Skip to main content

"In the mood for technology?” Digital and cinema: new forms of intermediation or new levers for creation?

Reference:

Benghozi Pierre-Jean, Salvador Elisa & Simon Jean-Paul (2019) “« In the Mood for Technology? » Numérique et cinéma, de nouvelles formes d’intermédiation / de nouveaux leviers de création ?”, Réseaux, vol. 217, n° 5, pp. 47-77.

Abstract:

The development of digital technology has been attended by profound changes in the cultural industries as in all other industries. More often than not, it is presented as a revolution in consumption patterns (de-linearization and dematerialization), forms of monetization (free, subscription) and value chains. But it is also a revolution in the organization of the industry, where the vectors of change are not only new Internet platforms but also new technical intermediaries that are integrated at all levels of the value chain thanks to investments, equipment and skills that are new in the world of cinema, whether in production, post-production or distribution. The article is based on several emblematic cases from around the world (Weta Digital, DreamWorks, Ymagis, Bollywood and UFO Moviez) that show how new forms of technology-led intervention challenge the deep-rooted operating modes of cultural industries as much as their profile.

Keywords: film economy, technical industries, innovation, R&D, digital economy, digital technologies, value chain, ecosystems, intermediaries, spectial effects, Bollywood