Product Description

The computer-generated imagery (CGI) in Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars, Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Men in Black, and The Matrix seems to elude theorizing and critical analysis. Moving from an exploration of nineteenth-century popular science and magic to Hollywood science fiction cinema of our time, Pierson examines the history, advancements, and connoisseurship of special effects. She shows how popular science magazines, genre filmzines, and computer lifestyle magazines have helped shape the cultural reception of these on-screen technological advancements. The author looks at what makes certain types of cinematic effects special, why this matters, and for whom.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #679604 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"It is something of a cliche to think of special effects as 'movie magic,' but Pierson helps us to understand the substance behind that cliche, tracing our current fascination with computer-generated imagery back to discourses about magic and popular science in the late nineteenth century. Much as these earlier magicians helped to excite public interest and shape popular perceptions of emerging technologies, Pierson shows how CGI has become one of the most visible aspects of the digital revolution and how effects-laden films have often sought to examine their own precarious position somewhere between simulation and reality." -- Henry Jenkins, Director, Comparative Media Studies Program, MIT, author of Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participator "Intriguing... This is not a 'nuts and bolts'history of onscreen magic, but a specific analysis of the 'cultural reception'that visual effects have enjoyed throughout the history of cinema." -- American Cinematographer "[A] ground-breaking book... Pierson's journey through the history of special effects offers us an important new perspective which has previously been left out of cinema-related academia and formal criticism." -- John McGowan-Hartmann, Senses of Cinema

About the Author
Michele Pierson is lecturer in film studies and visual culture at the University of Queensland, Australia.