Posts Tagged ‘purpose of film’

What exactly makes the summer movie season so alluring?

People go to the movies at all times during the course of the year, but summertime always seems to be the period when movies are most popular. It’s the time of year when we can usually look forward to a blockbuster or two, whether they be special effects extravaganzas or what have you, which attract massive crowds of patrons young and old to the local cinemas where they eat tubs of popcorn and drink frosty beverages. What is it exactly, though, that attracts, or even compels so many to see summer releases? Is there something special about the films themselves, or the audiences who watch them? The answers to these questions can be found by figuring out what all of these various audience members have in common, and how what that is relates to the movies they’re seeing.

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George Lucas gave us the great fantasy of "Star Wars," but also the authenticity of "American Graffiti." Which type of venture is more worthwhile?

In an attempt for us to better know our readers, and perhaps for you to better know yourself, we would like to ask you a personal question: When it comes to the purpose and function of movies, which side are you on?

Introductory film theory splits itself up into two main schools of thought dubbed Formalism and Realism. Formalists believe that because cinema as a medium has the ability to play around with what is possible to see in a movie that those who make movies should be primarily focused on testing the limits and boundaries of what they’re able to create. Creativity is key and we should constantly be looking to see new things and new ways of conveying old messages. On the other hand, realists believe that because cinema has the unique ability to depict the real world as-is, like a still camera, that those who make films should be primarily focused on being more and more real and capturing as much authenticity as possible. Both of these schools of thought are much more intricate than what we can detail here, but you get the gist.

Now, asking you the reader to side with one purpose over another is pretty much the equivalent of asking everyone to declare themselves as either a democrat or republican. It’s a very restrictive question. However, we here at Movie-Thoughts aren’t stupid. We recognize that most people, including ourselves, believe there is a place for both ways of thinking. It’s great to have both Star Wars and the Discovery channel. However for the purposes of this newest poll, we would like to know which side you prefer to see most often.

The introduction to the Summer movie season this past week with Iron Man 2 set these thoughts in motion for us, as the season is primarily reserved for more flashy and formative fare, and so we would like to know if this is the time of year that you relish the most because of the types of movies that come out (which typically are the kind that like to push numerous visual limits with incredible special effects and outlandish spectacles). Or, do you dislike this time of year because you prefer the Fall/Winter seasons when more character-driven movies are released?

Let us know which type of movie you prefer watching most – the cool summertime star shows or the late year character studies. If you like them both equally, don’t be afraid to sit on the fence; We’re just fascinated to know if there is a tilt in either direction. Speak up and let your opinions be heard!

Disclaimer: Deciding between liking more formalist or more realist filmmaking is not a choice between the commercial and the artistic. Both types of filmmaking can be used for any purpose and thus are not constrained or limited to any one presupposed association.