How have ideas of realism been conceptualized and put into practice by filmakers - Essay Example

? How have ideas of realism been conceptualized and put into practice by filmakers? Introduction From thetime when films came into existence, there have been majorly two kinds of filmmaking which include the Formalism type of filmmaking and Realism type of filmmaking. The main idea one can retrieve from the word realism is the root word real which means things or objects that to us are life like i.e. things that occur naturally and that their existence is actual. Hence this means that realist films are those that attempt and whose intention is to be life like, making the events and activities they depict to occur to the viewer as the actual happenings in real life. We can therefore say that realist films tend to bring out the reality/ actual happenings in life. As a result this in one way or another makes such films to be audience centered resulting in audiences ending up with their own individual interpretation for that particular film. They are films whose actual goal is to present the audience with a given reality be it in the society or any other subject and letting the audience himself/ herself decide what it means to them. Realist films are generally more laid back or simplicity is their character since they are undertaken on an given, real location as opposed to the setup of a predefined studio setup. Not much thought is put on the location and angle of the cameras taking the shots but instead the filming is more or less left to run its course with the cameras just there to capture and take shots . At times which is mostly most of the time, the shots taken end up being not crispy or fine, but this is the intension since it encourages the audience a more involved mental participation since it allows them to explore and appreciate the full complexity and richness of the shots. Another important thing to note in realist films is the simplicity of its editing which is as much as possible kept to the minimal side this is because it is believed that too much editing influences the audiences interpretation in only one way since a lot of the choices and decisions tend to be made at the editing stage. Good examples of films which are more or less realist in style are documentaries. This is due to the fact that they showcase events that have occurred in the past and they tend to bring out these events in a manner that is understandable by the viewer with minimal if any manipulation in terms of the story line or the artistic part of the film. In this article we are majorly concerned with the Italian and British realism and how their ideas were used in filmmaking. First of all we can define Italia realism as a kind of organization that had a national impact in terms of the films they produced and told to its audience such that they were majorly concerned with what was happening in the society be it the poor and working class relationships, to their day to day life not forgetting the things that affected them as poverty, social injustice just but to name a few. In the British realism case it was more of a movement of rebellion rather that an organization whose main concern was to cut off completely the effects that foreign filmmakers like Hollywood was having on its filmmaking industry. To them it was a means to a cause where they envisioned a time where local concerned and styles would be addressed in filmmaking rather than the normal procedures and styles that the likes of Hollywood had brought out as the order of event. We shall take a look at the various characteristics and properties that entailed neorealism films with the issues such as on location filming instead of studio setups coming up, making of films in a documentary kind of style, use of social content when it came to writing film scripts among other issues like the use of non-professional actors. These are just but a few of the points that shall guide us in the analysis of the same. Also to take note is that in the Italian realism analysis we shall use our case study film as the Bicycle thieves film while for the British realism case study shall be the film Saturday night and Sunday Morning. How has the idea of Realism been used in filmmaking? Realists from time ago strongly had the belief that the only way to communicate and bring out their intended message to their audience was through realism filmmaking. These they said was the only way the society would face and confront the ills and realities of life. To them neorealism was an escape path from the dominance and bureaucracy that was in control of filmmaking at the time. This to them hindered critism through films of the rots in the political atmosphere of the time. To them neorealism was the only way to speak loud thus many of them referred to it as the cinema of ‘facts’. To Fellini, to him the word itself (neorealism) was a strong word whose meaning was only justifiable by the phrase “neorealism is a way to view reality with no prejudice blinding us, thus looking at it honestly” Majority of the films that were being produced in Italy at the time had their base on topics that touched on not only poverty but ills like war, resistance, higher rates of unemployment, general social injustice just but to name anew. Thus neorealism was not an option at the time but a means to address these issues. A perfect example of such issues was poverty and high rates of unemployment that was addressed in the film: Bicycle Thieves. Here we see Antonio Ricci being g in a very desperate scenario with no job to support his family. The setting is such that the situation is dire to the point where his bicycle had been held at the pawn shop and this does not help the situation when he gets a job as a poster which requires he owns a bicycle as a means of transportation. The only way he can help himself and his family is only if his wife Maria can agree, which she does to take her bed sheets to the pawnshop in exchange of her husband’s bicycle just so he can have a chance to get the job and possibly elevate their family from poverty. After all is said each of the concerned persons involved had their own interpretation of neorealism with the likes of Armes and Bazin contradicting Fellini’s description of the word itself-Neorealism. To them it was a cinema quite concerned with artifice and not only that but it had cemented its unique conventions and characters (Bondanella p.31). Thus from these two distinct meanings we can conclusively state that the word itself i.e. neorealism ended up becoming a genre by itself resulting in films that were into the said genre having to fight and shape up to be identified as such thus bringing up contradictions as to whether they had really brought out the true concept of realism. Rossellini had stated the meaning of realism according to his own interpretation as beings the artistic form of the truth (Bondanella p.32). Funny enough is that only through the rules and guidelines of neorealism that its relation to the truth can be asserted. A perfect example of such was the use of actors who are not professional in the lest of bit, since to the filmmakers it brought out the natural effect of the film unlike the likes of foreign filmmakers in the united states of America where it was normal to use professional actors. In De Sica’s film : The bicycle Thief, Antonio Ricci, the main character and Bruno his son and support actor were both not professional actors which saw the main idea of naturality come out easily without forcing or any form of training(Bondanella p.56). This meant that if a particular actor was to have some certain aspects it was naturally brought out with an actor who had not been trained but who had been selected purely based on the fact that they had the said traits and behaviors naturally as part of their personality. In the film: Bicycle Thieves at the scene where Antonio Ricci is attempting to steal the bicycle near the Stadio, he is summoned and confronted by a crowd of people while his son watches. These group of people was not of individuals who had past acting records but a selection of non-professionals who resided in the community and these helped a lot in bringing out the true picture of the concerns of the common person in the society. Another perfect example of a realist film was Rossellini’s film: Open city where there were no editing done and thus the long duration shots taken at film time were maintained thus not interfering with the natural unfolding of the film. It ended up being a documentary kind of film and thus the claim that Rossellini insisted he had intended. The shots were lasting longer periods before cutting to the next one. He had intended for the viewer to think more on what they were viewing as opposed to how they were viewing it. Despite all this , still the film Open City was a delicate balance that was shifting between realism and influence by the filmmaker since even though there was minimum editing, there were some instances where the audience was reminded he /she was watching a film by the mere fact that they were some alters scenes. Such an instance is when there were cuts back and forth at the time when Don Pietro’s is searching for the weapon and has to go past the building and the officer’s ascending past the same building, bring out anxiety and suspense to the viewer on the making of the particular scene by use of cinema devices and gadgets used. Then there was the tradition by most filmmakers to do on-location shooting which to them brought out the historical actuality and the documentary effect into films. This was totally different from the filmmakers of foreign countries where shooting was mostly done in studios which resulted in a very higher likelihood of editing to enhance and spice up the films. To them it was mandatory to respect the actual site of a particular scene i.e. it was interpreted as having the ability to give a film richness in background content that would engulf a viewer with the whole picture that the filmmaker intended to bring out as opposed to studio set up where the audience interpretation was confined to what the filmmakers had set up in the studio. In the film: Bicycle thieves, shooting of scenes was done on-location which was post world war II Rome, this made sure that the actual environment and intention of the director was effectively communicated to the audience. When he talks about a society where there is desperation and insecurity the viewer can actually see the environment where the actors are and is easily able to relate with the conditions of the time. Social content is another aspect that was used in realism films where unlike most foreign films that ended up having sweet and appealing conclusions and ending, they kind of were more realistic than the usually Appealing endings of happiness and merry. To them it was better to have a general theme of hope and better futures than predefining the same for the viewers. This means that the films are not there to appease the audience but to bring them to the realities of life while at the same time leaving an option of hope and urge to strive for the same. At the end of the film : Bicycle Thieves, we can see Antonio and his son walk away from a confronting crowd with no bicycle to actualize his poster work nor the plane to move on. Certainly there is no happy ending here but also we cannot ignore the fact that at least his life was spared by the crowd and that maybe there is hope for a better tomorrow. A predefined happy ever after portrait by the filmmaker has been avoided leaving the audience with the choice to have their own interpretation. This effect of realism was felt and adopted by the British filmmakers. To them this was the only way to develop a unique and realistic national cinema that would put a stop to influences from foreign filmmakers like those in the United States of America. They started to use non-professional actors who were more suited by behavior and character as opposed to experience and brand. This saw many actors drawn from the regions while the basis of their selection was being kept at the physical relevance and other unique features that made them appropriate and stand out for the roles. Another character for the British realism was the use of their landscapes and environmental surrounding to shot their films. This saw the use of townscape and scape of the land shots among other real life locations which to most was bringing out the real stories and giving the viewers a chance to appreciate and have a glimpse of the richness of the film. In the film Saturday night and Sunday Morning, the setting is around the towns streets and night clubs. It is meant to actualize the concept of clubbing and fun that the lead actor Arthur and her friend Brenda are undertaking. In as much as it is set to depict such audience can relate more with the actual scenes of people dancing and drinking in a club. Relationships and interactions between various sections of the community was also being brought out with the chance to stem the social injustice. While traditionally major communities were over their heads films such as The Loneliness of Long Distance runner saw some aspects of it being addressed. In the film, as opposed to normal society belief a criminal was portrayed as a hero of the community while the respected group in the community i.e. the police was portrayed as threats to the individual (Higson, 1986 p.86). Higson highlights that the said theme was relevant to the given community then and to him it was the only way to reflect and bring out the social feelings of the people then. To the community it was like the authority was not caring to hear their cries and thus this realism film were like a gateway to address the said issue. While still on relationships we can see clearly that the director brings out the issues of infidelity and mistrust in the society. Arthur is having an affair with his colleague’s wife and not stopping there he even has some good times with Brenda’s sister without her knowledge. The issue here is not alien to the British society and to the filmmaker it is an issue in society that he has addressed with much detailed. It is the main concept behind the film. To add to the said characters of the British realists, they also engaged into the age old poetry which to them was a very critical part of realism in any given society. It was a foam of expression that brought out even the worst of vices in the society but in an artistic way. This meant that even issues that were considered taboo to talk about could now be tabled in a manner that was less offensive and more accommodated to the community. After all is said and done the best form of realism that most can identify with is documentaries. The issue with documentaries is that their effectiveness and importance does not primarily lie in the quality of the said film but in the impact it has. According to Higson, it is a form of film culture which in one way or another has not been trustful of many things but just a re-dramatized natural format of film (Higson, 1986 p.95). Though many agree that documentaries have opened a path for viewers to have a glimpse and “witness” account that were rationally inaccessible. The issue with even these documentaries is the fact that filmmakers are humans and subjectivity is part of us. Thus they will always choose what and what to show and this to some extent will be interpreted by audience as the true account since to them documentaries show the actual accounts as they were in reality. Conclusion Therefore we can conclude that realism in both Italian and British filmmaking was an important aspect that was shaping the film industry. They saw it as a way to address the concerns and issues in their particular societies through the use of non-professional actors, taking scenes at actual landscapes and sites, trying as much as possible to reduce editing of the said scenes and most importantly addressing issues that were feared and raised concerns in the community from poverty to social injustice. From the said points and information we have obtained we can conclusively say that realism in as much as its intention is to bring out an account in the realistic way as possible, its authenticity in one way or another is defined and influences by its filmmaker. This is because reality is but a moving aspect which means that what is real to one person might not be said of another. Bibliography Anne, Jersley., Realism and reality in film and media: Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum press, 2002 Bondanella, Peter (1998) ‘the Masters of Neorealism: De Sica, Visconti and Rossellini’ in Italian Cinema from Neorealism to the Present, New York: Continuum David, Bordwell, Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies: Madison, Wis.: Univ. of Wisconsin press., 1996. Higson, Andrew (1986) ‘“Britain’s Outstanding Contribution To the Film”’: The Documentary-Realist Tradition’ in Charles Barr (ed) All Our Yesterdays: 90 Years of British Cinema, London: BFI Higson, Andrew (1989) ‘The Concept of National Cinema’ in Screen, vol.30, no.4 Julia, Hallam., realism and popular cinema: Manchester University press,2000. Lay, Samantha (2002) ‘1950s and 1960s: Social Problems and Kitchen Sinks’ in British Social Realism: From Documentary to Brit Grit, London: Wallflower Samantha, Lay., British social realism: from documentary to Brit-grit Wenke, langhof., Realism, Naturalism, Loachism? A study of Ken Loach’s Fims of the 1990s: Munchen GRIN Verlag 2009 Read More