After nearly 100 years of development, film has become a universal artistic expression form.
With the development of technology, film technology also gains significant progress, which
changes from the original silent film to the latest 3D film. Combined with the 3D technology,
the birth and development of 3D film has brought new visual effect to the audience. 3D film
is also called the stereoscopic film, which refers to the objects in the film viewed by audience
can be transformed from plane form into the three-dimensional effect after wearing 3D
glasses. This can bring audiences the feeling of personally on the scene, inviting them to
immersive themselves into the movie plots. I have watched a 3D film called ‘Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland’, which is an adapted version of the Alice universe. In addition to
keep the original characters on the basis of the original work, it also expands the scope of
wonderland. Having read the novel, I am quite interested to the story it tells which describes
the adult Alice will have completely different experiences in the same place after thirteen
years past. Before I watching the film, I was given a 3D glasses and I worn it through the
whole process of the film screening. I found that the objects were so vivid as if they were
physical and I could touch them. Meanwhile, through the process of watching movie, I
associated many representations of characters with the plots reading from the novel.
This
film viewing experience of mine can be relevant to the concepts, including embodiment,
transmedia, and assemblage. This then is the goal of the essay, by choosing the 3D film
‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ as an object, analyzing its relationship with the following
three concepts: embodiment, transmedia, and assemblage. Basically, the essay has been
organized in the following way. It will firstly focus on the concept of ‘embodiment’,
analyzing its relations with my experience of watching 3D film ‘Alice’s adventure’. Then, the
essay will concentrate on two concept ‘transmedia’ and ‘assemblage’ in the second part and
third part respectively. Finally, it will discuss the connection among these three concepts
under the premise of 3D film ‘Alice’s adventure’.
The process of watching the 3D version of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ film could
relate the concept of embodiment. According to the scholar Sterne (2003), embodiment
reflects the close relationship between the human body and technology, which means the way
in which people tend to learn and use the technology connecting to their body techniques.
Since the new technology 3D film employs in play, viewer need to wear a pair of 3D glasses
which can construct a three-dimensional visual effect. In the period of watching movie, I
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automatically worn the 3D glasses and stared at the movie screen continuously. There are
embodied elements between my body techniques and the 3D technological film which are my
bodily practices of wearing the goggles and staring at the screen. The physical actions I did in
the process of watching 3D film show that the 3D film embodies in my particular physical
practices and it structures my behavior. Sterne (2003) points out that technologies are linked
with individual’s practices and habits, which means to some extent they can structure
individual’s practice. Moreover, because the artifice of the 3D glasses, the images in the
movie are so vivid moving around in front of viewers which take on the three-dimensional
effect. When I watched the 3D movie of ‘Alice’ adventure’, since the surround-screen was so
large and the three-dimensional effect caused by 3D glasses, I paid close attention to the film
and even fully embodied myself in the illusion of the film. I saw a flock of birds flying in my
direction, which was so vivid that I even surrounded by the clear birdsong. Not aware of the
illusion, I stuck my hand out to catch the birds but the object I could touch merely the air. In
this case, my full senses are embodied in the 3D film and expressed via the physical form. I
take advantage of and enjoy the 3D technology, but at the same time, my physical behavior is
structured by it.
Apart from the concept of embodiment, the 3D film ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ is
also linked with the concept of ‘transmedia’. Transmedia can be simply defined as across
media. (Jenkins, 2001) Through the convergence of cultural practices on various digital
technologies, it connects with another term ‘transmedia storytelling’. Transmedia storytelling
refers to narratives spread across multiple delivery channels, such as books, movies, and TV
series, with each unique narrative contributing to the unfolding of the whole story. The
distinctive contents in different medium link together within multiply logics, such as
interrelated characters and their stories, contributing to a deep understanding of fictional
universe. (Jenkins, 2003) The assemblage of the ‘Alice’ series includes fiction, animate film,
and movies. I had read the novel of the story of ‘Alice’s adventure’ before I saw the 3D
movies of its. The film adapts and expands the plots on the basis of novel that it describes the
story from another angle, which tells about the adult Alice returning to wonderland again after
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13 years later. When I watched the film in cinema, the vivid performance of adult Alice in the
movie, such as bravely help the white queen kill fierce dragon and calmly face the difficulties,
reminds me of the small girl Alice who is weak and kind described in the novel. Jenkins (2001)
states that the adaption and extension of media text could offer consumers insight into the
characters. Through the logical extension of the film combined with the novel, I gain a deep
comprehension of the character Alice that she is no longer the native girl but a mature young
people who has the courage to pursue her dream. In addition, I found that the representations
of some characters in the film were more exaggerated than description in the novel, such as
the Mad Hatter and the red queen, which help me better understand the connotations of
character image and interpret the deep meanings attached to the Alice’s story. In term of this,
Jenkins (2003) claims that the adaptation and extension plot in the film help represent more
abundant characteristics of character, providing consumers with a new perspective on the
character. The transmedia storytelling of ‘Alice’s adventure’ story from novel to 3D film
brings me new experiences and further comprehension of the narrative.
Additionally, the 3D film ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ can connect to the concept of
‘assemblage’ as well. Assemblage can be defined as the process a range of elements arrange,
organize and fit together in particular relations. Different components function by their
interactions within the whole creating another function of the assemblage. (Deleuze and
Guattari, 2004) The film ‘Alice’ adventure’ with 3D technology which I watched before as a
assemblage is consisted of several components which includes many video units and audio in
the movie, a pair of 3D glasses, and shaking seats. I intend to describe a scene in the movie
which brings me fascinating 3D experience. The Red Queen sent her ultimate weapon, a huge
evil dragon, to battle with Alice. Along with the background scene became gloomy and the
low depressive background music, a fierce beast with sharp claws appeared in the movie
screen. In the movie Alice dodged the attacks from the dragon, at the same time my chair
would constantly shark with the plot development, which can invite me to immerse myself
into the world the movie depicts. Suddenly, surrounded by the pressing and intense
background music, the fierce dragon with open mouth directly flew at me. Feeling too real, I
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wanted to immediately escape from the chair. According to the scholar Macgregor (2011),
there is territory to be corvered through the collection of components and their relations,
which can also be explained as the function of the assemblage, what an assemblage can do.
Similarly, Deleuze and Guattari (2004) emphasize that people cannot know an assemblage
unless they discover its function. In terms of the ‘Alice’s adventure’ movie, the audio, such as
the background music, can foil film atmosphere and cooperate with the development of plots.
The 3D glasses can offer consumers three-dimensional effect, which can supply them with
fascinating visual effect and bring them a sense of immersive, involving themselves into the
movie plot. The particular way these elements brought together can flexibly and
systematically combine the visual effect, rhythm changes of the film together, creating special
artistic expression form of 3D technological film.
There are also interactions among these three concepts. Firstly, transmedia storytelling can be
a form of assemblage. According to Deleuze and Guattari (2004), the arranged elements
within a particular relationship can characterize the function of the whole. The content in each
media platform, such as books, films, and movies, can be the element consisted of an
assemblage of narrative. Each medium’s content contributes to an understanding of a fictional
universe. For example, the transmedia narratives of ‘Alice’s adventure’ from novel to film
bring me deep understanding of Alice’s narrative. Secondly, transmedia can relate to the
assemblage in another way that the medium on which the story spreads to some extent can be
an assemblage consisted by components. For example, the adapted version of ‘Alice’
adventure’ was played to the audiences in the form of 3D film which can be regarded as an
assemblage consisted by audio, video, 3D glasses. Thirdly, transmedia storytelling can
connect to the embodiment, since that the medium on which the story spreads as technology
deeply tied to the techniques of human body which means people physically embodied
themselves learning and using the technology. For example, I know about the story of Alice
on film through my eyes staring at the screen. In addition to the physical embodiment, my
senses were also embodied into the film when I watched the film, which benefits me to
immerse myself into the movie plots, experiencing the change of story along with the
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characters in the film.
In conclusion, the essay analyzes the relationship between the ‘Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland’ 3D film and three concepts, including embodiment, transmedia and assemblage.
The concept of embodiment draws the close relationship between human body and technology.
People learn to use the technology connect to their own body technique, in turn the
technology can technology can structure human practice which means it can lead people
particular behavior. This can be seen from my particular way to watch 3D film that I wear a
pair of 3D glasses and I stare at the screen the whole screening time. In addition, because the
special visual effect of 3D film, my sense, such as sense of hearing and vision, are full
embodied into the illusion of film, which performs in the physical way that I try to catch the
bird with my hand. Moreover, the term of transmedia tied closely to the concept ‘transmedia
storytelling’ which means the content spreads across various media platform and each
medium’s content contribute to an understanding of a fictional universe. Based on the
adaptation and the expansion of the original narrative of ‘Alice’s adventure’, the film ‘Alice’s
Adventure in Wonderland’ models a more brave and independent image of the character Alice.
Combining the novel and film, I gain new perspective on the character and deep interpretation
of the story. In terms of the concept assemblage, it refers to the different elements brought
together in a particular relation creating new functions by their interaction with each other.
The 3D film can be thought as an assemblage composed by components including the audio,
video in the film, 3D glasses and shaking chairs. The assemblage of those elements could
create special artistic expression form of 3D film, and also bring viewers multi sensory
experience.
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Reference
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Deleuze, Gilles and Félix Guattari
(2004b), A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia (Trans.
Brian Massumi), London: Continuum, 2004. First English edition 1988
Wise,
J.
Macgregor
(2011), ‘Assemblage’ in Charles J. Stivale (ed.) Gilles Deleuze: Key
Concepts, Durham: Acumen, pp. 91 - 92 & 95 - 101
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