The language of Hollywood resonates beyond the stage and screen because it often has inherent drama—or comedic effect. This volume contains a combination of approximately 100 expertly researched essays on words, phrases and idioms made famous by Hollywood along with the stories behind 30 or so of the most iconic—and ultimately often used—quotes from films. There are also sidebars that focus on other ways the entertainment world has changed language. For instance, stories behind stars whose names have been used for drinks (hello, Shirley Temple) or roses (there are ones named after Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland, among others). And, a sidebar on William Shakespeare’s unique contribution to the English language.

Starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen, along with A-list guests, the award-winning and critically acclaimed British television comedy series Staged was an instant hit. Launched during the global coronavirus pandemic, the show follows the two thespians playing fictionalised versions of themselves as they try to rehearse a play during lockdown... over Zoom. Completely Staged presents the complete text of the BBC screenplays from Staged’s writer and director Simon Evans and co-creator Phin Glynn, illustrated throughout in full colour with stills from the show, original drawings, sheet music for the theme tune, Georgia Tennant's carrot cake recipe, tips on how to draw a pineapple and much more. This treasure trove is a must-have for every fan of Staged, a show which perfectly combines comedy and poignancy to encapsulate the collective feelings of a reluctantly virtual world.

Reality is deadly when you go off script. Bliss Island seems like an idyllic place to live - especially to the people suffering on the war-torn mainland. What's not so idyllic about Bliss is the fact that the Island is a set, and everyone's life is a performance; they're all stars of a hit reality TV show, Blissful Days. Characters on the show think they're better off on Bliss than the mainland, but they're always in danger of being cut if their ratings dip too low. And no one really knows what happens to cut characters. Nettie Starling has never had great ratings, so it seems lucky when a producer offers suggestions to help her improve. But she'll soon have to decide how far she'll go to preserve her ratings ... especially when she learns what could happen to her if she doesn't.

Traditionally, scientific fields have defined boundaries, and scientists work on research problems within those boundaries. However, from time to time those boundaries get shifted or blurred to evolve new fields. For instance, the original goal of computer vision was to understand a single image of a scene, by identifying objects, their structure, and spatial arrangements. This has been referred to as image understanding. Recently, computer vision has gradually been making the transition away from understanding single images to analyz ing image sequences, or video understanding. Video understanding deals with understanding of video sequences, e. g. , recognition of gestures, activities, fa cial expressions, etc. The main shift in the classic paradigm has been from the recognition of static objects in the scene to motion-based recognition of actions and events. Video understanding has overlapping research problems with other fields, therefore blurring the fixed boundaries. Computer graphics, image processing, and video databases have obvious overlap with computer vision. The main goal of computer graphics is to gener ate and animate realistic looking images, and videos. Researchers in computer graphics are increasingly employing techniques from computer vision to gen erate the synthetic imagery. A good example of this is image-based rendering and modeling techniques, in which geometry, appearance, and lighting is de rived from real images using computer vision techniques. Here the shift is from synthesis to analysis followed by synthesis.

Thirty-five authors Seventeen Artists Eight Actors and Producers Thirty-Five Musicians and Producers One BIG Damned Book of Interviews compiled by Tina Hall Bill Thompson / Eric Burdon / Johnny Winter / Brian Ray / Rusty Anderson / Bruce Kulick / Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal / Richard Fortus / Sean Spillane / Dan Baird /John “JD” DeServio / Greg LoCascio / Jason Hook / Jim McCarty / Leigh Stephens / Carl Harvey / Stevie D / Vinnie Moore / Paul Allender / Todd Wolfe / Hed P.E / Chad Cherry / Adam Hamilton / Kasey Lansdale / Wes Dolan / Bo Bice / Joshua OKeefe / Poc / Lorraine Lewis / Jann Klose / Joe Deninzon / Jessie Galante / Mike Huberty / Lthrboots / Paul Waters / Courtney Gains / Helene Udy / Reggie Bannister / Andy Milder / Pollyanna McIntosh / Sean Kanan / Damian Maffei / Rick Traum / Jim Davis / Joe Kubert / Adam Kubert / Dan Brereton / Bob Eggleton / Aaron Sowd / Anthony Palumbo / David Palumbo / Louis Harrison / Glenn Chadbourne / Rick Geary / Langdon Foss / Vincent Chong / Shannon Wheeler / Thomas Bonvillain / Justice Howard / Remembering Seth Fisher with Vicki Sheridan /John Gilmore / Carson Gilmore / Ian Ayres / Tim Minear / Joe R. Lansdale / Kasey Lansdale / Keith Lansdale / Jack Ketchum / Terry Brooks / Graham Joyce / Paul Dini / Graham Masterton / William Hjortsberg / James P.Blaylock / Tim Powers / John Connolly / Lewis Shiner / Jane Yolen / Rick Hautala / Elizabeth Massie / Thomas Ligotti / Chet Willamson / Tim Lebbon / Christopher Golden / John Everson / Nancy Holder / Gene Brewer / Kathe Koja / Kealan Patrick Burke / Mark Russell / Trent Zelazny / Dave Simms / Kung and Eot Ramanakajja / Philip Gardiner / A Tribute to Melissa Mia Hall

In this “highly entertaining snapshot of a wild-frontier moment in pop culture” (Rolling Stone), discover the wild and explosive true story of the early years of MTV directly from the original VJs. Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn (along with the late J. J. Jackson) had front-row seats to a cultural revolution—and the hijinks of pop music icons like Adam Ant, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Duran Duran—as the first VJs on the fledgling network MTV. From partying with David Lee Roth to flying on Bob Dylan’s private jet, they were on a breakneck journey through a music revolution. Boing beyond the compelling behind the scenes tales of this unforgettable era, VJ is also a coming-of-age story about the 1980s, its excesses, controversies, and everything in between. “At last—the real inside story of the MTV explosion that rocked the world, in all its giddy excess, from the video pioneers who saw all the hair, drugs and guitars up close. VJ is the wild, hilarious, addictive tale of how one crazy moment changed pop culture forever” (Rob Sheffield, New York Times bestselling author).

When media coverage of courtroom trials came under intense fire in the aftermath of the infamous New Jersey v. Hauptmann lawsuit (a.k.a. the Lindbergh kidnapping case,) a new wave of fictionalized courtroom programming arose to satiate the public's appetite for legal drama. This book is an alphabetical examination of the nearly 200 shows telecast in the U.S. from 1948 through 2008 involving courtrooms, lawyers and judges, complete with cast and production credits, airdates, detailed synopses and background information. Included are such familiar titles as Perry Mason, Divorce Court, Judge Judy, LA Law, and The Practice, along with such obscure series as They Stand Accused, The Verdict Is Yours Sam Benedict, Trials of O'Brien, and The Law and Mr. Jones. The book includes an introductory overview of law-oriented radio and TV broadcasts from the 1920s to the present, including actual courtroom coverage (or lack of same during those years in which cameras and microphones were forbidden in the courtroom) and historical events within TV's factual and fictional treatment of the legal system. Also included in the introduction is an analysis of the rise and fall of cable's Court TV channel.

Television is a demanding industry and at the centre of the creative process is the pivotal role of the director. Do you have the right skills to make quality programmes that resonate with audiences? Directing Television offers you a contemporary survival guide. TV directors need a sense of vision, effective management of cast and crew, mentoring and problem solving skills and most importantly the ability to tell a visual story. See inside the everyday realtivies of TV programme making with this essential guide, written by a Nick Bamford a freelancer director and media trainer with over 25 years of experience of making every type of genre from studio work to outside broadcast. Directing Television offers contemporary skiils in each process from pre-production, development, casting, contributors, locations, programme structure, equipment, call sheets, scripting drama, planning the shoot, the importance of screen grammar and camera basics, through to the final edit. It covers a range of programme styles: factual and reality TV, drama, observational docs, comedy and specialist programmes as well as case studies and `war stories' from real TV experience. Benefit from professional advice and develop your creative directing skills today!

Producing Videos has been called the 'bible' of video making. A bestseller over many years, it offers a comprehensive and user friendly guide to all aspects of video production - from the first chapter on using a camera (if it doesn't go in easily, don't force it) to the chapter on distribution (no matter what happens, always hold onto your master). All the elements of video production are covered: camera operation; scriptwriting; composition; budgeting; preproduction planning; lighting and sound recording; interview techniques; field production and studio shoots; digital editing; digital postproduction techniques; video streaming and other forms of online distribution. This edition has been fully revised and updated to cover developments in technology, promotion and distribution. It includes tips from over 120 experienced video teachers from around the world, and is illustrated with over 600 photographs and 200 diagrams. Producing Videos is the best handbook available for learning the basics of video making. It is an ideal guide for students, and for anyone who has a flip camera burning a hole in their pocket and aspirations to become the next hot new director. 'Whether you are a beginner or veteran filmmaker, Martha Mollison's Producing Videos serves as a comprehensive guide to all aspects of video production.' - Greg Walters, Portland Community College 'An invaluable resource for developing my students' video journalism skills.' - Kay Nankervis, Charles Sturt University