ABSTRACT
Perceptual shifts related to the technological conditions of film scholarship have shaped the analysis of film. By observing a sampling of Hitchcock scholarship dating back to the 1960s, we can see how technology enables and shapes academic discourse on film. While early work on Hitchcock involved frantic note taking in darkened theatres leading to short, comprehensive reflections, the ability to control the means of projection via technologies such as the VHS allowed scholars to engage in lengthy, visually detailed readings of film structures, as well as close, personal readings of signs and moments. Currently, the digital life of film (and film scholarship) is thriving in its growing affinity with art and information exemplified in works such as Christian Marclay’s “The Clock” and Douglas Gordon’s “24-Hour Psycho.”
