Changing movies with Technology Blog #5

How have new technologies influenced the way films are understood? Starting at the beginning, there was a short film. This film was made in 1894, and it was a recording of a man sneezing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wnOpDWSbyw (Link to the video) Now days, it would seem that a video like this is boring. Why is it boring? Because technology has changed so much, that we have adapted to a whole different way of viewing movies.

One of the first things that were discovered was the idea of different camera angles. As technology became cheaper, it was possible to own more than one camera. The film makers realized that they could film something from two angles at the same time. Not only could they film the same scene from two different angles with two cameras, they could have the same person act out the same thing twice, and they could film it separately. With technology, they were able to cut the two pieces of film and add them together, making two scenes look like one from two different angles.

At the beginning, movies did not have any voices, often times, they would have an orchestra that would be at the theater. They would have the music that they were supposed to play and they would play it every time the movie was shown. In Paris, in the year 1900, there was a movie that had sound playing with the movie, but it wasn’t until April of 1923, that they were able to add sound to the movie itself. Sound technology has changed movies in many ways, making films more believable as it gives the feeling that you are actually experiencing what the main character is experiencing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_film

Eventually color was added to film. It was introduced in the late 50’s but it was expensive, and it did not become standard until the early 70’s. The invention of color was huge, as it could make the movie look more realistic, and it was easier to see detail. Without the invention of color, many famous artistic movies would not have been near as popular. For instance, Star Wars could not have had the lighting effects.

Another effect that star wars had was computer technology; The light that comes of the light sabers was not actually there. It had to be added as this was a huge deal during this time. Without the computer effects, it would be normal swords, and that would not be near as interesting as a light saber. Not only did it look cooler, but it made it possible to have new ideas, such as a light cutting through a wall, which a normal sword could never do. If it wasn’t for this technology, it would never receive the ratings that it received on the critic websites.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars/

Now days, we have a new technology that seems to be failing. The invention of 3d is not new, but it is becoming more popular, as it is possible to own a TV that can project images. Unfortunately, producers are not using the technology to portray more realism of films but more to excite an audience with a low IQ. Most of the 3d movies that are being released today have unrealistic parts that jump out at you, and make the movie seem fake. Even though it seems that this is not working, I do believe that if producers and writers figure out that no one tries to dodge the bullets coming out of the screen, they could do well with the technology, and use it to make more realistic movies.

Home theaters are having a large impact on films. It is just one more way a movie can seem more realistic. The sound is often all around the viewer, and the picture is often very clear and detailed as it shows the artistic aspects of the film. Films are more appreciated and they will continue to be, as the film industry is only growing, partially due to the growing of technology.

Blog #4 New Hollywood Style films and filmmakers

Choose a particular artist, director or producer associated with the “New Hollywood.”  Write an analysis of his or her contributions to cinema, including a consideration of later films or artists who have been influenced by your subject.

New Hollywood film making is also known as post classical film making and even sometimes called American New Wave filmmaking. This refers to the time period starting during the mid 1960’s and going until the early 1980’s. A new generation of filmmakers came to America, and influenced the new era of films. Their whole new way of producing a video, and the marketing that would come after has made a large impact in the way studios have made movies. The movies that were made did not come from independent filmmakers. They introduced styles that set them apart from studio traditions. The new style often relates to a broader type of film influenced by the time period, known as the “Hollywood Renaissance.” These New Hollywood films often featured anti-establishment political themes, use of sexually related freedoms, it often times contained rock music, and sometimes shows the use of drugs. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:New+Hollywood&sa=X&ei=YJ7gTNm4Loi0sAP5nPWGCw&ved=0CBMQkAE

One particular artist that I chose was Arthur Penn. He along with the star Warren Beatty, were in charge of directing the movie, Bonny and Clyde, though Arthur Penn did most of the decision making. In this movie, there were many controversial new techniques. It contains a large amount of clear and easy to see violence, sex, humor, and sexual humor. At the time that this movie was released, it was very popular among one group, the teenagers. Though the biggest audience was the youth, there were still many awards that were received such as an Academy Award for best supporting actress and best cinematography. The critics did not know how to take this movie, as it portrayed so much violence and the ending was a major shock. This caused some of the critics to hate it, and some of the critics to love it.

Another example of the Hollywood style that was used in this movie is the idea of no sadness for the random characters. Even though people are constantly dying, you do not feel bad for the people that are not considered the main characters. At the time, it was a major shock to the audience and the brutality made the audience feel like if they supported certain things, that they had no morals.

According to http://dvd.ign.com/articles/859/859823p1.html, there are many movies that have been inspired by Bonny and Clyde. Some of those consist of O Brother, Where art Though, Natural Born Killers, Midnight Run, and last but not least, Thelma and Louise. This movie was made many years later, in 1991 and had two female leads. It was directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. The film is about the women, Thelma and Louise, running from the law trying to get to Mexico. This is another example of the Hollywood filmmaking style. Even though it wasn’t really in the same era, you really only care about the main characters, as they committed crimes.

American Gangster http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765429/ is another movie that was made by the producer Ridley Scott. Ridley Scott really tends to follow the ideas of Arthur Penn, as in the movie American Gangster, the main character is Denzel Washington playing Frank Lucas, and Russell Crowe, playing the detective that is trying to catch Denzel for heroin dealing. As much as you still like Russell Crowe, you still think that Denzel Washington is not worthy of getting in much trouble, as most of the police are the main antagonists.