Gauging the Technology Landscape: Are We Overlooking Content?

While much of the movie blogosphere seems to be filled with amateur movie reviews and secret spy photos of the latest "it"celebrity, I feel a film blog is much more effective when it probes into current events, looking ahead to the shaping of the industry in the future. One popular topic for this type of writing is technology, and with the advent of computers and the way they have revolutionized cinema, conflicting opinions inevitably arise on where we have come from and where we are going. For this week, I have found two blog posts that deal with technology involving 3D film and animation and commented on the topics at hand. 3D has slowly moved to forefront of new film techniques, and this schedule of upcoming 3D films show that more films are on the horizon. The first post deals with one of those films, AVATAR, and its filmmaker James Cameron's future plans with three dimensional film. In my comment of the post, written by Hunter Stevenson, correspondent at SlashFilm, I discuss how Cameron's plans to expand 3D into conventional genres may not be the best idea. The second post, from Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net, looks ahead to Disney and Pixar's upcoming schedule. While the films on tap all appear ground breaking, I question in my post the potential damages that tech-focused film making can have on content.

"James Cameron Announces Next Project After AVATAR...and Yeah, It's in 3D But It's Not Battle Angel"
Comment:
I found this post really interesting, and a good recap and perspective on the Variety interview with Cameron. With the recent Hannah Montana 3-D concert film release, it seems to be that everyone is discussing the next best way to utilize this new technology on screen. I've followed along with the production of Avatar and can say that its truly exciting to see what such a visionary director like Cameron could do with this new technology, especially due to Cameron's history making large, yet personal films.

However, I can say that talk of Cameron's aspirations of making a drama in 3-D worry me about the oversaturation of this new twist on the medium. While I do believe 3-D has been effective in animated films like Beowulf and event or concert films like U2-3D, and it has potential to change cinema with Avatar, I worry that if it enters every genre it will become bland and overused. If a normal genre such as drama starts to utilize 3-d, I'm afraid films will begin to rely on these effects, and before long audiences will simply be waiting for the character to reach for the mail and have their hand bursting through the screen. I think animation and event films rely on moments that allow 3-d to shine, but I doubt its ability to become the new platform for film. I feel the adjustment process would be simply too drastic and obvious, that would, in turn, dilute the content.

"Disney and Pixar's Full Animated Line-Up Through 2012!"
Comment:
This post is a very informative look at the upcoming Disney and Pixar schedule, and it caused me to reconsider the landscape of animation today. While it seems like every is looking for the next film to turn into a 3-D masterpiece, I feel what is really being lost in the shuffle is traditional 2-D animation. Now that nearly every film being announced is being upgraded from computer generated images to 3-dimensional computer generated images, the idea of 2-D films of any type is not even spoken about.

While I feel like this advent of 3-D technology can potential push the boundaries of film, it seems to me the technology is moving too fast and without consideration of the artistic consequences. It seems like since the release of Shrek, studios have forgotten that a animated film cannot be successful if presented in the hand drawn style of classics like Beauty and the Beast and Lion King. The animated landscape must remain diverse, or else it is bound to become stagnant and bland. While films like Shrek, the Toy Story films and Finding Nemo have made tremendous marks in both the box office and in cinema canon, I'm sure that are few film fans who have seen The Wild, Happily N'ever After and Open Season, let alone heard of them. This new lush animation style has made every film visually stunning, complete with goofy animal characters and exotic locales, but simply place three random animals with celebrity voices and wacky adventure do not make a film. While the release of The Princess and the Frog is promising for traditional animation, it is the first of its type from Disney's 2004 Home on the Range. The films continue to get flashier, but I fail to believe that they are getting better written, and I feel that while this schedule is promising, its ultimately more of the same.

Sites of Interest: Exploring Entertainment Coverage on the 'Net

The purpose of this blog is to present more than simply my opinions on news and topics throughout the entertainment industry. I intend for it to work as a resource for others as well. This week, I spent time gathering pertinent websites on the topic and evaluated these sites using Webby and IMSA criteria. The sites can be found in the link roll at the right.

The first site I highlighted in my link roll is one that may be rather familiar for any fan of film and the internet, The Internet Movie Database, IMDB.com. The site is a virtual encyclopedia of film information, and is a great starting point for any type of film research. Recently the site expanded beyond just facts, adding features for daily industry news, making it much more versatile. The next site, TotalFilm.com, rather than an encyclopedia like IMDB, is the official electronic site of the movie magazine of the same title. The site's primary strength is its immense, well-structured content, which is well complemented by its rich layout, complete with full color images, interactive features and links to further resources. Similar to Total Film, the next site is part of an electronic version of the print magazine Empire. The Empire Blog is unique because it provides Empire's writers a space to provide new and interesting perspectives on happenings in the film world. Though not intended to be purely fact based, the writing is top notch and the insights are fresh. The next site is one of the widest read movie blogs, Slash Film. Because the posts range from box office numbers, to gossip and spoilers, the site presents an engaging read for anyone from the common "fan boy" to the filmmaker's themselves. ComingSoon.net focuses on exactly what its name says, soon-to-be-released films. Though rich with media content including trailers and interviews, the site tends to look cluttered and visually unappealing. Ain't It Cool News is a site largely built through fan contribution, whether it be reviews, set reports or article responses. While this makes it more interactive than the other sites, it lacks a authoritative feel. TV Week is a well organized look at industry news specifically affecting television. The site's mix of official news and sponsored blog links makes its content well rounded, and is its primary strength. TV Squad, on the other hand, provides a different approach, focusing on fan-friendly, rather than industry-friendly, content. The interface is blog-based and very easy to navigate, making it ideal for fan usage. The print version of Variety has long been lauded as a top source and on the web this is no different. Its main strength goes beyond its news however, in the form of special feature sections like Award Central and Festival Central, which provide additional coverage of specific events. Finally, and perhaps the most official site listed, is the Motion Picture Association of America. Unlike the other sites, the focus here is more on piracy and its prevention. While this information is crucial in a time where piracy is a serious issue, it is hardly required reading for the common fan, and this coupled with the site's drab look weaken the page's overall effect.