Feature Films for Families???

Have you seen it?

Movies by Katie Anderson

Movies have had an impact on society for years. However, it has been reformed and investigated on how much of an impact is implied upon audiences. Some say that movies have a direct impact on audiences and cause them to do things due to what they see in a film. On the other hand, some say that movies have no connection to the things that people do. Personally though, I think that movies do have an impact on how the viewers act. Movies also have a rating system that allows viewers to be aware of the material within a film.

Society is influenced by movies in many ways including the way people talk, act, dress, etc. Movie history Gerald mast said, “movies have…been an immensely powerful social and cultural force… They have produced social changes—in ways of dress, patterns of speech, methods of courting. And they have mirrored social changes—in fashion, sexual mores, political principles.” Movies often influence viewers to act like the characters within a film. The downside of this is that most movies include themes such as crime, sex, or love. It has been researched and proven that some acts of violence or immorality have been committed due to a scene that was viewed within a movie. Young people often see movies as a source of ideas about action, romance, and standard of beauty. In essence, they were using the movies to learn how to behave as an adult.

Some people may argue that movies are just like real life and reflect things that are happening in the world. However, movies quite often display extreme situation that are designed to shock audiences, not to reflect the real world. Often times, love movies will display a perfect relationship between a man and a woman. This situation doesn’t always come to be with every couple created. But through movies, people expect to have those situations happen to them. Also, in action packed movies lots of stunts are created. Not only are these stunts performed by professional stuntmen who have practiced, but they also land on a big squishy mat that isn’t seen in the film. Some viewers see these scenes and like to try reenacting them without the mat. This often causes injury or even death. Crime also is often sought after as something cool that the movies do. We need to remember that the movies aren’t real life. They don’t always portray things happening in the world.

It’s nice for parents to be able to know what kind of content is in movies that their children will be going to see. This is why the production code was created. It consisted of the G, PG, and R rating. However, because of movies like Indiana Jones, it has been reformed and the PG-13 rating was added. These ratings allow parents to know what kind of material such as sexual references, violence, language, etc. are contained within the film. I think that this is a great way for not only parents but people like myself who make decisions to be able to know what is in a film before I go spend money to see it. This is a really great tool provided by the movie industry and will help us make better choices when it comes to the movies since they apparently affect us in our daily lives. The ratings of the movies we watch are the ratings of our lives.

The things we do for Entertainment...

Midnight showing of Harry Potter and others...

The Development of Movies by Rochelle Rogers

Movies are a way of storytelling that give people a way of seeing things they might not ever see if it were not for movies. Movies did not become a major part of entertainment business until the early twentieth century. Thomas Edison is given most of the credit for creating the American motion picture industry; however, it is his work along with the work of many others that has made the movie industry what it is today.
The first movies were not seen by a group of individuals at a time like today, but by a single person. This was done by the use of a kinetoscope, which was developed by Thomas Edison. A kinetoscope is an early movie projection system that the viewer had to peep into to see what was being shown. It was the kinetoscope that gave the movie industry a push towards what we have today.
In 1903, the film The Great Train Robbery, made by Edwin S. Porter, made the people watching actually feel like they were right there. Porter used every element from today’s action films to create a story, telling of a group of outlaws. This short film showed the story of the outlaws and the things they did before they were caught. It was this movie that told a story, through film, that could have actually been real.
After the film The Great Train Robbery, the feature-length film came into existence. Without the feature-length film, the blockbuster would not exist. Most people only see feature-length, blockbuster films today. They are the movies that run more than an hour and receive a lot of publicity. Most people love to go to movies today. Movies are a great way to get out and do something. People just need to remember that movies have not always been like they are today, and all should be grateful for the opportunities that we have to go out and watch movies.

That Business We Call Show Business by Megan Carlson

The movie business has changed quite a bit over the last few decades. They started out as silent films then moved into the studio period and from about the 1970s to the present we are considered to be in the blockbuster era. The book Mass Media: Living in a Media World defines the blockbuster era as: studios trying to make relatively expensive movies with a large, predefined audience. Steven Spielberg has been labeled as creating this blockbuster era with the big hit of the summer Jaws. This movie ended up being a huge hit! Before this time, movies were said to have been put out during the Christmas season to even do well. Other problems have started to arise over the years concerning home videos and the issue of piracy. Moviemakers are trying to make their movies a bigger hit at the beginning to be able to still keep their attendance up.

The 80’s were not just known for leg warmers and tree tiered bangs, but this was also the era in which VCR’s started to become more important. The statistic from the book states that by 1994 over 85 percent of all U.S. households had a VCR. Of course something bigger and better was released with the DVD which as of 2006 almost 81 percent of households had DVD players. Home videos did not only provide a way to enjoy your favorite blockbuster hits, but it brought older movies as well as foreign ones onto the screens of many TV sets. I love to get ready, and go to dinner and a movie, but there is something to say for curling up on the couch in your own home with an old favorite.

Today it is easier than ever for the average American to make their own movie. We are definitely in the digital age. The same technology that was used to make desktop publishing possible is now the same system used for any movie. And now not only can these be put on just a small disk, but they can be streaming on the internet literally minutes are they are shot; amazing!

Although anyone can make a movie, it does not always mean that if it is published it will turn over a profit. Only about 20 to 30 percent of movies are actually considered very profitable. The whole idea behind this is the ratio between the cost of producing/promoting and how much revenue is brought in. The difference determines if it was a flop or a hit! The major issue behind this is deciding how much of a large budget you want to put into a movie that may not be such a success. I am so happy movie makers keep taking these risks and providing me with enjoyable entertainment.