The entertainment industry is a booming. Netflix, hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, and other all coming out with their own originals. New content flooding the market with more and more. New and more seasons. More and more. It seems there is content for everyone in the family. To escape into another story or reality is easier than ever. May it be a thriller, a crime investigation, a comedy, or what ever you fancy there is something for you.
So what is the intrigue? Why do people adore the television? I presume that the desire for another reality other than our own is what we are looking for. We reach for those moments when we are enraptured and taken to another place. One where we feel and think as if we are someone else.
Motion pictures and those who produce them understand this and have been intensely getting better at creating new worlds for our imagination to believe in.
May it be best to go to a time before the “big screens”. The Italian architect and designer Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) discovered linear perspective and was able to recapture and portray the world as we see it. Before Brunelleschi, paintings were flat and two dimensional and not believable. Through further development, render drawings and painting within linear perspective allowed a deeper understanding of the material world.
Now fast forward to current day the technology that producers and directors are using is incredible. They have the ability to create worlds that outgrow our imagination and bring life to them. With the new show, The Mandalorian (2019) from Disney Plus they introduced “The Volume” which is a cylinder like arena with LED panels surrounding that display the background in real time (Learn more here). With CGI and other technologies and tricks that film crews use today there has been huge leaps in creating the non believable and making it believable.
To make something believable it needs to be agreeable. The story and actors are as important. The story being told needs emotion. Have you ever muted a movie or show and realized how essential sound is in capturing your attention. The tone can be portrayed through color but as well as sound. The movie makers are aware of the audience and how they react to each scene, with this knowledge they take you through the story.
At key moments they will capitalize on your emotions, by usually referencing something seen, said, or done earlier in the film. Character development is needed for the audience to care about the characters in the film. The better the acting the higher chance that the audience slips behind the veil and feels connected to as if they are there.
The last component is relevance. To really sink into the audience’s mind and emotions the film needs to create a connection. There needs to be empathy; one where the audience viewer see’s themselves or someone they know in the characters. This in turn makes the film to be more than just a movie or show, but something that can touch the viewer in a rather intimate way.
In order to get “intimate” with a movie (lol) one needs to be open and receptive. This is true with any relationship that you are involved in. The degree in which you are open and vulnerable is the level of which the relationship can grow. Movies are an fantastic way to more deeply understand who you are. They can show us grander meaning of life and evoke passion for purpose. A film as well can show us deep sadness and pain in which exists in the world, as documentaries and films alike can shine light on the darkness.
In addition to emotions films can open our minds to new perspectives. A camera in not limited to one view, it has the ability to jump through time and lenses, with the right director(s). A film can show us our shortcomings and blindsides that we don’t like to admit. Cinematography can be used as mirror; one where we as a collective can learn and grow from the past as well as project ourselves into the future and see where we are currently headed.
I have been using cannabis and films for my own personal development for the past eight year… By doing so I have allowed my self to cry and feel in ways that I’ve previously blocked myself from. I remember watching the movie Radio (2003) as a kid, and at the scene where they lock Radio up in a equipment locker and the football team is bullying him. I felt so much sadness, but didn’t want my friends to see me cry. My stomach dropped feeling weak and my throat started to tighten and pull on my jaw, but I held in those tears. For why… because guys don’t cry…
In order for a film to have a moving impact on the viewer… the viewer needs to be receptive and open. Yes emotionally, but also perceptually. The ego can get in the way. It can hold onto a certain way of being and seeing things and blind us to the grander truth.
Films can help heal the world. They have the ability to open our minds and hearts, but we all must be willing to allow it. I have been thinking a lot in how certain films could act as a catalyst for individuals at pivotal points in their lives. I’ve been imagining how a guide or a blog post might help align people with what they need to hear, feel, and see.
Why and what purpose would this serve? Well, it would help people who may be going through a transition in life. Or serve as a reminder in who they are and why they show up as they are each day. The film may develop further reflection and create inner peace from understanding.
People love film. Now finding a way that the viewer can interact with the film in a more personal way may create a new direction and can perhaps create some change in the world. It’s time that we a individuals start to know what we care for, then as a collective voice our values. Hopefully from there we can build and embark in a direction that WE want and choose.
Cheers till next time. Love yourself, your friends, and create good in the world. Peace yo.
