Book Report

What Media Classes

Really Want To
Discuss

Zachary Burgess

27th September 2019

Greg M. Smith
Greg M. Smith is a North American author who primarily writes about film and media. His
four biggest works include What Media Classes Really Want To Discuss, Haunting Refrain,
Beautiful TV: The Art and Argument of Ally McBeal, and Film Structure and the Emotion System.
Smith graduated from Georgia State University, school of film, media, and theatre. Greg Smith
used to frequently upload articles about cinema and surprisingly comics. Smith would be
considered a “small” author due to his small catalog and subpar sales. His audience can find his
work credible since he has graduated from a well-respected film school. Greg M. Smith may not
be as famous as many other authors, but his work in film literature makes him respected.

Image Citations:

Smith, Greg M. “Beautiful TV: The Art and Argument of Ally McBeal.” Amazon, University of Texas Press,
2007, https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-TV-Argument-Ally-McBeal/dp/0292716435.

Smith, Greg M. “Film Structure and the Emotion System.” Amazon, Cambridge University Press, 2007,
https://www.amazon.com/Film-Structure-Emotion-System-Smith/dp/0521817587.

Smith, Greg. “What Media Classes Really Want to Discuss: a Student Guide.” Amazon, Routledge, 2016,
https://www.amazon.com/What-Media-Classes-Really-Discuss/dp/0415778123.
Summary and Critique
What Media Class Really Want to Discuss acts as a “discussion guide for students.” The
book takes what would be an uninteresting conversation in class, and attempts to make the
situation or scenario, more enjoyable. This guide breaks down certain questions students ask
and helps the reader understand the media better. Greg M. Smith does an excellent job of
making his tone and diction very vernacular. Reading his book, the audience feels as if they are
talking to the author rather than reading a book. Although I praise his tone and diction, I found
myself getting bored with the book quick. Smith’s first chapter “It’s just a movie” best
encapsulates the reader's attention. The author addresses question I often ask myself in my
Cultural Media Literacy class, “Aren’t we reading too much into this? After all, it’s just a movie”
Smith explains how nothing in a film is “left to chance.” What makes this first chapter so
interesting compared to the rest is how he refers to his students constantly and talks about his
everyday life. When addressing the “nothing left to chance” idea, Smith talks about how when he
“puts on a shirt in the morning, I do so with very little thought (as my students will tell you).” This
use of humor and references to students helps provide the vernacular tone and make the book
seem more like a conversation than a book I am meant to read for a grade.

No matter how I personally feel about the book and my interest in it, I cannot deny the
fact that it was effective in a manner. I work at the Raleigh Grande quite often and when I do
theater checks, I find myself analyzing the film, the mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing,
sound, every part of the film. I do not, however, find true meaning in the purpose of those
techniques, but it means something that Smith is able to condition me through reading to
question and analyze a film. I believe one of my biggest issues with analyzing film at the theater
is that films today do not feel realistic, making them hard to relate to. Smith breaks down realism
into two categories, “documentary look” and “dramatic look.” Most films these days take on the
dramatic look, the “invisible” Hollywood style. The dramatic look becomes so involved in the
character and makes the audience feel omniscient as if they are “eavesdropping on another
world.” I find this to be an issue in film since it makes it more difficult to relate to a film. I want the
scenes to feel raw and unpredictable. Smith uses the examples of a documentary filming a riot. A
director cannot ask for the riot to “cut.” All in all, I believe Smith conveys his ideas in a clear and
effective manner that makes readers more conscious of reading film productively.

Although there was never quite a moment where I felt super involved in the book, I
believe this is a great tool for film students, it successfully fulfills its purpose. Even though deep
inside of me, I wish I could have enjoyed and related more to the book, but Smith’s purpose was
never to make the reader enjoy the book. That is something I have come to terms with over time.