Synopses & Reviews
The movie industry is changing rapidly, due in part to the adoption of digital technologies. Distributors now send films to theaters electronically. Consumers can purchase or rent movies instantly online and then watch them on their high-definition televisions, their laptops, or even their cell phones. Meanwhile, social media technologies allow independent filmmakers to raise money and sell their movies directly to the public. All of these changes contribute to an andldquo;on-demand culture,andrdquo; a shift that is radically altering film culture and contributing to a much more personalized viewing experience.
Chuck Tryon offers a compelling introduction to a world in which movies have become digital files. He navigates the complexities of digital delivery to show how new modes of accessandmdash;online streaming services like YouTube or Netflix, digital downloads at iTunes, the popular Redbox DVD kiosks in grocery stores, and movie theaters offering digital projection of such 3-D movies as Avatarandmdash;are redefining how audiences obtain and consume motion picture entertainment. Tryon also tracks the reinvention of independent movies and film festivals by enterprising artists who have built their own fundraising and distribution models online.
Unique in its focus on the effects of digital technologies on movie distribution, On-Demand Culture offers a corrective to address the rapid changes in the film industry now that movies are available at the click of a button.
Review
andquot;Tryon compellingly argues that digital distribution, while offering new avenues and venues for film and television, is contributing to a fragmented and individualized media cultureandhellip;an interesting and insightful read.andquot;
Review
andquot;Distribution finally gets its due in Tryon's rich exploration of contemporary digital media practices.
On-Demand Culture is an absolutely indispensable guide to the landscape of dramatic changes transforming our media culture.andquot;
Review
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On-Demand Culture provides a compelling exploration of new technologies and opportunities for accessing film and television and methods for assessing changes to business practices, distribution, and consumer viewership. It is an up-to-date and fully engaging exploration of the impact of digital delivery and new technologies upon producers and consumers as efforts continue to increase viewership, find new forms of entertainment, and gain access to more media in an expanding marketplace.andquot;
Review
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On-Demand Culture should be in demand for an instructor looking to add a highly readable and pertinent text that engages with new models of digital delivery and discourse in film industry and culture.andquot;
Review
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On-Demand Culture explores how technological advances and economic imperatives have brought films to our computers, living rooms, and cell phones. Tyronandrsquo;s analysis is a welcome addition to the field and well worth reading.
Review
andldquo;This is work of the first rank, on the bleeding edge of film historicist and theoretical studies as it enters the digital era and leaves film behind. It operates at the highest level of discourse, sharp and sympathetic, and elegantly written.andquot;
Review
andquot;An eloquent critical examination of a range of nostalgia films, Flickers of Film offers a complex historical analysis that shows nostalgia to have a range of meanings and roles within popular culture.andquot;
Synopsis
On-Demand Culture is unique in its focus on the effects of digital technologies on movie distribution. It offers a compelling introduction to a world in which movies have become digital files and navigates through the complexities of digital delivery to show how new modes of access (online streaming services, digital downloads , DVD kiosks in grocery stores) are redefining how audiences obtain and consume motion picture entertainment and destabilizing the business of culture.
Synopsis
Whether paying tribute to silent films in
Hugo or celebrating arcade games in
Wreck-It-Ralph, Hollywood suddenly seems to be experiencing a wave of intense nostalgia for outmoded technologies.
Flickers of Film offers a nuanced look at the benefits and risks of this nostalgia, considering how it registers industry-wide uncertainty with the dominance of the digital, even as it ignores the people whose livelihoods have been most affected by the economic transformations of the digital era.and#160;
About the Author
CHUCK TRYON is an assistant professor in the English department at Fayetteville State University. He is the author of Reinventing Cinema: Movies in the Age of Media Convergence (Rutgers University Press) and has written for Screen, the Journal of Film and Video, Popular Communications, and the Canadian Journal of Film Studies.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Coming Soon to a Computer near You
2. Restricting and Resistant Mobilities
3. andldquo;Make Any Room Your TV Roomandquot;
4. Breaking through the Screen
5. Redbox vs. Red Envelope, or Closing the Window on the Bricks-and-Mortar Video Store
6. The Twitter Effect
7. Indie 2.0
8. Reinventing Festivals
Conclusion
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index