Examines the face on screen from a variety of critical and historical perspectives
- Re-thinks the face on screen by highlighting new work that forges connections between early, classic, and contemporary face issues
- Addresses topical and contemporary issues while also offering an historicised look at the roots of our current, ever-multiplying entanglements with the face on screen
- Includes work on mainstream cinema as well as on documentary, avant-garde cinema, video art, gaming, software, photography, and other visual technologies
- Brings together authors working across genres and traditions, joining scholars and topics that do not normally appear in the same venues
- Uses case studies including The Big Swallow, Minamata: The Victims and Their World, The Neon Demon, Fruitvale Station and Avatar
Whether we consider the digitally created and manipulated faces of Hollywood cinema or the social media filters, face apps, and surveillance software of everyday life, reading face language has become the seemingly endless task of humans and machines alike. Recent facial controversies – from politicians in blackface to "deep fakes," casting debates, and facial data collection-- have made clear the need for a broader understanding of the face on screen and its varied techniques and effects. This book will consider the screen face from a variety of perspectives, across time periods and media, bringing together essays on topics ranging from early cinema to contemporary digital media – from photogénie to facial recognition, celebrity culture to digital creatures. It explores how screen culture builds on and complicates our urge to search the face for answers to our most intractable questions.
Publication Type
- Book