Description
Book SynopsisThe theme of surveillance has become an increasingly common element in movies and television shows, perhaps as a response to the sense that the world is now virtually under watch. But the recent surge of this filmic device calls for an explanation that transcends the basic assumption that media illustrates the changes of society. The persistent and growing presence of surveillance in cinematic productions is not merely a reflection of the advent of surveillance societies, but rather an aesthetic adaptation to the evolution of watching patterns.In Surveillance on Screen: Monitoring Contemporary Films and Television Programs, Sébastien Lefait examines this ever-increasing phenomenon. Drawing on the rapidly developing field of surveillance studies, Lefait offers an in-depth analysis of television shows and films, which complement current theoretical approaches to those subjects. This unique combination of surveillance theories with the latest concepts of film, television, and Internet stu
Trade ReviewThis volume will be of interest to film and media students and can serve to supplement other film reference works in modern cinema. It may also be of interest to those in surveillance studies, sociology, and information technology. * American Reference Books Annual *
Lefait presents a series of detailed arguments throughout the book about the intertwined relationship between surveillance and cinema/television, and our position, both watching screens and being watched by them. Overall, the book provides a very clear analysis of the various debates about surveillance and popular culture, with some well-chosen and closely-analysed films and television programmes throughout. * Cercles *
The book is solidly written and engaging throughout. . . .After reading Surveillance on Screen: Monitoring Contemporary Films and Television Programs by Sébastien Lefait, [the reader has] a greater understanding and appreciation of the purpose of surveillance in cinema and how the techniques are applied in some of the best known surveillance films. * Film Matters *
Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 Dystopian (Super)Panopticism: from Nineteen Eighty-Four to Orwellian Films Chapter 2 Closed-Circuit Filmmaking: Cinema in the Age of Panopticism Come True Chapter 3 Audiovisual Fiction and Synoptic Surveillance: the Televisualisation of Life Chapter 4 Cinema in the Catoptic Age: Visions of a Sousveillance World Conclusion: Surveillance Screens—The New Site of Film? Bibliography Filmography About the author
