Art is a form of expression and it evolved when human beings started making objects visually in order to appreciate nature and beauty. Cavemen had walls that were used to describe what they saw and why did they paint those walls? Because they wanted to communicate. With the passage of time, human beings created better tools to express themselves because their ideas became more complexed. People wanted themselves to be seen and heard as well and that’s when they began to classify visual arts into more diverse ways. Ancient Greeks were the first to introduce theatre – a collaborative art form that combined voice, movement, visual elements and words to express meaning behind their dramatic presentations.Art was an important ingredient to empower hearts of the audience and these theatre not only presented romantic, comedy dramas to entertain people but, also highlighted social issues that pulled heartstrings of the powerful to make changes in the society.
In the early 19th century, technological developments led to the creation of television/movie industry. People started visiting cinemas to watch movies and dramas that had stories in moving images to create a powerful emotional experience among the audience.The introduction of films and television was indeed a turning point in the lives of the people. However, now if we think about the development of television and films, there’s a huge difference between the drama industries of then and now. Dramas and films in the past were thought provoking if we compare it with the contemporary television because these days, our industry focuses more on making profits rather than promoting arts and without profits, creating dramas have become pointless for them. Because profit maximization through countless advertisements has become the first priority of TV channels, the message that their drama wants to convey to the audience becomes secondary which is why art has lost its value in the modern world.
As the time passed, this form of art took a revolutionary turn where people started getting fond of the ‘idea of acting’, especially with the characters they could relate to. Come on, let us imagine ourselves in a role play or in a different character which is pretty different than our original personality! What came to your mind? A pet owner scolding his/her dog for breaking your favorite vase? A truck driver working miles away from his family and doing his best to be a good father? An interesting poet writing verses in the name of his beloved, for one day she shall return? Or did you picture yourself as a millionaire, owning a huge mansion, 10 different cars and everything else on your finger tips?! How wonderfully amazing is it to live in one body and transform your soul into different characters, all consciously done at your best behavior. This is the beauty of art! It takes you on a journey to explore not just your own potential but the lives of other people. You are able to put yourself in the shoes of others and realize how largely impactful acting can be and how many minds it can influence.
It will be safe to say that over the years as cinema has evolved it has not only been an entertainment getaway but so much more than that. For example, it has become a source of learning for people who were unable to get out of the house for whatever the reasons may be. It has served as a platform of spreading awareness through films and educating the masses about basic things they are deprived of knowing. Whether its gender equality or entrepreneurship, food recipes or travel stories, history or animal planet, astrology or societal issues readily prevailing day by day. It has been a great source through which people have promoted their culture, art and architecture, music, history. In short, they have promoted THEMSELVES. Lets picture another scenario! (i actually might start daydreaming playing in a role of Tom Hiddleson or Judi Dench). Moving on…imagine. Imagine yourself sipping your coffee on a very strange cold night in Scotland. All the bars have been closed, all the clubs run out of songs, all the Djs quit their jobs, everything is basically out of order. (which is so the case in pandemic all over the globe). What are you going to do? How will you kill your boredom and keep yourself entertained? Or at least occupied with a handy information through technological help? You might scroll through facebook and instagram but soon enough you will get bored and your mind will crave for some MIND FOOD. Just like our body, our mind also needs its fuel to carry on. Sleep being the foremost priority, the second thing it looks for is entertainment in any form of art. Scientifically, it brings peace and contentment and flexes your brain tangled thoughts. So technically, is art another form of therapy?! (ehh?) Maybe yes, maybe not. Maybe it works for some as a coping mechanism and for some it works as just another activity which is more like a burden. But i would like to show resentment to the latter. It is said that in the ancient times, homosapienssometimes pretended to be chimpanzees and wolves as they houled to their enemies in order to protect themselves and their families. I would even consider this a form of ACT, but in a more defensive way, so to speak.
In the words of the amazing Jean Epstein’s famous write, ‘Cinema and Other Writings’, 1921:20
‘The cinema seems to me like two (conjoined) twins joined together at the stomach, in other words by the basser necessities of life, but sundered at the heart, or by the higher necessities of emotion. The first of these brothers is the art of cinema, the second is the film industry…I shall venture to speak to you only of the art of the cinema’
It is quite fascinating how both are so interconnected with each other. Some great films cinema has blessed us with have always been eye candy for everyone including Spellbound (it also dominated the screens during WWII), Gone With The Wind, Badlands (what a superb cinematography!), Pride and Prejudice, Taxi Driver, Socrates, Girl with a Peal Earring, Silence of the Lambs and Titanic!
Some of the great films of all times which brought beautiful cinematography into existence includes, Days of Heaven, Lawrence of Arabia, Mississippi Burning, Bound for Glory, Ben-Hur and Sunrise – a song for two. These movies will always be rememebered for adding more beauty and contributing to the cinema industry like no other.
If we move on to the 21st century then the trend continued for long. In fact, there was yet another revolution in the field of art and the world of cinema! There have been annimated movies with a different graphical representation which has evolved from time to time and keeps evolving. Disney started remaking all the animated films which we watched as kids in to 3D movies of our favorite movie charcaters. The Lion King being one example followed by Aladin. But it has a very selective audience. Some people still preferred to watch the same old versions of it to keep their childhood memories alive, while others wanted to refresh them with modification and innovation applied. Cinema has also blessed us mesmerizing content and beautiful cinematography in the 21st century. Such like, Life of Pi, Avatar, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Blade Runner, Inception and many more. Even in the times when half of the things are social media managed, Netflix was able to produce some great artsy TV shows like Sense8, Narcos, Game of Thrones, Fargo, Hannibal, Vikings, Twin Peaks and Lady Dynamite. These TV shows have excellent cinematography and plot, smoothly executed and brilliantly shot and performed. Shows the amount of dedication and how cinema is still taken seriously in modern age. Given the evolution, thankfully people still have not started thinking of it as useless way to communicate and have an unspoken dialog with your audience, to have your words being conveyed in an exquisite form.
Unfortunately, cinema has its way of being used as a pawn too, unknowingly and knowingly. Its fair to say that there have been times when cinemas has been exploited when most of the things including commercials and advertisements were thrown as a money making machine to feed the hungry kids out there. It is not unknown to any of us how MNCs and media industry collaboratively work for the advertisements of products in the field of marketing which has more of less made it almost impossible for both of them stay far apart. Even the products which are not necessarily to be promoted on TV screens are now out there, standing as a hurdle in the media industry, not letting the talent to penetrate through it. But i think, it will be quite unfair if I do not recognize its service too. All of this can be highly misused but at the same time, I believe media has given a great platform to promote the products and create awareness among people about different things. For example, it was through advertisements that we get to know about toothpastes, shampoos, new restaurant in town, advertisements of different brands attracting the right audience to come and buy from them – to certain extent it has been exploited but rest of the services can not be and should not be ignored or avoided in the process.
In order to explain my point I have made this pie chart which might help me explain my argument. Imagine this pie chart as a cinema industry. 75% are the contributions that cinema industry has made in order to grow its own art and expand its nature. From films to Tv commercials, there has been good content and bad content, some films were a total flop while some crossed millions and billions on their release. It just shows that cinema industry is also a mixture of black and white. When scientists try making something in the laboratory, they usually excel at it after failing many trails. This is what happens in the cinema industry as well. It has failed many films or let us say, producers and directors could not convey their message well in those films but in most of them they did which is a fair share. While speaking of rest of the 25% of the pie chart – there has been excessive amount of exploitation of the cinema industry due to many reasons. Let us talk about how and why cinema can be exploited. It can be exploited by letting the people come in the industry without them being deserving enough or knowing how to act, that is, truly based on nepotism, classism, racism and differentiation. On the basis of having differences or on the basis of choosing while being biased can mostly do us a huge loss. This is one of the main problems. Secondly, when someone who does not know how to act hops in, that person does not take his job seriously and exploits everything even the resources given to him, hence yet another loss. Then comes big companies and organizations using this platform for their personal gains, interests and profits. This altogether creates a huge disturbance which becomes hiderance in being fair through the entire process. In order to be fair, it is important to act fair, to perform fair, to choose fair and to set your facts fair. Unfortunately, the grass is not as greener as it looks on the other side. Every industry has its own shortcomings. Having said that, 25% of the exploitation is usually and mostly overshadowed by 75% of the contribution – because here we are not just talking about the 21st century but from the beginning of the time and since then cinema has served us pretty well in all the possible ways.
I want to conclude this essay now but i do not know if i have been entirely fair in writing and doing my research on the respective topic or not? I am still confused whether or not i was unbiased? Can we ever know? Can we not make mistakes at alll? We try to be transparent from our ends but sometimes we do end up doing things which are out of our control – no no, do not get me wrong dear readers. I am not supporting unbiasness nor compromising on my ethical values. I am not even justifying any kind of exploitation here. Oh dear! I am not at all being defensive – but that was just me defending myself?! Hah! What are we, if not confused pieces of art? This is how cinema too is and this is how it has evolved. Going back and forth, contributing but getting lost in the process but i am actually glad that it is still producing sensible content. It is still producing good material. I am still glad to know that it is still giving us many reasons to smile. Every day i wake up, i see my parents sipping on their tea and watching something interesting. It gives me hope. It leaves me mesmerized by the exceptional addiction our eyes have caught! Which reminds me…I read a very interesting quote when I was a kid by the very famous Frank Lloyd Wright,
Television.. is nothing but the chewing gum for eyeballs
I do not know why exactly he said that, but my gut says, his experience was quite of a rollercoaster. I can just say, watch good cinema and keep the vibe alive, but hey! Look after your eyeballs too, please!
As i have bored you enough with my logics which perplex my nerves system too, let me give my final remarks to this. By putting an end to it, I believe cinema is a fantastic way to deliver an expressive art and a beautiful form of expression through which we can dwell in two or more characters while being confined in one body. We see it, we feel it. Its very humane and I would like to see more of it in the future as well. Cheers to cinema and its contributions and I hope we are somehow forever entertained by its magical ways to twist human mind.