Issues in Film History - Essay Example

?Issues in Film History Introduction There has been a significant development in the film industry over the past years. For instance, the motion picture is a concept which gained prominence in the 19th century. This shows the progress that the entertainment industry has made over time. It should be noted that the whole concept of motion pictures was never a creation. Besides, it did not come about through any process similar to an evolution. Its occurrence was more like putting together a puzzle (Robinson, 1996 p. 3). Filmography, just as any other art of entertainment, depended on the existing models to sustain the production processes with the aim of producing high quality and relevant films as well as motion pictures. The development of the Edison motion picture and its database reveals just how the progress was. The achievements in the film industry have undergone through a series of sophisticated transformations (Johnson, 2002). This period was characterized by the production of low budget films which were characterized by poor quality. These productions were mainly showcased in theatres for entertainment without any pedagogical purposes. From the analysis of early film producers such as Edwin S porter, it becomes evident that the use of motion pictures as a means of entertainment had previously been existent prior to the nineteenth century. Various films have showcased the progress that has been made in the film industry (Cook, 1991). Back then, producers used magic lanterns and other projection devices to relay their pictures on the walls for their audiences. The absence of the modern day camera and editing computer software forced most of the producers to rely on brief single shots of their scenes. In fact, they relied entirely on the sequencing of the films to tell their stories through pictures. This production technique was tiring and discouraged the participation of numerous producers thus resulted in a less appealing industry unlike the modern day’s film industry. It is such a time that Edwin S porter produced a short film titled The Great Train Robbery. The film was produced in 1902. This was a masterpiece of the time and marked a landmark change in the history of Hollywood. The story of the film followed a simple plot written for the understanding of the American film lovers of the time. Porter understood that besides the entertaining aspects of the films, they also communicated ideas to their audience. For his movie to gain relevance among the target audience, therefore, he wrote a simple storyline which addressed familiar themes. Despite the progressive development of the motion picture as a means of entertainment, this aspect of the art has not changed. Works of art communicate to their audience. Consequently, artists are compelled to make productions that are of relevance to their target audience. Porter’s film followed a simple story line in which highway robbers hijacked a train wagon to steal from the passengers. To this day, the twelve minute film is considered the greatest production of the time and a milestone in production. Back then, the only known means of transport was the train; it linked towns and states. The train was the only means of transport that guaranteed the reliability of the modern day planes. However, instances of hijackings and other on voyage robberies were rampant. Porter’s film is motivated by the rampant robberies and other uncertainties associated with the journey. As the industry develops through time, other producers of film retain the desire to stay relevant to their audience’s expectations and the only way of achieving this is by developing films that follow familiar themes. However, others stretch the imagination of their audiences but they always provide a connection between the current societies to the imagined setting in their films (Geuens, 2000). A number of factors which include the complexity of the story line and the available means of production influences the timing of films. The Great Train Robbery lasted twelve minutes. The short timing of the film results from the rudimentary instruments of production at the time. The inadequate recording techniques and the unavailability of editing facilities compelled the director to limit the film to twelve minutes. This was barely enough to attain the relevance he had tried to showcase in the film. Porter had discovered a number of production techniques which he employed in the production of the film. In this film, Porter uses a number of editing techniques which had not previously been employed by any other producer before. This marked the origin of analogue editing in which he cut the different aspects of the film and rearranged them in the sequence of his storyline. In addition to editing, Porter used the employed camera movement in this film to develop different aspects of the story. Coupled with the on-site shooting, the film became the first of its kind at a time when the industry had few producers and very few films. The film thus had a great financial success and marked a new age in film production in the industry. It is ironic, therefore, when modern day film producers refer to this age as the film’s silent period yet some of the modern day production techniques were discovered at such times. The modern day films use numerous production techniques to gain their splendor and to communicate with the different age groups of their market. One such important aspect of film production that communicates is lighting. The modern day films have effective lighting techniques to communicate the different aspects of the movie. In this, the producers manipulate the studio light to induce both the times of the day and further manipulate the shadows of their casts to gain either dominance or submission and also to communicate other finer details of their films, for instance, the weather. It should be noted that cameras work through the principle of light. They use light to capture images. This entails the basic operational technique behind the camera lenses. However, the modern day film makers have expanded the understanding of lighting to incorporate other more exciting features of production. Porter’s film, just as expected, employed the mere basic use of the natural light on the scene (Crain, 2011). He merely used the natural light to capture the images and did not employ any other secondary use to the light. The twelve minute film took days to record but all the scenes reflected daytime. This is an aspect of the film which infers that the producer avoided production at night despite the many possible scenes that he could have incorporated. Towards the end of the film, Porter portrays a close up shot of the leader coming under fire as the gang escapes from the scene of a robbery. This extensive manipulation of the camera movement is to this day a tool in film production used to communicate different aspects of the film to the intended audiences. Different camera angles communicate differently to the targeted audience. Just like the light, camera angles also communicate either dominance or submission of an actor at a scene (Steiff, 2005). Camera shots, on the other hand, communicate the details in the film as it seeks to fit in as much detail in a single frame as possible. Among the most common shots include the long shot which provides a broader view of the scene and includes as much production elements in the scene as possible (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 2011). This shot is normally used to establish a scene since it sets the stage ready for other subsequent actions by revealing the different elements present in a scene. Close ups and mid close ups are two other shots that communicate more details than the long shot and the extreme shot. Close up shots reveal more actions to a scene and expose the finer details of the action. When Porter, with his full understanding of the shots, employs this specific shot to the end of the film, he does this deliberately to communicate the details of the scene to the audience. The modern day film producers draw their elaborate use of both camera angles and the different shots to communicate the different production aspects of this film which was produced at a time when the process was slow. The time was known as the silent period (Franklin, 1997). Besides the two elements of production, modern day film producers use costumes to communicate in their films. This is a basic understanding of the production process that Porter explores effectively too. He dresses his bandits relevantly and in a manner that earns them authenticity as actual bandits in real life. On the other hand, he also dresses his passengers and the telegraph operator appropriately and in accordance with the timing of the film. Produced in 1902, it is expected that the casts have a dress code relevant to the cloth production technique of the time. Costumes communicate such aspects of the story as the profession of the actor. From the first impression, it becomes evident who the bandits in the film. They are different from the passengers. Additionally, the costumes communicate different times of the day and the weather patterns attract different attires. The producer has an effective understanding of this production element and employs it effectively. Another important aspect of the costume that the producer employs is the use of color. Colors, just like light, communicate differently depending on the type of colors used to dress the cast. The producer dresses his cast in the most basic colors of black and white. This idea arises from the fact that the cameras of the time had not developed the colored production technique but relied on the black and white color technique. Modern day producers, however, dress their casts in different colors with an elaborate knowledge in color management specifically to communicate different messages to their target audience. The camera technology employs the multi-color technique thus enabling the use of color as an element of production and thus to communicate different ideas in the scenes of the current films. This enables producers to balance between color and light to achieve effective and seamless communication between scenes as well as shots. Effective balancing of color and costumes communicate such important aspects of the story as the economic status of the casts, the weather, and the climatic conditions. These important aspects of the film contribute to the success of the film in communicating the intended message of the artist. In changing the shot sequencing, Porter used transition. Despite lacking the modern day editing software, he relied on the analogue form of transition which implied that he could not use other more decorative styles apart from the basic cut (Badaracco, 2003). Cut transition jumps from one scene straight into another; the modern day editing software enables developers to use different transition mechanisms to decorate their films thus achieve much interactivity and showcase the sophistication in their production skills. Transitions do not communicate much but merely add glamor to the production process making a film more intriguing. By extrapolation, the idea of transition originates from this early film; once a producer jumble up the sequencing of a film, transitions becomes mandatory. Porter introduced transitions to filming. About ten years later, a student of Porter, Mr. D. W Griffith, produced yet another blockbuster using some of the basic filming techniques he had learnt from him. The Birth of a Nation was a financial success in the year 1915. It had a wide audience before its extensive criticism and ban in a number of American cities following the racism outcry in the film. Unlike the Great Train Robbery, the Birth of a Nation runs for ninety minutes and employs a number of improved cinema features apart from the basic camera movements and the idea of a motion picture. However, just like any other film, it is inspired by the activities in the society and offers a representation of the activities through the eyes of the producer. Art exists in the society. It draws its relevance from the activities in the society. A work of art is a presentation of the activities through the eyes of the artist who in the context of filming is either the director or the script writer. This makes films subject to human biases thus they draw criticisms in equal measure. The Birth of a Nation was one such movie that was subject to human biases and drew many criticisms owing to its unrealistic portrayal of the African Americans in the story line. The media faces accusation for fostering some of the vices in the society to this day. These arise from the biased view of the film producers, how they package their ideas and present them to their viewers. This is not unique to this early film but is just a mere representation of the entire media fraternity and the role it plays in facilitating the societal vices. The film depicts a great improvement from the Great Train Robbery in a number of filming aspects such as timing. The longer a film takes, the more production elements it employs. Among the most evident improvements are the advanced editing effects and the general quality of the film. The film shows night scenes and the effectiveness of light balancing to portray the timings of the day. Additionally, the long duration of the film depicts the incorporation of more cast members and other production elements. The film also runs on a more elaborate storyline adapted from the book, The clansmen, written by Thomas Dixon. However, the film differs from the book since it is an emotional presentation of the book with the personal biases of the director. Bibliography Badaracco, J., 2003, Defining Moments: When Managers must choose between right and wrong. Harvard: Harvard University Press. Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S. J, & Redmond, M.V., 2011, Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others, (6th ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Cook, D. A.,1991. Instructor's manual to accompany A history of narrative film, second edition. New York, Norton. Crain, W, 2011, Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc Dan, G., 2005, The Missing piece to the gang violence debate. Vancouver: Ottawa Citizen. Franklin, J., 1997, “Silent Cinema as Historical Mythmaker". In Myth America: A Historical Anthology, Volume II. New York: Brandywine Press. Geuens, P., 2000, Film production theory. Albany, NY: State Univ. of New York Press. Johnson, J., 2002, Who Needs Classical Music?: cultural choice and musical value. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Robinson, D., 1996, From peep show to palace: the birth of American film. New York [u.a.], Columbia Univ. Press. Steiff, J., 2005, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Independent Filmmaking. New York: Alpha Books. Read More