Part 4: New Media

Even though Allen has utilised the new technology to create a film which could have been made with the old, the fact that the tools are different impacts our understanding of the film. The media form instructs our reading of the text, the content is shaped by the medium (McLuhan 1964, 11). In this case, the reading of Midnight in Paris as a commentary on the death of celluloid is educated by the fact that Digital Technology was utilised in its production. The fact that the media is digital cinema, and yet it is created to reflect the technologies of celluloid, brings to light the struggle within the industry. Furthermore, the different media form not only affects the production aspects, but also influences audience interaction. Digital cinema can be viewed in a range of different forms and locations, from multiplex theatre to a mobile phone on the train. The differences in the reception of the media invariably influence audience interaction.

The ‘Death of Celluloid’ reading of the film would perhaps be more obvious when watching the film on a tablet or mobile phone, than when watching it in a traditional theatre. The direct interaction with the digital device would bring more clearly to light the disjuncture the film espouses.