandon 98 Dimpled sweetheart: Preity Zinta 98 The Sex Icon: Bipasha Basu 99 Chapter 6: Good As New: Bollywood from the Mid-2000s to the Present Day 101 Recycling Old Plots: What’s Old is New Again 102 Keeping It in the Family: Children of Famous Actors 103 Identifying the Newest Kapoors 103 Charming and varied: Ranbir Kapoor 104 Household name: Arjun Kapoor 104 Winning smile: Aditya Roy Kapur 105 Aching in Heartthrob Haven 105 The new king of Bollywood: Ranveer Singh 105 Tall and talented: Sidharth Malhotra 107 Building Bodies in Bollywood 108 Tragic star: Sushant Singh Rajput 108 The martial artist: Tiger Shroff 108 Romantic hero: Varun Dhawan 109 Crowning a Queen: Deepika Padukone 109 The Descendants: Women from Bollywood Families 110 Acclaimed at an early age: Alia Bhatt 111 Body image hero: Sara Ali Khan 111 Variety queen: Shraddha Kapoor 111 The fashion icon: Sonam Kapoor 112 The royal debutante: Sonakshi Sinha 112 Recognizing the Challengers of the Norm 112 The strong personality: Anushka Sharma 113 Critical darling: Parineeti Chopra 113 Taking her own stance: Kangana Ranaut 114 Part 3: The Sound of (Bollywood) Music 117 Chapter 7: Not a Sprint, but a (Musical) Marathon 119 Respecting the Soundtrack 120 Nodding at movie soundtracks 120 Focusing on the actual songs 121 Marketing movies: How songs do it 122 Recognizing the Importance of the Score 125 Orchestrating everything: Music directors 125 Bringing the lyrics to life: Singers 126 Writing the songs: Lyricists 127 Sequencing videos: Sets and locations 127 Getting into Costume 130 Eyeing the cuts and wraps of women’s clothing 130 Appreciating the simplicity and tradition of men’s clothing 132 Chapter 8: Getting Funky with Disco 135 Disco Dancing through Bollywood: How Filmi Disco Made an Impact 135 Everybody was BIDDU fighting 136 Appreciating the Hassan phenomenon 137 Grooving with the Self-Proclaimed Disco King: Bappi Lahiri 138 Kickstarting the disco trend in India 139 Hitting the dance floor: Lahiri’s influence 140 Digging the Psychedelic: R D Burman and Asha Bhosle 140 Master of mixing genres: R.D Burman 140 The versatile playback singer: Asha Bhosle 141 Mixing It Up: A Little Boogie, a Little Sufi 144 Blending religious motifs 144 Composing disco music: Laxmikant Kudalkar and Pyarelal Sharma 145 Chapter 9: Feeding the Soul: Bollywood’s Music Origins and Soul Music 147 Examining the Genesis of Bollywood Music 148 The emergence of Urdu poetry in India through ghazals 149 Filmi ghazal revival in the 1990s 150 Appreciating the Preachy, Powerful, and Poetic: Qawwalis 152 Looking closer at qawwali songs 152 Religious devotion from Sufi music 154 Influencing Bollywood: The subgenre of filmi qawwali 155 Going techno 156 Chapter 10: Mixing It Up with Other Musical Genres: Pop, Rock, and Rap 159 Discovering Rock Music’s Influence in Bollywood 159 Bollywood loves rock and roll 160 Getting psycho with Raga Rock 160 Evolution of Hindi rock 161 Indian Music Pops Off 163 Recognizing famous Indi-pop singers 164 Keeping pop popular in Bollywood 167 Punjabi gets popping 169 Busting a Rhyme: Bollywood and Rap 169 Rap: Appearing in Bollywood movies 170 Making its debut: Bollywood’s first rap film 171 Chapter 11: Noticing Folk Music In and Out of Bollywood 173 Recognizing the Traditions of the Punjab Region 174 Identifying the roots of Punjabi folk music 174 Identifying the unique instruments 175 Getting Down: Dance Traditions of Punjab 177 It’s all in the bounce 178 Bhangra’s evolution, from folk to hip-hop 179 Spotlighting the women of Punjab 180 Choreographing Bhangra within Bollywood 181 Appreciating dance 181 A culture of competing 183 Chapter 12: Painting the Town, Bollywood Style 185 Tapping Along to Indian Dance Styles 186 Looking to the Tribes for Folk Dance 187 Getting to Know the Famous Choreographers 188 Popping with the king of Bollywood dance 189 Emulating MJ and beyond 190 Getting energetic and making history 192 Dancing Their Way to Center Stage 193 Adding Bollywood Dance to Your Repertoire 196 Part 4: Bollywood Goes Global 199 Chapter 13: Leading Box Office Revenue Worldwide 201 Representing Bollywood Culture around the Globe 202 Testing success in the Middle East and North Africa 203 Sharing values with West Africa and beyond 203 Filming in the UK and Western Europe 204 Growing popularity in China 205 Roller-coastering through South America 205 Streaming everywhere 207 Considering the Western Influence 207 American actors adopt Bollywood 207 Musical collaborations 210 The Janice Miller effect and social media 211 Chapter 14: Bollywood Fans Grow in the Masses 213 Loving the Bollywood Culture 213 Celebrating Bollywood with games and music parties 214 More memes, please 214 Spinning Off: TV Shows Discuss More about Their Beloved Bollywood 216 Koffee with Karan 217 Kapil Sharma Show 218 All India Bakchod 218 Recognizing When Fandom Turns into Obsession 219 Banning TikTok in India 220 Majoring in Kapoorology 221 Chapter 15: Grabbing Trophies: The Award Shows 223 Reaching for the Stars: India’s Version of the Oscars 224 Finding Fame with the Filmfare Awards 224 Going international with the IIFA Awards 226 Getting presidential with the National Film Awards 227 Identifying Other Prominent Awards Shows 227 Coming and going with Zee Cine 228 Reaching for the Stardust 228 Starring in the STAR Guild Awards 228 Part 5: From Neighboring Industries to the Diaspora 233 Chapter 16: Taking From and Giving To Lollywood 235 Influencing Bollywood Soundtracks: Pakistan’s Musical Talent 236 Including Pakistani culture in Bollywood 236 Rocking Pakistani-style 238 Rockin’ Out to Music Franchises So Good They’re International 239 Drinking it in: Coke Studio 239 Finding treasures: Nescafé Basement 240 Crossing Over: Lollywood Impacting Bollywood 241 Indo-Pak relations, as told through Bollywood 242 Pakistani actors crossing the border 243 Chapter 17: Examining South India’s Bollywood 247 A Tale of Two Tollywoods 248 The Tollywood of Bengal 248 Telugu cinema, another Tollywood 250 Remaking culture — from Tollywood to Bollywood 251 Tapping into Tamil Cinema: Kollywood 251 A secondary hub for Hindi cinema 252 Kollywood’s greatest gift to Bollywood: A R Rahman 253 Chapter 18: Reaching Hollywood: Bollywood’s Impact 255 Recognizing Bollywood Actors in Popular Hollywood Media 256 Leaving a legacy: The late Irrfan Khan 256 Sweeping audiences off their feet: Dimple Kapadia 258 Shining in unconventional roles: Om Puri 258 Recognizing other actors who made the transition 259 Moving from Acting to Talking with Talk Shows 261 Ellen DeGeneres 261 Jimmy Fallon 261 Oprah Winfrey 262 David Letterman 262 Crossing Over: Hollywood in India 264 Appearing in Bollywood movies 265 Collaborating on cross-cultural comedy 265 Eyeing South Asian Contributions to Hollywood Films 266 Identifying notable people behind the scenes 266 Making space in the industry: Prominent diaspora actors in Hollywood 268 Part 6: The Parts of Tens 275 Chapter 19: Ten Movies to Watch If You’re New to Bollywood 277 Sholay: Burning Down the Competition 278 Mother India: Flag-Bearing a Country 279 Amar Akbar Anthony: Marinating in “Masala” 280 Dil Chahta Hai: The First Coming of Age 281 Hum Aapke Hain Koun ! Topping the Charts 282 Lagaan: Vying for the Oscars 283 Bombay: So Good That We Must Dub 284 Gully Boy: Hip-Hop Hooray 284 Mughal-E-Azam: India’s Prince Charming 286 Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.: Faking It ’til We Make It! 287 Chapter 20: Ten Must-Watch Shah Rukh Khan Films 289 Baazigar: The Antihero Role 290 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge: Landscapes of Love 290 Dil to Pagal Hai: The Master of Triangles 291 Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: The All-Time Classic 292 Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham: The Star-Studded Family Film 292 Devdas: Tragedy Strikes 293 Mohabbatein: Living in a Dream World 294 Kal Ho Naa Ho: The Tear-Jerker 295 Swades: Yearning for Home 296 Veer-Zaara: A Tale of Two Nations 296 Chapter 21: Ten Bollywood Actors Who Transitioned to Hollywood 299 Amitabh Bachchan 300 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan 300 Priyanka Chopra 300 Anil Kapoor 301 Shashi Kapoor 302 Irrfan Khan 302 Anupam Kher 303 Deepika Padukone 303 Amrish Puri 304 Naseeruddin Shah 304 Index 305
£16.19
John Wiley & Sons Inc Breaking into Acting For Dummies
Book SynopsisUnderstand the businesssideofyourshowbizcareer We all know acting can be a glitteringwhirl of glamourplushred carpets,simplydivineoutfits,huge sums ofmoney, and oh, the parties!But what a lot ofwannabeactors forget is thatittakesa lot ofpractical workto get to the flashbulbs of your first premiere,and that the savviest actors put as much stress on thebusinessside of the profession as they do on theshow.BreakingIntoActing For Dummiesdemystifies the behind-the-curtain side of showbiz to help you understand how itreallyworks, who the decision-makers are, what they're looking for when they're picking talent, and how to get them on your side.Ifyoutrulywant to be the next Emma Stone or Leonardo DiCaprio, you'll wantto have awell-thumbedcopy of this book alongside yourpile of scripts. Written by twofriendlyinsiders, thisguide takes you behind the scenesto help youmap out yourplan of attack, showing you how to open doorsand keep them openand use your time wisely, so you're not breaking a leg rushing fromonerandom audition toanother.You'll understand how to flesh out your professional persona as thoroughly as a movie part,craft your resume asminutelyas a script, and judge theangleofyour headshots and webcam appearances asintimatelyas anydirector.Once you've masteredtheseskills,it'stime to go to market asyour own publicity department,buildingyourmedia andonline presence untileveryone who's anyone knowsexactlywho you are. Understand different acting marketsfromtheater to commercialsNetwork in-person and onlineBuild your image via resumes, head shots, and webcamKeep a firm grip on the financial side Whether you're studying, ahopefulamateur,or have beentreading the boardsfor a while,thisis yourbreakthroughscript forsucceeding in the business of acting, andforlearning how to playyour ultimaterole: yourself.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 Part 1: Figuring Out the Business of Acting 5 Chapter 1: Staying on Top of the Changes in Show Business 7 Understanding the World of Acting 8 What You Need to Succeed 8 An attention-grabbing head shot 9 A five-star acting resume 9 Polished talent 10 Taking Your First Steps in Show Business 11 Marketing yourself 11 Finding your first ally: An agent 11 Showcasing your talent: Auditioning 12 Discovering the Many Ways to Make Money as an Actor 12 Managing Money (A Little or a Lot) 13 Knowing What to Expect from an Acting Career 14 Chapter 2: Discovering How Show Business Has Changed and Adapted 15 Understanding the Business of Show Business 15 Taking It “from the Top” — It All Begins with an Idea 16 Selling an Idea 17 Producing a Script 18 Going into Production 20 Action: It’s Showtime! 21 Cleaning Up in Post-Production 22 Distributing the Product 23 Chapter 3: From Agents, Managers, and Unions: Introducing the Movers and Shakers 27 Producers: The Champions of Every Project 28 Directors: The Bosses on the Set 29 Writers: The Idea Makers 29 The Studios: The Ones That Make Everything Possible 30 Financing a project 31 Marketing and distributing a project 32 Casting Directors: The Gatekeepers 33 Agents: Your Door to Show Business 34 Personal and Business Managers: The Guiding Forces Behind the Scenes 34 Actors: The Talent in Front of the Spotlight 35 Unions: An Actor’s Best Friend 36 The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) 37 Actors’ Equity Association 38 Part 2: Packaging and Marketing Yourself 41 Chapter 4: Making a Great First Impression with a Head Shot and Samples of Your Work 43 Introducing the Head Shot: An Actor’s Calling Card 44 Examining Variations on the Standard 46 The commercial head shot 47 The theatrical shot 47 Creating the Perfect Head Shot 48 Hiring a professional photographer 48 Picking the right look 50 Making the most of your photo session 50 Getting Your Head Shot Ready 51 Publicizing Your Head Shot with a Twist 52 Avoiding Problems with Head Shots 52 Is that really you? 52 Technical problems: You look great but your head shot still stinks 52 Using Film to Represent Your Work 53 Chapter 5: Creating a Five-Star Acting Resume 55 Tackling the Basics of Creating a Resume 56 Creating an Online Resume 56 Identifying the Info to Include 57 Your name, union membership, and contact information 57 Your physical characteristics 58 Your acting experience and education 59 Your knowledge of special skills 60 Avoiding Resume No-Nos 61 Examining Sample Resumes 62 The beginner’s resume 63 The intermediate actor’s resume 63 The veteran’s resume 66 Chapter 6: Training to Improve Your Acting Skills 69 Mastering the Art of Auditioning: Taking Classes 69 Benefiting from an auditioning class 70 Advancing your auditioning skills 70 Improving Your Performing Skills 73 Stand-up comedy workshops 75 Improvisation classes 75 Speech and accent coaching 76 Singing and dancing lessons 76 Developing Physical Fitness Skills 77 Improving Your Unique Skills 78 Part 3: Taking Your First Steps into Show Business 79 Chapter 7: Representing Yourself, Networking, and Promoting Yourself on Websites 81 Looking for Your Own Work 82 Relying on the actors’ unions 82 Staying in touch 82 Reading trade publications 83 Using casting websites and social media 83 Contact casting directors on your own 84 Advertising Yourself 86 Showcasing Yourself 86 Chapter 8: Seeking Representation: An Agent, Manager, and/or an Entertainment Attorney 89 Differentiating between Agents, Managers, and Entertainment Attorneys 90 Getting the Ball Rolling to Find Representation 91 Discovering potential representation 91 Contacting potential representation 93 Calling for an appointment 94 Staying determined and be positive 96 Interviewing with Prospective Representation 97 Preparing for your interview 97 Arriving for your interview 98 Conducting yourself during your interview 99 Ending the interview 102 Signing On with an Agent 104 Working with Your Agent 106 Staying in touch 106 Following your agent’s advice 107 Sharing auditioning information with your agent 107 Releasing Your Agent 107 Letting your agent go: Why you’d want to 108 Leaving your agent: The how-to 110 Chapter 9: Auditioning: The Art of What You Need to Know 113 Looking at the Types of Auditions 114 Going to open casting calls (cattle calls) 114 Attending casting auditions 115 Auditioning from Home 116 Preparing for an Audition 118 Planning ahead of time 118 Deciding what to wear 119 Grooming 120 Arriving at the Audition or Callback 120 Impressing a Casting Director 121 Auditioning: What to Expect 122 Speaking your lines 123 Making your exit 124 Preparing for the Next Audition 124 Evaluating yourself 124 Getting on with your life 125 Hoping for the Best That Can Happen: The Callback 126 Dealing with Rejection 127 Saying Thank You 128 Chapter 10: Understanding Diversity Challenges in Show Business 129 Defining Who You Are in the World of Diversity 130 Finding Representation 131 Seeking Diversity in Casting 132 Acknowledging Diversity in the Academy and Emmy Awards 134 Chapter 11: Adapting to Difficult Personalities 137 Dealing with Professionals 138 Treating the casting director with respect 138 Showing respect to the director on set 139 Considering other professionals 140 Respecting Your Fellow Actor 140 Respecting Everyone on the Set 142 Part 4: Scoping Out the Markets 143 Chapter 12: Acting in Film and Television 145 Landing a Job 146 Filming from Different Locations Using Your Computer and Phone 146 Acting in Front of the Camera Versus Acting on the Stage 147 Fine-Tuning Your Performance on Film 148 Playing to the camera 149 Acting consistently with different takes 151 Successfully acting scenes out of order 152 Hitting your mark 153 Recognizing different shots 154 Dealing with close-ups 154 Performing on a Set 156 A typical day on the set 157 What to do when your scene’s done 161 Participating in Post-Production: Looping 161 Gaining Experience and Exposure by Working in Different Markets 162 Chapter 13: Acting in Commercials 165 Understanding How a Commercial Gets Made 165 Preparing for a Career in Commercials 167 Taking a class or workshop 167 Studying working actors 168 Hiring a commercial agent or manager 169 Auditioning for a Commercial Role 169 Fitting the part 170 Preparing your part 170 Handling yourself during the audition 171 Understanding the Market for Commercials 173 The Wonderful New World of Commercials 175 Chapter 14: Acting in Theater 177 Mastering Your Skills Onstage 178 Gearing Up for a Theatrical Career 178 Taking the academic route 179 Pounding the pavement 180 Auditioning for Theater 182 Finding auditions 182 Being prepared 182 Familiarizing Yourself with Stage Types 184 Proscenium stages 185 Thrust stages 187 Arena stages 187 Rehearsing for a Play 189 Read-through 189 Blocking with stage directions 190 Scene work 191 Work-throughs 191 Run-throughs 192 Technical rehearsals 192 Dress rehearsals 193 Working in Different Markets 195 Chapter 15: Performing without Being Seen: Voice-Over Acting 197 What You Need to Succeed in Voice-Over Acting 198 What’s that you say? Speaking clearly 198 Voice versatility 199 Testing testing: Playing to the microphone 200 Training for a Voice-Over Career 201 Finding Voice-Over Work 201 Preparing Your Demo 202 Including all the right stuff 202 Laying down the tracks 204 Recording subsequent demo 204 Getting an Agent or Manager 205 Auditioning for Voice-Over Work 205 Getting Paid as a Voice-Over Actor 206 Chapter 16: Working As an Extra 209 Delving into the Glamorous World of an Extra 210 Recognizing types of extras 211 Getting work as an extra 211 Examining a day in the life of an extra 213 Appreciating the Advantages of Being an Extra 215 Investigating the technical business of show business 216 Studying the acting side of filmmaking 217 Networking with fellow actors 218 Making a little (emphasis on “little”) money 218 Advancing Your Career Beyond an Extra 218 Chapter 17: Getting Your Kid into Show Biz 221 Considering the Commitment 222 Does your kid really want to do this? 222 Do you really want to do this? 223 Setting goals for you and your child 225 Exploring the Acting Options 226 Modeling 227 TV commercials 228 Film and TV shows 228 Theater 230 Investigating the Biz of Child Acting 230 Starting as a proud parent of a child actor 230 Procuring the paperwork 231 Watching out for your child’s welfare 231 Restricting time on the set 232 Educating on the set 233 Managing all that money 234 Helping Your Child Deal with the Ups and Downs of Show Business 236 Part 5: Managing Your Money as an Actor 239 Chapter 18: Don’t Get Ripped Off! Avoiding Con Games, Scams, and Self-Destruction 241 Identifying the Elements of a Con Game 242 The hook — Baiting the suckers 242 The line — Exploiting your trust 242 The sinker — Taking your money 243 Exposing Common Show Business Con Games 243 Fake screen tests 244 Phony agents 244 Shoddy photographers 247 Worthless acting schools 247 Sleazy casting directors 249 Meaningless beauty pageants 249 Shady get-rich-quick schemes 250 Dealing with Dishonesty 251 Potential problems with non-union productions 251 Unscrupulous business managers 252 Casting and networking parties 252 Missing residuals 253 Protect Yourself: Beating the Con at His Own Game 253 Being Your Own Worst Enemy 255 Dealing with drug abuse 255 Separating sex from show business 256 Dealing with alcohol and drug addiction 257 Curbing excessive spending 257 Avoiding criminal activities 258 Handling emotional and psychological problems 258 Chapter 19: Working to Pay Your Bills until You Hit It Big 259 Considering What Kind of Employment You Want 260 Getting temporary work 261 Getting full or part-time work 263 Considering supplemental work 263 Working for Yourself 263 Getting a Job That Pays You to Be Entertaining 264 Teaching traffic school 265 Performing on the street 265 Amusing patrons at an amusement park 266 Entertaining the kiddies 266 Catering to the public or the acting crowd 267 Working in a film or television studio 267 Reading scripts for payment 267 Winning big on a game show 268 Doing a song and dance in a casino 269 Performing on a cruise ship 269 Acting in an interactive play 270 Reading for actors during auditions 271 Getting “extra” time in the studio 271 Chapter 20: Managing Your Finances 273 Handling Your Money 273 Saving it! 274 Dealing with income taxes 275 Digging yourself out of debt 276 Investing your earnings 278 Living Well Without Going Broke 279 Dealing with housing expenses 280 Eating cheaply 280 Buying clothes 281 Deciding When to Quit Your Day Job 281 Part 6: The Part of Tens 283 Chapter 21: Ten Myths Debunked about Show Business 285 Myth #1: Show Business is Closed to Outsiders 286 Myth #2: It’s Who You Know, Not What You Know 286 Myth #3: Only the Young and the Beautiful Get Work 287 Myth #4: You Have to Move to L.A., Vancouver, or New York to Succeed 287 Myth #5: Plastic Surgery and Body Implants Get You Work 288 Myth #6: You Have to Sacrifice Your Principles 289 Myth #7: You Can Break into Show Business by Taking Off Your Clothes 289 The myth of posing nude 290 The myth of sleeping with someone famous or powerful 290 The myth of appearing in adult movies 290 Myth #8: You Can Be Discovered and Made into a Star 291 Myth #9: The Right Agent, Manager, Coach Can Get You Work 291 Myth #10: Show Business Will Destroy You 291 Chapter 22: Ten Traits of Successful Actors 293 Respecting Other People’s Time 294 Planning Ahead 294 Being Flexible and Adaptable 295 Being Professional 296 How a professional actor behaves 296 Acting professionally with your agent 297 Acting professionally with casting directors 297 Acting professionally on the set 298 Being Yourself 299 Being Well-Groomed 299 Being Persistent 300 Avoiding Mind-Altering Substances 301 Being Willing to Improve Yourself 301 Believing in Yourself 302 Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Improving As an Actor 303 Mastering the Art of Auditioning 303 Knowing How to Audition and Act for the Camera 304 Auditioning for the camera 304 Acting for the camera 305 Expecting the Unexpected: Improvising 305 Developing a Sense of Humor 306 Overcoming Stage Fright 307 Understanding Human Psychology 307 Developing Your Voice and Improving Your Body 308 Your voice 308 Your body 308 Maintaining a Reliable Source of Income 309 Avoiding Guaranteed Failure 309 Staying Sharp 310 Chapter 24: Ten Ways to Act Just for the Fun of It 311 Join a Community Theater Group 312 Become a Storyteller 313 Join an Improvisational Group 313 Volunteer at Your Local School Drama Department 314 Put on a Play for a Charity 314 Appear in a Student Film 315 Work as an Extra 315 Volunteer at Your Local Museum 316 Appear on Public Access TV 317 Produce Your Own YouTube Show 317 Index 319
£16.19
Pearson Education History of the Theatre
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsChapter 1: The Origins of Theatre Chapter 2: Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece Chapter 3: Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Theatre Chapter 4: European Theatre in the Middle Ages Chapter 5: English Theatre to 1642 Chapter 6: Italian Theatre to 1700 Chapter 7: French Theatre to 1700 Chapter 8: The Theatre to Spain and New Spain to 1700 Chapter 9: English Theatre to 1800 Chapter 10: Italyand France to 1800 Chapter 11: Northern European Theatre to 1800 Chapter 12: English-Language Theatre in the Early Nineteenth Century Chapter 13: Continental European Theatre in the Early Nineteenth Century Chapter 14: English-Language Theatre in the Late Nineteenth Century Chapter 15: Continental European and Latin American Theatre in the Late Nineteenth Century Chapter 16: The Beginnings of Modern Realism Chapter 17: Early Alternatives to Realism Chapter 18: Continental European and Latin American Theatre in the Early Twentieth Century Chapter 19: English-Language Theatre in the Early Twentieth Century Chapter 20: Continental European and Latin American Theatre in the Mid-Twentieth Century Chapter 21: English-Language Theatre in the Mid-Twentieth Century Chapter 22: Continental European and Latin American Theatre in the Late Twentieth Century Chapter 23: English-Language Theatre in the Late Twentieth Century Chapter 24: The Theatre of Africa Chapter 25: Contemporary Theatre Chapter 26: The Theatre of Asia
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Theatre of the Oppressed in Practice Today
Book SynopsisHow has the work and legacy of Augusto Boal''s Theatre of the Oppressed been interpreted and practised around the world? What does it look like in different working contexts? This book provides an accessible introduction to the political and artistic principles Boal''s techniques are founded on, tracking exemplary practice from around the globe.Using detailed contemporary case histories, theatre artist, scholar and activist Ali Campbell demonstrates how the underlying principles of Boal''s practice are today enacted in the work of - among others - an urban network (Theatre of the Oppressed NYC); a rural and developmental theatre organisation (Jana Sanskriti, West Bengal); Boal's original company CTO Rio (Brazil); and a theatre-based group led by learning-disabled adults in the UK (The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company). The book concludes with a series of conversations between Campbell and international exponents of the work, envisioning futures for the Theatre of the OppreTrade ReviewDistilled from a lifetime of practice, teaching and reflection with groups around the world, this brilliant book is a must read for Theatre for Change workers everywhere. -- Geraldine Ling MBE; Founding Artistic Director; The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre CompanyThis book is a profound praxis for peace, precisely because it disturbs: it is a work of clarity, written with the honesty of a friend. Ali Campbell explores Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed with the urgent question: "How then shall we Live?” -- Professor Alison Phipps OBE; UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts; University of GlasgowTable of ContentsIllustrations Acknowledgements Part One: Principles in Practice Prologue Introduction: About Augusto Boal and the Aims of This Book 1. What Is Forum and How Does It Work? 2. Teaching and Training 3. How Do We Adapt Forum? 4. Collaboration 5. Ten Top Tips Part Two: Companies and Conversations Introduction: How These Four Studies Were Created and Why Jana Sanskriti: Field Work Theatre of the Oppressed NYC (TONYC): 'Radically Unsentimental' The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company: 'Nurses Jump In. Teachers Don't' CTO Rio: 'Given a Recipe, You Can Go and Do' Part Three: Conversations Introduction: About the People You Will Hear from in This Section Alegna Dezlein Jennifer Little Barbara Santos Osmar Araujo Julian Boal Epilogue: 'From Damascus' Glossary Suggested Reading Index
£20.89
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Kattaikkuttu
Book SynopsisThis is the first book to offer a clear introduction to Kattaikkuttu (or Terukkuttu), a vibrant, vocal and physical outdoor Tamil theatre tradition from India. It describes the theatre's characteristic heroic nature as expressed through its principal, male kattai characters, explores its history, social status and ritual context, and examines the production of all-night plays. After placing Kattaikkuttu in the wider, competitive context of the performing arts in India, Hanne M. de Bruin introduces readers to some of the debates about the form and provides an overview of the different elements that make up a Kattaikkuttu performance. It considers its performance spaces and the way the form has changed, such as its transition towards an independent and more professional theatre genre, as well as the opening up of the form to different castes and to women. It covers the production and frameworks of all-night performances, uses the Mahabharata play Karna MokTrade ReviewThis is an extraordinary introduction to an invisibilized theatre tradition. De Bruin skillfully highlights the complex social history, spectacular technique and cultural politics around the Tamil kuttu theatre. This book marks an immense contribution to the study of subaltern theatres from South Asia by one of the most significant scholars on the subject. Few studies of Indian theatre glide so seamlessly between theoretical propositions and the affective and material dimensions of practice. This book is bound to become a classic for the study of theatre in modern South Asia. * Davesh Soneji, University of Pennsylvania, USA *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Series Preface Acknowledgements Notes on Transliteration Introduction What’s in a Name? Tamil Theatre Histories Discourse of Contempt Alternative Views Personal Note Chapter 1. Kattaikkuttu: Aesthetic Characteristics and Historical and Socio-economic Contexts What is Kattaikkuttu? The Elements Performance Spaces Performances Performers Art as Labour Theatre Companies Emergence of Kattaikkuttu as a Distinct Genre Summary Chapter 2. Producing an All-night Performance Performance Texts Framework of a Performance Building Blocks and Modes of Production Performance Conventions and Recall Strategies The Play Karna Moksam Shifting Repertories Summary Chapter 3. Transmission, Interpretation and Innovation Kattaikkuttu’s Embodied Performance Knowledge Interpretation The Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam Pakatai Tukil Validation and Aesthetics Notes References Index
£16.99
Headline Publishing Group Make Good Art
Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of the acclaimed novel AMERICAN GODS and the prize-winning THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE.In May 2012, Neil Gaiman delivered the commencement address at Philadelphia''s University of the Arts, in which he shared his thoughts about creativity, bravery, and strength. He encouraged the fledgling painters, musicians, writers, and dreamers to break rules and think outside the box. Most of all, he urged them to make good art.The book MAKE GOOD ART, designed by renowned graphic artist Chip Kidd, contains the full text of Gaiman''s inspiring speech.Praise for Neil Gaiman:''A very fine and imaginative writer'' The Sunday Times''Exhilarating and terrifying'' Independent''Urbane and sophisticated'' Time Out''A jaw-droppingly good, scary epic positively drenched in metaphors and symbols... As Gaiman is to literature, so Antoni Gaudi was to architecture'' MidweekTrade Review'Gaiman is, simply put, a treasure-house of story, and we are lucky to have him' * Stephen King *'Gaiman has a rich imagination...and an ability to tackle large themes' * Philip Pullman *
£11.69
John Murray Press Born Lippy
Book SynopsisA RADIO 4 ''BOOK OF THE WEEK''Sometimes it''s hard to be a woman and sometimes it''s time to be a hard woman . . . This is a book for all those times.Once upon a (very very) long time ago Jo Brand was what you might describe as ''a nice little girl''. Of course, that was before the values of cynicism, misogyny and the societal expectation that Jo would be thin, feminine and demure sent her off down Arsey Avenue. The plot thickened, when due to a complicated fusion of hormones, horrible family dynamics and a no-good boyfriend they hated, Jo ended up leaving home at 16. Now she''s considerably further along life''s inevitable bloody ''journey'' - and she''s fucked up enough times to feel confident she has no wisdom to offer anyone. But who cares? She''s going to do it anyway...Born Lippy is a gathering of all the things Jo Brand wishes she''d known, all the things she''s learnt, and all the things she hopes for the future. A century after Trade ReviewA hilarious must-have bible for anyone wanting to get gobby . . . I bloody loved this book. So smart, so funny. I wish I'd had it years ago * SARAH MILLICAN *I loved Born Lippy . . . The humour is vintage Brand * SUNDAY TIMES *Moving, funny and most of all useful. A collection of all the things Brand wishes she'd known, things she's learnt and the things she hopes for the future * SCOTSMAN *A must-read guide to life as a woman, including heckling as a life skill; how to like yourself; what happens when you turn into your mother, and other things Brand wishes she'd known earlier -- HELENA KENNEDY * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Funny, feisty and full of life... I loved this book -- PHILIP SCHOFIELD * THIS MORNING *If you want to get really useful advice about life's problems, go to someone who has messed things up, admitted it, then got back on track. Jo Brand is such a person...full of insights and hard-won wisdom * DAILY MAIL *Taking on all the major issues: Feminism, Social Media, Friendship, Parenting and perhaps most crucially -- why there isn't an anti-wrinkle cream for testicles, Born Lippy is funny, clever and very rude. Just like Jo * MORWENNA BANKS *Sassy...feisty and funny * SUNDAY EXPRESS *BORN LIPPY tackles serious subjects between the laughs * BBC Online *Jo Brand is a good writer, and this book is full of engaging, witty prose, just like her comedy...Informed and insightful * CULTURE CALLING *Jo Brand unrolls lessons from her own life in Born Lippy, salty advice on how great expectations may crumble yet prove useful in the long run * SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE, Radio pick of the day *If you want to get really useful advice about life's problems, go to someone who has messed things up, admitted it, then got back on track. Jo Brand is such a person * DAILY MAIL WEEKEND *Chock-full of pithy lines about how best to navigate these troubling times we live in * Irish Independent Review *
£10.44
Globe Pequot Press The Future Is Not Fixed
Book SynopsisWhat might an equitable, sustainable, decarbonized, and just society look like? What if the concept of a Green New Deala policy platform to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also addressing interwoven societal problems like economic inequality and racial injusticecould become reality?The fifty plays in this anthology were commissioned for Climate Change Theatre Action 2021, a global participatory theatre festival that brings communities together around climate justice and climate change issues. Fifty playwrights representing all inhabited continents, with a wide range of styles and perspectives, were commissioned to write a five-minute play under the theme Envisioning a Global Green New Deal. These plays were then available to anyone interested in presenting an event in their community between September 18December 19, 2021. Events could take different forms from intimate readings in classrooms to staged productions with extensive sets and propsand everything in between. I
£17.09
Kensington Publishing Dance Theatre of Harlem
Book Synopsis
£38.39
Workman Publishing How Magicians Think: Misdirection, Deception, and
Book SynopsisThe door to magic is closed, but it’s not locked. And now Joshua Jay, one of the world’s most accomplished magicians, not only opens that door but brings us inside to reveal the artistry and obsessiveness, esoteric history, and long-whispered-about traditions of a subject shrouded in mystery. And he goes one step further: Joshua Jay brings us right into the mind of a magician—how they develop their other worldly skills, conjure up illusions, and leave the rest of us slack jawed with delight time after time. Along the way, Jay reveals another kind of secret, one all readers will find meaningful even if they never aspire to perform sleight of hand: What does it take to follow your heart and achieve excellence? In 52 short, compulsively readable essays, Jay describes how he does it, whether it’s through the making of illusions, the psychology behind them, or the way technology influences the world of magic. He considers the aesthetics of performance, discusses contemporary masters, including David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and David Blaine, and details how magicians hone their craft. And answers questions like: Can a magic trick be too good? How do you saw a person in half? Is there real magic in the universe? The answers, like so much in magic and life, depend on you.Trade Review"Joshua Jay is a superb, innovative conjurer with an unrelenting love of the art. This captivating book is proof of that passion." --David Copperfield "A loving, behind-the-scenes map of the world of magic, by someone who knows and lives the art. Swift, funny, honest, and alive with enthusiasm. And he has the good sense to quote me a lot." --Teller (of Penn & Teller) "Joshua Jay has proven to be an important voice in magic. How Magicians Think is a thoughtful, engaging look into the secretive world of magicians. This book will excite anybody with a curiosity of love for magic." --David Blaine "How Magicians Think is fascinating, beautiful, and can't-put-down shocking. It will inspire awe in its depiction of the secretive world of magicians and is a must-read for anyone passionate about pursuing excellence." --Uri Geller "In How Magicians Think, the great Joshua Jay reveals a magician's greatest secret--not a secret shuffle or how they kept a dove alive in their pants for four hours --but how they think. The answer? Differently, creatively, and beautifully. I mean, how can you not love someone who's devoted their life to making you feel wonder?" --Pete Holmes, comedian and author of Comedy Sex God "How Magicians Think is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read! Joshua Jay is a genius storyteller who has distilled a life's worth of insights into a single book, and the result is magical." --Steven Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics "A must-read for anyone who loves magic. Joshua Jay is not only a world class performer, but he is a thought-leader in magic. Whatever your passion, you'll find inspiration and motivation in these pages. I couldn't put it down." --Jon Dorenbos, NFL Superbowl champion and best-selling author
£19.79
PublicAffairs,U.S. I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in
Book SynopsisIn the mid-1970s, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams, Elayne Boosler, Tom Dreesen, and several hundred other shameless showoffs and incorrigible cutups from across the country migrated en masse to Los Angeles, the new home of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. There, in a late-night world of sex, drugs, dreams and laughter, they created an artistic community unlike any before or since. It was Comedy Camelot-but it couldn't last.William Knoedelseder was then a cub reporter covering the burgeoning local comedy scene for the Los Angeles Times. He wrote the first major newspaper profiles of several of the future stars. And he was there when the comedians-who were not paid by the clubs where they performed- tried to change the system and incidentally tore apart their own close-knit community. In I'm Dying Up Here he tells the whole story of that golden age, of the strike that ended it, and of how those days still resonate in the lives of those who were there. As comedy clubs and cable TV began to boom, many would achieve stardom.... but success had its price
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