So here is where things get interesting....I am supposed to describe the uses of technology and the importance of new technology and technological developments today, including how technology is important to school work, individual careers and daily life, through technology (that is the use of my laptop). Then on top of that I will publish this information, and my opinions through one of the greatest technological developments of the century....the internet.
So, technology today...Well where have we come from? I can still recall my parents talking about taking 'typing' in school and learning how to use a typewriter, now my mother (a teacher) is completely computer savvy and my father (a film technician) can't spell his name on microsoft word. So what does that mean? nothing. But realistically we need to recognize the growing importance of technology in our every day lives. According to Stats Canada, from 1989 to 1994, a 5 year term, computer literacy went up 9% among Canadian employees and 9% as well among students in Canada. At just under 2% per year, one can assume that following that trend today almost all Canadians, employed and students alike, are in some way computer literate or can at least do the simplest computer oriented tasks. Even Hewlitt-Packard has launched a new marketing campaign which boasts children claiming "I am (blank) years old and I work a PC". Technology and it's developments are continually expanding and breaking into the workplace and the academic worlds.
What about other technologies? as they grow, humans move from being the builders, constructors, office administrators, and other simple jobs to the developers, operators and maintenance staff of these new technologies. This new shift, begs the question how far will this go? When will humans no longer be needed at all? When we have technology to maintain and operate other technology (cyborgs for instance)? When we have nothing else to develop and can finally just enjoy the world around us? To quote one of my all time favorite films 'The world went and got itself in a big hurry'. The world has grown quickly and is developing and changing almost faster than we can as humans. It will no doubt be interesting to see the developments and changes the future holds, yet it is equally scary to think what the world will be like for my children if I ever have any, or even for me as an elderly person, if I make it that long.
Stats Canada source:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/studies-etudes/75-001/archive/e-pdf/3072-eng.pdf
Film:
The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Technology and the future of actors
Steve Aronowitz's article Technology and the Future of Work discusses the future of technology in the everyday working and labour world, and the advances of technology replacing human labourers. He has even been quoted as claiming that "the second phase of automatic production - computerization - is merely a wrinkle of disempowerment" (p.140)
Throughout history, many new technological advances have been created to aid human labour, and most have ended up nearly if not entirely replacing human labour. From the machines used to produce vehicles replacing labourers at the Ford plant, for instance, up to the creation of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and computerized businesses online, advancing technology has been a threat to all forms of labour. The reason? Most would argue the decrease in business costs.
How you may ask? First, certain Banks in Canada will charge much less for a Bank account if you agree to only use the ATMs as opposed to the human bank tellers. This in turn requires the bank to hire (and therefor pay) fewer employees. As a consequence to that, bank branches can rent smaller offices and operating facilities, cutting down rent/lease costs.
Now on to the relevant issues for film students. ( I assure you this isn't a business of banking blog). With the increasing developments of film animation, Computer Generated Imaging (CGI), cyborgs, avatars, and all other forms of non-human actors is becoming a threat to all actors in the film industry. Films such as Hironobu Sakaguchi's Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001), which was entirely computer generated avatars, require no biological actors. Certain genres especially, such as sci-fi, thrillers, and children's films (animated), are using much fewer actors. Most of the characters in these types of films are animated, avatars, or computer generated images. The Hulk in Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk (2008), Optimus Prime in Michael Bay's Transformers (2007), The mummy is Stephen Sommers' The Mummy series (1999, 2001, 2008), the 'monster' in Matt Reeves' Cloverfield 2008); all generated with digital technology and each replacing the role that could possibly be played by biological human actors. There are also numerous entirely animated films, such as Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995) and numerous other Disney films require no biological human actors.
What about the individuals paid to do the voices for these characters, or the individuals who work to create these characters? While this does open the job market to more employees in these fields in still decreases the use of biological actors, and in some circumstances most likely costs the film production more money, simply because the production may require numerous individuals per character they create technologically.
What does the future hold for the future of actors and actresses in film? Will we eventually reach a point where actors are few and far between and the majority of films will use digitally engineered characters? Only time will tell, but history seems to be telling us, it doesn't look good.
Throughout history, many new technological advances have been created to aid human labour, and most have ended up nearly if not entirely replacing human labour. From the machines used to produce vehicles replacing labourers at the Ford plant, for instance, up to the creation of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and computerized businesses online, advancing technology has been a threat to all forms of labour. The reason? Most would argue the decrease in business costs.
How you may ask? First, certain Banks in Canada will charge much less for a Bank account if you agree to only use the ATMs as opposed to the human bank tellers. This in turn requires the bank to hire (and therefor pay) fewer employees. As a consequence to that, bank branches can rent smaller offices and operating facilities, cutting down rent/lease costs.
Now on to the relevant issues for film students. ( I assure you this isn't a business of banking blog). With the increasing developments of film animation, Computer Generated Imaging (CGI), cyborgs, avatars, and all other forms of non-human actors is becoming a threat to all actors in the film industry. Films such as Hironobu Sakaguchi's Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001), which was entirely computer generated avatars, require no biological actors. Certain genres especially, such as sci-fi, thrillers, and children's films (animated), are using much fewer actors. Most of the characters in these types of films are animated, avatars, or computer generated images. The Hulk in Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk (2008), Optimus Prime in Michael Bay's Transformers (2007), The mummy is Stephen Sommers' The Mummy series (1999, 2001, 2008), the 'monster' in Matt Reeves' Cloverfield 2008); all generated with digital technology and each replacing the role that could possibly be played by biological human actors. There are also numerous entirely animated films, such as Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995) and numerous other Disney films require no biological human actors.
What about the individuals paid to do the voices for these characters, or the individuals who work to create these characters? While this does open the job market to more employees in these fields in still decreases the use of biological actors, and in some circumstances most likely costs the film production more money, simply because the production may require numerous individuals per character they create technologically.
What does the future hold for the future of actors and actresses in film? Will we eventually reach a point where actors are few and far between and the majority of films will use digitally engineered characters? Only time will tell, but history seems to be telling us, it doesn't look good.
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