Publicity
The Press Portrait: One Image, Several Jobs
A press portrait can introduce a performer, suggest a genre, and draw attention; learn what its framing…
The full collection
All stories
Explore writing on screen personas, publicity, performances and fandom, with each piece asking what the visible evidence can—and cannot—tell us.
Star Images
Stage Name or Screen Credit? Two Different Choices
Stage name or screen credit? Learn how to separate a performer’s public identity from a production’s role listing and…
Showbiz History
From Studio Portraits to the Fan Magazine
Trace how studio portraits moved into fan magazines and learn to read the captions, layouts, and publicity choices…
Screen Roles
The Biography Trap: A Role Is Not a Confession
Separate a screen role from a performer’s private beliefs by tracing what the script, performance, and reliable…
Fandom
A Watch Party Built Around One Performance Choice
A watch party built around one performance choice gives your group a clear way to compare readings of a scene while…
Our point of view
Fame is made in the frame and beyond it
We separate a screen role from a public persona, and publicity from evidence. The aim is not to pry into private lives, but to notice how entertainment presents them.