Where To Begin....Does Technology Matter?

As I try to decide which film to begin this space with, my mind keeps pondering how technology plays a key role in movies, or at least our viewing of them. The invention of film has been around from more than 100 years now, and although there has been changes and new technology created (sound, color, wider screens), and compeitition (T.V.), I feel that the last 20-30 years has really changed the way we experience film. The next 10 years might even have a greater impact on this.

Although there were major changes to movies, such as sound and color, the experience of watching a film hadn't changed much. You went to a large room, filled with strangers, the lights would be dimmed and the image was projected on a large screen or wall. Even with the invention of T.V., you would still go to the theater to see a "movie." When movies did start appearing on the small screen in the 60's and 70's they were edited for content and cut for commericals. It was not until the early 80's with the introductions of the VCR and cable that the movie experience began happening in an individual's home, even though it was on a small scale.

In the last 10 years, improvements have been made on the "home theater" front, as the T.V.'s have gotten clearer and bigger, and sound systems have matched those found in movie theaters. The way we receive and view film has also gotten smaller and more transportable as people begin to download movie files to laptops and even smaller hand held devices. How does this change the way we experience movies? It has to have an effect? I had never seen "Lawerence of Arabia" and a teacher told me to wait to see it on the big screen, "don't let your first viewing be on a television." I listened to his words and waited almost 10 years before I found a movie house showing it in all it's brillance. I couldn't imagine watching this on an ipod screen.

Now I don't consider myself a Tech Geek by any means, but I have progressed through the VCR-Laser Disc-DVD-HD-Blu Ray chain of machines. Which I guess is why this thought began forming in my head. Christmas 2008, will really be the big push for Blu Ray to go mainstream. It's the first holiday for it to have no competition and DVD players and discs are already being pushed to the back aisles of stores, if they appear there at all. Even the neighborhood video stores, and I don't mean the mom and pop shows, they were killed off years ago, but the large chains seem to be dieing a slow death. And next up will be uploading a HD movie file direct from the internet. But it's difficult for me to not have that hard object in my hands. I like the round disc I can slide into my machine. But maybe that's just progress. I'm sure there were people saying I want to feel the film strip in my hands, why would I want my movie on a round disc?

Which brings me to my Blu-Ray player. I've actually had it for about 6 months now and my HD player even longer. (I still like my HD player better, but alas, that era was very short lived). Although, both of these players along with the HD T.V. show an extremely clear and detailed picture, it wasn't until a recent viewing of a film, did it really blow me away! I have seen this movie before on T.V. and video, but never in a theater. When I viewed it on my Blu-Ray I feel as though I was expereincing it for the very first time. So what better way to begin my journey than with this film.....