Humanities and film - Essay Example

Films and our Humanity To relate the significance of films in the field of humanities, it is important to consider how humanities is defined and understood in the academe. According to the Humanities Council of Washington DC (2001, p.2), humanities are “the disciplines that help us understand and define cultures, and human experience”. Being the study of human condition, the humanities explore how a person views and makes sense of the world around him. As such, one of the ways to showcase one’s idea, feelings, and views of the world is through the art of filmmaking.

It is considered as an art mainly because it brings “aesthetic stance to its viewers” (Prinze, 2007, p.9). In other words, the moving images we see on film largely represent a filmmaker’s vivid imaginations and creative expression resulting to an artistic creation. Consequently, this depiction of feelings and ideas through film affect our emotion and move us; so much so that it enables us to reflect about the condition of our own existence and time here on earth.Indeed, what makes film a significant art form is that it reveals an artist’s portrayal of an idea or situation that deeply touches our humanity.

A filmmaker’s task goes beyond recording footages and presenting them to general viewers. Like any form of art, film making involves a rigorous task of carefully choosing the right composition of shots and capturing vivid emotions to achieve the desired cinematic movement and expression. In this way, film enables us to reveal our humanity because it allows us to relate and reflect on the moving pictures shown to us on screen. When we watch a film, it shows that we are human beings with fragile emotions when we start to cry over a dramatic act or laugh at a funny scene.

Our emotions are impulsively reacting what to what we see – which is merely the result of a filmmaker’s artistic expression and interpretation of a narrative plot. Moreover, the significance of film in the study of humanities is revealed on how stories are created and interpreted to reveal our human condition. Some films tell stories that depict our present reality, in such a way that its primary purpose is to mirror what is going on in our society. On the other hand, some films revolve around our imaginations which describe stories about the “dream life of our culture” (Wall, 1998, p.1). Because human stories and aspirations are depicted on film, we are able to transport ourselves into a different place and see how other individuals live.

By seeing a different perspective on things, we are able to think of ideas which have never entered our mind. In this way, we are able to reflect about the things that matters in our lives. For instance, after watching a thought provoking film, we are able to examine ourselves and our way of thinking. The fact that films provoke our thoughts shows that it has the power to arouse our imagination and captivates our senses just like any other forms of art. Watching films has become a significant part of human culture that it enables us to examine the world around us, in the same way as we read great works of literature.

These revelations on the significant roles of film in our lives only show that it has the power to confront the personal, social, historical, and cultural challenges we face in our day to day living as human beings. SourcesHumanities Council of Washington, DC. Defining Humanities - A work in Progress. Wdchumanities.org., 20 October 2001. Web. 4 May 2012.Wall, James M. Movies as mirrors and windows: Depicting disabilities in film. The World Association for Christian Communication. 1998. Web.

4 May 2012. Prinze, Jess J. When is Film Art? The Pacific APA. Pasadena, Los Angeles, CA. 2007, Speech.