Film
Man, the more films i watch, the more i get sucked into the artistic side of it, and i LOVE IT. I was thinking about a way to blog my thoughts, and then i chanced upon this article by Daniel Griffin. He took the words right out of my mouth.
1. Film is art.
Most people go to the movies to be entertained. This is necessary and appropriate. After all, films allow us to put away our own lives for a couple of hours and embrace the life and story of the people who we are watching, which is entertainment in its purest form. I find it sad, however, that the average filmgoer does not think beyond the idea of films as a way to kill a few hours. Rather, cinema is an art form just as significant and just as profound as any painting or song. Art exists to stimulate its audience, to provoke thought and stir them to consider what a person believes and why he believes it. Art exists to create a reaction in a person, and to make its audience into less of a watcher and more of a participant. Certainly, it must be stimulating to the audience, and that is where entertainment comes in as a key player. It is also so much more: Films are pieces of art, and they should be looked at as art. They should provoke and push boundaries; they should make statements and ask questions. Sadly, there has been, I believe, a push away in recent cinema from creating films that challenge the viewer. The entertainment elements have been increased, and artistic expression played down, at least in many major Hollywood releases. As a result, the expectations of the viewers have been dumbed down as well. This site, and my reviews, will serve as a charge to bring the artistic aspects of film back into the limelight—to look at films as no less entertaining, but to also expect them to provoke thought and challenge the viewer with new ideas and images.
2. Film is literature.
In the late eighteenth century, Gothic novels were considered the trailer-trash talk shows and the gossip magazines of their time. Books like Matthew Lewis’ The Monk and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein were dismissed as foolishness for the weak-minded. Today, they are considered some of the greatest contributions to literature every created. Truly, what Lewis and Shelley and others left behind for those who come after them are a reflection of their times to later generations. Movies are the same, and they will leave messages to the generations after us. Who we were will be reflected in the art left behind, which will be interpreted and re-interpreted by scholars for the rest of humanity’s history. Thus, films are no less literature meant to be analyzed and appreciated than the “trashy” Gothic novels before them. What entertains us today will be considered invaluable later. Thus, it is our responsibility to make sure the messages that we leave reflect who we are, our hopes, our dreams, our flaws, and our history.
OK, i wouldn't go as far as saying that film is literature. its not. but its storytelling. and thats why its such an important medium.
Maybe one day i'll use my photographic intuition and penchant for stories and tell a story using motion capture film. that would be neat. It would have to be good though. I don't wanna settle for crappy movies made on my cell phone.
1. Film is art.
Most people go to the movies to be entertained. This is necessary and appropriate. After all, films allow us to put away our own lives for a couple of hours and embrace the life and story of the people who we are watching, which is entertainment in its purest form. I find it sad, however, that the average filmgoer does not think beyond the idea of films as a way to kill a few hours. Rather, cinema is an art form just as significant and just as profound as any painting or song. Art exists to stimulate its audience, to provoke thought and stir them to consider what a person believes and why he believes it. Art exists to create a reaction in a person, and to make its audience into less of a watcher and more of a participant. Certainly, it must be stimulating to the audience, and that is where entertainment comes in as a key player. It is also so much more: Films are pieces of art, and they should be looked at as art. They should provoke and push boundaries; they should make statements and ask questions. Sadly, there has been, I believe, a push away in recent cinema from creating films that challenge the viewer. The entertainment elements have been increased, and artistic expression played down, at least in many major Hollywood releases. As a result, the expectations of the viewers have been dumbed down as well. This site, and my reviews, will serve as a charge to bring the artistic aspects of film back into the limelight—to look at films as no less entertaining, but to also expect them to provoke thought and challenge the viewer with new ideas and images.
2. Film is literature.
In the late eighteenth century, Gothic novels were considered the trailer-trash talk shows and the gossip magazines of their time. Books like Matthew Lewis’ The Monk and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein were dismissed as foolishness for the weak-minded. Today, they are considered some of the greatest contributions to literature every created. Truly, what Lewis and Shelley and others left behind for those who come after them are a reflection of their times to later generations. Movies are the same, and they will leave messages to the generations after us. Who we were will be reflected in the art left behind, which will be interpreted and re-interpreted by scholars for the rest of humanity’s history. Thus, films are no less literature meant to be analyzed and appreciated than the “trashy” Gothic novels before them. What entertains us today will be considered invaluable later. Thus, it is our responsibility to make sure the messages that we leave reflect who we are, our hopes, our dreams, our flaws, and our history.
OK, i wouldn't go as far as saying that film is literature. its not. but its storytelling. and thats why its such an important medium.
Maybe one day i'll use my photographic intuition and penchant for stories and tell a story using motion capture film. that would be neat. It would have to be good though. I don't wanna settle for crappy movies made on my cell phone.
posted by Cheryl & Darrell | 11:04 PM
1 Comments:
I agree, film is art!
I also agree what he said about today's films being more concerned with capturing our attention rather than challenging our thought. I went to go see MI:3 the other day and when asked what I thought all I had to say was alright. It was obvious the writer's had a good idea for a plot but either didn't have the ability, the funding, or time alotment to fully develop it, Therefore, there were holes. But don't fear just when you were thinking what are they talking about, or this is sooo stupid, blamo a giant well coreagraphed explosion or fight scene captures your attention.
That's just it, our generation has been referred to more then once as the generation suffering from "ADD" We need quick scene changes and extreme stunts in order to keep our attention.
I honestly don't know where I'm going with all of this but to say I agree we shouldn't give in to the movie and television industries assessment of us being more concerned with seeing the biggest explosion instead of letting our thoughts be pushed to and fro and causing us to discuss our thoughts and feelings in relation to what happened.
Film is art, I live with an artist, it's not a simple industry to get into and it's not a simple industry to change. You must first become one of them showing them you are capable of doing what they do now. Then capture that drive you had in the beginning and change who they are now. It's a fickle superficial industry but hopefully it'll change. We just need to show them what we want.
So are you more concerned with being entertained;or, are you willing to have your mind pushed to a place it hasn't been before?
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