'Inventing the Movies": A Technological History of Hollywood

I've been doing a bit of early promotion for my next book, "Inventing the Movies," which aims to be both a technological history of Hollywood and a parable for innovators of any stripe about the challenges of introducing new ideas to an established industry.

(Update: It's now available on Amazon, and the book's Web site is live.) It's technically not out until September (and not yet available on Amazon), but A few traces of it are starting to show up on the Interweb :

- A nice long podcast on The Workbook Project
- A quick take on the book from David Tamés, one of the experts I asked to review the manuscript
- A guest blog post for Harvard Business Online
- A write-up of a presentation I gave earlier this year in Providence, RI about the book, along with a podcast of that talk. This talk was also the keynote at the Making Media Now conference in May.

There are two sneaky places where you can purchase an early copy of the book now... the paperback version is here, and the digital/PDF version is here. (Update: And now the Amazon version is here.)

Finally, here are some nice blurbs from people who've read the galleys:

"For anyone interested in a well-paced, accurate, and eminently readable chronicle of the fits, starts, foibles, and triumphs in the digitization of an entire industry, don't wait for the movie… read this book!"

Bob Lambert
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Technology Strategy
The Walt Disney Company

"Hollywood loves a good story, particularly one where the ending remains to be told. 'Inventing The Movies' is a dual-track story about how technology enabled the movie industry we know today, and how technology will either enable, or disintermediate, the movie industry of the future."

Gary Beach
Publisher Emeritus
CIO Magazine

"In his new book, 'Inventing the Movies,' Scott Kirsner takes you on fascinating romp through the movie industry's hundred-year love/hate relationship with technology and innovators. The book is an entertaining read with fascinating historical research and fresh insights from interviews with a long list of contemporary luminaries including director Peter Jackson, computer graphics pioneer Ed Catmull, and entrepreneur Mark Cuban. With a keen attention to multiple perspectives, Kirsner presents the view of industry executives who are reluctant to innovate, and contrasts their views with the innovators who have advanced the many technologies like projection, color, sound, non-linear editing, digital projection, internet distribution, etc. that have transformed the industry over a century of change and revived it over and over again for many generations of audience. 'Inventing the Movies' is a lively book of interest to innovators in any field."

David Tamés
Videographer/producer/editor
Kino-Eye.com

"'Inventing The Movies' crystallized my own experience of trying to sell technological innovation into this more-than-resistant industry. Through Scott’s insights and the retelling of a history I only partially knew, I better understand my own rollercoaster ride that took over a decade before digital cinema was embraced by the entire industry. I thoroughly enjoyed the concise and poignant stories of how such things as sound and color almost never made it to the big screen despite the obvious benefits."

Russell Wintner
President, Wintertek, Inc.
Former executive with Technicolor, CineComm, and AccessIT

"'Inventing the Movies' is a comprehensive look at the changing landscape of cinema, a detailed history of determination, innovation and risk. This work is perfect for anyone wanting to have an understanding of the past, present and future of the medium. An excellent read for those interested in cinema and a must-read for anyone looking to enter the tech or film industry."

Lance Weiler
Director/producer
'Head Trauma' and 'The Last Broadcast'

OK, now I'm blushing.