Art and Cultural Consumption - Assignment Example

Multiple Answer Assignment Name Course Institution Date QUESTION 1 Bourdieu (1984: 7) argues that “art and cultural consumption are predisposed, consciously and deliberately or not, to fulfill a social function of legitimating social differences”. Is this true of cinema? Discuss in relation to a film, genre, or other aspect of film culture. (1000 word)  Different people have different perceptions and views over different issues. This applies to art and culture. An art of work only has meaning to an individual who understands it and has a cultural competence of which helps him to encode and decode that particular art. The understanding of art is represented by code. An individual who is not able to understand the features of a work of art is said to be missing the inner code of understanding. Codes can be specific and vary according to the type of the work of art. A person who has no code is said to be confused and mixed in a set of colors and lines or sounds and rhythms, with no rhyme or reason. Social differences are usually brought about with the difference in culture. Social differences and difference in culture affect the way individuals view things like art. What might appeal as good or excellent art of work in one community that observes the same culture might not be the same in another community with a different culture (Bourdieu, 1984). People get attached and impressed to works of art that depicts the human feelings, passions and emotions. They tend to relate more to this because it is a true representation of what they feel. People feel that with these forms of art, there is a connection between life and art. Art and culture has become predisposed without people noticing because individuals are more able to understand the difference between reality and fiction which was not the case in the earlier years. Some individuals still believe in fiction and the realities that they represent. Taste differs according to different people. Taste classifiers and classifies the classifier. Taste is what distinguishes one individual to another. Taste can be determined by the aesthetic of a work of art. Taste and cultural consumption starts with a transgression which is in no way aesthetic (Bourdieu, 1984). For example, obscene pictures and postures might posses an aesthetic element but might not be appealing to everyone who comes across it. Genre can be defined as a system that is used in organizing production. Genre also organizes groups of individual films which have collective or singular importance. Genres represent a process through which categorization where cultural products are sorted into discrete and separate groups which are based on the same and similar properties. Genre can be used to describe the difference between thrillers, musicals, horrors and gangster which are individual genres and mapping the ordinary and common elements which members of any one particular genre shares (Watson, 2007). Genres of films that are produced in Hollywood have met so much criticism from film stakeholders over the years. Hollywood films have always been characterized by different genres like western, gangster, musicals and melodramas. This has changed and currently Hollywood has been able to produce more contemporary films than in the classical period. The change was made because Hollywood studios were assimilated into more conglomerates and they became more contemporary. Another major aspect that has made art and culture become predisposed is the issue of other alternative entertainments. A part from cinemas, there are other more interesting forms of entertainment available in the media industry. People do not frequent cinema places as they used to in the classical period. Most films are nowadays presented at the comfort of Television sets right in people’s homes. Films and movies can be viewed through cable Television or through hiring or buying a DVD. This form of contemporary cinema showcases a variety of technology, thematic and stylistic affinities. It is not only based on genres like in the classical period of Hollywood. These cultural changes have made critics less convinced of the security of genre represented in the Hollywood film industry (Watson). Many critics have been able to map and categorize genres in more than one way while using a variety of methods. These methods often produce corpuses of vastly differing size and complexity. Another major criticism arises in the distinction between a documentary and narrative film where a narrative is very significant and complex in documentary as in other forms like fictional forms. Other stakeholders have the opinion that the difference between fiction and documentary is not sustainable given that the nonfiction contains a number of fictive elements. Genres can also be explained as taxonomy. Taxonomy is used in categorizing and criticizing genres. There are different types of taxonomies which are used in film setting, for example historical taxonomy, multi-dimensional taxonomy and visual taxonomy. Films are generally categorized according to the theme, style or iconography. In historical taxonomy, films are based on the difference in genres and as well as the relationship between a genre and the real scenario that it is based on. Generic taxonomies also have a number of limitations. Taxonomy approach offers a way of organizing, interrogating and managing more numbers of films. QUESTION 2 Does the idea of national cinema still have relevance in an age of globalization? Discuss in relation to a national cinema of your choice, engaging with film studies debates on this topic. (1000 word) National cinema in Australia has come a long way. For many years most Australian films have emerged to be the world’s most watchable films. They have received a great number of positive reviews and ratings worldwide. National cinema which is commonly referred to the Australian Film industry has been able to produce some of the best films and nature the best actors and actresses. Film production started in Australia back in 1890s and the first public screening was done in 1896. The first Australian exhibition was in Melbourne at the Athanaeum Hall. This was done in order to provide Australian’s with an alternative entertainment specifically for the dance hall patrons. The venue continued screenings, but all the films were short films. Some of the Australian film that was very successful is for example, the tracker, Crocodile Dundee, Babe, Guy Pearce, and Picnic at Hanging Rock. Most of these actors and actresses have been able to venture into the Hollywood film industry in America; these are the likes of Nicole Kidman, Philipa Northeast, Mel Gibson and Peter Finch (Ray, 1985). Hollywood Industry The Hollywood industry is one of the most successful and well paying film industries in the entire world. Hollywood has the best production companies and expertise in film. They use the best technology for film production and settings. Some of the best production companies that were ruling the Hollywood film industry before 1945 were for example, Twentieth Century-Fox, Paramount, Columbia, Warner Brothers, Disney, and Universal. The genres of film that are mostly being produced are for example, action, science fiction, women melodrama, horror, gangster, western, musical, biography and western films (Ray, 1985). The period between 1930 and 1945 was referred to the “Classical period of American movies” and was featured by actors like Dietrich, Flynn, Cooper, Stewart, Lombard, Garland, Rogers and Harlow. Globalization and its impacts have really favored the film industry in Hollywood and also Australia. Globalization is the process of integration and interaction of people, companies and governments of different nations from all over the world. It is a process that is mainly aided by information technology and driven by investment and international trade. Globalization impacts usually affect the culture, politics, environment, economic growth and development, human rights and the general human well-being. Globalization impacts usually affect people from all over the world. In different parts of the world, for example in Asian countries like India, China, Korea, globalization has taken a toll on their film industry. The global-local cultural interaction has lead to cultural fusions or mix cultures which blur the boundaries between the indigenous culture and the global culture. Globalization has brought positive impact on national cinema and films. The American Hollywood adopted and learnt a lot about film production from Europe and especially in countries like France, Italy and Germany. The very historical nature of Hollywood films has made it vulnerable to external influences. The combination of America’s national appeal and European political situation attracted many international figures in the film industry into Hollywood. These actors, producers, camera men and women brought with them a combination of knowledge and culture that enriched the Hollywood film making. Other actors, producers, lighting technicians and other members of the filming crew brought with them the German expressionism and montages influenced by the soviet. This combination made American film making and films qualify to be called international films. They had an idea that appealed to the greater masses and to the world in general. (Ray, 1985) Casablanca is a movie that was shot back in the 1940s and its composure and setting has the true description of a film that was positively affected by globalization. Although the film was an American film, the film crew who were responsible for Casablanca was all from different parts of the world especially from Europe, Asia and America. The main contributors of the film and the script writer were Americans; the director was Hungarian, while the acting crew was from different parts of Europe like France, Germany, Norway, Russia, England and Sweden. They brought with them different ideas and opinions that were based on their cultures. This brought a combination and fusion of culture which is what globalization is all about. The film was liked worldwide and it received a lot of reviews (Ray, 1985). Although most of the films produced in the America in the early 1940s received positive global reviews, some critics point out that the American film making industry has to be improved, demanding changes and modifications in the films’ basic strategies. They argued that yes the films were well coordinated but the message was only based in the subtitles but not in sound as expected. The American films that were said to have this problem are for example it’s a Wonderful Life, Casablanca and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ray, 1985). The American film industry has been affected with both internal and external influences. The internal influences were for example stylistic innovations, technological innovations like sound, color and lastly the ever evolving and developing conditions of film production, distribution and consumption. The external influences were for example historical events like Cold War, World War II and the Depression. Other external influences included technological developments outside the cinema and the increase in popularity of the other forms of entertainment. Some critics point out that the film producers do not show what really goes on in the film; viewers are left in suspense not knowing what really happened in some of the scenes. There is no clarity and some of the scenes are not in sync in most of the films that were produced in the early 1940s. Some of the films bring out cultural clash. Films like Fist and Fury and The way of the dragon which starred by Brue Lee are an example of these kind of films. Such movies present the viewers with a lot of ambiguity and unclearness of what is going on (Berry, 2006). It makes the understanding of the characters and what they represent unclear. Bibliography Berry, C, 2006, “Stellar transit: Bruce Lee’s body or Chinese masculinity in a transnational frame”, in F Martin and L Heinrich (eds), Embodied modernities: corporeality, representation and Chinese cultures, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press Bourdieu, P, 1984, “Introduction”, in Distinction: A social critique of the judgment of taste, Cambridge: Harvard UP, Ray, R, 1985, “A certain tendency of the American cinema: classic Hollywood’s formal and thematic paradigms”, in A certain tendency of the Hollywood cinema, 1930-1980, Princeton,: Princeton University Press Watson, P, 2007, “Genre theory and Hollywood cinema,” in J Nelmes (ed.), An introduction to film studies, London: Routledge Read More

This form of contemporary cinema showcases a variety of technology, thematic and stylistic affinities. It is not only based on genres like in the classical period of Hollywood. These cultural changes have made critics less convinced of the security of genre represented in the Hollywood film industry (Watson). Many critics have been able to map and categorize genres in more than one way while using a variety of methods. These methods often produce corpuses of vastly differing size and complexity.

Another major criticism arises in the distinction between a documentary and narrative film where a narrative is very significant and complex in documentary as in other forms like fictional forms. Other stakeholders have the opinion that the difference between fiction and documentary is not sustainable given that the nonfiction contains a number of fictive elements. Genres can also be explained as taxonomy. Taxonomy is used in categorizing and criticizing genres. There are different types of taxonomies which are used in film setting, for example historical taxonomy, multi-dimensional taxonomy and visual taxonomy.

Films are generally categorized according to the theme, style or iconography. In historical taxonomy, films are based on the difference in genres and as well as the relationship between a genre and the real scenario that it is based on. Generic taxonomies also have a number of limitations. Taxonomy approach offers a way of organizing, interrogating and managing more numbers of films. QUESTION 2 Does the idea of national cinema still have relevance in an age of globalization? Discuss in relation to a national cinema of your choice, engaging with film studies debates on this topic.

(1000 word) National cinema in Australia has come a long way. For many years most Australian films have emerged to be the world’s most watchable films. They have received a great number of positive reviews and ratings worldwide. National cinema which is commonly referred to the Australian Film industry has been able to produce some of the best films and nature the best actors and actresses. Film production started in Australia back in 1890s and the first public screening was done in 1896. The first Australian exhibition was in Melbourne at the Athanaeum Hall.

This was done in order to provide Australian’s with an alternative entertainment specifically for the dance hall patrons. The venue continued screenings, but all the films were short films. Some of the Australian film that was very successful is for example, the tracker, Crocodile Dundee, Babe, Guy Pearce, and Picnic at Hanging Rock. Most of these actors and actresses have been able to venture into the Hollywood film industry in America; these are the likes of Nicole Kidman, Philipa Northeast, Mel Gibson and Peter Finch (Ray, 1985).

Hollywood Industry The Hollywood industry is one of the most successful and well paying film industries in the entire world. Hollywood has the best production companies and expertise in film. They use the best technology for film production and settings. Some of the best production companies that were ruling the Hollywood film industry before 1945 were for example, Twentieth Century-Fox, Paramount, Columbia, Warner Brothers, Disney, and Universal. The genres of film that are mostly being produced are for example, action, science fiction, women melodrama, horror, gangster, western, musical, biography and western films (Ray, 1985).

The period between 1930 and 1945 was referred to the “Classical period of American movies” and was featured by actors like Dietrich, Flynn, Cooper, Stewart, Lombard, Garland, Rogers and Harlow. Globalization and its impacts have really favored the film industry in Hollywood and also Australia. Globalization is the process of integration and interaction of people, companies and governments of different nations from all over the world. It is a process that is mainly aided by information technology and driven by investment and international trade.

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