Film Technology, Culture, and Artistic Vision in Cinema

Introduction: Technology, Culture, and the Film Industry

As Spike Lee noted at the 25th Anniversary celebration of his film Do the Right Thing, "the only reason why my generation went to film school was we couldn't get our hands on the equipment" (Macfarlane). Do the Right Thing had an independent feel to it, largely because of Lee's hands-on oversight of production, direction, writing, and editing — but it was ultimately a Universal picture. Since its inception, the film industry had been by and for the dominant culture in society. As the technology developed — from silent shorts to silent epics, to sound film and the first talkies, and on up to the world of independent cinema, where taboos and cultural cues were challenged and explored — so too did the face of cinema.

This paper discusses how the history of technological innovation in the filmmaking industry favored the dominant culture of each era, how social and economic conditions influence film and the way it captures a story, and why technological advances are not always a good thing for film as an art form.

The Studio System and Independent Filmmaking

Filmmaking in the early days was only possible via financial backing, which came from the moneyed classes. Thus, the film studios represented a specific version of history and society that reflected the values and interests of that class and culture. Films such as Birth of a Nation by D. W. Griffith depicted a version of U.S. history that would be directly challenged nearly a century later by a film of the same title made by African Americans about the Nat Turner rebellion. Whereas Griffith's story about the Southern aristocracy and the tragedy that ensued following the South's defeat in the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves projected an Anglo-Saxon, aristocratic-centric viewpoint, Nate Parker's 2016 film of the same name explores the theme of America's early days from the opposite perspective — that of the enslaved, specifically within the context of the rebellion led by Nat Turner.

Whereas Griffith had full studio backing, Parker had to solicit funds from various sources and only received a distribution deal after premiering at Sundance in January 2016 to critical praise. The technology and nature of filmmaking had changed so dramatically over the preceding century that Parker could create a low-budget film depicting a side of history that the dominant culture had never before represented. The studio system was a closed system, and only as equipment became cheaper and more accessible could filmmakers become truly independent and create films representing the culture and history of their choosing — though distribution would remain an issue, unless one pursued social media platforms such as YouTube, which has since become a viable option for amateur and independent filmmakers.

Works Cited

Macfarlane, Steve. "Spike Lee, Cast Talk 25th Anniversary of 'Do the Right Thing' in Brooklyn." Variety, 2014. Web. 7 May 2016.