Featured Sample
The illusion of movement created by recording and successional accelerated projection of such recordings comprising still pictures, on a screen is what we call, ‘Cinematography’. This invention of 19th century has expanded so vastly that now it has engaged thousands of people and has become an industry. This is now, in the current scenario, has become the amplified mode of mass communication and entertainment. But, the question which will be dealt with in this essay is, had we lost the real essence of ‘cinema’ over all these years since its birth…. Or are we heading towards the death of cinema? It was stated that cinema itself has motived the possibilities of its uncertain future and the advancements in the technological innovations has contributed to the same (Belton 2014). The transformation started with the development of our fine arts, their types and establishment of advanced uses; the time has changed as previously the power of action of men was insignificant as compared to what they have today (Frampton 2004). This essay will endeavor to explore the reasons behind the diminishing of cinema from vantage standpoint of history which is the result of technological revolution in the cinema.
The amazing growth of the technology has led to the remarkable adaptability and fidelity, but at the same time the present-day cinema has also attained some serious changes that are thwarting the “Beautiful” ancient craft (Valéry1964). The alarming sound which warned the death of cinema was acknowledged and heard by many critics, theorists and filmmakers and they could predict that the end of cinema is near or has almost arrived. The ‘cinema’ here is inclusive of its various forms such as silent cinema, the cinema of montage and expressionistic mise-en-scene which was considered to be the foundation of the images (Simpsonet al. 2004). The modern day technologies which constitute the advancements in sounds, widescreens, 3D and colors are considered to be threats to the chastity of the ancient art of cinema (Arnheim1957). The pure form of cinema was the one which was silent, black and white and was mostly square and the insertion of sound to the action was considered to be ‘quite ruinous’and it was conclusively said that ‘the screen or cinema has lost more than it has gained’. The grief was expressed as the developments in the cinema have though conquered the world of voices, yet, it has lost the world of dreams (Weiset al. 1985). The development of media has two-fold aspect, on one hand it has jeopardized cinema to destroy itself through intrinsic technological progress, and on the other hand, it has become the potential sufferer of other forms of media. Moreover, the growing competition among the technologies most preferably in the television and videos is anticipated to be the reason behind the destruction of art of cinema (Beltonet al.2010).
Besides technological elevation and its incorporation in the cinematography, ‘product placements’ are also believed to have exploited the radios and televisions as advertising platforms of movies. The product placement is not something new, rather its use dates back to the era of motion pictures (Lehu2007). There are multiple examples of employment of product placements in stage performances and the art which precedes motion pictures. The modern-day product placement has become more of “Camera! Action! Sales!” instead of “Lights! Camera! Action!” (Walton2010). The excessive exploitation of cinematographic platforms for the advertisement of products is leading to manipulation of mainstream cinema and the advertisers have been proved to be very opportunist while relying on stars to set trends for their brands and products (Nagar2016). The knowledge in the vogue has pointed out how cinema is parallelly growing as a medium to promote brands, services and other commodities (Dunnett& Hoek1996). The excessive placements of advertisements as almost full-length movies reflected this very clearly that the unrealistic settings and using such stimuli do not represent true cinema ambience which includes more of publicities and low persuasion of knowledge (Olsenet al. 2012).
The idea portrayed by the modern cinema is not just to see a movie but also to become a movie (Hall 2002). It is very evident that contemporary cinema is becoming a part of our lives and cultures but at the same time they are resulting in shift of focus by incorporating beliefs and values (Hall 2002). It has become very important to argue that entertainment media is shaping our society as modern-day arts are trying to reflect the oversimplified current processes which are in reality very complex. They strive to address current issues and find their solutions according to the prevailing perspectives but the enigma is popular arts have never been merely a reflection. The functionality of popular arts was to highlight the ideals, values, beliefs and attributes and popularize them within our culture to shape our lives (Romanowski2007). The cinema is not merely an audio or visual treat rather it also keeps account of societal, economic and political conditions prevailing in the entourage in which the person is living (Mahmoud 2013). Cinema is one of the ways through which the film-maker tries to narrate his imagination to the public at large, cinema is blessed with that unique power which pulls the audience into some sort of dreamy world leaving very little scope of stressed thoughts in their minds. But, the increasing number of crime rates is one the many outcomes of influence of modern cinema on the society as irrespective of thematic requirements, it has reflected numerous ways in which crimes can be incorporated which lead to the glamorization of these elements of crimes. The crimes occurring in the society are not very much different from those which are depicted in the films (Pahari 2009)
