Gianluca Sergi is the Director of the Institute for Screen Research Industries and Associate Professor of Film and Television at the University of Nottingham, UK. A leading industry expert and scholar in the film and screen industries with over 25 years of experience, Sergi has published widely on film production and the cinema industry. He has also consulted for world leading studios and industry organisations in the US, UK and China. Gary Rydstrom is a sound designer at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound, USA. He has won 7 Academy Awards in sound, for Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, Titanic, and Saving Private Ryan. At Pixar, he directed the animated short films Lifted and Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation. For Lucasfilm, he directed the animated feature Strange Magic. Rydstrom is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, USA, and continues to be involved in film education.
Sergi’s scholarly insights and Rydstrom’s unique love and professional knowledge of sound (along with his wonderfully dry sense of humor) create a truly unusual and rich take on the history of the film industry - while at the same time, giving us an eccentric perspective on world historical events that laid the rollercoaster tracks for Hollywood’s ups and downs. Film and history buffs alike will enjoy the read! * Brenda Chapman, Writer/Director for Disney/Pixar’s Brave and co-director for Prince of Egypt, USA *