Category: media

“Computer and video games were once the province of futuristic gladiators and soldiers of yore. But as better graphics technology has made games more visually realistic, digital artists have been using 3-D game environments to recreate real places and simulate recent events. In the process they are turning what has been a platform for pure fantasy into a medium for social realism. At the very least the violent action at the heart of many games accurately reflects the world that game players confront when they step away from their screens. Digital games appeal to artists for several reasons.”

A new study says that most movie pirating is done by movie industry insiders. “Seventy-seven percent of films uploaded during this period were apparently created during production or distribution. Some simply appeared online before their cinema release – meaning they must have been leaked. Others were posted after their cinema release but displayed text indicating they were made from a pre-release review DVD. Some even showed evidence that they had yet to be edited, for example, they might contain a stray microphone at the top of the frame.”

Sepaaratist groups in northeast India are calling for a ban on Bollywood movies. “They say the Hindi-language films undermine local culture and values, and that erotic song and dance sequences are a bad influence on young people. A ban is already in effect in Manipur state, forcing many cinemas to shut down or find other sources of income. The cinema owners and distributors say the move to ban the films would only lead to greater piracy.”

FCC chairman Michael Powell believes his rule changes on big media ownership will stand, despite growing opposition in Congress. “His opponents claim that the power of big media firms is rising. Mr Powell says the opposite. With the growth of cable, satellite and digital media, the number both of media outlets and of owners has increased almost everywhere in America. After the success of Mr Murdoch’s Fox, there are now four rivals instead of three even among the big TV networks. ‘We have facts,’ claims Mr Powell. ‘They have none’.”

“A life unburdened by television is a life unbridled. Days grow longer, nights quieter. Time is no longer defined by blocks of hours but instead by ambitions. David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” seems possible. Never heard of it? Peel yourself from the tube and look it up. Square dancing, sky diving, Lamaze — the doors you assumed welded shut are now open. No pushing, friend — the line forms behind me. Of course, one doesn’t commit to such a dramatic life transformation, no matter how enriching, without certain sacrifices.”

As the recording industry continues to tilt at file-swapping windmills and bemoan falling album sales, the movie industry has embraced new technologies, packed DVDs full of low-cost “bonus materials” beloved by consumers, and made a concerted effort to make the public aware of what a great deal it is getting when it forks over $16 for a disc. So why can’t the music industry get its act together? “People listen to the average CD many more times than they watch a DVD. Yet CDs are languishing in stores and DVDs are flying off the shelves. How to see this other than sheer music industry incompetence?”

In recent years, American television has finally seemed to embrace at least a few prime time shows starring minority actors and reflecting the American experiences of non-whites. But the increased diversity is often restricted to the people in front of the camera. “It should come as no great surprise that Hollywood is, by and large, run by white people. But as the networks increasingly respond to pressure from advocacy groups to diversify the worlds they present on-screen, viewers are treated to more shows that purport to present a picture of life from a particular ethnic point of view, but were created and executive-produced by the same, overwhelmingly white crowd of usual suspects.”

Australians love to complain about the low quality of their nation’s movie industry. But screenwriter Steve Kearney says that if Australia wants better films, it needs to learn to pay the people who make them a living wage. “If we think we aren’t competing in the world market, then that’s the crappy films we are going to make. Low-budget, with minimally developed scripts about battlers who live in dingy houses. These stories emerge because that’s where writers come from. No smart person would become a screenwriter on purpose because you don’t get paid… But at least I’m not bitter. Hold on, yes I am. Hey, that’s why I write.”

“In 1946, Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí, in one of cinema’s oddest collaborations, teamed up on a short film called Destino. But Disney’s studio ran into financial trouble and put the unfinished film on the shelf. Now, 57 years later, a team of Disney animators has finished what Dalí started… Destino will likely be shown in theaters next year before a Disney feature film, and eventually will be released on DVD.”

If there is one lesson to be learned from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, says Ty Burr, it may be that audiences don’t want to see ‘sweetheart’ stars like Meg Ryan strutting around naked or cursing up a storm. But aside from Ryan’s jarring performance in Jane Campion’s much-maligned “In The Cut,” Burr says he found much to like at TIFF 2003. “The common threads this year were eye-catching star performances by women, striking ensembles of male characters, and the sort of visually stunning, hermetically sealed worlds that are only possible in cinema.”