31.01.2025

Topic: Digitalization and its basic effects.

Introduction

In this essay, I will investigate the topic of digitalisation within the film industry to understand how digital tools have significantly impacted film production processes. This essay will address the fundamental effects of digitalisation in general and specifically regarding the cultural sector, particularly the film industry, by examining the film producer, editor, and scriptwriter James Cameron, who is renowned for his specialisation in action and science-fiction films. I argue that, when considering the history of filmmaking and the innovative contributions of one filmmaker, James Cameron, digitalisation has a major impact on our movie experiences and how films are produced.

Literature Review

To begin with, I will briefly describe the key terms used in this essay, the general understanding of the term digitalisation and its effects on the cultural sector according to Haswell et al. (2013), the introduction of digital technologies transform methods of production, the distribution of cultural goods and their consumption. Handke et al. (2016) also link this to the fact that digital technologies lower the costs of production, which can lead to businesses operating more efficiently, whereas innovations in terms of products and services can be developed. Also, in my opinion, it is questionable whether the creative sector wants to operate efficiently, rather than it’s being driven by intrinsic values.

         When it comes to consumption in general, Handke et al. (2016) mentioned that the Internet delivers access to information that delivers knowledge and resources for users. This can have an impact on information asymmetry when consumers are more able to compare and learn about the goods online. Of course, I believe that the digital divide plays a role, as not everyone has access to digital technology or even the entire internet. In general, digitalisation leads to new markets, goods and services that can be distributed and consumed online, and new business models and e-commerce have reshaped traditional economic structures. Handke et al. (2016) describe that digitalisation has turned many cultural goods into reproducible digital formats, including music, film and books. These digital formats are more accessible to a broader audience for little to no cost, creating a shift that effectively transformed these goods into public goods for internet users.

When it comes to cultural production, Handke et al. (2016) state that the internet creates new forms of cultural production and innovation as it allows creative workers to reach a broader audience and to interact with those in shared experiences. This can take place with the use of tools such as Twitch or other online platforms that allow streaming video content online.

The text from Haswell et al. (2013) speaks of the impact it has on the performative arts, but it is differentiated when it comes to the generalisation of the cultural industries. Within the cultural sector itself, at its core, this transformation is more focused on distribution and consumption rather than production methods. Handke et al. (2016) point out what impact digitalisation has on the way traditional live performances can be consumed through an online stream that allows the audience to attend online. Furthermore, reaching out to a broader audience online opens the opportunity for more revenue sources.

         Furthermore, according to Haswell et al. (2013), within the cultural sector, you see some being less affected by digitalisation when it comes to production techniques. Taking this thought and looking at the artistic and aesthetic relevance of filmmaking, we, to this day, see a resistance to the change to digitalisation when it comes to production techniques. An example of this can be the filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. To him and his movies, the use of the camera influences the aesthetic images of the movie itself. He claims that using digital cameras is easier, as you can do anything that you want in the post-production rather than creating a sublime scene on set (Mendelovich, 2022). It is the long and not yet ended discussion about the grain versus the pixel. The gain can cause noise across an image as it is based on light reacting to an analogue material. The pixel is based on a grid, and the more advanced the tool, the more pixels are available and the more structured and detailed the image becomes (Gauthier, 2014b).

Digital Tools and Technologies: Innovations in Film Production

When we take a closer look at the film industry, the theory of Handke et al. (2016) on how digitalisation changed the way we consume through online streams makes sense, than when we look at how we consume movies nowadays, for instance, through the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service industry. Whereas oligopolistic market models such as Netflix, Disney+ and HBO dominate the modern media landscape (Crowe, 2023).

         The following is a look at the technological advancements within the film industry and taking a closer look at the influences of filmmaker James Cameron on the film industry. In the case of the movie Avatar illustrates how these technologies impacted the effects created in post-production and on their storytelling. What makes Cameron so intriguing is his production method. To develop these animations in computer-generated imagery (CGI), post-production, he started in film production, here is where he developed methods where the actors wear special suits with key points that later in the post-production help the special effects team to create real-time movements of the now animated actors. This technology is also known as motion capture, as these key points on the actors’ suits capture real-time movements of the actors that can be, with the use of CGI, placed into environments by using a developed Simul-Cam system. With this technology, he set new standards for visual effects overall, impacting the film and entertainment industry. This led to the new implementation of digital characters and environments for other movies such as Jurassic Park and Star Wars.

         This can be directly linked to the paper of Haswell et al. (2013), which states that CGI severely impacted the production processes within the CCI, more precisely within the film and video game industry. Traditional production methods are costly compared to the advancements and possibilities CGI offers to create highly detailed and imaginative visuals. This technology decreased the costs of production, making it therefore more accessible to a wider range of creators that also including small production companies. Overall, it impacts the diversity of the CCI.

         Further, his on-set interaction with the actors changed the role of actors as Cameron emphasised the actor-driven process. This means performances are filmed and transformed through technology, as mentioned in the example of the suits. It allows human emotion and digital enhancement to merge with traditional theatrical practices that are enhanced by using masks to create digital characters.

         Secondly, when it comes to aesthetic and technological aspects of how a film is consumed, Cameron added during this production a second camera, right next to each other. This allows movies later to be presented and consumed with 3d technology as demonstrated in the movie Avatar. Cameron, in its aesthetic sense, does not view this technology as a gimmick but rather as an enhanced method for storytelling. This 3d technology makes the cinema experience interactive and almost adventurous as it invites the viewer back into the shared movie experience.

James Cameron's movies themself often explore the topics of humans in relationship with technology the movie Terminator, Avatar, Alien and even Titanic question the powers of humans and technology facing natural forces. These topics resonate with many in the audience as they speculate about their own experiences and relationships with digital technology in their daily lives.

In Abbott (2006), it is discussed how special effects technology is related to genre development within the film industry. It argues that CGI transforms genres such as horror, fantasy and martial arts into a form of hybridised science fiction. I would like to argue that at the core of this would be the impact James Cameron has had on this phenomenon he is not only at the forefront of the science fiction genre, but also his personal compassion and curiosity led to many new camera developments that not only within the film industry but also within science impacts how we all can perceive and capture film content.

He played a key role in developing a 3d Fusion camera system that is essential for capturing underwater worlds (Ck, 2024). This allowed him to become, in 2011, a recognised National Geographic Explorer-in-residence, in which his journey led to several discoveries of new underwater species of the sea.

         These new production and performance methods led to new business models as they transformed how films are marketed as a spectacle and technological innovation.

Digitalisation overall impacts how creative goods and services are produced, distributed, and consumed. This follows the theory on innovation of Schumpeter (1961) that describes innovation as a driver for the economy and is relevant to consider when it comes to that, according to Schumpeter (1961), this driver is the implementation of new products and production processes that replace the former markets by creating new ones. Schumpeter (1961) describes this dynamic process as the creative destruction that leads to new markets and new forms of organisation.

These new products or production methods are initiated by entrepreneurs, and I like to relate this to the concentric circles model of the cultural industries by Throsby (2008) that places the core creative arts into the centre of cultural industries. In my opinion, James Cameron is an example of how one person drives innovation by implementing new production methods that, in the aftermath, impact an entire industry.

Conclusion:

In this text, the literature review makes it clear that digitalisation has made an impact on the cultural industry in terms of how cultural goods are developed and consumed. Digital technologies allow businesses to lower their production costs and make room for businesses to operate more efficiently by implementing new technologies to innovate products, production methods and services. Digital tools allow creative workers to develop new methods to connect to their audience, and in the case of James Cameron, it opened new ways to experience cinema through the lenses of 3d film screenings. 3d cinema led to a new trend and a boom in movies during the 2010s. This text looks at the impact digitalisation has had on the cultural industries, particularly the film industry, in the case of James Cameron. He played an important role in not only shattering box office records with his movies, such as Titanic and Avatar, but also changed the way films are produced by his introduction of his Simul-cam and the technology of motion capture that pushed the computer-generated imagery (CGI) to a new production method to the entire film industry.

         These new production methods allow smaller companies to have a voice and create diversity within the CCI. As Haswell (2013) mentioned, the game industry has been impacted by the developments of CGI to which day used similarly to motion capture technologies and AI-driven technologies to develop real-life video game characters, as in the example of the game Cyberpunk developed by the Polish company CD Project Red.