Search results for ""Author Paul McDonald""

Paul McDonald's study of the actor-filmmaker George Clooney traces the star's career, from his role in the hit television medical drama ER to his dual screen persona, allowing him to move seamlessly from commercial hits such as Out of Sight (1998) and Ocean's Eleven (2001) to more offbeat roles in such films as Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). McDonald also considers Clooney's political activism and his roles in such explicity political films as Three Kings (1999) and Syriana (2005), as well as his work as a producer of films including Argo (2012) and as director of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002); Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and Suburbicon (2017) among others. McDonald places Clooney in the context of the Hollywood star system, considering the argument that Clooney's star persona has many similarities with that of Classical Hollywood movie stars such as Cary Grant, but also addresses Clooney as a very 21st century transmedia celebrity.

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PAUL MCDONALD is Reader in Film Studies and Director of the Centre for Research in Film and Audiovisual Cultures, Roehampton University

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This is a true historical account of war in the air, at sea and on land in the battle for Malta's survival in the Second World War. It was a battle which decided the outcome of the war in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Adrian Warburton, the airman described in the subtitle by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder, went missing in 1944 in a single-seat American aircraft. He had flown at least 395 operational missions mostly from Malta. Unusually for a reconnaissance pilot, 'Warby' as he was known was credited with nine aircraft shot down. He lay undiscovered for sixty years. He is the RAF's most highly decorated photo-recce pilot.In Malta, Adrian met Christina, a stranded dancer turned aircraft plotter in the secret world deep beneath Valletta's fortress walls. She too was decorated for heroism. Together, they became part of the island's folklore. How important was Malta and the girl from Cheshire to the man behind the medals? This tale takes the form of a quest opening in a cemetery in Bavaria and closing in another in Malta.In between, the reader is immersed within the tension and drama surrounding Malta's Greater Siege retracing the steps of the main characters over the forever changed face of the island following its heroic victory.

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Winged Warriors is an open and honest account of one mans perceptions and fears, his actions and mistakes, from a career that spanned four decades. The author spent fourteen years overseas and, at the height of the Cold War, served on two Tornado tactical nuclear squadrons in West Germany only fifteen minutes from responding in full measure to an anticipated Soviet onslaught. Earlier he had flown reconnaissance aircraft on NATOs vulnerable southern flank. He was decorated for gallantry in 1980 and appointed OBE in 1995. Later as the senior RAF adviser in Kuwait he witnessed the air war against Iraq in 1998. Winged Warriors touches on many aspects of military service but it is not about war or war-fighting; it is about real people and their highs and lows, ordinary people who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances. And it is about the training and tragedy that affected a generation of aircrew many of whom gave their lives in preserving peace. It is those crews who stand out in Winged Warriors: true warriors in every sense of the word, blessed with an irrepressible sense of humour regardless of circumstance, a humour that was typically British and very typically RAF.

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Paul McDonald's study of the actor-filmmaker George Clooney traces the star's career, from his role in the hit television medical drama ER to his dual screen persona, allowing him to move seamlessly from commercial hits such as Out of Sight (1998) and Ocean's Eleven (2001) to more offbeat roles in such films as Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). McDonald also considers Clooney's political activism and his roles in such explicity political films as Three Kings (1999) and Syriana (2005), as well as his work as a producer of films including Argo (2012) and as director of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002); Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and Suburbicon (2017) among others. McDonald places Clooney in the context of the Hollywood star system, considering the argument that Clooney's star persona has many similarities with that of classical Hollywood movie stars such as Cary Grant, but also addresses Clooney as a very 21st century transmedia celebrity.

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PAUL MCDONALD is Reader in Film Studies and Director of the Centre for Research in Film and Audiovisual Cultures, Roehampton University

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This is a true historical account of war in the air, at sea and on land in the battle for Maltas survival in the Second World War. It was a battle which decided the outcome of the war in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Adrian Warburton, the airman described in the subtitle by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder, went missing in 1944 in a single-seat American aircraft. He had flown at least 395 operational missions mostly from Malta. Unusually for a reconnaissance pilot, Warby as he was known was credited with nine aircraft shot down. He lay undiscovered for sixty years. He is the RAFs most highly decorated photo-recce pilot. In Malta, Adrian met Christina, a stranded dancer turned aircraft plotter in the secret world deep beneath Vallettas fortress walls. She too was decorated for heroism. Together, they became part of the islands folklore. How important was Malta and the girl from Cheshire to the man behind the medals? This tale takes the form of a quest opening in a cemetery in Bavaria and closing in another in Malta. In between, the reader is immersed within the tension and drama surrounding Maltas Greater Siege retracing the steps of the main characters over the forever changed face of the island following its heroic victory.

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This title considers aspects of the legacy that makes Film4 synonymous with a rejuvenated national cinema. When Channel 4 was launched in 1982 its policy of commissioning new feature films for television broadcast and selective cinema release marked a shift in British film culture. Widely credited with revitalising a moribund UK film industry, the initiative represented a new intervention on the part of a public service broadcaster and, in turn, redefined the place of film on television with landmark strands from Film on Four to The Eleventh Hour. Channel 4 withstood early criticism from some industry voices and controversy aroused by its broadcast film provision; in 1987 its contribution to European cinema was recognised in the accolade of the Roberto Rosselini award at the Cannes film festival. Since then the international box office successes of many Film4 titles (from My Beautiful Laundrette and The Crying Game to Four Weddings and Funeral and Slumdog Millionaire), have made Film4 synonymous with a rejuvenated national cinema and established television as a vital cornerstone of government film policy. This special issue investigates aspects of that legacy, casting a critical eye upon received wisdom, and drawing on new archival and interview material to offer a revisionist history of the broadcaster's rich and diverse contributions to British film culture. It is indispensible to anyone with an interest in British film over the past 30 years.

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The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry is a collection of essays by leading scholars that examines the state of the U.S. film industry, from the l980s to present day. Includes important discussions of the industry’s labour and star systems, as well as intellectual property and state relations Considers the role of independent producers, the global marketplace for Hollywood product, corporate changes, and various new media windows, including video, DVD to cable, satellite, and online channels of delivery Brings together an international team of leading film scholars Offers a balanced and fresh approach to this important contemporary period in Hollywood

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The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry is a collection of essays by leading scholars that examines the state of the U.S. film industry, from the l980s to present day. Includes important discussions of the industry’s labour and star systems, as well as intellectual property and state relations Considers the role of independent producers, the global marketplace for Hollywood product, corporate changes, and various new media windows, including video, DVD to cable, satellite, and online channels of delivery Brings together an international team of leading film scholars Offers a balanced and fresh approach to this important contemporary period in Hollywood

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A deep dive into the new era of digital content production and distribution In the twenty-first century, the platforms that both create and host content have become nearly as important as media itself. Companies such as Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube have attained a massive hold on the public imagination and have become an almost ineluctable part of people’s everyday lives. While the workings of media distribution had until very recently remained inconsequential to the average consumer, the recent popularization of various online platforms has made the question of distribution immediate to everyone. Digital Media Distribution: Portals, Platforms, Pipelines provides a timely examination of the multifaceted distribution landscape in a moment of transformation and conceptualizes media distribution as a complex site of power, privilege, and gatekeeping. These tensions have local, national, and global consequences on the autonomy of creative workers, as well as on how we gain access to, engage with, and understand cultural products. Drawing on original research into distribution practices in industries as diverse as television, film, videogames, literature, and adult entertainment, each chapter explores how digitization has changed media distribution and its broader economic, industrial, social, and cultural implications. Bringing together experts from around the world and across the media industries, Digital Media Distribution: Portals, Platforms, Pipelines presents a vast array of critical approaches and illustrative case studies for understanding the factors that have an impact on the way media travels and moves throughout our digital lives.

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A deep dive into the new era of digital content production and distribution In the twenty-first century, the platforms that both create and host content have become nearly as important as media itself. Companies such as Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube have attained a massive hold on the public imagination and have become an almost ineluctable part of people’s everyday lives. While the workings of media distribution had until very recently remained inconsequential to the average consumer, the recent popularization of various online platforms has made the question of distribution immediate to everyone. Digital Media Distribution: Portals, Platforms, Pipelines provides a timely examination of the multifaceted distribution landscape in a moment of transformation and conceptualizes media distribution as a complex site of power, privilege, and gatekeeping. These tensions have local, national, and global consequences on the autonomy of creative workers, as well as on how we gain access to, engage with, and understand cultural products. Drawing on original research into distribution practices in industries as diverse as television, film, videogames, literature, and adult entertainment, each chapter explores how digitization has changed media distribution and its broader economic, industrial, social, and cultural implications. Bringing together experts from around the world and across the media industries, Digital Media Distribution: Portals, Platforms, Pipelines presents a vast array of critical approaches and illustrative case studies for understanding the factors that have an impact on the way media travels and moves throughout our digital lives.

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