Monday, April 2, 2012
The Little Fat Girl
From Super-8 16mm film, to VHS and Mini-DV video to HD, in the last 30 years the tools of amateur filmmaking have grown up to introduce a new generation of future filmmakers. Instead of scissors and splice tape, todays film professional now edits on a computer with Avid or Final Cut Pro -- and they are no longer alone. The Digital Revolution is here and the future of cinema is the Little Fat Girl in all of us.
While the box office is drowned in unoriginal remakes, sequels, and hollow advertisement films there is a small and growing presence of underground filmmaking that might change everything about how the industry works. The new saviors of cinema will not be lining up at the gates of Hollywood looking for work, but instead creating a new type of film that will have the industry redefining and reinventing itself once again. This is the great hope for the future and evolution of cinema.
What can think of, with some possible research, that is causing the film industry to suffer right now? Is this a modern change? What are they trying to do to combat this change? Can you think of an instance where this new Digital Revolution has already affected change?
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I think there are multiple things affecting the film industry right now. For example, many viewers are thinking why pay 12$ to see a movie when Comcast On Demand or Verizon Fios can bring the movie right to your couch just after it releases theater. Even sooner, some torrent sites will allow hackers to download pirated films the day of the release. In addition to this Blue Ray DVD players make the film more enjoyable to watch on flat screens than projected. Also, alot of the newer films being made are trying to use as much technology as possible, which ends up looking overdone and some moviegoers do not like the new style. Lastly, movies are tending tending to involve the same type of stuff, I can't even count how many recent movies have been made about Mortals vs Gods etc, and the topics get old. However the movie industry will never completely dissipate.
ReplyDeleteThe film industry has a problem with finding a medium between old cinema and new. The industry hangs in limbo between two styles that don't seem to want to meet in the middle. However, I believe this problem is small compared to the problem the film industry will have in the future. The accessibility of film making is a blessing and a curse. There will be people that discover new techniques and create different styles and in doing so beautiful work will be created. But this work will be difficult to see because so many people will be making films. The future viewer will be overwhelmed by countless films and in turn will go numb to it all and not be able to spot the films that are truly beautiful pieces of art. When it comes to the technology of today changing the film industry I must say that I believe that sooner or later the whole "going to the theater" experience will be over. So many films today are available on demand and at a a cheaper price than a movie theater ticket. It doesn't help that our economy is doing poorly and people would much rather stay and watch a movie at home than waste gas driving to the theater. There are problems in the film industry but like any industry that has to do with entertainment there will always be problems in satisfying the wants of the people. The film industry will never go away. Film is a part of our culture that we hold close to our hearts and so people will continue to make movies and enjoy watching them.
ReplyDeletea movie is entertaining when it is smart, unexpected, and striking. film, when it was new and novel, was celebrated as an art form simply for its content and construction, and its very existence fit all of the previous criteria. now that movies are so accessible, the novelty has worn off, and people seek that 'wowing' experience through things like special effects and glitzy editing. both of these things began as and have proved to be extremely successful tools in filmmaking, dependable for genuine improvement of the viewing experience. but now that audiences are numb to the basics of the craft, these elements are heavily relied on for that 'wow' factor. directors beat their viewers over the head with fast cuts and fire and explosions and special effects that have nothing to do with the art of the film, but are lazy post-production manipulations used to manufacture a glamorous product. through the desperate attempt to impress with distracting computer effects, the basic acting and cinematic performances are undervalued and eventually lost. this is why a movie by a 'little fat girl from ohio' with no budget is considered 'a work of art' as equally as it is considered 'a movie' - underground directors are forced to rely on their vision and their story-telling abilities to create the magic of the movie, rather than assaulting people with it.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest problem in filmmaking in a modern age is actually defining the term "filmmaking in a modern age". As the availability high quality cameras (that come equipped with owner's manuals and relatively easy function) increase, as do the number of movies that will be made. The discrepancy lies with the abundance of cameras, ranging from a RED (professional quality), to a Cannon or Sony (more consumer-friendly), and then on to a Flip, or even the camera on the back of an iPhone or Droid. Videos are being taken with astounding frequency and with lack of discretion because there is always an option of deleting, where as I see the most value in film is that each reel cost money, therefore each frame, each shot could not afford to be wasted.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of the film industry that has gone to the dogs is actually the majority of the viewers. Hollywood has created this formula for the perfect story, and they know all of the tricks of how to conjure emotions out of the audience at the correct times in order for them to leave the theater feeling satisfied. Filmmaking, to me, is about the adventure that one can have in their pursuit of comprehension; a moviegoer should not leave a theater thinking that it was a great movie, but should still be trying to figure out why it is such a great movie; he can figure out on his own. Steve Martin discovered this on his own during the early days of his stand-up career, saying that he would simply build up the audience's tension, and then NOT deliver the punch line, therefore forcing the audience to believe that when they laugh, THEY thought it was funny, not spoon-fed to them.
To summarize, the advent of the most basic camera, thrust into the hands of the unknowing civilian, allowed people to believe that they could be artistic filmmakers, and display their work proudly when it is in fact nothing spectacular at all. Also, Hollywood created the perfect punch line, where as the real art of filmmaking comes from the audience's reaction, not at the end of the movie, but much further past that point in time, when they have contemplated what they had experienced.
I think that the problem that the film industry is having is that they are starting to run out of ideas. A lot of new movies now have the same idea or plot as most other movies. I also think that they try to take good movies and make sequels to them which are never as good, but people will keep going to see them because of the name. I think that money plays such a big part in making movies these days because that's all most people worry about. And movies now can be done with all special effects and I think that it takes away from the actually film making.
ReplyDeleteNow days I think that movies are attempting to focus more on effects than actual plots. They are trying to find new ways to interest viewers with different types of effects and camera views because it is hard to think of brand new plots. Another way the movie industry is hurt is by movie prices. Not only is it expensive to buy a ticket but once you are in the movie theatre, food and drinks are not very cheap. The last negative impact comes from the cable companys that offer movies at cheap prices allowing viewers to comfortably watch a movie at their own house.
ReplyDeleteThe act of creating and telling a story through visuals as its key has been faded out as years go by. With improvement in special effects, it seems film makers pride themselves on the amount of explosions they can make, or the amount of dialogue they can write for their characters. The art of showing what is happening and how characters feel without saying it, but showing it, is being killed off. However, these special effects can be used for good. For example, like in Avatar, we see some of the greatest special effects made to this day, and it told a story very effectively, actually enhancing this rather than hindering it. It is finding the balance of these two that is the key, and if it is achieved, great films can be created.
ReplyDelete