The End of Cinema?: A Medium in Crisis in the Digital Age (Film and Culture Series)

Is a film watched on a video screen still cinema? Have digital compositing, motion capture, and other advanced technologies remade or obliterated the craft? Rooted in their hypothesis of the "double birth of media," André Gaudreault and Philippe Marion take a positive look at cinema's ongoing digital revolution and reaffirm its central place in a rapidly expanding media landscape. The authors begin with an overview of the extreme positions held by opposing camps in the debate over cinema: the "digitalphobes" who lament the implosion of cinema and the "digitalphiles" who celebrate its new, vital incarnation. Throughout, they remind readers that cinema has never been a static medium but a series of processes and transformations powering a dynamic art. From their perspective, the digital revolution is the eighth major crisis in the history of motion pictures, with more disruptions to come. Brokering a peace among all sides, Gaudreault and Marion emphasize the cultural practice of cinema over rigid claims on its identity, moving toward a common conception of cinema to better understand where it is headed next. Is A Film Watched On A Video Screen Still Cinema? Have Digital Compositing, Motion Capture, And Other Advanced Technologies Remade Or Obliterated The Craft? Rooted In Their Hypothesis Of The Double Birth Of Media, Andre Gaudreault And Philippe Marion Take A Positive Look At Cinema's Ongoing Digital Revolution And Reaffirm Its Central Place In A Rapidly Expanding Media Landscape. The Authors Begin With An Overview Of The Extreme Positions Held By Opposing Camps In The Debate Over Cinema: The Digitalphobes Who Lament The Implosion Of Cinema And The Digitalphiles Who Celebrate Its New, Vital Incarnation. Throughout, They Remind Readers That Cinema Has Never Been A Static Medium But A Series Of Processes And Transformations Powering A Dynamic Art. From Their Perspective, The Digital Revolution Is The Eighth Major Crisis In The History Of Motion Pictures, With More Disruptions To Come. Brokering A Peace Among All Sides, Gaudreault And Marion Emphasize The Cultural Practice Of Cinema Over Rigid Claims On Its Identity, Moving Toward A Common Conception Of Cinema To Better Understand Where It Is Headed Next. Introduction: The End Of Cinema? -- Cinema Is Not What It Used To Be -- Digitalizing Cinema From Top To Bottom -- A Brief Phenomenology Of 'digitalized' Cinema -- From Shooting To Filming: The Aufhebung Effect -- A Medium Is Always Born Twice -- New Variants Of The Moving Image -- 'animage' And The New Visual Culture -- Conclusion: A Medium In Crisis In The Digital Age. André Gaudreault And Philippe Marion ; Translated By Timothy Barnard. Translated From The French. Adapted From La Fin Du Cinéma: Un Média En Crise à L¿ère Du Numérique ... Armand Colin, Paris, 2013, First Edition.--title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Is a film watched on a video screen still cinema? Have digital compositing, motion capture, and other advanced technologies remade or obliterated the craft? Rooted in their hypothesis of the "double birth of media," André Gaudreault and Philippe Marion support cinema's ongoing digital revolution and reaffirm its central place in a rapidly expanding media landscape. They engage with the major arguments of the "digitalphobes" who lament the implosion of cinema and the "digitalphiles" who celebrate its new incarnation. Throughout, Gaudreault and Marion show how cinema has always been a fast-evolving, dynamic art and that the digital revolution is just another disruption in the history of motion pictures, with more to come. Emphasizing the cultural practice of cinema over rigid claims on its identity, Gaudreault and Marion advance a fresh conception of cinema that better reflects its essential vitality. A positive look at cinema’s ongoing digital revolution that reaffirms its central place in a rapidly expanding media landscape Richard Abel, University of Michigan:Gaudreault and Marion make a nuanced argument for rethinking the very nature and impact of the digital revolution on cinema. Their book is an unusually thorough, balanced analysis as well as an original argument about the alleged "death of cinema." It should certainly be required reading. Richard Neupert, University of Georgia:Anyone involved in the debates surrounding the shift from 35mm film stock to digital production practices and exhibition formats will need to confront André Gaudreault and Philippe Marion's arguments. A provocative and timely book, the authors remind viewers that the "cinema" has never been a static technology Table of Contents Preface Introduction: The End of Cinema? 1. Cinema Is Not What It Used to Be 2. Digitalizing Cinema from Top to Bottom 3. A Brief Phenomenology of “Digitalized” Cinema 4. From Shooting to Filming: The Aufhebung Effect 5. A Medium Is Always Born Twice . . . 6. New Variants of the Moving Image 7. “Animage” and the New Visual Culture Conclusion: A Medium in Crisis in the Digital Age Notes Acknowledgments Selected Bibliography Index