Film students + Google Glass = New film form, free publicity

In a sign of the growing symbiotic relationship between Hollywood and Silicon Valley, Google has announced that it will distribute Google Glasses to select film schools. Film students will get to experiment with a new filmmaking form, and Google will reap the benefits as their technology gets a creative showcase. Can I just say I called this? Back in May, I wrote "Forget piracy, could Google Glass inspire a new film aesthetic?" At the time, the film industry was worried about how movies could easily be pirated using Google Glass. I argued that they have the potential to inspire a completely new film aesthetic. With film students leading the way, I think Google Glass will be much more of an asset to the industry than a threat.

The schools participating in the program include USC, CalArts, RISD, UCLA and AFI, who each will receive three sets of the glasses. Right now, they cost $1,500, but they're expected to be priced closer to a smartphone by spring. They can make phone calls, so there is a chance the glasses will be subsidized by a phone contract, potentially costing just $200--though I wouldn't be surprised if they're at least $100 higher than that.

Time for more speculation. Cheap, high-quality digital cameras have revolutionized low-budget filmmaking. But when it comes to cell phones, video footage has been too low-quality. Instead, photos have thrived, nearly replacing the point-and-shoot camera used by the average consumer. Cell phone videos have been more useful for documentary footage--like capturing the shooting of Oscar Grant, now the subject of the dramatic film Fruitvale Station. Because Google Glass mimics a point-of-view shot, I think its cinematic potential is much greater. And now that film students have their hands on these new tech tools, it's only a matter of time before we see exactly just how cinematic Google Glass can be.

Forget piracy, could Google Glass inspire a new film aesthetic?

Google Glass is still in an expanded beta stage. Select people dubbed "Glass Explorers" can pay $1,500 for a pair of the glasses that take pictures and record video, but the equipment is not yet available to the public. Even pre-launch, the combination of the groundbreaking technology and Google's name have made the device a hot topic. The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) has already expressed concern about the glasses, which would make pirating a movie that much easier. That may be true. But after looking at this (must-see) demo video, I think that Google Glass will influence Hollywood in a much more substantial way. Google Glass stands to be a huge influence on film aesthetic in years to come.

Starting with The Blair Witch Project in 1999, the amateur or found footage style has proliferated in movies, especially in the horror genre, because it lent a sense of raw authenticity that married well with scares. The look was inspired by home movies, which had a shakiness and motion that was easily identifiable. Now Google Glass is on track to be the new "home movie," and indie filmmakers will likely be the first to copy this aesthetic.

Movies have long had point-of-view shots, but those taken by Google Glass are at a whole new level. Using what appears to be a wide-angle lens, Google Glass can simulate the exact point-of-view of a person, including realistic shots of hands. Compare that to traditional point-of-view shots. They have a hard time getting close enough to show the body of the actor (plus, how would that work--have the actor be the camera operator?). The Glass shots have a more realistic angle and look even closer than those taken by the popular helmet cams of snowboarders and skiers, the only other widely used POV cameras I can think of.

Seeing a hand reach out to grab a fellow trapeze artist, or a spot-on cockpit view, is a huge departure from classical form. But I think that omission is purely related to technological capability. Traditionally, point-of-view shots do not to look  down or directly in front of the actor, but off in the distance, at a character or object. Director Alfred Hitchcock is considered a master of subjective point-of-view shots, but just imagine what this sequence from Psycho might have looked like with a bit of the Google Glass aesthetic. Or Gus Van Sant's 2003 movie Elephant, which featured extreme long takes that followed behind actors, obscuring any emotions on their face. If that movie were made post-Google Glass, I would be extremely surprised if Van Sant didn't strongly consider incorporating this aesthetic. Besides their demo video, Google also partnered with designer Diane Von Furstenberg during fashion week in September, and this video offers a hint at some of Glass' applications. Point-of-view shots have long been a part of Hollywood form, but the visceral sense of closeness imparted by Google Glass unlocks a myriad of opportunities for filmmakers. What about a dance documentary that includes the Google Glass perspective of the dancer? Or an action film where people can see the hero's hands fire a weapon as he looks off into the distance? Or a victim struggle with an assailant in a horror film? One thing's certain: Hollywood will not be ignoring Google Glass.