To Understand the Futures of Film-going, We Must Know Its Histories

Abstract

This talk, presented in 2015 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, addresses current industry speculations about the future audiences for Hollywood entertainment by tracing multiple histories of exhibition and reception. The first history describes the ways that film exhibition has always existed in relation to other kinds of entertainment experiences, many of which offered some form of immersion. The second history explores the various ways that fans and other film audiences have sought to participate more fully in the entertainment process. And the third suggests that contemporary talk of transmedia storytelling builds upon decades of attempts to link film with other media.