Tell and Show: the evolving relationship between films and their websites

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper

Abstract

Roland Emmerich's 'Independence Day' was the first film in the UK to have
its own web site in 1996. Since then film sites have evolved from basic "shop
window" style advertising to telling stories in their own right. The success of 'The
Blair Witch Project''s site set a benchmark which meant that from this point forward
no film project would be complete without its companion site. Drawing on N.
Katherine Hayles notion of the "writing machine" and other new media theorists, this
paper will explore some of the narrative and stylistic traits which have emerged in
recent years on film web sites. These include the fictional "corporate" site for films
as diverse as 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', 'Godsend' and 'The Manchurian
Candidate'; the "game play" aesthetics of sites for films such as 'Donnie Darko' and
'District 9' and the "home page" site for film series like 'The Matrix' and Peter
Greenaway's 'Tulse Luper Suitcases'. This paper contends that media convergences
have created complementary as well as competitive relationships between the big
screen and the small screen which are, in turn, producing environments for the
development of interesting new forms of narrative.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 2011
EventThe Big Screen versus The Small Screen Conference - Canterbury, United Kingdom
Duration: 16 Feb 201116 Feb 2011

Conference

ConferenceThe Big Screen versus The Small Screen Conference
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityCanterbury
Period16/02/1116/02/11

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