Week 9 LectureFilm Technology

The influence of technology• How has technology influenced film in….?

• Theaters• Home Video• Filmmaking

• Are those changes for good or bad?

Centers of Change for film

How has Technology Spurred the Growth of Film?• Technology has always been a force for developing the ways that movies are made

• The Introduction of synchronous sound with 1927’s The Jazz Singer allowed filmmakers to begin a whole new era of storytelling

• Over the years, different filmmakers had tried to increase the width of the screen to make films more of a spectacle.

• We also see a shift towards low cost production which may make it possible for unknown talents to be discovered as filmmakers

Historical Example: The shift to Widescreen• From Belton’s “Technology and

Innovation”• Post WWII, theaters saw a major drop

off in attendance• Families were moving to the suburbs and

began to engage in more active forms of recreation

• Theaters had to also compete with the increasing amount of households that had television sets

• Theaters sought to find ways to make movie watching a more active experience for audiences

• Cinerama was a technique that locked 3 35mm cameras together while shooting the film

• Produced a viewing angle that was 146 degrees wide

• Cinerama did not last for too long however as it was too cumbersome to shoot and play back

• Cinemascope produced a similar widescreen effect but instead used an anamorphic lens – became a standard in the industry to give a widescreen effect

The Technological Arms Race

What are some of the current trends that we are seeing?

New Distribution Channels

3-D and IMAX Movies• Film Studios now are presented with the same conundrum

that studios in the 1950’s were faced with “How do you keep an audiences attention that is increasingly diverted?”

• The latest iteration is 3D and IMAX• These films create a destination experience for audiences –

They cannot be recreated at home• Releasing movies in a 3D and IMAX format allows them to

charge premium pricing – often 5 more dollars per ticket• What has been your experience in watching a 3D movie? Do

you feel that the industry is really moving in this direction?

The future in film production• As non-linear editing systems become more affordable, we will probably see more and more low budget feature films getting bought and released by major studios

• Paranormal Activity was made with a budget of $15,000• The film had a 7-day shooting schedule• The film has since made over 100 million dollars at the box

office• Colin: $70 Zombie film that played at the Cannes film festival

• Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never Directors Cut

New Means of Production

Red Scarlet - X Canon 5D Mark II

What is the distance between consumer and professional?

The Future in Film Distribution• Increasingly, we will see film content that is delivered to households digitally through various means• DVD and Blu-Ray• On-Demand through cable television• Netflix Instant Streaming• Hulu and other online video sites

• How have you seen the way that you access media content change over the past 5 years? What do you see happening in the future of film?

Crowdsourced Projects• Crowdsourced projects draw

on the technological skills of a wide user base• Science fiction film Iron Sky,

was created through the talents of over 2000 members

• Star Wars Uncut