Digital Cinema and the Legacy of George Lucas
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DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Digital cinema and the legacy of George Lucas Willis, Daniel Award date: 2021 Awarding institution: Queen's University Belfast Link to publication Terms of use All those accessing thesis content in Queen’s University Belfast Research Portal are subject to the following terms and conditions of use • Copyright is subject to the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988, or as modified by any successor legislation • Copyright and moral rights for thesis content are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners • A copy of a thesis may be downloaded for personal non-commercial research/study without the need for permission or charge • Distribution or reproduction of thesis content in any format is not permitted without the permission of the copyright holder • When citing this work, full bibliographic details should be supplied, including the author, title, awarding institution and date of thesis Take down policy A thesis can be removed from the Research Portal if there has been a breach of copyright, or a similarly robust reason. 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Oct. 2021 Digital Cinema and the Legacy of George Lucas Daniel Willis (BA Hons, MSc) Submitted to Queen’s University Belfast in Fulfilment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Arts, English, and Languages June 2021 For my family, whose continued love, patience, and support has made this possible 1 Abstract Cinema history is strewn with moments of significant upheaval inextricably tied to the ontological evolution of the medium. Reappraising how we have defined and discussed cinema reveals a gradual process of growth often fraught with both anxiety and optimism. However, cinema’s latest technological advancement appears to have generated particularly vociferous discussion. This thesis re-assesses the perceived threat of digitisation to understand what exactly sets it apart from those preceding it. The research considers cinema’s latest mutation by placing George Lucas at its core. Although he is a significant figure in cinema history, critical studies of Lucas are dominated by Star Wars, a topic which overshadows retrospective discussions about the wider legacy of his career. As such, I seek to build upon the paucity of material focusing on his role as figurehead of the digital filmmaking revolution. I cite a range of frequently overlooked and underappreciated primary sources like interviews and testimonies in order to construct a framework within which the subsequent analysis operates. This Lucas-centric approach offers a unique perspective on the digital cinema debate by directly engaging with one of its most vocal proponents. The first core research question queries why the digital turn has generated such widespread apprehension for the future of cinema. In order to determine the extent of his influence, it then considers the role Lucas played in pioneering the digital filmmaking technology which has precipitated the digital turn. The thesis then questions how this technology has facilitated the broader democratisation of filmmaking, as well as its wider effects, before finally exploring how the digital turn has affected the use of paratextual material in both the narrative and promotional extrusion of the film text. 2 Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Chapter 1 – Literature Review 8 Chapter 2 – Cinema and the Digital Turn 14 Chapter 3 – Digital Cinema and George Lucas 47 Chapter 4 – New Media and the Democratisation of Filmmaking 70 Chapter 5 – The Film Text and the Paratext in the Digital Age 100 Conclusion 133 Bibliography 138 Filmography 165 3 Introduction In scholarly debates, cinema has so far been declared dead for many reasons, some concerning its aesthetic quality or the implications of digitialisation […]. The notion regarding the death of cinema has always been closely linked with the technological developments that have changed it (Grundström, 2018 p. 6) Scholarly discourse supports the above claim made by Heidi Grundström and reveals that cinema has been eternally beset by these declarations, especially at times of significant upheaval throughout the past century. The introduction of first sound then colour, dwindling audience numbers and stringent legislation post-WWII, before the arrival of television and the beginnings of industry-wide conglomeration mid-century, have all had lasting effects on the industry. Furthermore, rapidly-changing lifestyle choices and the subsequent proliferation of home video technology have continued to erode cinema’s hegemonic status. This process intensified at the beginning of the 1980s and continued apace until the turn of the new millennium, after which point the internet and digital infrastructure posed a veritably larger threat to the already-in-flux status quo. This thesis argues that George Lucas has had an equally profound, often overshadowed role in shaping the evolution of the medium beyond pioneering the research and development of filmmaking technology and techniques which have prompted declarations of cinema's latest “death”. Ruminations on the meaning of cinema and its purpose have been similarly fervent throughout its history – most notably opined in the formative observations of André Bazin, a figure whose work informs and underpins much critical film theory. Thus, as Sarah Atkinson (2014) proposes, this discourse must itself be regularly revisited, particularly at a time when the medium faces what is frequently touted as its greatest challenge yet. As we progress further into the digital age, we must question the ongoing role cinema will play and how this affects our continued attempts to define it; can it still be regarded as an art form, or does the rampant global commercialisation of the industry mean cinema should be solely dealt with as an economic enterprise? Perhaps it should be taken purely as a source of escapist entertainment and nothing else, especially in these uncertain times. And yet, considering that film can play a pivotal role in documenting the past and provides marginalised communities an opportunity to raise their voice, one must not neglect its potential as an educational tool for current and future generations alike. Given this plurality of applications, claims that the medium exhibits “a kind of schizophrenic identity” are understandable (Klinger, 2006 p. 2). Furthermore, by revealing such intrinsic tensions, this supposed schizophrenia also serves to colour public perceptions of what exactly cinema stands for (Rehak, 2018 pp. 12 – 13). This is an underlying theme of the thesis and informs the subsequent chapters in different ways. Throughout, it refers primarily to the abstract concept of “cinema as an institution” 4 however, where appropriate, definitive references are made to in related specific applications – i.e. cinema as a medium via its corporeal apparatus, cinema as an industry, and cinema as the act of viewing a film, communally or alone. The fundamental attempt to define cinema in the face of its latest transition stimulates much contemporary debate and is a core concern of my thesis. Usefully, this identity struggle presents a duality ripe for critical examination. Philosophical concerns about cinema in this new digital epoch are accompanied by the more tangible effects of digitisation, which the following chapters address. For example, Chapter 2 describes how early disquiet towards digital technology can be traced to the 1960s, existing initially on the periphery of social consciousness before quickly escalating once its presence began to be felt in the media industry more strongly. The so-called “Art and Technology Movement” began to take hold during this decade, openly demonstrating the benefits of computer technology for those willing to adopt emerging tools and techniques (Utterson, 2011). Perhaps most important of these figures, George Lucas recognised the potential such technology promised for filmmakers, and it is the success of his ground-breaking work to advance the field which has informed my decision to place him at the heart of this project. As analysed in the subsequent chapters, having founded his own production company with the explicit aim of overhauling the filmmaking process, Lucas would go on to have an enduring impact on the industry (Rubin, 2006). The main objective of this thesis is to understand why digitisation has generated such widespread apprehension in the media industry and beyond. In Chapter 2 I take a qualitative approach to contemporary film theory and ask what makes the latest transitional period so unique. Here, I contextualise the ongoing “digital turn” (Gaudreault and Marion, 2015 p. 5; original italics) against historical precedence in the development of cinema to suggest that it is but the next revolution in the medium’s cyclical evolution. By exploring cinema history in epochal periods I demonstrate how previous economic, legislative, social,