[English-undergrad] "Reality Frictions": an essay film by Dr. Steve Anderson about fact and fiction in Hollywood cinema in the age of AI

[James Tobias]

Dear English majors:

How are you all doing? I hope everything’s going well. It’s midterm season, so … try to stay on schedule and to not get too stressed out.

This announcement is a bit short notice but, I have just been able to arrange to bring a really interesting film to campus this Thursday. And the director will be attending in person!  

And I want to invite each of you to attend if you can.

The film is called “Reality Frictions,” and it’s an extraordinary documentary and essay film. "Reality Frictions" uses over 100 clips from the long history of cinema and television to explore the ways that Hollywood media uses and confuses historical images and fictive images. 

The film is designed to help us think through some of the questions about media literacy that have been become crucial in the age of AI. 

Director Dr. Steve Anderson is a professor in the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA, and he will be taking questions after the screening.

The screening will start at 3 PM this Thursday 4/30 in INTS 1128. This room is a comfortable screening room, so it’ll be a great place to chill out, take in this amazing film, and have a discussion about the new pressures AI imagery is putting on audiences, creators, and authors alike.

We will have INTS 1128 open from about 2:30 or so, so you can come in before 3 PM to find a seat.

Below is a description of “Reality Frictions" - I hope to see you this Thursday. 

"Reality Frictions explores the intersections of fact and fiction on the screens of Hollywood, highlighting moments when images, people, or events from the real world intrude on the cinematic one. Richly illustrated with clips from more than 100 movies and TV shows, Reality Frictions is an entertaining but also serious investigation of media's role in revealing truth and making history, set against the historical backdrop of the current fascination with machine learning and generative AI. In an age defined by anxieties about our ability to tell real from fake, Reality Frictions demonstrates that spectators have long traversed the boundaries of believability, developing nuanced skills for navigating the pleasures and paradoxes that emerge when reality and fiction collide."


Let me know if you have questions, and otherwise, looking forward to seeing you Thursday. 

Take care,

jt


—
James Tobias, Ph.D.
Professor, Chair
Department of English
University of California
Riverside CA 92521
jtobias at ucr.edu

https://ucr.zoom.us/j/95465985946?pwd=Z1A4Yk1UZDhBTjY5UkJ5R1VQTWUvQT09

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