Henry Jenkins

Since I had never heard of Henry Jenkins before class on Tuesday I decided that I would investigate a little about him and the work he does. While I was investigating I found and interesting blog of Henry Jenkins at http://henryjenkins.org/. The blog idea was titled "How has the web reshaped amateur film production, publicity, and distribution?" Basically what the point of the blog was is the connection between the Internet and the world of film production. Henry Jenkins explains that production uses the Internet to get things done like the purchasing costumes and other parts of the set, but there is a new use for the Internet that is helping the production team. Jenkins explains that the web is now used to create a virtual crew team for the film. In the blog Jenkins gives the example, "For instance, the 2005 fan film, Star Wars: Revelations, was an ambitious, 40-minute effort covered by all the major news channels and downloaded over a million times in its first 48 hours on the web. Part of the appeal was its eye-popping special effects, which were created by a volunteer team of CGI enthusiasts around the world that used the web to recruit artists, exchange files and compile the finished effect shots." After reading this and realizing what influence the web has for production I was amazed and the way the two work hand and hand. When I picture a production I just think of light, cameras, directors, and actors. I never really considered the use of computers, let alone the idea that the web could create a virtual work crew.