Week 16 Remediation

Remediation is a term that comes from Bolter and Grusin. “We call the representation of one medium in another remediation, and we will argue that remediation is a defining characteristic of the new digital media.  What might seem at first to be an esoteric practice is so widespread that we can identify a spectrum of different ways in which digital media remediate their predecessors.” (2000:45 emph added)

Remediation can refer to a range of conventions, a example of aesthetic conventions being constantly traded between different media.

Video Gaming and Film

Bittanti looked at the history of video games in film and said there is a convergence taking place. He claimed there are new films that remediate, comment and quote video games. These films are in their genre called, Technoludic Films.

Technoludic Film as Commentary

Bittanti said that video games are subordinated to the film. Films are used to critique other mediums like video games. Among the films that exemplify this are The Lawnmower Man (1991) eXistenZ (1999) The Matrix Trilogy(1999ff)

Technoludic Film as Quotation

Video games appear in films as illustrative purposes. There are no central themes of the film but form in fictional worlds as the film is attempting to create. Films that exemplify this approach are Blade Runner (1982) Clockers (1997) a modern example of this sort of film would be Inception (2010).

Technoludic Film as remediation (1) adaption

Brittanti uses remediation as a direct adaption of computer games as a source text for a film not a theme. They are normally translations of a successful game, yet the films have often been critiqued for a poor quality of scripting and acting Films that exemplify this approach are Super Mario Brothers (1993) and Lara Croft : Tomb Raider (2001) Dead or Alive (2006)

Technoludic Film as Remediation (2) adaption

We have seen that there is a broader conception of remediation which is about the incorporation of aesthetic and narrative codes from one form of media into another.There are various films that embody into narratives/style some conventions that you would usually find with video games. Films Groundhog Day (1993) Toy Story (1995) Run Lola Run (1998)