Old Guard meets the Avant-Garde: What 200 years of technology in one experimental film tells us about the next 200 years

Presentation


Sparkes, Daryl. 2023. "Old Guard meets the Avant-Garde: What 200 years of technology in one experimental film tells us about the next 200 years." Mason, A. (ed.) 13th Australian Media Traditions Conference 2023. Toowoomba, Australia 20 - 21 Sep 2023 Australia.
Paper/Presentation Title

Old Guard meets the Avant-Garde: What 200 years of technology in one experimental film tells us about the next 200 years

Presentation TypePresentation
AuthorsSparkes, Daryl
EditorsMason, A.
Journal Citationpp. 13-13
Number of Pages1
Year2023
Place of PublicationAustralia
Web Address (URL) of Conference Proceedingshttps://www.unisq.edu.au/amt-conference
Conference/Event13th Australian Media Traditions Conference 2023
Event Details
13th Australian Media Traditions Conference 2023
Parent
Australian Media Traditions Conference
Delivery
In person
Event Date
20 to end of 21 Sep 2023
Event Location
Toowoomba, Australia
Event Venue
University of Southern Queensland
Event Description

The conference theme is media 'beyond boundaries'.

Many media move beyond boundaries, whether national or international. Media has been a driving force of globalisation. Print may be distributed widely, cable services connect nations, broadcasts do not stop at borders, and the Internet connects world-wide.  

As Ashforth, Kreiner, and Fugate remarked in 2000, “the concept of boundaries has been used in numerous disciplines to refer to the physical, temporal, emotional, cognitive and/or relational limits that define entities as separate from one another”.  

Boundaries can therefore include nation state borders, cultural, political, legal, regulatory, personal, social and temporal boundaries, and boundaries between media platforms themselves.  

Australian Media Traditions 2023 invites scholars to share research perspectives on media’s historical movements beyond boundaries, both within Australia and internationally. 

Conference to cover areas including media institutions (newspaper, magazine, radio, television, and cinema), advertising, audiences, book publishing, digital gaming, journalism, libraries, media preservation and archiving, policy and regulation, publishers and printers, convergence and technological developments. Although offers connected to the theme of “beyond boundaries” are encouraged, all proposals for papers and panels will be considered.

Event Web Address (URL)
Abstract

Charles Babbage created the first computer in 1823. Kodak invented 16mm film in 1923. Merging the two technologies of computers and film together has given us AI in 2023. As it is the centenary of the invention and release of 16mm film this year, I wanted to replicate the production of a 16mm short film using the same techniques as those pioneers 100 years ago. I then used 2023 Artificial Intelligence in the production process. Having sourced the first ever 16mm camera, the Cine-Kodak Model A hand cranked camera, I made a short 10 minute film, called “The Troxler Effect”, with tungsten lights, hand drawn credits and titles cards, and a soundtrack composed and played on a 1920s cinema organ. I then applied AI to certain images. From this I wanted to recognise the leap of technologies from 1823 to 1923 to 2023.
The Troxler Effect is a theory concerning optical illusion discovered in the early 1800s. It argues that distortions in light and focus can lead to horrific or mutated images appearing when a person looks at their reflection under certain conditions. The film uses this theory to examine ideas of reflection, memory, and how AI interprets and reproduces images. The film's thesis suggests that Artificial Intelligence is the 21st century's version of the Troxler Effect.
This presentation will discuss both the advances and limits to technology in filmmaking as more and more we merge computer code with image reproduction. It asks how does our humanity change as the reflections of ourselves on film become more distorted and manipulated through the use of machine learning algorithms?
This presentation includes both the original film and the documentary regarding the experiences behind making it and what the films messages are.

KeywordsAMTC Sparkes Avant-Garde
Contains Sensitive ContentDoes not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020360505. Screen media
430306. Digital history
470107. Media studies
Public Notes

Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions.

Byline AffiliationsUniversity of Southern Queensland
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