What is Apparatus Theory in Film?

Cinematic apparatus theory is a theoretical framework examining how movies affect the audience. It examines how cinematic technology and mechanics produce a unique viewing experience, affecting our comprehension and interpretation of the film. French film critics Jean-Louis Baudry and Jean-Pierre Oudart developed this theory in the 1970s. This article will discuss the fundamental ideas of the Apparatus Theory of cinema, including the cinematic apparatus, the audience’s place in the film’s creation and interpretation, and the theory’s consequences for studying and criticising films.

At A Glance

The history of Apparatus Theory
What is Cinematic Apparatus in this theory?
The Role of the Viewer
How can you apply Apparatus Theory to films?
What is the role of the audience in the Apparatus Theory?
What are the implications of Apparatus Theory for film analysis and criticism?
Apparatus Theory and the modern media

The history of Apparatus Theory

You may ask what changed in the 1970s to make film studies so visible and fashionable. Some of the ideas that existed in film psychoanalysis and the individual teachings or training of Karl Marx eventually gave rise to the apparatus theory of film. These two analyses of films share an adoption of standard apparatus film theory concepts and viewpoints.

In the 1970s, an expansion of the ideas that define ideals—particularly those of psychoanalysis and Karl Marx’s film studies—led to the rise in popularity of this method of film analysis. Although psychoanalysis and Marxism were two extremely popular kinds of film studies in the 1960s and years earlier, apparatus film theory takes these same ideas and basic aspects of interest and places equal significance on many of the teachings today.

What is Cinematic Apparatus in this theory?

The principle at the heart of the Apparatus Theory is the cinematic apparatus. Moreover, the camera, the projector, and the screen are examples of such mechanical parts of cinema. Baudry and Oudart argue that the cinematic apparatus produces a unique watching experience that affects our comprehension and interpretation of the film. They contend that the apparatus generates an illusion that allows the audience to invest in the story and the protagonists at a level that is not feasible with other media.