Alex Cox's Introduction to Film

Emerging filmmakers need to know the basics of their art form: the language of the camera, and lenses, the different crew roles, the formats, the aspect ratios. They also need to know some bare-bones theory: what an auteur is, what montage is, what genres are. Most important, all filmmakers require serious grounding in film. You cannot be a great artist if you aren't versed in great art. An Introduction to Film covers all these aspects, from a director and filmmaker's perspective. According to Cox, 'Academics have a very specific take on things, and a language of their own. That take and that language aren't mine. I'm a film director, writer, actor and producer. So my 'intro to film' may be somewhat different from the standard introductory text. I am less focused on film theory, and more on a film's meaning, the intentions of the filmmaker, and how they got their film made.'

Maverick British filmmaker Alex Cox is responsible for directing a host of acclaimed films from Sleep Is for Sissies, Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, Straight to Hell, Walker and Highway Patrolman to Death and the Compass, Revenger's Tragedy and Searchers 2.0. From 1987 to 1994, he presented the acclaimed BBC TV series 'Moviedrome', bringing unknown or forgotten films to new audiences. He lives in Oregon.