Graeme Turner

"This new edition of a classic student textbook explores the feature film as entertainment, as narrative and as cultural event. Graeme Turner discusses the major theoretical issues surrounding the history of film production and film studies, using them to examine the cultural function of film and its place in our popular culture rather than its status as the 'seventh art'." "Turner considers issues of film institutions and their place in national political culture and the relevance of cultural theory, from the UK, the US, and Australia, in explaining the social practice of making, watching and talking about feature films. This new edition incorporates analysis of classic and popular contemporary films, now including Batman, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Home Alone, with a selection of brand new film stills; new theoretical material, with particular discussion of feminist theory and the female spectator; and arguments revised throughout to take into account recent developments in film and cultural theory and changing cinematic trends."--BOOK JACKET.

A comprehensive introduction to the television industry in Australia.Television is the most pervasive mass medium of the industrialised world. It is blamed for creating alienation and violence in society, yet at the same time regarded as trivial and unworthy of serious attention. It is the main purveyor of global popular culture, yet also intensely local.The Australian TV Book paints the big picture of the small screen in Australia. It examines industry dynamics in a rapidly changing environment, the impact of new technology, recent changes in programming, and the ways in which the television industry targets its audiences. The authors highlight what is distinctive about television in Australia, and how it is affected by international developments.This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Australian television today.Stuart Cunningham is Professor of Media and Journalism at Queensland University of Technology. Graeme Turner is director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland. They are editors of the leading textbook The Media in Australia and authors of many other works on the media.

"In this book, Graeme Turner explores the 'whys' and 'hows' of the 'everyday' individual's willingness to turn themselves into media content through celebrity culture, Reality TV, DIY websites, talk radio, and user-generated materials online. Further analyzing the pervasiveness of celebrity culture, the book develops the idea of the demotic turn as a tool for examining common elements in a range of media and cultural studies 'hot spots'." "Rejecting the idea that the demotic turn necessarily carries with it a democratizing politics, this book examines its political and cultural function in media production and consumption across many fields - including print and electronic news, current affairs journalism, and citizen and online journalism. Graeme Turner outlines a structural shift in the western media, and suggests that these media activities represent something much more fundamental than contemporary media fashion."--Jacket.

"... Exploration of cultural studies in the twenty-first century. It offers a level-headed account of where cultural studies has come from, the methodological and theoretical dilemmas that it faces today, and an agenda for its future development. In an age in which the relevance of cultural studies has been called into question, this book seeks to generate debate. Focusing upon the actual practice of cultural studies within higher education today, it asks whether or not cultural studies has really managed to maintain a connection with its original political and ethical mission and comments on the strategies needed to regain the initiative. ... Each chapter supports and guides the reader by introducing the key issues, reviewing the relevant commentary, and offering a critical conclusion of how each theme fits into a bigger picture. This timely and provocative consideration of cultural studies as a global discipline will be essential reading for academics and students working in the field for years to come."--