Introduction
A film is a form of entertainment that creates the illusion of motion by combining music and a succession of static images (Baran, 2015). Motion pictures have provided entertainment to people of all linguistic origins. The changeover from film to digital cameras, followed by the rise of high-definition digital, took three decades for film to achieve substantial technological breakthroughs (Baran, 2015). Motion movies have immortalized some of the most significant twentieth-century events. The destruction of an atomic bomb and the Holocaust are only two examples of images that will stay with us (Burgoyne, 2018). The persistence of vision and phenomenology are optical phenomena employed to generate the illusion in movies. More than a century ago, in the 1930s, Hollywood introduced classic narrative filmmaking (Burgoyne, 2018). Filmmaking techniques are always developing, and approaches that have gone out of favor are being phased out. Therefore this study will explore film and its history and trends.
Definition
A film is a series of still images that are rapidly projected onto a screen using light (Burgoyne, 2018). According to Dixon and Foster (2018), a film is a form of entertainment that tells a story via the use of music and a series of images that develop the illusion of continuous motion. Thanouli (2018) explains that a film is a collection of moving pictures presented on a screen, typically accompanied by a sound that conveys a story. Lastly, a film is a compilation of recorded moving images viewable in a theater or on television (Engelke, 2021).
History of Film
Cinema has a long history as a creative medium, extending back to the invention of film technology in the late 1800s (Thanouli, 2018). On December 28th, 1895, a commercial, public exhibition of ten of the Lumière brothers’ films in France was considered the commencement of projected cinematographic motion images (Thanouli, 2018). Film studios and production companies sprung up all over the world. During the first decade of the twentieth century, motion pictures transformed from a novelty to a well-established mass entertainment sector. The first silent films were filmed in black and white. Cinematic techniques, including camera movements and editing, have contributed to the evolution of norms toward a general cinematic language (Baran, 2015). By 1914, several national film industries had emerged. Besides, Scandinavia, Russia, and Europe were the most significant industries, with the US a minor player. As films became longer, storytelling became the dominating form of filmmaking (Baran, 2015). When audiences paid to view movies, large studios and specialized theaters arose, and the business that sprang up around them invested more money in their creation, display, and distribution (Baran, 2015). The impact of the First World War on Europe’s film industry increased America’s importance, and the first thirty years of cinema were defined by the consolidation and creation of an industrial basis, the development of the refinement of technology, and the storytelling form. Hand coloring, tinting, toning, and stenciling were once used to add color to black-and-white films (Baran, 2015). The Kinemacolor technique, which was first demonstrated to the public in 1909, used color separation concepts developed in 1906 to create moving images. In the 1990s, digital production processes increased popularity, thus increasing feature-length computer animations (Thanouli, 2018). Other cinema genres, such as horror films, newsreels (famous in US theaters between 1910 and the late 1960s), and musicals (popular since the late 1920s), have evolved and experienced varying degrees of popularity over time (in Golden Age -1970s).
Film Trends and Developments
The film and television industries experienced unprecedented growth. As a result of the global epidemic, online streaming services demand increased, thus further increasing production expenses, and TV series budgets were very high (Burgoyne, 2018). There is always something new to learn, old strategies to discard, and new trends to examine in the film industry. Today, multimedia and mixed reality experiences are becoming increasingly widespread (Burgoyne, 2018). As a result, many people are searching for multimedia and multidisciplinary experiences. Pandemic-related initiatives have moved swiftly, much like those in cinema. The media has played an essential role in turning once-exclusively in-person events into broadly appealing adventures. Another popular approach is to combine CGI with physical effects (Thanouli, 2018). Filmmakers usually prefer practical effects to computer-generated images (CGI) because of their realism. Despite improvements in realism, computer-generated imagery (CGI) still falls short of the realism produced by practical effects. Computer-generated imaging can radically alter the appearance of an actor’s face or physique in a scene. Films with a smaller budget are also making their web debuts. Over the last several years, the number of films developed, particularly for streaming services like Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube has increased dramatically (Baran et al., 2019). Recently, low-budget films have become increasingly popular. Recently, social criticism in films has become increasingly popular. The socio-political arena has become more visible in numerous media forms, including traditional news outlets, satirical comedy shows, and social media. It has been a recent breakthrough in the traditional movie business for social commentary, resulting in blockbuster hits and award-winning films that focus on relevant social subjects such as political upheaval, diversity, and fostering population unity. Also, there is increased social commentary in film/Satire. Satire is a type of comedy that employs humor to comment on current events. The film also celebrates and reflects diverse cultures. As a result of increased social criticism in the film industry, we are seeing a rise in cinematic diversity. Films with predominantly white casts, for example, are now featuring diverse casts that include women and people of color. As the film industry expands and diversifies, more flexibility and creativity in filmmaking become available.
Conclusion
A film is a form of entertainment that uses music and a series of still images to create the appearance of motion. Cinema has a long history as a creative medium, dating back to the late 1800s when film technology was invented. A commercial, public presentation of 10 of the Lumière brothers’ short films in Paris is the beginning of projected cinematographic motion pictures. Combining CGI with real effects is a popular trend in film. Because of their realism, filmmakers prefer practical effects to computer-generated visuals (CGI). Smaller-budget films are also making their web debuts. Satire is a kind of comedy in which the comedian uses humor to make a point about current events. Diverse cultures are also celebrated and reflected in the film. We are seeing a growth in cinematic diversity due to growing social criticism in the film industry. More flexibility and creativity in filmmaking become available as the film business expands and diversifies.
References
Baran, S. J. (2015). Introduction to mass communication.
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Burgoyne, R. (2018). Memory, history and digital imagery in contemporary film. In Memory and popular film (pp. 220-236). Manchester University Press.
Dixon, W. W., & Foster, G. A. (2018). A short history of film. In A Short History of Film, Third Edition. Rutgers University Press.
Engelke, H. (2021). Perception, awareness, and film practice: A natural history of the “Doris Film”. Holisms of communication: The early history of audio-visual sequence analysis, 4, 105.
Thanouli, E. (2018). History and film: A tale of two disciplines. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.