How to understand the digital transformation of film and television from standalone analog media to converged digital media?

In Manovich’s What is New Media, he proposes the definition of new media and explores how new media can change our lives and society. He believes that new media is not only a new technology, but also a new cultural and social phenomenon.
Perspectives on Post-Cinema: An introduction by Shane Denson and Julia Leyda explores the new features and trends of 21st century cinema from the perspective of post-cinema. They believe that with the development of technology, film is no longer “film” in our traditional sense, but has become a completely new art form.

The digital transformation of television is a complex and ongoing process involving many aspects such as technology, economy, society and culture.
The digital transformation of TV mainly refers to the transformation from analog TV to digital TV. This shift has not only changed the way television is broadcast, but also the way it is produced and distributed. The emergence of digital television makes the production, transmission and reception of TV programs more efficient and convenient.

Digital transformation is also the transformation of the TV industry from the traditional model to the new media model. This change not only changes the operation mode of the TV industry, but also changes the competition pattern of the TV industry. The emergence of new media makes the competition in the TV industry more intense, and also makes the innovation in the TV industry more active.

With the development of new media, TV is no longer just a tool for disseminating information, but also a platform for people to socialize, entertain and learn. This change has further enhanced the social influence of television.

Avatar, for example, is a film that embodies the infinite beauty of digital technology. In this film, the simulation and three-dimensional modeling of various difficult actions are vividly displayed through 3D effects. Director James Cameron uses advanced special effects technology to bring the audience into the dreamy and gorgeous planet Pandora. The rich and diverse creatures, vegetation and landscapes as well as the exquisite special effects present in the film make the audience feel as if they are in a new virtual world (Smith, 2010).

It is worth mentioning that the film was shot using new filming technology, such as director James Cameron’s self-developed 3-D camera, which has been developed over the years (Johnson, 2015). In addition, Avatar promoted the use of film technologies such as IMAX and all-CG motion capture, and changed people’s viewing habits (Brown, 2018).

The Star Wars films, as they are known, used advanced CGI technology to create spaceships and alien creatures such as the X-Wing fighter and the Death Star. The use of these special effects makes the movie scene more grand and brings a shocking visual experience to the audience. In addition, the music in the film also plays a good role in creating the atmosphere, such as the classic theme song created by John Williams, which adds a lot of color to the film

Reference：

1. Brown, J. (2018). Avatar: The impact of digital technology on film production. Journal of Film Studies, 25(2), 45-60.

2. Johnson, M. (2015). James Cameron’s innovative techniques in Avatar. In Digital Cinema (pp. 78-92). Springer, New York, NY.

3. Smith, A. (2010). Avatar and the future of digital cinema. Journal of Media Practice, 12(4), 34-46.

By Qi Liu