Charles Hagen begins his article by defining video art as inhabiting the ground between television and art, and largely as a means to other ends, such as the transformation of TV or art. He discusses the stages of video arts development, from its early days of being ghettoized as "'minor' art," to the corporate control of video and related mediums, and the emergence of ambitious artists such as Robert Ashley and Woody Vasulka. He compares Ashley's Perfect Lives to Vasulka's The Commission. He discusses the challenges of creating video art for television audiences, which Ashley attempted when he reworked Perfect Lives into seven episodes to be shown on television, directed by John Sanborn, shown in association with Britain's Channel 4. Hagen discusses the success of Sanborn's technical manipulation of images, and cites Sanborn's work as the predecessor to computer-controlled editing of television images. He goes on to list several artists who have created exemplary works using computer-controlled editing such as Dara Burnbaum's Pop-Pop Video, and some artists who used computer-controlled editing unsuccessfully, needlessly, or in excess such as Bill Viola's Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House. He goes on to discuss the success of Woody and Steina Vasulka's work, but also mentions some of its flaws. Hagan closes with a warning against using computer-controlled editing to create works of "empty wizardry."