The DVD Revolution: Movies, Culture, and Technology

(Hardback)

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Description

The introduction of the DVD marked the beginning of one of history's most successful technological innovations, and capped a 75-year development of home-viewing possibilities. Never before have film fans had access in their living rooms to something so remarkably close to the theatrical experience. In addition, because a DVD can hold much more than a single movie, it has allowed films to be marketed with a variety of extras, sparking both a new packaging industry and greater interest on the part of home viewers. This book provides an examination of the DVD's impact, both on home viewing and on film study. From film fan culture through filmmaker commentaries, from "special editions" to a look at where the format will go from here, author Aaron Barlow offers the first-ever exploration of this explosive new entertainment phenomenon. As the DVD becomes the popular vehicle of record for films, it is also becoming a unique and unprecedented way for the interested viewer to learn more about filmmaking than has ever been possible before. Because of its ability to reproduce the dimensions and quality of the celluloid image, film fans and scholars can have practically perfect reproductions of classic and contemporary films at their disposal. Not only will this book be of interest to the burgeoning population of DVD fans and collectors, but it will provide insights of interest to both students of popular culture and of film.

Reviews

"Barlow offers an insightful, timely look at how the DVD has fundamentally changed the ways people interact with motion pictures....[t]his is a provocative, thought-provoking examination of a technology that is currently changing lives, and is central to the debate over the artistic integrity of filmmakers as opposed to the creative potential of fans and film students to use such material to create new works of art. The author has a firm handle on film theory but addresses whether such theory will be adequate in a "visual, virtual ... representational culture." Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above."-Choice
[P]ays homage to the medium by exploring its impact from both popular and scholarly perspectives.-Library Journal
Barlow offers an insightful, timely look at how the DVD has fundamentally changed the ways people interact with motion pictures....[t]his is a provocative, thought-provoking examination of a technology that is currently changing lives, and is central to the debate over the artistic integrity of filmmakers as opposed to the creative potential of fans and film students to use such material to create new works of art. The author has a firm handle on film theory but addresses whether such theory will be adequate in a "visual, virtual ... representational culture." Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above.-Choice
We recomend Aaron's The DVD Revolution to anyone in the industry as well as those interested in the DVD phenomena and its possibilities.-DVD Aficionado.com
"Pays homage to the medium by exploring its impact from both popular and scholarly perspectives."-Library Journal
"We recomend Aaron's The DVD Revolution to anyone in the industry as well as those interested in the DVD phenomena and its possibilities."-DVD Aficionado.com
"[P]ays homage to the medium by exploring its impact from both popular and scholarly perspectives."-Library Journal

Author Bio

Aaron Barlow teaches early American literature at Kutztown University. He has previously taught film studies at the Pratt institute in New York City, and has written extensively on science fiction cinema.