The Digitization of Cinematic Visual Effects: Hollywood'S Coming of Age

The Digitization of Cinematic Visual Effects: Hollywood’s Coming of Age, by Rama Venkatasawmy, analyzes how the Hollywood cinema industry’s visual effects applications have not only motivated the expansion of filmmaking praxis, they have also influenced the evolution of viewing pleasures and spectatorship experiences. Following the digitization of their associated technologies, VFX have been responsible for multiplying the strategies of representation and storytelling, as well as extending the range of stories that can potentially be told onscreen. By the same token, the visual standards of the Hollywood film’s production and exhibition have been growing in sophistication. On the basis of displaying groundbreaking VFX—immaculately realized through the application of cutting-edge technologies and craftsmanship—and of projecting such a significant degree of visual innovation and originality, certain Hollywood movies have established techno-visual trends and industrial standards for subsequent filmmaking practice. Hollywood cinema’s entry into the digital realm is intertwined with the intensification of conglomeratic practices within the movie business, the domain of techno-scientific R&D in filmmaking, and the unification of corporate media, information technology, and entertainment. Hence, the standardization of, and convergence toward, the digital medium is emblematic of Hollywood cinema’s techno-industrial evolution in the late twentieth century. Accordingly, this volume identifies various synergies and partnerships—between VFX providers, movie studios, graphic designers, and more—that have emerged from a progressive growth of awareness in Hollywood of the digital medium’s potential.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Chapter One. An Overview of VFX-Intensive Filmmaking in 20th Century Hollywood Cinema Chapter Two. Defining the Object of Inquiry Chapter Three. “Effects” in Hollywood Cinema Chapter Four. Science, Technology and Hollywood Cinema Chapter Five. The Hollywood Cinema Industry’s Coming of Digital Age Afterword Appendixes Works Cited Films Cited

About the Author :
Rama Venkatasawmy is lecturer in communication at the Singapore campus of the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Review :
Venkatasawmy (Univ. of Newcastle, Australia, Singapore campus) provides a clear, insightful investigation of the many issues surrounding the adaptation of cinema to the digital age. The book guides the reader through visual-effects-intensive Hollywood cinema in the 20th century and its journey through the digital revolution, examining the effect of the technology on story, setting, and aesthetics. In chapter 4, broader scientific and technological issues within the film industry are examined in ways that will appeal to scholars in fields such as sociology, technology, and media studies. Unlike many treatments of the subject, this inquiry is deep yet broad enough to be useful to the novice. The prose is accessible and rich. There are many studies on this subject, but this title stands out for its clear organization, definition of terms, and straightforward treatment of the subject. Many of the chapters and the glossary of terms would fit in well with a beginning film or media studies course reading list, and advanced scholars will benefit from the extensive yet focused works cited. Summing Up: Highly recommended.