Movies

BLOG:  MOVIES&FILMS

Galina Rolf

What are films and movies?  Films are a series of pictures and images that look like    movement when passed through a projector. It is the camera that records the actions of the film participants. The viewers are given the impression that they are not only seeing movement but that they are observers, even participants in a story or event that the camera has captured.  It is difficult to believe that strips of celluloid can record current events that are actually historical events like the Zapruder film.  The Zapruder film recorded the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  Not only was the assassination of one of our Presidents caught on film but major weather events such as Hurricane Katrina and very recently Hurricane Sandy has been recorded as well.  There are not only tragic events that have been filmed but events that are beautiful and romantic such as the wedding of Prince William and his wife to be Katie.  Wars, fires, death, destruction, weddings, criminal trials even the birth of babies are recorded although no longer on celluloid. Technology has progressed, the quality of our recordings has progressed, and the equipment used to record our history and memories has progressed. Not only are films recordings of history while it is being made, it is also a medium used to preserve our literature.  To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and 1984 have all been made into movies.  There are also many movies that are made from plots developed by screen writers.  This medium has served as a creative outlet for many of our brightest and most talented artists.

                             

Watch Zapruder Film | WebCrawler.Com The Zapruder Film captured the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  It was used to confirm that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

 The History of Filmmaking | eHow.com

The History:

An invention with as much influence as movies and films is usually not created by just one individual but many people.  The idea of a device that could reproduce reality was first theorized by Leonardo DaVinci in the late 1400s. In the early 1800’s the inventions of the thaumatrope and the zoetrope illustrated how images could be made to simulate movement. In the late 1800’s Hannibal Goodwin invented Celluloid the material used to develop film. Finally, Thomas Edison, the American inventor of the  light bulb,  is given credit for the invention of the motion picture and sound recordings. Edison lost interest in combining sound recording with moving images but he directed one of his assistants, to combine the light bulb, celluloid, and  the camera to produce a movie camera.  The result was the Kinetograph, a motion picture camera. Next, brothers Louis and Auguste Lumiere developed the Cinematograph which combined camera, film, and projector.  Once again Edison became interested in moving pictures.  He developed the vitascope, this invention enabled films to be projected for longer periods of time without interruption. There was an actual showing of waves rolling on a beach and parts of a boxing match shown in New York at the end of the 1800’s.

Edison's Greatest Marvel: The Vitascope | American History Lives at ...
http://www.americanheritage.com/content/edisons-greatest-marvel-vitascope

            Movies Throughout the Generations: The development of films has had an extraordinary affect on our culture, mores and norms.  The films of each generation also reflect the values of that particular generation.  The movie, From Here to Eternity for example had to hint at the fact that two unmarried individuals had sex on a beach.  Just as soon as the camera fades the audience is sure that the couple is doomed for their sins.  Star Wars was an example of the technological advances that had been accommplished in the film industry.That was not the only significance of Star Wars the movie reaffirmed the support and need for Space Program at Nasa.  Norma Ray was a movie that endorsed the rights of factory workers to unionize and demand better working conditions.  Another affect that this movie had on the American public is that it identified the women as part of the work force that requires their voices to be heard. Movies became the medium to express our political, social, moral and views.

            Movies gives individuals the opportunity to life in another person’s shoes, to experience another’s culture, and to understand the barriers in their lives to keep them from obtaining successes. For instance, West Side Story, gives average Americans a peek into the lives of the Hispanic American, their challenges and trials as they attempt to fit into a culture that is not accepting of their differences. It is important that people who watch movies recognize that many screen writers use this medium to promote their own values and opinions.  Just as in research it is important that you consider the source and the purpose of the research when a movie is watched it is important to determine what is fact, fiction and opinion.