Sight Sound Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics

by Herbert Zettl

The most comprehensive book on the market, SIGHT SOUND MOTION/APPLIED MEDIA AESTHETICS describes the major aesthetic image elements--light and color, space, time-motion, and sound--and how they are used in television and film. Zettl's comprehensive coverage of aesthetic theory and how that theory can be successfully applied place this text in a class by itself. This edition is richly illustrated with visuals that often draw on traditional art forms, such as painting, sculpture, and dance.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, School

430 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Paul Cornelius]

Zettl's book remains a solid introduction volume on television, one of the better available. It covers the gamut, including details of television technology to practical aesthetics.. Any first year student in television or film should take this text and keep it for constant referral. Zettl continues to update with additional editions. I remember when his fist edition came out in the 1970s. It was an awkwardly shaped book, albeit relatively thin, with great information on old standard television broadcast cameras and equipment. To compare that book with today's is like venturing into another world. It demonstrates just how much the industry has changed.

[Caity]

This is quite possibly the best and most comprehensive book on the aesthetics of film available for purchase today. My professor for a class by the same name required us to buy this book, then threatened us if we dared to sell it back. While a few did sell it back for the money they could get from it, many people each semester, including myself, choose to keep it. This is a decision I have not yet regretted, as this book is something I can refer back to for years to come.

[Zachary]

As a resource in understanding and applying concepts of visual literacy, this is a great textbook. It's fairly clearly written, with good examples throughout that are among the weirdest textbook photos I've ever seen, which makes the chapters kind of more delightful than they really have a right to be. There are definitely some areas where repeated definitions could be useful, as concepts re-emerge chapters later, and there are times where the text veers into philosophical territory that is wayyyy outside the purview of this kind of book (knowing how Hegelian dialectic works is, shockingly, not actually necessary to understand complex montage editing) but these asides are generally few and far between and so don't really detract from the effectiveness of the book. I can't see how something like this would be much improved upon, but did sometimes wish for more mainstream Hollywood examples as touchpoints rather than just the publisher-supplied example images. All in all, a good book that will remain a useful reference point for visual thinkers and filmmakers for a long time after they're done actually reading it.

[Antonia]

i think its gonna be a great option for film aesthetics.

[Inggita]

a classic, a basic reader in aesthetics - it's more like an anatomy of aesthetic for people without good eyes.

[Jessica]

A great overview for shooting in the field. REALLY dry though. And very repetitive. But informative.

[Hendlefrink Brinklestone]

I go back to this college textbook frequently as in some respects it applies to web design.

[Peter Stern]

Extremely technical stuff told in a very simple and accessible way.

[Katie]

A great textbook for media students and researchers. Covers everything you need to know. Very accessible and even a little dense, but in a good way.