Via IndieWire, where the criteria are helpfully outlined:
“accomplishments of considerable merit; influences with either a positive or negative impression; trends, either new or re-emerging; anniversaries or memorials of special note; and/or movements in new technologies, education, preservation, government or other areas that impact the art film, television and digital media.”
Like TIME’s annual Person of the Year cover, “influences with either a positive or negative impression,” affords equal opportunity for a “good news, bad news” report card. So let’s begin with the good news:
Avatar– James Cameron’s Milepost In The Evolution Of The Art Form
- ‚ÄúJames Cameron‚Äôs pioneering effort to unleash the human imagination was fully realised in 2009 with the release of Avatar, a film that firmly established itself as a landmark in the way stories are told‚Ķ Avatar enters AFI‚Äôs almanac as an achievement that will have profound effects on the future of the art form.”
2009 – A Year Of Extraordinary Animation
- “Though animation has been a genre of great impact since the dawn of the moving image, 2009 marked a year that saw a dazzling explosion of noteworthy work from many of the nation’s finest artists, and in forms vast and varied – from classic hand-drawn stories like The Princess And The Frog; to stop-motion splendors like Coraline (pictured) and Fantastic Mr Fox; to computer-generated creations like 9,Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs and Monsters Vs Aliens.”
Now the bad news:
This Is It– Death Of Michael Jackson
- ‚ÄúMichael Jackson died on June 25, 2009. One of the most influential entertainers in modern day, Jackson‚Äôs death was met with a worldwide expression of grief. In the months that followed his death, Jackson‚Äôs talents were celebrated on-line, with a renewed interest in the musical and video gifts he had given the world over five decades; on television, as millions tuned in for his memorial and funeral services; and, most notably, in theatres, with the film This Is It, a documentary crafted from the rehearsal footage for an upcoming concert tour. The film proved an unprecedented global eulogy for fans and friends of the King Of Pop.”
The Leno Experiment And The Loss Of Drama
- “As a result, five hours traditionally reserved for episodic drama were dropped from the broadcast television landscape. The move had a harsh effect in job losses for the creative ensembles whose stories were told at that time, and also among national affiliate stations whose ratings for 11pm local news programmes dropped significantly.”
Reality TV And The Loss Of Boundaries
- “Reality television crossed a line in 2009 as the cultural craving for celebrity moved in a dangerous new direction. Most significantly, the ‘characters’ now referred to as ‘Balloon Boy’ and ‘Octomom,’ in addition to a couple who allegedly infiltrated the White House to attend a state dinner, have marked the year as one in which the health and welfare of our citizens should be considered before the standards and practices of television.”
The End Of Analogue And Other Signs Of Sea Change
- On June 12, 2009, analog television switched off, and the digital revolution saw a new day. This moment is mostly symbolic, but signaled further change across many former television traditions: …The demise of the soap opera can be linked to the omnipresent melodrama presented in news, reality and other programs that are now available instantaneously, around the clock and on many platforms… Long-form television became more scarce in 2009. While excellent programs like GREY GARDENS, INTO THE STORM and PRAYERS FOR BOBBY proved there was still quality work being done in the field, the fragmentation of the television audience strained the economics of the old business model for TV movies and mini-series.
Every Dark Cloud Has a Silver Lining, a.k.a. The Rich Get Richer:
Recession – The Movies Again Prove A Tonic For Economic Ails
- ‚ÄúJust as Americans flocked to musicals and screwball comedies during the Great Depression of the 1930s, audiences in 2009 escaped their worries by going to the movies. Though total admissions do not compare, it is worthy to note that in the world‚Äôs darkest economic time since the Depression, American films grossed more money than any time in the history of the art form.”
The Most Overstated Moment of “Significance”:
Twitter: The New Watercooler
- “Twitter, the internet platform for messages of up to 140 characters, has become a powerful force in the worlds of film and television. It has long been proven that the most effective way to attract an audience is through ‘word of mouth’ and Twitter allows for these influential conversations to be immediate and international. Twitter has also created new and direct channels of communication for artists to speak directly to their fan base. Most notably, in 2009, Ashton Kutcher enlisted over one million followers to his “tweets.”