Spotlight

Sec r on et ins t i Hol he sca ght m l to s ywood t bus ay in pulls ine ss!

How “prewareness” affects what your children are watching on TV Plus a review of a study conducted by Kathryn Fuller-Seeley at UT Austin.

Kelly Blakely Andra Key Allen Zhao Gissel Albiter

Spotlight Table of Contents XLetter Meetfrom the Editors...3 the Editors...

1.A

3

perspective...5 2.A

History of Success...7 The success of history

3.A

Playing God in Film...9 The audience’s undeniable power

1.B

modern...13 2.B

How to Hollywood...15

3.B

Film in Motion...17 The evolution of modern film

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1.C

music...21 2.C

Music in the Brain...23

3.C

The Sound of Film...25 Music in the brain

1.D

technology...29 2.D

How a Camera Works...31 The evolution of film tech

3.D

3, 2, 1... Action!...33 film

The impact of tech in

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m o r f r e s t r t o e t L i d E e th t

ligh t o Sp

Gissel Albiter Photo Editor

Gissel Albiter is 15 years old and attends Liberal Art and Science Academy also known as LASA. She likes scary movies and noticed how there is always suspenseful music when something is going to pop out. This is not only in scary movies, but in all films. The soundtrack is used as a way for the director to pass along the message he is trying to portray, and that fascinated her. She also really loves dogs and spending time with them. They are furry and have cute little noses. In her free time she collects picture of them in her “doggos ” photo album.

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Allen Zhao

Fact Checker and Feature Editor Allen Zhao is 14 years old and is a student at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, or LASA, in Austin, TX. He likes playing the piano, fluent in chinese, listening to music and like eating rice. He eats his food using chopsticks, cooks his rice in a steamer, and slurps his noodles.

His eyes are small, probably from prolonged exposure to the sun. His favorite movie director is Christopher Nolan and he was fascinated by the effects and camera work done in Nolan’s film, especially those done in Nolan’s 2010 sci-fi thriller hit, “Inception”.

He also listens to the soundtracks of movies he likes. Also one more thing, all hail rice!

Andra Key Layout Editor

Andra Key is 14 years old and attends the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin Texas. She plays French Horn and Mellophone for the LBJ Jaguar Band, and plays soccer in and out of school.

She has always been interested in the influences and creation of film, which was her leading inspiration when researching for this magazine. One of the things that interests her the most is how the culture of people can be seen in the films from their area, and that’s what she based her feature article on. She has learned a lot throughout the experience of creating this magazine including the effects society has on the film industry and the challenges of succeeding in Hollywood.

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pe r .ive Kelly Blakely 5

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rspect 6

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Playing God in Film The Audience’s Undeniable Power Story by: Kelly Blakely In the scene of a cinema, a movie is just starting. The smell of popcorn wafts in from the front row. Excited chatter ceases as the grand title rolls across the scene in an eye-catching font, and just like that, you’re immersed. Instantly one is transported into the world of the film.

Black and white pictures light up the silent theatre during 1930, the genesis year of the Hollywood production code.

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Classic movies were the golden beginnings of the powerful medium of film, emerging in the 1930s and extending until around the 1960s. Although the people who first looked into the world of “Casablanca” and “Gone With the Wind” may not be around to share their insights, the footage of what made them laugh and cry and run next door to tell the neighbor about a starry-eyed protagonist still lives on.

Kathryn Fuller Seely (top image) pauses in conversation during an interview at her work setting; the University of Texas in Austin (bottom image) on January 26 2018. (Photo provided by UT Austin).

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Many have access to emotional moving pictures that are unforgettable and free, ironically made during a time of little liberty and many constraints for filmmakers in the industry. But in a place and time like the 1930s, how were such powerful films put out for the public eye without being criticized to silence

or censored due to controversy? It all had to do with the captivity and engagement of the audience and the power they were given as overseeing observers when they stepped into the world of “Scream” or “The Wizard of Oz”.

Many people have appreciation for the classics, as they were the new beginnings, but don’t know the history and the valor attached to the releasing of a grand film. Not all films, or directors for that matter, managed to survive in such confined conditions to create something truly great.

Many studies were conducted right before the time of the Hollywood Production Code whose “goal was self-censorship of Hollywood,” said Kathryn FullerSeeley, a professor of filmology at University of Texas at Austin.

Scientists accomplished this by being sponsored by corporations who had the same goal to come to the conclusion that “half the time after seeing a movie, kids especially will be restless and unable to stay still in bed while the other half of the time the movies act as a drug and the kids will all sleep like rocks” continued Fuller, which is bad for the film industry which loses in either scenario. Over all, the industry was sabotaged by cases such as these which contributed toward shaping films for decades in its time.

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“The appeal in media is that it teaches consequences” as well as the norms of a society, Fuller said.

That is completely washed out with all the rules and regulations creating the Hollywood movie stereotype. For example, in “I Love Lucy,” being a housewife was encouraged by constantly having Lucy fail at whatever she tried. “But feminist critics can look beyond that and see Lucille Ball as a performer with a career,” Fuller said. This is one of the ways popular film appeals to a wide variety of people while at the same time putting in place the norm or the standard

Carrie Cates stands in the LASA library discussing the perspective of a powerful audience member at LBJ/LASA High School in Austin on January 30 2018. (Photo by Kelly Blakely).

You see this little world and you’re on top of it.

-Carrie Cates

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of the time it was made in.

Another way the media appeals to a vast audience is by placing the viewer into an overseeing position of power where “they are essentially God,” said Carrie Cates, an indie film director, producer, and teacher at the Austin School of Film. This position of being a great deity overlooking a person and their decisions gives the illusion of the greater power and control over the well-being of the viewer by watching people with less insight as to what’s going on trek through their maze of life.

Carrie Cates stands in the LASA library after her interview at LBJ/LASA High School in Austin on January 30 2018. She talks about her experience as a filmmaker (Photo by Kelly Blakely).

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“This is why horror is such a popular genre” said Cates. It’s the inability to be harmed by a psycho clown or serial killer. It makes mankind feel invincible by putting up a force field like the one around God in many religions.

God is portrayed as unaffected by events occurring around him, wisely making the right decisions, and prospering in the end which often makes him seem untouchable and idolizes him.

A good way to get a message out is by making it watchable. “People want to be entertained.

No one likes being told what to do. A good movie doesn’t need to have a million dollar budget to be spectacular,” said Cates.

People want to relate to the protagonist which is why the narrative perspective is so prominent in many movies made during any period of time. “Filmmaking is storytelling and preservation is due to inner resonance and connection. If five people see a good movie four of them will tell five other people and bring them in for the next round. This means conversations will be had which means movies will live on,” Cates continues. Preservation of film is the next level after the quest for an audience.

The film industry is forever changing. In fact, it’s “already changing with TV” with the impact of cliffhangers directors write that emerge from formerly made comic books and are designed to keep an audience and assure a profit, according to Bryan Poyser, a filmmaker and director. He added that “Hollywood is becoming less and less interested in releasing films with what is called ‘Prewareness.’

This is where previously popular books or films are getting made or remade because they are assured a profit in the box office,” says Poyser. What may soon happen to movie theatre goers is extinction.

Bryan Poyser directing on set during a filming of one of his movies in Austin.

(Photo provided by wikipedia).

“Hollywood is a factory,” Poyser continued. “It’s a business that doesn’t want to die, so content will always have to be created.” Without momentum or an assured profit, Hollywood doesn’t have any reason to exist as a business. The moneymaking aspects and need for the film industry will ultimately be creativity’s destruction and demise.

When reflecting on the true birth of a moving picture, it is in 1889 that film was born. In 1930 it was shackled in the cold chains of lack of liberty. But even so, film stood up and created an image with a melody and a weaving harmony of pictures that stand for nothing and everything at the same time.

With politics constantly barraging artistic mediums, it’s easy to dismiss the emotion that can only come from an individual in a crowd of 7 billion with an idea that can attract millions to the dark room of the movie theatre.

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mo Andra Key 13

odern odern 14

How to

By: Andra Key

Have you ever wanted to be an actor? Director? Singer?

Here’s how you do it...

Turn around

And again and again and again

I will do anything

I think so Are*you willing to do what it takes?

Are** you ready to fail again and again?

100%

Umm...

Turn around

No, Hollwood is the worst

* **

So you want to make it in Hollywood?

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***

****

Only 7% of actors actually become really famous, but those are only the ones that try.

You have to be fully committed

Hollywood is a hard industry, and you are sure to fail repeatedly before you get anywhere.

Out of all the actors in the US, 80% of them live in LA. Don’t move immediately, but to make it in Hollywood, you have to be in Hollywood.

Being an actor takes not only work, but also money. Before you make it to the big leagues, you’re going to have to find a way to pay for your housing, headshots, acting classes, and more. Be ready to lose money before you make any

Sources -https://startupunion.wordpress.com - http://www.scriptmag.com - http://work.chron.com

I’ll find a way

**** What

about the money?

***

Will you move?

Take me where the actors are

Turn around

Money?

1. Act

Turn around

Turn around

Good luck, you need it

Act whenever you can, even high school plays and musicals can be very beneficial

2. Learn

Why would I move?

If you are genuinely devoted, take the time to learn and expand your skills, you can never stop learning

3. Start Local

You aren’t going to become famous overnight.

Start out by playing in local productions to get experience before taking the big step to LA

4. Follow Through

The difference between the dreamers and doers is following through. Take the leap of faith and you’re chances to make it big will increase exponentially

5. Persevere It’s a hard industry, and the chances of making it are small, but it is possible. The harder you work the more likely you are to succeed.

The best advice that anyone can give, is to never, ever give up.

The Steps

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Film in Motion The evolution of Modern Film

A story by: Andra Key

T

The room was silent apart from the clicking of keys. What had once been a vibrant workspace had dulled to merely a shell. Happy voices that once rang out have now been replaced by the quiet hum of the air conditioner. A group of people sit together in a circle, coffee in one hand, a pastry in the other.

Their shoulders are hunched as they lean over laptops, sifting through idea after idea. Finally, a voice breaks through, and everyone turns to look. An idea is being pitched. Once the person has said their part, the heads collectively turn back toward their screens; the cycle continues.

Gissel Albiter kneeling down to photograph the grass, March 2018 (Photo by Andra Key)

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This is how many film companies have evolved.

So much about film and its industry has been changed and adjusted, but so much has stayed the same. Purely from a technological standpoint, film has transitioned from black and white to color, from silent to sound. With the

evolution of technology and ideas, so comes the evolution of film.

Modern film has been influenced and adapted by the world around it; current issues and ideas are seeping in and changing the way people use, and view, film. The world of film and television is expanding in many different ways. Studio’s interests are changing, and smaller groups are finding new and unique ways of breaking into the industry.

Movies and film have become an key part of our society. “Movie theaters are our secular cathedrals where we gather stories and myths,” Barry Vacker, producer and professor of media studies, said. These theaters have become social hubs for people, making film and its evolution even more important.

changed dramatically,” Morgan said “The one thing that hasn’t changed is storytelling.” With all the changes in technology and ideology throughout modern culture, it is inevitable that some of those changes will translate through film.

People are becoming more aware of political and social issues, and some of that can be seen in movies. “If I just looked at the 5,000 films that got submitted to us this year in competition,” Morgan said, “I would say that the world is angry and depressed.”

She followed up by saying that that is not the whole picture, and mentioning how much of our culture is not being expressed through larger films. “If people in Hollywood were really responding to our culture, would we have this many superhero movies?” she said rhetorically.

Morgan repeatedly mentions superhero movies in an attempt to showcase how little societal changes are affecting larger films. The main reason for this is the sheer expense of the movies. For example, “Iron Man 3” cost millions.

“They’re going to make less movies that year, because they’re spending 200,000,000 on this one movie,” Morgan said.

A poster from one of the 24 Film Festivals foundced by Barbara Morgan, March 2018 (Photo by Andra Key)

On the other hand, in smaller films, such as indie films, “people

One of many important festivals to film culture is the Austin Film Festival (AFF), cofounded by Barbara Morgan. AFF is an event centered around film and filmmakers bringing in thousands of original scripts in contests and over 150 national and world premieres each year. The festival has been thriving for around 23 years and has seen the evolution of over two decades worth of film.

“The film industry has

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technology and resources have become a valuable platform that was not previously available. Yolanda Gamble is a youth media specialist at the Austin Film Society, and she is very aware of Movies keep costing more the massive impact and more to accessibility produce, so has had on they need to film. “Now it’s be successful to make a place for The Hollywood sign at sunset in Los Angeles, 2017. everybody,” the studio (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia) money.

Gamble said, “it’s more “A studio inclusive and less exclusive as it was in the past.” doesn’t want to make a movie that they don’t know isn’t already gonna have X number of butts This idea can be seen with the ease of viewing in seats,” Morgan said. Because of this, familiar television and film on platforms such as stories seem to be a safer way to go.

YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon as well as the simplicity of new filmmaking techniques. “Now Industries have started branching out from books, to comic books, to even podcasts; “If they people can make movies on their phone and had a best-seller, they’re being considered to be instantly upload it,” Gamble said. The ease of access allows for much more creativity and made into a film” Morgan said. freedom of expression.

On the other hand, advancements in “Film can be a great medium to express yourself and things that you’re passionate about,” Gamble said. The younger generations have been taking advantage of such platforms and are further changing how film is used.

“Kids are having a voice and talking about things that they’re Film Ca n be a passionate great m edium t about,” o express yoursel Gamble said; f and the “this past thi you’re p ngs that year kids a respond more to their politics and culture,” Morgan said. These films will showcase political commentary, and developing ideas, such as sexual, racial and gender equality.

-Yoland

sssionat e about

a Gamb le

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were making documentaries about a protest that happened at Fulmore Middle School.”

These new ways of making and uploading film have made a huge impact, not just on the younger generation, but on the film industry as a whole. About 25 years ago, there were very clear guidelines as to what constituted filmmaking, but the lines have started to blur. “Nothing is done traditionally anymore, everyone has a weird way of breaking in,” Morgan said.

Platforms such as YouTube Red are drawing a large enough audience to them that even those creators are being considered filmmakers.

“They’re all sort of mixing into one big pool right now,” Morgan said.

So much has changed. Content has changed, and so have the creators and platforms that contain it. The industry as a whole is increasingly inclusive of new people and ideas, but only to a certain extent. While indie and smaller films

much all that other stuff changes, the truth is, everybody needs a storyteller.”

Film was designed as a platform for ideas and creativity, but it has become much more. It has intertwined with our society in numerous ways, but the stories will always stay with us, and the ideas embedded in those stories cross even the strongest societal barriers. With so many changes prevalent in film and its whole industry, it is important to remember that some things never change.

A man explaining the complexity of direction and filmmaking. (Photo courtesy of Austin Film Society)

are exploring modern ideologies and issues, the larger studios are still focused on making money.

But, as Morgan said, “It doesn’t matter how

Spring 2018

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mu 21

Gissel Albiter

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Dopamine is the brains “motivation molecule” and an integral part of the pleasure reward system.

Musicininthe the Music Brain Brain

Whathappens happenswhen whenyou youlisten listen What music? totomusic?

Gissel Albiter-Suarez By:By: Gissel Albiter-Suarez Oxytocin is the “trust molecule” & the “moral molecule” since it helps us bond with & trust others.

Have you ever wondered what happenes in your brain when you listen to music?

When you listen to music your right brain focuses on the melody, it being the creative side and all. The left side analyzes the song. Your whole brain is active when listening to music. It reacts to it by releasing certain hormones that’s why feel that comfort with your song.

Listening to & playing music reduces chronic strees by lowerring the stress hormone.

Scientist have proven that listening to upbeat music can improve your mood.

Music simulates more parts of the brain than any other human function, scientist have proven that a person’s brain who play an instrument is more developed than t a person who does not play an instrument.

Your whole brain is active when listening to music.

It reacts to it by releasing certain hormones that’s why feel . that way with your song.

Oxytocin is the “trust molecule” & the “moral molecule” since it helps us bond with & trust others.

Sources: Alban, Deane. “How Music Affects The Brain” Be Brain Fit, 30 Apr. 2018, bebrainfit.com/music-brain/.

The Sound of Film Music in the brain

Story by: Gissel Albiter-Suarez

w

hen watching a horror movie

right before the exorcism goes wrong, the music intensifies. The audience start to fear and panic, but they keep watching for the thrills.

When watching a sad movie right before the heartbeat of the perfect girl goes flat and the mom’s world collapses, “Breathe Me” by Sia begins to play. The audience beings to uncontrollably bawl their eyes out.

Lupe Casares on set of a film (Photo from Lupe Casares)

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In a film, when the director is trying to reach out to the audience they use music. When watching a film, the audience is most likely to enjoy the movie if they can relate or feel what it is like to be in the character’s shoes. This is where music comes in to lend a helping hand and reach out to the audience, making their heart melt or jump out of their chest. The tone of music makes people feel a certain way and when combined with lyrics, completely blows the audience away.

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I consider that part of the movie a special miracle and a great artistic touch -Lupe Casares

”

When a person listens to music, they listen to it because they enjoy it. Listening to music makes the brain release hormones, whether it is dopamine, the happy hormone or epinephrine, also known as adrenaline.

Unlike most activities, music affects the whole brain. Although it is mostly a rightbrain activity due to the creativity put into making music, there is also a left-brain activity. When a person listens to music, the right side of the brain focuses on the melody of the music, and the analytical left side breaks down the song to understand the musical structure and what the artist was trying to convey with the song’s rhythm and lyrics. In film, directors use this to their advantage.

Lupe Casares working with composer (Photo from Lupe Casares

Lupe Casares is a theater, film and TV director. He became a director because he felt the need to tell a story that has been neglected. He has worked on over 100 films as an actor, writer, and executive producer. His favorite work yet is a TV series called “The Padres Con Poder.”

“I am interested in a movie having the content to impact people and steer them into improving their lives” Casares said.

He said music plays a big role in telling the story and reaching out to the audience in the film. As a director, Casares prefers to find a musician or composer who he believes connects to the story the film is trying to tell.

Casares does not actually pick the songs for his films, he says “the right music for a scene is what your heart tells you. I am not the expert on score for a movie.. I have the up most respect for the editor or director who identifies the right music.”

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Lupe Casares is on set of one of his many movies (Photo from Lupe Casares)

“

I am interested in a movie having the content to impact people and steer them into improving their lives -Lupe Casares

”

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Picking the music for a film can be a difficult task. When picking a song for a scene the director has to take in consideration the emotions they want the audience to feel and pick an appropriate tempo and a song with appropriate lyrics for the film. “The art is to know when and what genre of music to use,” Casares said. Picking a song for a scene is not something one does carelessly, it takes time and lots of thought. Casares suggests that music is a special miracle and a great artistic touch to the film from the director.

In a film, people are focused on the acting and the quality of the movie, but no one ever thinks how much music actually impacts the film. “Music is essential in a film because it helps you to tell the story by setting the mood,” Casares said. If someone watched “Jaws” without the suspenseful music, they would not get the full experience. It would be like eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with only peanut butter.

Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash

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The right music for a scene is what your heart tells you.

-Lupe Casares

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplashe

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techn logy

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Allen Zhao

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Background Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

How a Camera Works By: Allen Zhao

Light that has bounced off objects enters through the shutter, which is redirected through the lens.

The light then touches the film, where a chemical reaction takes place, creating a image on the strip of film.

Different sizes of lenses can make images appear bigger or smaller. Lenses can also change the image’s final color

Digital Cameras work differently, using electronic sensors to detect sunlight and converting that light into pixels.

Photo by Mattias Diesel on Unsplash

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• • •

Deepak Chetty ,UT Austin Lecturer http://www.explainthatstuff.com https://electronics.howstuffworks.com

• https://www.esquire.com • http://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk • http://ethw.org

k

Evolution of Film Tech

By: Allen Zhao

The year 1888 marks the invention of the first film camera, the Kodak as well as the making of the first movie, the Roundhay Garden Scene

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The kinetograph(1889) was made by the Edison Company which allowed for one person to see moving pictures at a time. The Lumiere brothers later(1895) made films bigger so many people could view them at once. In 1925, stop motion was introduced with the release of the movie, The Lost World

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In 1927, filmakers started syncronizing sound with film itself , The Jazz Singer being the first one to feature this. William O’ Brian in 1933, further perfected stop-motion in the movie King Kong. More high quality films are being made with better quality cameras. In 1935, color is introduced in film with the invention of Technicolor.

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As time went all, film quality became better and better with the highest quality today being IMAX, invented in 1971. Theaters also made film more immersive with the introduction of 3-D film and widescreen in 1953. Steven Spielberg outclassed O’Brian’s stop-motion with modern day CGI in his movie Jurassic Park in 1993.

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Background Image by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

3,2,1, Action!

Impact of Tech in Film By: Allen Zhao The hero, holding a scared artifact, on a cliff, was running away from a horde of angry demons. The hero reaches the edge of the cliff and seems like he has met his fate. He falls down and then suddenly, an angel comes in, swoops down, and lifts the hero away to safety. The hero has completed his quest and the credits roll with the audience staring at the black and white screen, left to ponder about what just happened.

S

Wiley Akins is an Motion Graphics Wiley Akins is an Motion Graphics Lecturer Lecturer at UT Austin. (By Allen Zhao) at UT Austin. (Photo by: Allen Zhao)

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Filmmakers can make angels fly and demons seem alive using a variety of tools which let the audience be truly immersed into a film. Today, movies are able to create images that are out of this world. Tools like motion graphics, motion capture, and high quality cameras are used. Good movies that attract us cannot solely rely on eye candy however, amazing sequences must be paired up with good storytelling. Movies are also often shot out of sequence so editors must use video editing to polish or sometimes shape the story a little differently.

You can have people doing Shakespeare on the moon, or flying through the air like superman -Wiley Akins

This is image was taken from a video displaying motion graphics, which shows what motion graphics is able to create today. (Image Produced

by Caegan Meagher on Neon Dope Machine)

Motion graphics are able to create things that cannot be created in real life. Motion graphics are based on the idea of moving and creating an object which will appear real to the viewer.

“Basically you have something you’re trying to make move in a particular way to convey a particular attitude and personality with those movements,” said Wiley Akins, lecturer and teacher of motion graphics at The University of Texas at Austin (UT).

Akins has been in the motion graphics industry for more than 15 years now, working for a couple studios and game companies in developing animations for various reasons.

His most recent work includes modeling the death of the first pre-human, Lucy, for the anthropology department. Being able to create anything from nothing has always fascinated Akins, as he enjoyed painting and sculpting as a child.

Motion graphics started from title sequences and developed further from there with Saul Bass, considered a father figure in the rise of motion graphics, making memorable title sequences for movies like “The Man with the Golden Arm” and “North by Northwest”. “He was really kind of noted for mixing and like

“

“

really interesting sort of styles and designs.” said Caegan Meagher, a motion graphics, video editor, and a teacher at the Austin School of Film. Bass’ work is quite simplistic and can be seen in logos like at&t and Quaker today.

Meagher has been on tour with band Louis The Child and worked to make commercials for telecom companies.

The most common way of how motion graphics are used and applied to film are using the green screen process. First, the scene is filmed with green screens placed where the background would be; then a background is pasted digitally using some software onto the green screen.

Then the scene is left to more polishing which then more effects can be added.

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“

-Vox

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Film is transportive; it inspires nostalgia

As the demand for movies rose, motion graphics improved. Special effects used to be a lot harder to film or make. Many people had to work together to create a very short movie that had special effects. Nowadays, with the introduction of digital computer graphics, the same techniques can be applied by a single individual. Greater efficiency also allows for better quality of film which in turn allows for bigger movies to be produced.

After effects, a program by Adobe, is often used to create the many effects, or CGI, used in films today. It can create anything, limited to one’s own imagination. “You can have people doing Shakespeare on the moon, or flying through the air like superman,” said Akins. Big Hollywood movies use other more expensive special effects programs like OpenEXR and many more programs to convey extra depth, create special effects, and better enhance quality.

Sometimes, actors play fictional characters that are hard to make costumes for in real life.

In this case, a technique called motion capture is used. “An actor that is basically dressed in a black leotard with a hood. We put a number of reflective markers that keep key elements of the torso, the elbow, the wrist, the shoulder, knees, ankles, top of the feet, top of the head just to name a few,” Wiley Akins said, “What happens with those markers is the cameras look at them and establish their position in a X, Y, Z space.” A skeletal structure is then applied onto the captured movement which then creates a fictional character. This is how Gollum in “Lord of the Rings”, Iron Man in “The Avengers”, and much more fantastical characters are created.

A man is wearing a body suit with reflectors. This technique is used for applying digital makeup to actors which cannot be done or is hard to do in real life.

(Photo by Wiley Akins.)

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CGI and motion capture effects can’t make a movie just by themselves, a camera must be used to record moving images. There are two types of cameras film and digital. As movies became more modern, film “started shifting to digital” said Deepak Chetty, a director and lecturer of cinematography at UT. Digital cameras were easier to work with and required less time to produce a scene than film cameras.

Adobe Premiere is a video editing software that edits video using a timeline format. Being able to drag and drop effects or to organize the order of scenes using computers have allowed for easier editing of films, which in turn, allows the finished product to be more high quality. (Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash)

Deepak Chetty has directed and helped film quite a few movies including directing and working on visual effects on “Hard Reset”, various effects on “Spider-Man 3”, and other film projects.

Some directors still prefer to use film over digital however claiming that digital can sometimes be too real. Vox, a media outlet, writes that, “Film is transportive; it inspires nostalgia, especially among film buffs.

Compared with that, digital video can look antiseptic and polished.” Film also has a certain distinct look to it, something digital can’t mimic perfectly.

As time went on, cameras improved as other aspects of film, like motion graphics and capture improved. “We went from film cameras that were very large and bulky and shot black and white film to cameras that have full color, a large format, things like imax five millimeter film.” said Chetty.

Finally, another crucial part of film is editing itself. Video editing can make or break a film and when it comes down to it, decide if a movie is good or not. A great example of this is in “Star Wars: A New Hope” as Meagher explains,

Background Image Produced by Caegan Meagher on Neon Dope Machine

“The entire ending of Star Wars: A New Hope was saved in the editing because they had shot it differently. Super important, you know, you can make or break a movie for sure.” This comes to prove part of good storytelling in movies doesn’t always happen in the beginning when script writers write a script, but also in the end, when editors arrange shots so that the movie flows naturally.

Editing films has improved to be faster over the years. “What editors used to do is just literally splice shots together and you’d have people who would literally sit there and cut the tape and be like, all right, well there’s an edit off we go and it was much, much more time intensive and it’s changed to be hyper frenetic and fast.” said Meagher. Again, efficiency allows for more time to be put into other areas in film.

From a blank strip of film to vibrant images on a screen, these tools create something to let us lose our minds in. As time passes, these tools will be able to create more high quality movies, with improved aspects in every way attract more movie junkies. What’s next for movies?

Only time will tell.

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Illuminating Minds from 2018