Film and Reality: Understanding the Essence of Film in Relation to the Disclosure of Reality - Essay Example

To them, the essence of film ultimately lies on the capturing of human reality. In this regard, both the narrative coherence and creative execution of the film, as well as the moral value of its theme are strongly opposed. In this paper, we first look at the perspectives of three essential post-modern film makers—Apsterin, Vertov, and Baudrillard—on the need to bring out realistic events in film regardless of its form and substance. Then we summarize and analyze their contentions to arrive at a philosophical discussion of the essence of film.

Jean Apstein Jean Apstein coined the term photogenie, which is either an approach to film making or a way to understanding the film’s overall artistic value. Both perspectives nonetheless help in elevating the cinematic experience of both the creator and the contemplator of this form of art. Central to photogenie is Apstein’s belief that a film must not focus on delivering a coherent and well-executed plot but on the disclosure of pure events that display raw emotions of people (Farmer, 2010).

This reinforces his assertion that a film must ultimately reflect reality. In connection to this, Apstein claims that the delivery of raw emotions can be effectively done by emphasizing on four facets: camera close-up, camera mobility, rhythm, and time. Firstly, a camera close-up intensifies and magnifies the feelings of the person in the film as it both limits and directs the attention of its intended audience. Through the subtle movements in the face, it brings the audience into an unusual proximity with the world as it reveals both apparent and hidden truths.

Secondly, camera mobility is based on the idea that all the mobile aspects of the world have their moral value which can be increased when captured in film. Thus, all directions and points-of-view must be conveyed to the audience in their raw form. Thirdly, the poetic and photogenic effect of a film is better brought when there is real, actively thinking crowd involved. Rhythm is an important factor in bolstering human emotions since it is able to harmonize the people’s actions in film. Lastly, time is posited to be continually in motion, and as such, the film’s ability to reveal flow of time in different ways can also help in the delivery of human emotions.

Dziga Vertov Dziga Vertov was a member of the renowned group of post-modern film makers called Kinoks which rejected ‘staged’ film with its cast members, plot, production materials, and studio shooting. According to Vertov, the camera must be treated as an unbiased agent during the creation of film. In this light, he thinks that the camera is an innocent machine that could record human events without superfluous aesthetic considerations (Dawson, 2003). The objectivity in the overall message of the film is the most important idea in this context since the lens of a camera can seize the world in its entirety and can organize visual chaos into coherent set of photos.

At this point, it is important to note that Vertov’s emphasis on objectivity is driven by Marxism ideals in which stresses on the need to abandon film driver to be able to learn about life as it is. Because of this, Vertov considers most of his films to be documentaries or records of reality. Vertov’s strange camera angles, fast cutting, montage editing, and experimentations all enhance the value of the film (Dawson, 2003). In summary, Vertov’s Kinoks can be seen in the following elements: rapid means of transport, highly sensitive film