ABSTRACT
When we look at television, our gaze is controlled by the “look” of the camera. What the
camera “saw” on the set or on location during a production, we now see on our television
screens. The camera’s distance from the scene and the direction in which it is pointed,
among other factors, determine what we will see in a television image. In essence, our
look becomes the camera’s look and is confined by the frame around the image. To
understand the camera’s look, it becomes necessary to understand the aesthetic,
economic, and technological factors that underpin the camera’s perfunctory gaze.
