The problem of the definitive film text is fascinating and
basic to our work. Consider this fact: any given mall
theater will crop the ratio of a film to fit its screen,
which itself has been sized to fit the auditorium. Any
videotape of a film will crop whatever it needs of the
sides of film in order "to fit your television." So, the
possibility of a filmmaker to control composition is
deeply compromised. If we consider the authenticity of the
film text to begin at its execution, or even its
distribution, we're lost.
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Robert Kolker
Department of English
University of Maryland, College Park 20742
[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
http://www.inform.umd.edu/ENGL/englfac/RKolker
301.405.6250
 
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Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the 
University of Alabama.