How far would you argue that technology drives change in narrative Essay

How far would you argue that technology drives change in narrative construction Evaluate the relationship between technology an - Essay Example Nevertheless, film-makers, including the viewing audience have accepted that the current developments in technology have made the transition into computer-generated images (CGI) inevitable. This paper shall discuss the extent to which I would argue in the fact that technology drives change in narrative construction. It will evaluate the relationship between technology and narrative, using the central argument that CGI has not really made any difference to narrative structures. This discussion will demonstrate relevant theories and establish a clear relation between theory and practice. The films of James Cameron – Titanic, Avatar, and Terminator 2 shall be used in order to explore this subject matter. This paper is being carried out in order to establish clear relations which would help viewers and film-makers assess the impact of current film-making technology and the narrative construction. Body Contrary to popular belief, CGI is not a recent technology as it can actually be traced back to the mechanical techniques in creating graphic images in the 1940s and 1950s (McClean, 2007). James Cameron is considered one of the pioneers of CGI through his films The Terminator, The Titanic, and Avatar. Cameron always loved films and one of his earliest exposures to the digital genre was through George Lucas and his Star Wars films (Johnson, 2010). He was prompted to study film and to enrol at the University of Southern California in order to secure a better understanding of the filming process. He learned as much as he could about special effects, optical printing, as well as front and rear projection (Johnson, 2010). He went on to purchase the tools he would need in order to start a film career. He also borrowed money from friends in order to finance his ambitions (Hamen, 2011). His conceptualization of visual effects was primarily based on what he was able to watch from other movies with subsequent visions on how to make the most realistic look for films, allo wing the viewers to be transported to a different world, a different planet, or even a different character (Hamen, 2011). The move from analogue to digital has also been a significant development in film, one which Cameron has been a significant part of (Keegan, 2010). Before the movie Avatar, the analogue format was the common format used, however, the digital format gained much strength and popularity after the movie Avatar was released. This move is advantageous for the film-making world because it provides a more life-like movie experience for film-viewers (Keegan, 2010). Moreover, the viewers would also relate better to the digital format, as the digital format provides more texture and life to the movie being depicted. As a tool for film-making however, directors and other film-makers have the burden of ensuring that the shift between analogue to the digital format would be a necessary shift (Keegan, 2010). Even as something is popular, does not necessarily mean that it ought to be used by everybody. In effect, directors need to understand that they do not have to use the digital format for their films; they can use the genre most appropriate for their films. Directors also have the responsibility to be true to the narrative construction and to ensure that the message of the film would be depicted honestly through the digital format (Sickels, 2011). His first venture into film-making was with the movie Piranha 2 which