EXPANDED SPECTATORSHIP: CINEMA in the POST-PRESCENIUM ERA a Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of San Francisco State University In
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EXPANDED SPECTATORSHIP: CINEMA IN THE POST-PRESCENIUM ERA A Thesis submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree FILM Master of Arts In Cinema Studies by Oren Bonen San Francisco, California May 2017 Copyright by Oren Bonen 2017 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read EXPANDED SPECTATORSHIP: CINEMA IN THE POST- PRESCENIUM ERA by Oren Bonen, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Arts in Cinema Studies at San Francisco State University. R.L. Rutsky, Ph.D. Associate Professor , i ______ Aaron Kerner, Ph.D. Professor EXPANDED SPECTATORSHIP: CINEMA IN THE POST-PRESCENIUM ERA Oren Bonen San Francisco, California 2017 The more cinema technology evolves, the closer we seem to get to primitive performance models. Virtual Reality, 3D, 4D, Augmented Reality, Holograms, all return to the origins of cinema and to Tom Gunning's "Cinema of Attractions." I will explore the ways in which spectators absorb cinema in an environment of ever- changing media, discussing the current Post-Media era. My major focus will be on the following questions: Will the utilization of these new technologies create a new, more popular medium? What do we lose when we remove the traditional cinema experience to which we've become accustomed? Furthermore, could this put an end to narrative cinema? I certify that the Abstract is a correct representation of the content of this thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction................................................................................................................................ 1-4 The Proscenium’s Long Goodbye........................................................................................ 4-11 The Origins of Expanded Spectatorship..........................................................................11-17 Digital Spectators................................................................................................................. 17-20 Plugged In.............................................................................................................................. 20-23 The Immobile Apparatus....................................................................................................23-27 The Visible Apparatus......................................................................................................... 27-33 Artificial Simulated Cinema................................................................................................33-38 Addicted to Affect................................................................................................................. 38-39 Virtual Reality Cinema........................................................................................................ 40-49 The Fall from Mother Earth................................................................................................49-56 Conclusion............................................................................................................................. 57-59 v 1 INTRODUCTION In my essay, I will discuss the push and pull of the Millennial spectator and the cinematic distribution and conscious choices of content available for that viewer. The relationship between spectators and their viewing options is becoming increasingly complex due to the rapid pace at which technology has become enmeshed in our daily lives. We find ourselves at the beginning of the end of a milestone in cinema. Cinema distribution and viewing is in the control of the spectator. The lines between television and film are blurring together. Tangible media is a thing of the past. Spectators are maturing in a system that gives them an increase in control of the cinematic art form. Due to increasing advances in technology today, cinema is expanding as it directs itself away from the traditional proscenium style theater. Until recently, the ways in which we absorbed cinema have depended entirely upon the technologies we own or have access to. As spectators, we simply utilized the options that were available to us. For example, if the community we lived in had an art-house cinema, then we were able to access smaller, more independent films as opposed to only having a mega multiplex chain theater at the nearby mall, which only screened major blockbusters. How far away was the rental store—was it on the way home from dinner? These questions are no longer relevant, given the substantial increases in the number of people who have access to portable media devices, including ever-broadening access 2 to streaming media of all kinds. Now that all connected devices allow us to access and engage in a plethora of options with the push of a button, more people than ever before are able to have a wide range of media at their fingertips. According to newly released survey data, Pew Research Center found that in 2015, “68% of U.S. adults have a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011, and tablet computer ownership has edged up to 45% among adults.”1 In response to these shifts, the content that is being produced for various channels of cinema is being altered in order to accommodate the changing demands of the spectator. My investigation will explore not only the Millennial generation’s complex relationship with the cinema, but the changing perspectives of spectators and their resistance to immersion within the medium. Specifically, I will critique digital spectatorship and the contrasting experiences of viewing media in a proscenium-style theater, on television, or using handheld devices. Immersion cannot be successful when competing with digital devices such as cell phones and tablets, which undoubtedly control us more than we control them. In order to truly become immersed in cinema, spectators must relinquish control and allow cinema to absorb their atmosphere entirely by utilizing new technologies such as VR. The traditional proscenium-style theater has not adapted to contemporary society and the devices that we have become accustomed to utilizing. By contrast, VR offers an immersive experience because spectators are 1 http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/29/technology-device-ownership-2015/ 3 isolated within the apparatus and cannot be distracted; it is full immersion to an extreme. A marching band could be walking up and down the street and, to someone who is engaged in a VR experience, their gaze does not waver. Technology governs our daily life; we have been granted unlimited, unprecedented access to cinema outside of the theater. As a result, I will argue that the contemporary spectator rejects the traditional modes of cinema experience and expresses a strong preference for utilizing new technologies. Therefore, spectators will continue to gravitate towards total immersion technology, specifically that which is offered by virtual reality. Spectatorship has traditionally been divided into two categories; passive and active. Rather than restricting our understanding of spectatorship to two models, we should allow for an alternate third option, which enables some level of flexibility. I will go on to discuss the redefining of a new form of expanded spectatorship, one that allows the spectator to morph from active to passive and then back again, or vice versa, in a seamless fashion, which we might refer to as “free range spectatorship.” I will argue that due to the rise of digital screens and distractions that surround us, spectators are and will continue to gravitate towards a more immersive, less communal, medium such as virtual reality. Cinema productions are adjusting to this shift by pulling away from narrative cinema and gravitating towards affect-based and sensationalized cinema. Due to the increasing pressures in popular culture to subscribe to these new technologies, spectators accept these affect-based formats 4 as the norm. Despite the growing preference for controllable cinema experiences, I believe that the artificial enhancements of both virtual reality and 4D rob audiences and society of the opportunity to engage in an artistic dialogue with cinema; and, furthermore, that these trends are having an impact beyond that which is lost or gained by going to the theater to view cinema. Is the essence of cinema not the very exploration of the medium itself? This engagement and inquisitive practice is prevented from taking place if we are programmed to expect a synthetic experience, void of any opportunity to question or react on our own terms. The onset of new technology has forced society away from the traditional proscenium style theater. Therefore, spectators have no choice other than to adapt to new forms of cinema, and this in turn will change the ways in which cinema is absorbed. Likewise, filmmakers and media producers in the digital age must conform to increasing demands of the spectator, and also respond to new apparatuses through which their work will be viewed. A necessary step in this process is to bid farewell to the proscenium. THE PROSCENIUM’S LONG GOODBYE A proscenium is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch and on the bottom by the stage floor itself, which serves as the frame into which the audience observes from a more or less unified angle the 5 events taking place upon the stage during a theatrical performance.2 Greek and Italian outdoor proscenium theaters paved the way we view cinema in a theater