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Steven Spielberg's Style by Stealth

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  • © 2018

Overview

Authors:
  1. James Mairata

    1. Charles Sturt University, Sydney, Australia

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  • Comprehensively considers how Steven Spielberg puts his films together
  • Examines Spielberg’s technique in never-before-seen detail and clearly illustrates how he makes his narratives more effective and engaging for an audience
  • Exposes some of the technical 'secrets' of a famous film director

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
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  2. Introduction: Setting the Scene

    • James Mairata
    Pages 1-19

  3. Origin

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 21-21
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    2. Fundamentals of Classical Narration

      • James Mairata
      Pages 23-52

    3. Spielberg as Filmmaker

      • James Mairata
      Pages 53-77

    4. Continuity Editing as System

      • James Mairata
      Pages 79-101

  4. Function

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 103-103
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    2. Deep Space Composition and Staging

      • James Mairata
      Pages 105-149

    3. Space and the Wide Reverse Strategy

      • James Mairata
      Pages 151-188

    4. The Wide Reverse and Extended Variation

      • James Mairata
      Pages 189-238

  5. Effect, Affect and Precedent

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 239-239
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    2. The Wide Reverse, Cognition and Affect

      • James Mairata
      Pages 241-273

    3. Manifestations of the Wide Reverse in Mainstream Narrative Cinema

      • James Mairata
      Pages 275-330

    4. Conclusion: Style by Stealth

      • James Mairata
      Pages 331-339

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 341-350
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Keywords

About this book

This book reveals how Spielberg utilises stylistic strategies that are both unique and innovative when considered within the context of the classical Hollywood system. James Mairata identifies two distinct systems at work in Spielberg's application of style. One is the use of deep space compositions and staging, a form that was commonly seen in Hollywood cinema until the rise of the 'New Hollywood' in the early 1970s. The other system is based on the ubiquitous shot, reverse shot arrangement most commonly used for dialogue scenes, and which Spielberg has modified into what the author describes as wide reverses. Through the integration of both systems, Spielberg is able to create a more complete visual sense of scenographic space and a more comprehensive world of the narrative, while still remaining within the conventional boundaries of classical style. The wide reverse system also permits him to present a more highly developed version of Hollywood's conventional practice of rendering style as transparent or unnoticed. This volume shows that this, together with the wide reverse further enables Spielberg to create a narrative that offers the spectator both a more immersive and more affective experience. 







Authors and Affiliations

  • Charles Sturt University, Sydney, Australia

    James Mairata

About the author

James Mairata is Lecturer in Narrative Theory and Production at Charles Sturt University, Australia.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Steven Spielberg's Style by Stealth

  • Authors: James Mairata

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69081-0

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-69080-3Published: 06 April 2018

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-09868-1Published: 26 January 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-69081-0Published: 26 March 2018

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIII, 350

  • Number of Illustrations: 200 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Directing, American Cinema and TV, Film Theory

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