Browse Hierarchy FLM604: Film Archaeology

The origins of cinema, key moments of transformation and recent challenges to its form in the wake of digital technologies are the subjects examined in this module. Far from being simply a conflict between the magical tradition of Méliès and the documentary account of the Lumière brothers, cinema archaeology reveals the connections between various nineteenth century inventions concerned with movement, perception and transmission, and the advent of cinema. The course explores the various cultural influences that have contributed to the idea of 'cinema' at a particular time, such as those from painting, literature and theatre. Perhaps more significant are the moments of crisis brought about by the prospect of adding to film, such as the qualities of sound and colour. Most illuminating of all is film's competitive relation to its 'rivals': television, video, digital production and youtube. The course examines the question of whether film is a specific medium with enduring qualities, or whether its component parts are remade with every decade.