On 2011-08-29, at 13:28 , Francisco Torres wrote:

> Film emulsion was never electronic.

Francisco, 

It's a bit smart-alecky, but I'd still argue that exposing film particles to 
light, then later projecting light through those same grains in order to create 
an image on a reflective screen... it's an electrochemical process, i.e. 
electronic.  Repelling electrons from a cathode to cause a TV screen to glow 
isn't too different, really, nor is running current through a head to record 
magnetic waves on tape, then later reading those waves and using them to 
vibrate a speaker membrane.

Film has a more primitive feeling because there are so many moving mechanical 
parts, and the process is risky and delicate, plus television and radio were 
quickly associated with nation-state network broadcast rather than localized 
playback of recordings; however as video tape etc has improved, and the cinema 
is now a digital network receptor as well, those distinctions seem less 
important.

(Not to mention that early television broadcasts were filmed off-the-air on 
celluloid, by shooting a monitor in the studio, before videotape became viable).

I think the elimination of flaws has been the end goal of electronic media 
designers and commercial producers from day one, which is why they are taking 
away our favourite tools at a rapid pace, including the whole category of film 
itself which is troublesome and expensive to produce, develop and distribute 
compared to video.

(PS Meesoo Lee's early videos are great examples of simple homemade VHS-to-VHS 
editing where the minor degradation of generation-loss form an important 
aesthetic element.  In digital land, that doesn't happen.  You get perfect 
copies or blanks, or maybe the odd glitch, but no smooth degradation.)

-Flick
--
* WHERE'S MY ARTICLE, WORLD?
http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Flick_Harrison

* FLICK's WEBSITE & BLOG: http://www.flickharrison.com 



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