Gwendolyn Audrey Foster and I have a new book out, entitled 21st Century Hollywood: Movies in the Era of Transformation from Rutgers University Press.

“The paradigm shift from analog to digital media has completely changed the way Hollywood produces and distributes its business. 21st-Century Hollywood presents a perfect snapshot of the new digital present.” — Jan-Christopher Horak, Director, UCLA Film & Television Archive.

“A significant and impressive work on the cutting edge of current critical discussion on the digitization of film . . . the sheer scope of Dixon and Foster’s knowledge is dazzling.” — Steven Shaviro, author of Post-Cinematic Affect.

They are shot on high-definition digital cameras—with computer-generated effects added in postproduction—and transmitted to theaters, web sites, and video-on-demand networks worldwide. They are viewed on laptop, iPod, and cell phone screens. They are movies in the 21st century—the product of digital technologies that have revolutionized media production, content distribution, and the experience of movie-going itself.

21st – Century Hollywood introduces readers to these global transformations and describes the decisive roles that Hollywood is playing in determining the digital future for world cinema. It offers clear, concise explanations of a major paradigm shift that continues to reshape our relationship to the moving image. Filled with numerous detailed examples, the book will both educate and entertain film students and movie fans alike.

A brief portion of the text originally appeared in Senses of Cinema 43, as “Vanishing Point: The Last Days of Film,” which has been significantly reworked for the book; you can read it here.