Film Form

Film exists in layers of physical existence and reality. You have the layer the audience views of the film’s world - setting, characters, and plot - and then you have the layer the film production workers view of the film’s world - actors, the set, and the story. Like photography, film is able to establish a physical existence. However, unlike photography, film uses two very unique and different techniques in order to establish its physical existence. According to Siegfried Kracauer, film establishes its physical existence through representation of reality as it evolves through time and with the help of techniques and devices exclusive to cinema cameras (Kracauer 187). All the world is a stage for film, however Kracauer lists specific techniques of film he refers to as cinematic due to how these techniques are read on the cinematic medium. Although Kracauer wrote his theory on Establishment of Physical Existence in 1960, the 2015 movie Tangerine contains a fair amount of content that can be serviced as examples in order to support Kracauer’s theory. Using the 2010’s movie Tangerine directed by Sean S. Baker, modern cinema examples from various scenes of the film can be provided for examples on Siegfried Kracauer’s theory of Establishment of Physical Existence through cinema’s recording functions of nascent motion, cinema’s revealing function of transients, and cinema’s revealing function of blind spots of the

Although the best reasons for “going to the movies” are to be entertained and eat popcorn, understanding a film is actually quite complex. Movies are not only a reflection of life, they also have the capability of shaping our norms, values, attitudes, and perception of life. Through the media of film, one can find stories of practically anything imaginable and some things unimaginable. Movie-makers use their art to entertain, to promote political agendas, to educate, and to present life as it is, was, or could be. They can present truth, truth as they interpret it, or simply ignore truth altogether. A movie can be a work of fiction, non-fiction, or anything in-between. A film is an artist’s interpretation. What one takes away from a film depends upon how one interprets what has been seen and heard. Understanding film is indeed difficult.

Films and movies are a composition of elements that make that essentially come together as one to form a piece of art. Although a film is not complete with missing elements, some elements when used out of place can break a movie. Some of these elements include, but are not limited to, a character’s costume and makeup, lighting, camera direction, acting, special effects, and, sound effects and music. In some films one element may be the overriding factor but when put together, these elements work together to please an audience.

Hundreds of movies are released every year. Filmmakers try to create the next jaw-dropping movie that audiences will stand in line for hours and pay top dollar to see. The key to success is finding ideas that appeal to a mass audience. Viewers are the lifeline of any production company so making something for everyone is a savvy business move for the film industry. To cover all bases, there are over fourteen different genres of movies. Film making is not a solo effort. It is a collaboration between the actors, directors, producers and other key contributors. This combined effort or mise-en-scene includes all the elements of the film to include actors, backdrops, costumes, props and lighting used to meet the director’s vision

There are various elements that contribute to the significance of a film. Cinematography, is one important element in which the camera is used to capture visual images through a number of other controllable elements such as; camera lens, framing, scale, movement etc. Editing is another fundamental component of film studies in which different shots are put together in a coherent sequence in order to make meaning of a film.

Content and form are two elements of film that coincide with each other. Content is the subject that describes what a scene or film is generally about. The content of a film could be the plot or a character’s analysis. On the other hand, form is the means by which a subject is insightfully expressed by the director to his or her viewers. Form supplies specific methods and techniques necessary to present itself to the audience.

Theorist Vsevolod Pudovkin claims that narrative films are mainly a “product of construction” and cautious compilations of “selections of images that have been shot” (Renée).

‘There are…two kinds of film makers: one invents an imaginary reality; the other confronts an existing reality and attempts to understand it, criticise it…and finally, translate it into film’

The film industry has continuously changed since its inception due to rapid technology advancements. Camera technology has been a key factor that has influenced the growth of filmmaking. The first motion picture in the world was produced in the early 1880s, and the first public screening occurred ten years later. It didn’t take long for the quality of films to improve as new filmmaking equipment emerged. Ever since the first movie was produced, the film industry has been continuously changing in response to emerging filmmaking technology. Introduction of digital photography and digital data storage along with the development of internet significantly influenced the film industry (Barsam, 2015). These technologies contributed

Every so often a movie is released with such tense anticipation and glamorous visual art that the public is drawn to this dramatic rendition of life in the theatre. For even just two hours or so, you are put into a different lifestyle. Action, drama or comedy it may be. We are thrust into a different way of thinking. We are forced to learn the characters thoughts and feelings. The hard work and artistic skill that goes into these magnificent films is not an easy thing to mimic. Out of the thousands of movies released worldwide each year only a handful are truly worthy of the label film art. Most of the great movies are either produced by a multi million dollar

“film about films and about itself” (Page, 2005). This is also exemplified by "Singing in the

In all forms of art there is a natural inclination to explore and experiment within the medium. The resulting methods and formats can be seen as alternatives and additions to existing ones. I do not believe that, in terms of technical decisions, there is a superior style of film making that the industry progresses to on a set path. I agree with Arnheim’s statement that “there is no objection to the complete film as an alternative to the stage” if it exists with the other types of films (Arhheim, 186). In some cases advances in method and technique are used to fix the problems of technological limitations. In other cases these advances provide alternatives. The introduction of color is described by the latter. Color was introduced as an alternative to black and white movies but never completely replaced them and didn’t stop the use of black and white as an effective technique in modern cinema.

There are many ways that one can analyze a work of art. To say that something as complex as artistic expression can only be looked at or defined in one dimension is nothing short of a lie. In realizing this, we must also realize that film is like any work of art, the many messages and ideas behind a well thought-out film are nearly uncountable. With that in mind, perhaps one of the best ways to analyze film is through a method known as "Cognitive Psychology". Cognitive psychology deals greatly with practical perception, emotional, and conscious responses of viewers. By using cognitive psychology, we seek to explain how we recognize objects, fit disparate elements into orderly patterns, experience joy and sadness through art, and simultaneously understand multiple meanings and so forth. When we apply this theory in practice, it revolutionizes the way in which we can see the meaning behind movies, instead of relying on traditional concepts and roles to determine the ideas behind a work of film; we can shift the critical emphasis on a film to the viewer. In effect then, the viewer becomes an active participant in the creation of a film's effects and meanings. While there are a wide variety of movies that can be looked at using this method, perhaps one of those that come easiest to mind is Memento, a thriller in which the main character is afflicted with antro-grade amnesia, or the inability to create new

The art of film made it’s way into the penetration stage around the turn of the century and remained there until

Film Industry has been expansively affected by the changes in technology. The mechanical and digital innovations give cause to the influence of equipment, distribution and the way in which films are made and consumed. New trends shape directors and filmmakers to expand creatively towards telling stories in motions. The film industry has developed to one of the most important tools of communication, it's cause so powerful affecting the way individuals and societies think, act and behave. Among the new Era approaching film, and seeing celluloid film fade is that of the Digital Era and a camera that saw celluloid films passing hastened.