Archive for August, 2008

Aug 08
19

Trends in Contemporary Movies

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Movies made by Hollywood these days reflect a change in trends that have governed cinema for many years. There has been a widespread adoption of themes that were until now considered inappropriate or threatening. Directors and writers are no longer afraid to depict what they believe in and hence movies such as Juno, Brokeback Mountain etc. no longer shock the sensibilities of a viewer. Other popular themes that are present in movies these days is that of feminism, death, psychological abnormality, etc. in crisis.

Change in movie trends coincide with the  cultural changes that place at a particular time period in society. In progressive societies such as that of America, presenting bold themes related to religion, homosexuality or teenage pregnancy, violence isn’t very difficult. People have become more receptive of issues that were till now pushed under the rug. This is due to the change in the mindset of people which has definitely become broad and open to other voices that were marginalized. This gives an impetuous to creative thinkers who use the medium of films to put their message of equality and freedom across.

Also after the emergence of Post-Colonial Literature and sensibility across the world, creative artists have started focusing on issues related to post-colonialism and other social matters. As time progresses, awareness spreads and helps people become more tolerant towards the issues of silenced few and that is mainly the focus of Contemporary cinema, to present a perspective to the people, that is unprecedented, open to interpretations, flexible and entertaining. Therefore, the object of cinema these days is to do resonate the popular sentiments that are prevailing in societies world wide. The principle of exclusion and a narrow perspectivism is no longer a feature of Contemporary Cinema.

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Aug 08
19

How to be a film maker?

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A career in film making requires a lot of dedication and devotion, because of the unpredictability and uncertainty that is associated with the Entertainment Industry. The Entertainment Industry offers a lot of job opportunities to people with talent and skills. However, it does not often promise them a well settled career and security that is present in other professions. Chances and opportunities in the Entertainment Industry are more on the lines of part time and contracts, so make sure that you are aware of all the pitfalls before you jump on the band wagon. It is always advisable to have an educational degree either in the field or in other discipline, so that you have some solid ground to fall back on if things don’t work out as you planned them.

One of the pre-requisites of being a film maker is to have the ability to observe, tell a story, shoot a video etc. The phrase, having a directors eye is not for nothing and holds very true when it comes to the art of film making. For stepping into the profession of movies, it is important to be aware of harsh reality, as the Film Industry on the superficial level seems very glamorous and lucrative but below the surface and behind the scenes is where all the dirt rests. The film that we see on screens is the final product of countless efforts of numerous individuals, that goes unnoticed by viewers. So keep in mind the hard work that you would have to put in. This is one of those professions that are similar to gambling. When you are in luck, even the most stupid of the moves will fetch you success, and if not then well nothing in the world can be of much help to you.

Courses related to media, film studies etc. are good options for making a career in the film industry. The best schools for studying movies is UCLA, USC, NYU, Cal Arts, Univ. of Chicago, Emerson, Univ of Montana Bozeman, AFI conservatory, Columbia College Hollywood, Los Angeles Film School, Berkeley Digital Film Institute, School of Visual Arts, New York, New York Film Academy, College of Santa Fe in US, etc. The Sundance program is another program that is considered very beneficial for film making enthusiasts.

So buy a camera and start turning your dream of becoming a film maker into reality. For a beginner a Canon camcorder or Panasonic Camcorder would suffice. Hence, starting shooting and enter the arena, fully prepared. You can also join a production company for the sake of experience and also start building contacts, as contacts matter a lot in this industry.

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Aug 08
19

Films Adaptation of Novels

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The trend of adapting novels and short stories into movies is not new and is as frequently undertaken as is any other trend in the film industry. Sometimes this practice of transferring films  into movies is appreciated by the audience and other times it is not. More often than not film adaptations of novels and stories are successful, for eg. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Jane Eyre and others. Successful or not, but movie adaptations of novels have always evoked interest in the minds of the public, especially the public acquainted with the works of various writers. People generally are curious to know how far is the adaptation truthful to the written work.

It is very important for public to understand that a movie has many restrictions that are not present in written medium, for eg, films enjoy the liberty of visual appeal and imagery. Similarly, novels have the liberty of time and space whereas in movies everything has to be included within a time period of two or two and half hours. Another difference between movies and novels is the extent and degree of visual effects, emotional effects and sensationalism used. In a visual medium, it is but obvious that impact of a certain scene or dialog is more direct than in a novel which uses the medium of language and restricts the imagination of the reader. The visualization process is indirect as compared to in movies. For in a novel, readers perceive the words first and then may or may not visualize. However, in a movie everything depends on how well the movie is made, directed, acted out and presented. Therefore, directors should be given some advantage as far as adopting a written novel is concerned. It should also be noted that word to word adaptation of a novel is but impossible and unnecessary, it would also not be able to create the desired effect as was created by the novel, when it was read.

Hence, reading and viewing a novel are two totally distant things and comparisons between them are but hindrances. A director is an independent person from the author and presents his own perception of the written text. During this process, he also has to use tools that are needed to create an overt visual stimuli for the viewers. Taking liberties with the story on grounds of film requirements is not advisable. Tampering with the basic story line is not appreciable, inculcating different elements for entertainment and other factors should be granted. Different people have different perspectives and hence, their way of looking at a text also differs a great deal. That is the main reason why some adaptations are accepted and others are rejected. Keeping in view the various factors responsible for successfully transferring a written text into a movie, following is a list of movies that have been successfully adapted from novels and are also regarded as Classics.

  • The Godfather
  • Jaws
  • Lord of the Rings
  • Oliver Twist
  • Fight Club
  • The Thin Man
  • The Iron Giant
  • The War of the Worlds (1953)
  • Howard’s End
  • Sense and Sensibility
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • Gone with the Wind
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
  • Charlotte’s Web
  • A Passage to India
  • 25th Hour
  • A Room with a view
  • The Hours

The list is by no means complete. Please feel free to add any film that you feel should be included in the list.

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Aug 08
19

War and Movies

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The two massively destructive World Wars completely destroyed the faith and trust of people in humanity and other social institutions. People could not and did not want to come to terms with the harsh realities of the World Wars and the devastation it caused. Atomic bombs, weapons of mass destruction had a disastrous impact on the minds of individuals who had never before encountered such a tragedy. During this period a lot of movements were initiated into the artistic fields of painting, literature, music, theater and movies. The movies depicted reality of the wars and also portrayed the ravished sensibilities of people.

Many veterans soldiers have criticized movies made on war themes due to lack of sensitivity and sensibility displayed in dealing with the subject of war. It is generally presented as a fight between good and evil. In these movies, the story either revolves around the Allies or the Axis group. However, it is very important for directors to understand the ambiguity of war and the lack of lucidity that prevails in wars, where everything is far from being black and white. Therefore, War a catastrophic event provides much meat for filmmakers to feed on but is always treated subjectively, without taking into considerations the subtleties and complex nature of war itself. Some of the highly popular war movies are:

  • 1941
  • Battle of Britain
  • Enemy at the Gates
  • The Longest Day
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • The Pianist
  • The Patriot
  • Pearl Harbor
  • U-571
  • Windtalkers
  • Behind Enemy Lines
  • K-19
  • Red Dawn
  • Where Eagles Dare
  • Gods and Generals
  • Tora! Tora! Tora!
  • The Bridge on the River Kwai
  • The guns of Navarone
  • Thin Red Line

There are many other movies that have been made on the subject of war. Please list any movie that you think should be on the list. War movies generally initiate a lot of appreciation as the theme of a war movie is in itself is close to an epic. However, we should also concentrate on the way movies are made and treated. How is the subject of war handled by the director, how close is the story to historical facts and so on. What is the political objective of the movie, etc. These things should be considered before hailing every war movie as classic.

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Aug 08
05

Food for Entertainment

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What are the different dishes we are served these days to satisfy our appetite for entertainment. We are very well aware of the ingredients that go into making of ‘entertainment’ cuisine. We know that we are served a lot of variety. For every ingredient we have like a hundreds shows. What about the quality? Well definitely improving with each passing day.

As hunger for the better and more consistent means of entertainment pervades, we would be served delicious food for entertainment. There are times when stale and rotten food is offered but now we also have the power to reject it. All modes of entertainment have started churning out food that is friendly to our digestive guts and also brain activity. However, still be aware what you feed your senses.

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Aug 08
05

Entertainment and Obsession with Showbiz

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Is Entertainment only eye candy? What about the rest of the senses, what about their indulgence? If we go by the popularity of the entertainment news and paparazzi photographs, we might be surprised how voyeuristic people have become. Yes people have literally become obsessed with Hollywood and the glamorous showbiz industry, pushing paparazzi to invade the privacy of celebrities and cashing on off limits material.

Hollywood stars and their personal lives has become a world-wide obsession. The bling and shimmer of the glamor world has caught everybody’s fantasy. People imitate celebrity behavior blindly and end up either hurting themselves or others. It has to be ingrained into the society that entertainment is just a part of mass culture and not the heart and soul of it. We should work on developing other spheres of society as well and not concentrate wholly on the attractive yet elusive lifestyle.

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Aug 08
05

Standards of Entertainment prevailing today

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Before we write about the prevailing standards, it is better that we all ask ourselves, what we demand from the world of entertainment? Have our own standards become too low or too high? Obviously the answer to this is subjective and is based on the perception of each individual. However, if we analyze the standard of today’s entertainment then we can assess if what we ask for is too low or too high?

These days the standard is definitely higher than it was before. The music that people want to listen to, movies and television they want to watch, books they want to read, etc are all scripted in coherence with the mindset of the people. Moreover, people these days are so caught up with their lives that they would not spend much time on something substandard. The distinction between masses and classes is slowly decreasing and so it is in the entertainment industry.

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