Experimental Film as a Business: Why Don’t Art Students Care about Technology, and Engineering Students Are Not Aware about It?

A century-old already, traditional cinema performance is nowadays facing fierce competition: not only the novel e-arts but also the emergence of the youngest brother in the film family: the experimental film. For the younger generation, the competition is rather different: the traditional art film is watched in cinema theatres less and less because of the new technology of streaming. As the influence of technology is overwhelming on the “techies” (i.e. technology-addicted generation) – and many award-winning movies are produced by using technology more and more extensively – it is somehow surprising to witness a divide among the educated young generation: while art students do not pay much attention to technology, the engineering students do not share the same art passion. Authors agree to call it an anti-symmetrical divide. To a certain extent, this divide is normal, considering the students’ future careers. However, in the specific case of technology-based experimental films, is the same anti-symmetrical divide maintained? This less investigated area is the focus of this study. Based both on secondary and primary research (pilot-surveys on engineering and art students from Bucharest/Romania universities), this research was conducted during 2023-2024 academic year. Despite its limitations, the study findings have multiple implications for the main stakeholders in all sectors (education, art and business), respectively: educators and students in both areas; film-makers, producers and actors in the film industry; technology companies.