Prof. André Gaudreault from Université de Montréal discussed the impact of technology on the film industry in a talk at TNUA on May 4.
Prof. Gaudreault noted that fast changes in digital media technology have revolutionized many things, including film.
Before 1950, cinemas were the only places where people could see films. But in 1953, a famous journal predicted that films would disappear because of the arrival of television. This was the first crisis that the film industry faced, the professor said.
The famous British director Peter Greenaway proclaimed that film would be dead on "September 31, 1983" because of the invention and wide penetration of the TV remote control.
At that time, film had been conceived as something seen by an audience sitting passively in front of the screen. When people started changing channels with their remote controls, the relationship between film and audience was completely subverted.
Greenaway's message, according to Gaudreault, carries both bad and good news. The good news is the day "September 31" does not exist on the calendar, and therefore the death of film will never come.
The bad news is since 1983, the remote control has become a basic gadget of every home, and the relationship between the audience and film has indeed changed.
Over the past two decades or so, many film directors have introduced innovative styles, accompanied by the birth of many new platforms where films are available, such as DVD rental shops, online video-on-demand services, and downloads from the Internet.
He noted that the digitalization of the media is creating tremendous impact on the film industry, but this is actually benefiting the audience, giving them more choices.