More handpicked essays just for you.
Effect of media and films on society
Effect of media and films on society
Effect of media and films on society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Effect of media and films on society
Our culture has been dictated by movies. Behavior, outlook, and even fashions are influenced by major motion pictures. A good film can give you a thoughtful experience like a piece of art can hand a new perspective. An age old question is derived from this; What constitutes a good film? How should a film's quality be measured? The movie industry is as volatile as music; there is no substantial way to quantify quality and it's entirely subjective. What I consider a studio's magnum opus could be a schmuck you write off as, “Worse than Uwe Boll.” This doesn't break the point that we are human and we strive for greatness. Over time we developed unwritten standards to differentiate between lazy film-making and art that moves people. After all, we wouldn't like it if a bad film was made popular and had its poison polluting our lake of pop culture. How would we be influenced? What terrible ideas will be instilled into our heads? What will future generations think? Thus is the importance of film criticism; to discern grimy film-makers and encourage healthy care of the lake in a competitive...
One could easily dismiss movies as superficial, unnecessarily violent spectacles, although such a viewpoint is distressingly pessimistic and myopic. In a given year, several films are released which have long-lasting effects on large numbers of individuals. These pictures speak
Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print
Today, American film is among the most internationally supported commodities. Financially, its contributions are enormous: the industry is responsible for the circulation of billions of dollars each year. Since its explosion into the new media markets during the mid-twentieth century, film has produced consistently growing numbers of viewers and critics alike. Sparking debate over the nature of its viewing, film is now being questioned in social, political, and moral arenas for its potential impact on an audience. Critics claim that watching films is a passive activity in which the viewer becomes subconsciously absorbed, and creates a reliance or "addiction" to the medium, and thus can be influenced by any perpetual concepts or images. Advocates, however, argue that viewing such programs is an active process in which audience members are able to choose to what they are exposed, and interpret messages based on their individual needs and background. Perhaps both views are too extreme. Film from the 1950s to present, as will be explored in this essay, is an extremely useful medium, often underestimated within the label of "entertainment"; unfortunately, it may be partially responsible for current socio-cultural problems, too. The critical question, then, is whether film has fostered the progress of a more open-minded America, or rather hindered its development through the perpetuation of antiquated concepts of stereotypes, densensitized violence and breeding of normalcy.
In recent times, such stereotyped categorizations of films are becoming inapplicable. ‘Blockbusters’ with celebrity-studded casts may have plots in which characters explore the depths of the human psyche, or avant-garde film techniques. Titles like ‘American Beauty’ (1999), ‘Fight Club’ (1999) and ‘Kill Bill 2’ (2004) come readily into mind. Hollywood perhaps could be gradually losing its stigma as a money-hungry machine churning out predictable, unintelligent flicks for mass consumption. While whether this image of Hollywood is justified remains open to debate, earlier films in the 60’s and 70’s like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967) and ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976) already revealed signs of depth and avant-garde film techniques. These films were successful as not only did they appeal to the mass audience, but they managed to communicate alternate messages to select groups who understood subtleties within them.
Imagine a world in which presidential debates were not televised, and a person would have to read the newspaper to get all their political news. Just how different would our country be today? Television has a huge effect on American politics. It is often the main source from which people derive their reasoning and opinions from. There is a plethora of news television channels to choose from and gather information from. These channels often run all times of the day. Keeping American citizens up to date on all developing news. Television properly helps U.S citizens vet and get to know the candidate, as well as the candidate's plan.
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
Such a situation, under these assumptions, puts the audience in an apparently perverse situation, and it is therefore hardly surprising that the infamous Hays code of the thirties moved to ensure that "the sympathy of the audience shall never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin(4)." The assumption of audience identity with the hero was never unproblematic, and of course the classical Hollywood model of filmmaking partially outlined above never existed entirely without challenge. Nevertheless, it is clear that up to the fifties the classical Hollywood model was relatively applicable and that challenges to it were largely ineffective. However, beyond the fifties, the model became increasingly irrelevant. The reasons for the downfall of the classical paradigm are complex, and related to economic changes within the industry (the forced dismantling of the vertically integrated studio system that placed production, distribution and exhibition roles under the one organisation) as well as wider cultural shifts that occurred during the sixties (the widespread social upheaval and increasing prominence of counter-cultural challenges to mainstream ideologies) ....
As with all industries, Hollywood’s business revolves around making money. In the quest for monetary excellence morals can become sidelined and painful stereotypes can become revisited. On the other side, a filmmaker may use their influential position in order to shed light on a controversial issue to remind the public of consequences of past mistakes. In a paradoxical way, when Hollywood creates altruistic and feel good films the making of the films may unintentionally harm other cultures or societies. In the pursuit of socially progressive films, Hollywood disregards the wellbeing of some in order to make others look better in comparison. Highlighting t...
The television's new “golden age” is now upon us. As the internet continues to make filmmaking more accessible to public, Hollywood will continue being one of the biggest and greatest influences on today’s society and politics. It is much easier to create and share your ideas through film than ever before. Independent studios before, greatly expanding the number of debates and arguments people have access to. Never has the power to express yourself and your views through film been so great, and we are better off for it.
What attracts us to the movie theatre on Friday nights? Is it the commercials we see? Or is it all the gossip we hear from friends and TV talk shows? Well for many, it is the critiques we read and hear almost every day. One who specializes in the professional evaluation and appreciation of literary or artistic works is a critic. The profession of movie criticism is one of much diversity. Reviews range anywhere from phenomenal to average. Not only are movies created for the entertainment and sheer pleasure of the audience, they create a market of jobs and open doors to the world of financial growth. The success of these films, whether they are tremendous or atrocious, is not only dependent of the actual film, but also upon the critic’s reviews. It is a form of assistant advertising, in addition to commercials and billboards. A movie review is composed of summaries, plots, controversial issues, perks, and detriments. They discuss the features of the movie and certain points that appeals to the critic. Not to forget that the sole purpose of writing these reviews is to persuade the reader to take on a pre-opinionated view of the film prior to viewing it. In addition, they hope the reader enjoys their style to further persuade them, as well as others, to persist in reading their reviews.
Movies suck these days. All Hollywood seems to care about anymore is making profitable movies, not thinking twice about what the movie might actually be about. Whether it’s another special effects-ridden clunker, a giddy romantic comedy, or another lame-plotted action flick, they just don’t seem to get it. Although a small handful of films over a year’s time are occasionally worth seeing, for the most part it’s all about making money and not about the true art that filmmaking can be.
One of the essential qualities, I believe, a true cinephile must possess is an ability to enjoy the not so finer things in film. A movie lover must be able to watch a stupid, poor quality picture and still have a good time. Otherwise, that person risks becoming a stereotypical, pretentious, snooty film nerd. Thankfully, I have not yet lost that indispensable feature. I can still enjoy clearly mediocre (or worse) movies, such as Nacho Libre.
It is of great importance to understand the societal values present at the time and place in which a person lives; it is one’s social responsibility. One does not necessarily have to agree with modern societal values, and, in fact, often different media outlets present differing or conflicting views that challenge norms or changing ideals. It is simply a person’s responsibility to learn about the different societal perspectives (both mainstream and counter-culture) to better understand the world he or she lives in, create his or her own informed view point, and to be a socially aware citizen. Movies (and other media) are an ideal source of much cultural information. They express opinions in promotion of certain societal expectations, against mainstream societal expectations or making fun of societal expectations, and/or some space in between.
In a country where there was no such thing as a “movie” or a “photo”, America had no idea what they were missing out on. Until, came the era of the motion picture industry. This is also known as, cinema. It was captivating for the American culture and engaged people’s emotions and mentally conveyed them into a whole other world. From looking at the very start of the motion picture industry it is easy to understand that there were several factors that went into not only the development, but the evolvement of American culture overall.
American movies shape our conception of American society and its individuals being a mere reflection of our society, connecting to its audience, and contribution to mass communications. As America continues to grow in its population and diversity,