Gamic Cinema and Narrative Space in Run Lola Run and Gamer

Cobden, Samantha Jayne (2018) Gamic Cinema and Narrative Space in Run Lola Run and Gamer. Masters thesis, University of Central Lancashire.

[thumbnail of Thesis document]
Preview
PDF (Thesis document) - Submitted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike.

1MB

Abstract

In his formative book Gaming: Essays of an Algorithmic Culture, Alexander Galloway suggests that technological innovation and a dynamic shift in cultural appeal has ensured that the relationship between cinema and video games has become increasingly more complex in nature. Once regarded as an inferior form of media in the past, video games have quickly grown to become one of the most influential forms of media of the 21st century, challenging the ways in which we view, analyse and engage with contemporary visual media. In studying the impact of video games on film, Galloway notes that a new wave of filmmakers has begun to explore the multifaceted ways in which video games can influence film by incorporate specific innovations from video games in to the filmmaking process. He identifies this wave as a form of gamic cinema.

It is my contention that the rapid evolution of video games continues to have a profound influence on the filmmaking process today. Therefore, the aim of this thesis seeks to examine the concept of gamic cinema by conducting a comparative textual analysis of two primary texts; Tom Tykwer’s hyperkinetic Run Lola Run (1998) and Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s visually frenetic action film Gamer (2009). In doing so, it poses two primary research questions; what specific innovations from video games are incorporated in to these films, and what filmmaking techniques are used to do so? To further explore these questions, this thesis suggests that the study of narrative space, a concept that exists within both film and video game studies, may be an effective means through which we can examine gamic cinema. In light of this, this research also draws on theories and discourse from the fields of film, video game and new media studies in order to offer a thorough exploration of the relationship between the two media forms. Ultimately, this research sets out to explore video games have influenced the filmmaking process and what this could mean for the future of cinema.


Repository Staff Only: item control page