Silent films were the first film made. They are called silent films because there is no sound in them. The actors must make the audience know what is going on without saying anything. This was difficult because actors had to “over act”. Since they couldn’t say anything they had to express their emotions and thoughts through body language. This meant they had to act with their bodies; they had to jump around and swing their arms and kick their legs so that people knew what they were trying to say. Acting with their bodies was no longer needed once sound was put into films. I think that is the biggest difference between film with and without sound. In the movie The General the actors have to use their bodies because the film is silent but I still liked the film and was laughing at what was happening and had no trouble at all understanding what was going on. The over acting used in silent films is not missed because it is no longer needed in films. Audiences wouldn’t like the movie now if all the actors were over acting because now the movies have sound and the actors would look ridiculous if they were moving around like the used to in earlier films.
Films today would not profit from using the characteristics of silent film because now that there is sound people don’t want to watch a movie that is silent. The acting wouldn’t make sense and movies focus more now on the special effects of the movie so acting with their bodies wouldn’t make sense in movies anymore. It is sad but it is true, the innovation of sound has made silent films obsolete. Silent films, unfortunately, do not have a future. It is fun to watch these movies and study the history of film and see all the changes throughout the years but silent films themselves do not have a future. Silent films, however, will not be forgotten. I have developed an interest in silent films myself just by watching the one that I have watched.
Silent films were part of films progress to get where it is now. The first films made were very short in length and had virtually no acting. Silent films didn’t develop until movies started getting plots. That is when film started to get better and people went to go watch them for enjoyment. Silent films used to be as big as films are now when they first came out. Since silent films didn’t have sound some movies would have a few parts where the slides contained dialogue to help the audience understand what was being said if the characters in a movie were having a conversation.
I don’t think silent movies were bad at all they were actually good movies. The best kind of silent films are comedies because for a movie to be funny nothing really needs to be said funny stuff just has to happen. Cartoons from earlier times used the same concept. In Tom and Jerry nothing is ever said but people can sit and watch episodes of it because the actions in the movie make it funny. I think characteristics of silent films can be found in a lot of movies both from the past and the present.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sequels Blog 5
Block buster films have changed the way films are marketed, produced and received. Marketing has changed because film makers realized that they could make more money off of block buster films by selling toys related to the film and creating sequels. I think block buster films have taken originality out of films; most of the movies we see now are sequels. They didn’t just create one sequel and stop they kept making sequels because if the previous film was good then people wanted to see the sequel hoping that it would be just as good. To me, some movies would have been better if sequels were not made of them; some movies are great but the sequel of them brings down the reputation of the original.
Movies like Ironman attract large audiences because of the fact that he is a superhero, the movie is based on a comic book and the special effects and technology in the film are amazing. Children want all the toys that come out so more and more are made. When the sales of toys and the interest start to fade a sequel is released with new characters introduced so new toys can be made. When there is a chance for additional sales and more money then usually the chance is taken and with movie sequels and toys there has been a lot of money made.
Of course after seeing how well American film sequels are doing foreign film makers begin to think that it is a good idea and start making sequels of their own. Sequels for the most part are easy they can stick with pretty much the same storyline and characters and just add some new stuff and make it interesting. Since audiences have already seen and liked the first film it wouldn’t be too difficult to get them to watch the sequel. The downside with sequels is that movies tend to make too many sequels.
After making so many sequels the audiences start to get bored of the movies. Saw ended up having six sequels and after the first one the others didn’t seem very good. The acting isn’t as good and the storyline becomes predictable; I think the only reason it was still getting audiences to watch was because of the gore in the film. Another movie that, to me, got ruined by sequels was The Matrix. The first Matrix was good, there was a lot of action and a good storyline but the sequels ruined it.
I think Hollywood needs to stay away from sequels, maybe one or two sequels is okay but when there starts to be six sequels the movie just gets ruined and people start to lose interest. I personally like to see new movies and new techniques like film makers used to do with films not sequel after sequel. Sequels are making Hollywood repetitive and movies are losing originality. Movies are starting to get boring and predictable and audiences want to go see a movie that they love that’s something new not the same thing that came out last year with better effects.
Movies like Ironman attract large audiences because of the fact that he is a superhero, the movie is based on a comic book and the special effects and technology in the film are amazing. Children want all the toys that come out so more and more are made. When the sales of toys and the interest start to fade a sequel is released with new characters introduced so new toys can be made. When there is a chance for additional sales and more money then usually the chance is taken and with movie sequels and toys there has been a lot of money made.
Of course after seeing how well American film sequels are doing foreign film makers begin to think that it is a good idea and start making sequels of their own. Sequels for the most part are easy they can stick with pretty much the same storyline and characters and just add some new stuff and make it interesting. Since audiences have already seen and liked the first film it wouldn’t be too difficult to get them to watch the sequel. The downside with sequels is that movies tend to make too many sequels.
After making so many sequels the audiences start to get bored of the movies. Saw ended up having six sequels and after the first one the others didn’t seem very good. The acting isn’t as good and the storyline becomes predictable; I think the only reason it was still getting audiences to watch was because of the gore in the film. Another movie that, to me, got ruined by sequels was The Matrix. The first Matrix was good, there was a lot of action and a good storyline but the sequels ruined it.
I think Hollywood needs to stay away from sequels, maybe one or two sequels is okay but when there starts to be six sequels the movie just gets ruined and people start to lose interest. I personally like to see new movies and new techniques like film makers used to do with films not sequel after sequel. Sequels are making Hollywood repetitive and movies are losing originality. Movies are starting to get boring and predictable and audiences want to go see a movie that they love that’s something new not the same thing that came out last year with better effects.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Post Classical Blog 4
Post classical film, according to Wikipedia, refers to a time period between the mid 1960’s and early 1980’s when a generation of young filmmakers came to America. The arrival of the young filmmakers influenced the types of films that were produced, the way they were marketed and the way studios approached filmmaking. Post classical film, or new Hollywood was also referred to as the Hollywood renaissance because of the fact that it was the filmmaking movement where several new ideas and styles changed the film industry.
After the war people started having a lot of babies, they were known as the baby boomers. The baby boomers started reaching movie going age in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This turned out to be a problem for Hollywood because the new age people were not interested in American films; they were more interested in Europe and Japan’s art films. Hollywood needed to get the attention of this age group so they hired young filmmakers and basically let them make the films they wanted to make with as little studio control as possible. It seems like American cinema was beginning to face a financial downfall because it’s youth were not interested in the films being made so this was their attempt to save themselves.
According to www.mvla.net this new generation of filmmakers were film school educated and young which meant that they knew what America’s youth was interested in and could get back the audience that Hollywood was losing. The new generation brought more art to the films and spiced them up with realism, rock music and sexuality. One of the most popular films of this time was Bonnie and Clyde because it was a hit with America’s youth due to the fact that it was funny, and it had violence and sex. Sex seemed to catch the interest of young people, the film Midnight Cowboy which was rated X received an academy award for best picture.
The “new age” however came to an end with the release of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and George Lucas’s Star Wars. When these movies were released they both were extremely successful and Hollywood realized that by selling toys, soundtracks and making sequels they could make much more money off of these types of films rather than by the films by the new era filmmakers.
I think that the new age film developed styles of films for young people and those types of films, although they are more graphic and sexual than ever, still attract the majority of young people and still are successful. Maybe the release of big blockbusters like Jaws and Star Wars were more successful but I think that the new age brought about new styles of film that are more common and viewed by young people today as much as ever. Not every film that is released can be a blockbuster but the sexual comedy still attracts the teenager or young adult looking for a laugh.
After the war people started having a lot of babies, they were known as the baby boomers. The baby boomers started reaching movie going age in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This turned out to be a problem for Hollywood because the new age people were not interested in American films; they were more interested in Europe and Japan’s art films. Hollywood needed to get the attention of this age group so they hired young filmmakers and basically let them make the films they wanted to make with as little studio control as possible. It seems like American cinema was beginning to face a financial downfall because it’s youth were not interested in the films being made so this was their attempt to save themselves.
According to www.mvla.net this new generation of filmmakers were film school educated and young which meant that they knew what America’s youth was interested in and could get back the audience that Hollywood was losing. The new generation brought more art to the films and spiced them up with realism, rock music and sexuality. One of the most popular films of this time was Bonnie and Clyde because it was a hit with America’s youth due to the fact that it was funny, and it had violence and sex. Sex seemed to catch the interest of young people, the film Midnight Cowboy which was rated X received an academy award for best picture.
The “new age” however came to an end with the release of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and George Lucas’s Star Wars. When these movies were released they both were extremely successful and Hollywood realized that by selling toys, soundtracks and making sequels they could make much more money off of these types of films rather than by the films by the new era filmmakers.
I think that the new age film developed styles of films for young people and those types of films, although they are more graphic and sexual than ever, still attract the majority of young people and still are successful. Maybe the release of big blockbusters like Jaws and Star Wars were more successful but I think that the new age brought about new styles of film that are more common and viewed by young people today as much as ever. Not every film that is released can be a blockbuster but the sexual comedy still attracts the teenager or young adult looking for a laugh.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Blog 3
Quentin Tarantino originally began his career as an independent filmmaker using nonlinear storylines and aestheticization of violence. He has made several films starting with a movie called My Best Friend’s Birthday in 1987; unfortunately the final reel of the film was mostly destroyed in a fire. However the screenplay from that film was used for the film True Romance. Tarantino acted as well as directing, screenwriting and producing. One of the films that he acted in was From Dusk Till Dawn which he also wrote the script for.
Tarantino is known for several of his films ranging from Reservoir Dogs to Kill Bill to Pulp Fiction. When reading about Tarantino’s work I was surprised, I didn’t know that he had done as much as he has and I was very impressed. Kill Bill was unlike any film I had seen when I watched it and I was hooked on the movie from beginning to end. That was actually the first time I heard of Quentin Tarantino’s name, then I realized that he was actually the director for several films I liked. I think the reason I am interested in his films is because they follow a style that I am not used to seeing. Films like Sin City and Death Proof which were co directed with Robert Rodriguez were films that came out at a time when there was nothing similar to them so it was easy to be interested in them. Several of Tarantino’s films were nominated for Oscar awards such as Inglorious Bastards and Pulp Fiction.
Inglorious Bastards which came out in the summer of 2009 is a World War 2 movie about US soldiers in France which was occupied with Nazi’s. It turned out to become Tarantino’s highest grossing film and took the number one spot in the box office worldwide. It is a film that I personally have not yet seen but am definitely looking forward to after reading about Tarantino on Google and Wikipedia. I have heard and read very good reviews on the movie; I just haven’t gotten around to watching it. The movie was nominated for eight Oscars and won one for best supporting actor.
Tarantino has received several awards for his work including the Icon of the Decade award in 2005 at the Sony Ericsson Empire Awards and a lifetime achievement award in 2007 presented by Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the Malacanang Palace in Manila. I am very impressed with Tarantino’s works and achievements; he even starred in Wait Until Dark on Broadway in 1998. The reason I am so impressed with Tarantino’s work is because of the fact that he dropped out of school at the age of fifteen. He was also raised by a single mother due to the fact that his father had left before he was born. Even after dropping out of school he still attended an acting school at the James Best Theatre Company in Toluca Lake. It is impressive to me to see someone that dropped out of school to end up having as much success in life as Tarantino.
Tarantino is known for several of his films ranging from Reservoir Dogs to Kill Bill to Pulp Fiction. When reading about Tarantino’s work I was surprised, I didn’t know that he had done as much as he has and I was very impressed. Kill Bill was unlike any film I had seen when I watched it and I was hooked on the movie from beginning to end. That was actually the first time I heard of Quentin Tarantino’s name, then I realized that he was actually the director for several films I liked. I think the reason I am interested in his films is because they follow a style that I am not used to seeing. Films like Sin City and Death Proof which were co directed with Robert Rodriguez were films that came out at a time when there was nothing similar to them so it was easy to be interested in them. Several of Tarantino’s films were nominated for Oscar awards such as Inglorious Bastards and Pulp Fiction.
Inglorious Bastards which came out in the summer of 2009 is a World War 2 movie about US soldiers in France which was occupied with Nazi’s. It turned out to become Tarantino’s highest grossing film and took the number one spot in the box office worldwide. It is a film that I personally have not yet seen but am definitely looking forward to after reading about Tarantino on Google and Wikipedia. I have heard and read very good reviews on the movie; I just haven’t gotten around to watching it. The movie was nominated for eight Oscars and won one for best supporting actor.
Tarantino has received several awards for his work including the Icon of the Decade award in 2005 at the Sony Ericsson Empire Awards and a lifetime achievement award in 2007 presented by Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the Malacanang Palace in Manila. I am very impressed with Tarantino’s works and achievements; he even starred in Wait Until Dark on Broadway in 1998. The reason I am so impressed with Tarantino’s work is because of the fact that he dropped out of school at the age of fifteen. He was also raised by a single mother due to the fact that his father had left before he was born. Even after dropping out of school he still attended an acting school at the James Best Theatre Company in Toluca Lake. It is impressive to me to see someone that dropped out of school to end up having as much success in life as Tarantino.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Golden Age of Film blog 2
Women’s roles in movies changed when movies changed from silent films to talkies. Women started playing more important roles, they played powerful, influential characters and women actors started becoming well known. I think a reason for this change may be the fact that women were becoming more equal to men; just before the golden age of film the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote was ratified.
A director during the golden age was Michael Curtiz, I read a short biography on him on IMBd.com that stated that during the golden age he made several movies consisting of nearly every genre imaginable. He was most well known for Casablanca and Mildred Pierce. He mainly made movies for Warner Bros. but in the 1950’s made some films for other studios. Directors like Michael Curtiz tend to influence other directors and movies. A director influenced by the work of Curtiz is Peter Chan, Peter Chan stated in an article on Hong Kong Cinematic that he was very influenced by Michael Curtiz and his film Casablanca.
Remakes of films are happening all the time. A remake from the golden age would be Psycho. Its original was released in 1960 but was remade in 1998. When remakes are done for modern days they are dramatized and horror movies add several special effects and a lot of blood. The plot gets altered and the acting seems to get worse. This tells us that in modern times people just look for the most special effects or the most visually entertaining movies and are losing respect for acting and storylines.
During the Golden Age different techniques and elements of film were used. On wordiq.com I read that Walt Disney had created his first cartoon with a fully synchronized soundtrack. It was a gamble but it paid off as his film Steamboat Willie was a huge success at the box office. A technology that most would not have thought came up in the 1950’s was 3-D films. Wikipedia states that 3-D has been around since 1950 but was not common due to the cost of the hardware. The entertainment business lacked the standardized format for the films as well but some were still featured in American cinema. 3-D filmmaking seems new to us now because now its getting big and a lot of movies are being made in 3-D but it’s something that has been around since the 1950’s.
There were many changes in film during the Golden Age of film starting from sound and ranging from changes in acting to changes in viewing the film. Film history is very interesting and it’s amazing to think of the success people have had in it. The Golden Age is a time of change and success and I think it would be fun and educational to do more research and learn more about how film has changed throughout history. It’s interesting to see how film changed as did America, from war to depression film changed and it can be seen in the movies and in the technology.
A director during the golden age was Michael Curtiz, I read a short biography on him on IMBd.com that stated that during the golden age he made several movies consisting of nearly every genre imaginable. He was most well known for Casablanca and Mildred Pierce. He mainly made movies for Warner Bros. but in the 1950’s made some films for other studios. Directors like Michael Curtiz tend to influence other directors and movies. A director influenced by the work of Curtiz is Peter Chan, Peter Chan stated in an article on Hong Kong Cinematic that he was very influenced by Michael Curtiz and his film Casablanca.
Remakes of films are happening all the time. A remake from the golden age would be Psycho. Its original was released in 1960 but was remade in 1998. When remakes are done for modern days they are dramatized and horror movies add several special effects and a lot of blood. The plot gets altered and the acting seems to get worse. This tells us that in modern times people just look for the most special effects or the most visually entertaining movies and are losing respect for acting and storylines.
During the Golden Age different techniques and elements of film were used. On wordiq.com I read that Walt Disney had created his first cartoon with a fully synchronized soundtrack. It was a gamble but it paid off as his film Steamboat Willie was a huge success at the box office. A technology that most would not have thought came up in the 1950’s was 3-D films. Wikipedia states that 3-D has been around since 1950 but was not common due to the cost of the hardware. The entertainment business lacked the standardized format for the films as well but some were still featured in American cinema. 3-D filmmaking seems new to us now because now its getting big and a lot of movies are being made in 3-D but it’s something that has been around since the 1950’s.
There were many changes in film during the Golden Age of film starting from sound and ranging from changes in acting to changes in viewing the film. Film history is very interesting and it’s amazing to think of the success people have had in it. The Golden Age is a time of change and success and I think it would be fun and educational to do more research and learn more about how film has changed throughout history. It’s interesting to see how film changed as did America, from war to depression film changed and it can be seen in the movies and in the technology.
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