The End of Cinema

This reading discusses the varying technologies that surround films and their effects on the differences between film and television. These technologies include VCRs, remote controls, and the rise of cable television. Friedberg argues that these technologies were a key element in preparing consumers to accept computer screens and the Internet. The creation of the VCR has completely shifted how and when we watch films. Together, the remote control and the VCR have created this notion of ‘shifting’ or ‘deferring’ time. No longer are viewers a slave to the movie theater, they are now able to rent or buy a film and watch it at a more convenient time or over and over again. The remote control has allowed viewers to manipulate the story in any way they want. They can fast forward through a scene they do not like or rewind to watch something again. The remote control has also had a major impact on the television industry and the ways shows are created. Viewers now have the power to jump channels instantaneously so television programming must catch viewers’ attention immediately.  Friedberg says they do this by “relying less on plot and characterization and more on fast rhythmic editing” (921). Although both the VCR and the remote control have, in many ways, made life easier for the viewer, they have completely changed the kind of spectators we are.