Streaming has changed film studies and production by making many existing habits of filmmakers easier than ever. Viewing older films and referencing them in newer ones, throughout the history of film it’s been the backbone of the industry. The process allows up and coming filmmakers whether they are aspiring editors, set designers, or directors to see what had worked and what hasn’t throughout the history of film. Additionally rediscovery of older films has meant that many filmmakers who were passed over or ignored when they were first working might at last receive their long deserved notoriety or compensation. Finally having films streamed means that you don’t need to have a hard copy of a film in order to study it or present the film to others. This presents a leap forward meaning that many of the frustration of transporting a film may soon be a thing of the past.
Streaming of films has potential drawbacks as well as advantages. I might lead to a situation in which the marketplace as well as the academic sphere is overcrowded with a few select films.[1] Many advantages may also exists and having more information exposed to more people for analyze often leads to improve methods of studying history.[2] I feel that since we can’t reverse time we should take advantage
Some films like Citizen Kane or Godzilla owe their fame to being referenced Hundreds if not thousands of times in film and television. However what was referenced is greatly controlled by what is seen. Citizen Kane was loved by many critics on its release, and has been appearing on 100 best film list ever since; basically if you go to film school your going to have to see it. But what happens if a film wasn’t loved right away? Well a few years ago Youtube appeared and soon afterwards Netflix began offering streaming video. This abundance of information while it may sound like a boon can easily be a burden.
Roy Rosenzweig pointed out in the article we read this semester how it’s very easy for low quality or unimportant information to become the predominate one; when everything is available it can often make that little bit which is important seem irrelevant.[3] Mark Twain had also warned in the Copyright book how the abundance of cheap works can often mean that the same works keep getting pushed to the forefront and that many lesser known but equally quality works fail to get seen and are forgotten over time.
Streaming means that now you can watch any movie you want regardless of its obscurity. You also have no need to return, rewind, or store any of the movies you purchase. This combination means that as soon as you read or hear about an important scene of a film you can probably find that clip on youtube sometimes the whole movie; and with Netflix ever expanding their library it is often possible to view the entire film.
Well the immediate advantages to streaming video are obvious; one can see infinitely more clips faster than ever and obscure films are more easily able to enter the public consciousness. Orson Welles’ 1956 film Touch of Evil is often credited with one of the best openings in Film Noir. The scene consists of a single take in which a bomb is planted in a car then driven across the Mexican border where it explodes. You can view the scene here, pretty impressive, and you didn’t have to even purchase the DVD. Joe Dante the director of movies such as Gremlins has often credited the film Hellzapoppin with many of his ideas; he has stated he can use it because so few people can see the film, until now. So with just a few clicks and a little patience the filmmakers of today can see all the good stuff of a film. No longer is one’s knowledge limited by the films you can afford to purchase, or those that your school and library can afford to carry. Hundreds of thousands of clips as well as the ideas which they inspire are now available for easy access to all.
Another upside to streaming of video clips on youtube is that sometimes it can lead to discoveries of lost gems. L’important C’est Daimer and House were two of the more enjoyable and frankly more insane movies I saw last year. However I had been trying to see each of them for years before that; I wanted to see L’important after viewing the documentary Z-Channel A Magnificent Obsession which spends more than five minutes telling you how great it is, and House after reading about it in virtually every book which discusses Japanese Horror Movies. Both films while financially successful in their native countries (France and Japan) so bewildered critics that they never received much release in the United States. However in the past view years, youtube clips began appearing of the movies. This meant film fans started clamoring for their releases and both films and distributors followed their lead and both films are now available on DVD.
Even as recently as twenty years ago film books would contain articles in which the author had to reveal they weren’t sure of plot points in films. This was understandable considering the restraints critics were often under; it wasn’t uncommon for film historians to have to travel to foreign nations to see films they wished to write about. This often meant seeing the film once in a theatre and the print qualities varied wildly. With streaming of video, quality is guaranteed and the print doesn’t wear out; videocassettes had major problems in both areas. Additionally since one can watch streaming videos wherever and whenever they want they can review a film several times to be sure they have all the plot points and other details correct. Imagine the possibilities if film archives of countries like the United States or Japan digitized their entire libraries. Directors, Actors, even Genres could be rediscovered, this could lead to fundamental changes in the way many nations film cultures are studied.[4]
The main downside to such an abundance of information is that is doesn’t always lead to quality. Perhaps Roy Rosenzweig discussed it best when he described the debate between scarcity and abundance. Having access to such a large amount of film and film clips doesn’t really insure that you’re going to see or incorporate the best ones. Aspiring directors always want to do the most elaborate shots possible whether or not this is for the best of the film.
While I was at film school the teachers all warned the students not to focus too much of their energy on flashy shots. However if I remember, well at least what I can still remember (hehe) most of us were showing youtube clips to one another before the shoot. In my case this lead to a series of spectacular failures, for most of my peers it meant films that looked great visually and made little if any sense logically. Perhaps if more people watched full films and understood how elaborate shots work in the context of films they would produce more works of importance.
Access to large amount of streaming films and film clips has advantages and drawbacks which are slowly starting to emerge. On the plus side some directors such as Robert Rodriguez of Desperado and Spy Kids fame post clips showing younger filmmakers how to make films look better on a lower budget; here’s a clip where he shows how he did the effects for Once Upon a Time in Mexico. However many critics have begun to blame this preponderance of streaming clips for today’s film having to many quick cuts and a focus on style over substance. My father put it best “all these filmmakers today focus on trying to do all these fancy shots, they never focus on writing a better story.”
In the end however I believe that changes, which are happening in film studies and production, are positive as a whole. Historians whether they are of film or architecture can only be benefit when they are exposed to more works and more views.[5] Streaming will ultimately allow those voices in film studies which had traditionally been put to side a true chance to shine.
[1] Rosenzweig, Roy, Scarcity or Abundance? Preserving the Past in a Digital Era. http://chnm.gmu.edu/essays-on-history-new-media/essays/?essayid=6 retrieved 12/08/2010
[2] Cohen, Daniel J, The Future of Preserving the Past. http://prototext.org/clio/fall-2010/future_of_preserving_the_past.pdf Retrieved 12/08/2010
[3] Rosenzweig, Roy
[4] Cohen, Daniel J.
[5] Cohen, Daniel J.
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