Art as a Medium of the Past

        The excerpt from the book deals with art as a medium and what that means for the viewer. It talks about the medium of communication and how it is heavily dependent on the technology we use and the way the film is developed. Whether that be used a Super 8 camera, 16mm or 35mm and 70mm, the influence that technology has on society is very profound and defines the entire viewing experience.

For example the first thing that comes to mind with the Origins of Film is the The Lumière Brothers 1895 Film “Arrival of a Train”. In the film, which is rather simplistic, it is simply a train coming into a local station and then people boarding the train. With today's films such as Avatar and Transformers which rely heavily on CGI (Computer Generated Images) to tell their stories, the Lumière Brothers film is seen as a very bare boned version of what is currently on the market now.

However, during the time of the films release at the end of the 19th century, this piece was seen as revolutionary by many. In fact, many people in the theatre that were watching this were startled that the train was going to hit them. It is this ability that film has from its origins that shows the impact that it has had on society for over 100 years. 

These films were widely seen by broadcasters and historians who wanted to capture the medium and study it. It was events and films such as “Arrival of a Train” that set a precedent, and paved the way for a new way of film that would later lead to auteurism, the first blockbusters and the creation fo CGI that we have today. In the end, without silent, simplistic films like “Arrival of a Train” paving the way for a new future of film, much of what we experienced now would not be perceived the same way, and most limey would not even exist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dgLEDdFddk