FILM: About the Author

William H. Phillips received his B.A. from Purdue University, his M.A. from Rutgers University, and his Ph.D. (in dramatic literature and film studies) from Indiana University. His postdoctoral studies in film include three sabbaticals to write and to do research at major film archives, libraries, and film distributors in the United States and Europe; participation in an eight-week National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar for College Teachers on the history of film at Northwestern University; and attendance at the first (two-week) American Film Institute Center for Advanced Film Studies Symposium for College Film Teachers. He has also served as producer of readings of original short film scripts for live performance then rebroadcast on cable TV.

Phillips has taught introductory film courses at the University of Illinois, Urbana; Indiana University, South Bend; California State University, Stanislaus; and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His publications include the books Analyzing Films (1985) and Writing Short Scripts (2nd ed., 1999).

Phillips first developed a strong interest in film while working at the Beach Theatre in Corpus Christi, Texas during his freshman and sophomore years in high school. Later, while in a master's program, he was especially intrigued by the foreign films of Bergman, Ray, Renoir, and others. At that time, he began collecting film clippings, reviews, interviews, and related materials. Over the years, his collection of articles, books, journals, clippings, photographs, frame enlargements, videotapes, etc. has evolved into a small film archive.

For twenty years he also collected 16 mm movies, most of which he studied carefully with rewinds and an editor/viewer (like the equipment shown in Figure 8.31 a on p. 358 of Film: An Introduction). For many of the films he also made outlines, a process that provided him with an education in structure and editing. His hands-on experience with 16 mm films came long before home videotape, laser discs, and DVD players. He was also an early and frequent user of laser discs in his research and teaching.

A close reading of Film: An Introduction reveals his passion for a lot of different films — especially films that try something different — including popular commercial movies, foreign films, independent films, short films, documentaries, avant-garde films, and hybrid films. But for him and other film teachers and scholars what is most fascinating is not a particular film, but the medium itself — what has been achieved and what is possible.

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