The realists vs. formalists approach to filming - Essay Example

The realists’ vs. formalists approach to filming The film and movie industry have been the major focus in theentertainment industry with the largest number of people attracted to the movies produced herein. However, the work of art has undergone a series of evolutionary stages with remarkable upgrading in its production and performance. Supporters of the realist film theory such as Kracauer, S have been very detrimental to the thrilling form of entertainment utterly diluting its aesthetic qualities as far as its artistic composition is concerned. Those supporting the earlier film theories over the contemporary ones argue that the early theorists were very much concerned with proving cinemas artistic potentialities while the later theorists, who are less defensive and less elitist, take film status for granted. This paper will present a comparison between the modern and the ancient films with a favour on the modern films over the earlier ones. Kracauer argues that the contemporary films do not have the same taste as the former ones. To him this has been brought about by the conditions in which the contemporary films are shot, that is, the use of the cameras in shooting films and the variations in the film stock that have actually affected the way films look . In turn, these animations associated with new films eventually affect the film viewers’ ability to come into proper terms with the reality displayed in the film “edifying pieces of art should insist on the value of illusion as a more or less necessary pathway to truth. The Romantics sought to overcome the dichotomy between appearance and reality with a symbol whose appearance takes on a mysterious depth, a schoner Schein or ‘beautiful semblance’” (Kracauer 97). The reality that is supposed to form the major display in films therefore is being eroded over time due to the introduction of the modern changes that to him are a deviation from the original intention of the film industry. Kracauer further blames all this on the use of the digital technology when he argues that “technological applications such as computer enhancement, imaging, and editing that has actually diminished the reality in the real film plays” (Kracauer 103). On the other hand, other emerging scholars have argued in support of the contemporary filming for instance, it is true when Andrew insists that early films are not uniform as ideological variations and national characterization formed the major themes in these films with the attention being focused on the spectator. In support for the modern times films, it is very important to note the two salient features that are common in the modern films and which were lacking in the earlier ones. These are the sound system and the technological advances that have enabled performers to camouflage easily into reality. The first movies that were made by the Edison Company actually had no sounds as well as very poor quality pictures. For this, most of the early films focused on the basic things such as crowds making noise, babies crying among others. It is very true that the sound accompaniment in a movie helps in keeping the viewer glued in the actions being performed in the movie. Thus, the sound combination associated with modern filming in a way gives the movie a third dimension such that the viewer is able to relate easily the events taking place in the film with the wordings. Sometimes, the music played in the movie helps in revealing the occurrences in the following scene hence keeping the viewer informed in prior. This always motivates the viewer by capturing his or her attention and therefore enhancing their concentration. Films are meant to function in such a way that they keep the audience completely engrossed in the performance that is certainly achieved by the modern films. Besides the above song enhancements, songs played in a film acts as a parallel form of entertainment for the viewer. At some point, the viewers are swallowed up in the film that they find themselves joining in a common point where the song is usually repeated. According to Munsterberg, the use of colour in the modern film has always provided them with a virtual reality whereby the background is usually represented to appear, as it was a real occurrence “No matter how skilful the painter, his work was always in fee to an inescapable subjectivity. The fact that a human hand intervened cast any doubt over the image. For the first time [with photography], between the originating object and its reproduction there intervenes only the instrumentality of a nonliving agent. For the first time an image of the world is formed automatically, without the creative intervention of man” (Munsterberg 52). The dawn of technology in the modern world has enabled the modern film industry to improve a lot in terms of its ability to represent reality. The drawings that were formally used in the early films to represent the background cover in films have been replaced by the virtual reality represented in the modern films by the use of technology. Munsterberg’s arguments in supporting the modern filming further maintains that the themes in modern films cover a wide range of topics ranging from social, economic, political as well as in the scientific field are all fully exploring the potential of the performers in an imaginative world. As such, Tredell supports that, “if someone creative wants to help himself, then he should look outside, go down into the street and mingle with other people. It's the only way to grasp the essence of truth, to make films that have that flavor of truth, which cinema needs today more than in the past” (Tredell 32). The modern films therefore navigate the film industry by going even deeper into creativity compared to the earlier films, which had themes revolving around the human society and focusing on the occurrences that were close to an individual’s surrounding environment. This only contributed in limiting the creativity of the performers in the artistic world and which is necessary for an artist. It therefore did not give an adequate chance for the artists of the times to utilize fully their potential in filmmaking. In conclusion, it can be restated that while early theorists were very much concerned with proving cinema’s artistic personalities, later film theorists have been argued as being less defensive and less elitist, taking film status for granted yet providing the modern films with more realism. Further, through a combination of sound effects and Virtualization, the modern films have proved to be artistically more creative than the earlier ones given the reality shown in them with the help of the improved technology. Moreover, computerization has enabled the modern performers to navigate easily through the films to ensure that quality is always maintained. The ability to edit films before they are released to the public always ensures that the viewers always watch what pleases them most, further increasing the aesthetic value of the modern films as compared to the ancient ones. Works cited Andrew, D.J. The major film Theories: An introduction. London: Oxford University Press, 1976.Print Kracauer, S. Film and Critical Theory. London: Cambridge university Press, 1970.Print Munsterberg, H. The Means of Photoplay in Mast, G. Roudy, L, and Cohen, M. (ads): Film theory and criticism, 4th edition. London: Oxford university Press, 2003.Print Tredell, N. Forming and art in cinemas of the mind: A critical history of the film theory. Totern: Cambridge University Press, 2002.Print Read More