The Digital Playing Fields:
New Rulz for Films, Art and Performance
Commissioned by Currency House for Platform Papers > Issue 24
Launching in:
- Brisbane – 8th July with Stuart Cunningham — see here for details,
- Sydney – 26th July with Mark Pesce — see here for details.
Whereas rules can be about setting standards for conformity, I want to argue the case for claiming ownership, because I believe that the digital playing fields offer not only competition, but opportunity—a chance to w00t1 in the most creative way. In the discussion that follows, ‘rulz’ means to win and own; to take over new territory.
My entrée into the ranks of the digital was serendipitous. Twenty years ago, a chance encounter with the latest developments in computer graphics for film convinced me that computer graphics were a valuable storytelling tool. In my view, the enrichment of storytelling through the narrative use of computer graphics is one of the great benefits of computerisation. Not everyone agrees with this: many argue that ‘all this digital stuff ’ is cold and hard. People often assert that digital imagery is obvious and that their use drains warmth from narratives. Furthermore, these views are not confined to computer graphics in films, for many, digital tools are at odds with the humanity that should be at the core of ‘real’ art forms.
