Who doesn’t love to watch movies? Whether it be a suspense-filled horror film or something that will tickle your funny bone, watching a movie helps us relax and forget all our other preoccupations even for a while. It is something that could help us ease our tension and divert our attention to what we are viewing. We could relate to the actors, and sometimes, we even derive our decisions and actions based from what we see or hear from them.
Motion pictures are by far the most used, most convenient form of mass media. Through movies, people can see others’ way of life and can relate to them. They could transmit messages through the actors’ portrayal of roles. It is universal because people from different countries from different walks of life could watch it and have their own say to what they saw. Language is also not a hindrance—because the mere fact that that the audience sees action, I think they could comprehend to what they are watching. This proved to be true because the earliest films didn’t have the actors talking. Movies have the power to tell people what and what not to do. Through their storylines, they could greatly influence the way of thinking of its viewers, even without being in direct contact with them. It’s like a storytelling process that never ends, because different movies convey different messages, and the audience may come up with different meanings or translations. Movies adapted from books are also a fad nowadays. Some people can better understand what they are reading when they see it on film. Visual understanding, so to speak. This also signifies that movies contain information necessary for us to understand certain things happening around us, whether fact or fiction.
The making of movies also serves as our expedient to freely express ourselves and let others see what these films are made for. There are patriotic films, science films, fiction films—the list goes on. The diversity of the topics or subjects used by the filmmakers is of incalculable value, because these are what bring life to the movies made.
Then came entertainment. Movies, I agree, are one of the best forms of entertainment. It amuses the audience with whatever story it presents, and its use may vary. Before, people have Nickelodeons. These are small theaters that when you drop a nickel, you could view a short film. During that time, most of the people were contented with that kind of set-up. Many patronized the Nickelodeon. Cinema had a particular appeal, and people of different classes wanted to go to movie theaters. This also provides social meetings for men and women alike. Blacks were then barred from the Nickel theaters. Then came movies with sound. People can now hear actors talk, and also with the coming of color, movies are now vibrant and more interesting to watch. Over the years, with technology as its aid, the movie industry flourished. Nowadays, whether of what race or country you are from, we can watch movies anytime we want to. Movies of different genres are readily available today. And we can see films not only in the theaters, but also in drive-ins and in our very own TV sets at home. As the years pass, more and more people are making movies. This further implies that our movie industry is in the rise. We should capitalize in our resources so that we may continue to improve and be known as good and responsible filmmakers and movie-goers. See you at the movies! ;-)
Friday, August 3, 2007
Spooky Night!
What comes to your mind when you hear the word Halloween? For me, I imagine toddlers clad in their costumes, lining up in the ever popular Trick or Treat; street/house parties decorated with lots of cobwebs and gooey sticky stuff, posters and masks of monsters worn by people who try to scare others. This is the typical Halloween setting—dark, eerie, vague—but fun.
On October 30, 1938, an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theater in the Air aired War of the Worlds, an adaptation of HG Wells’ novel of the same title. I listened to the broadcast and found its script for back-up. It was so long, it would have bored me had I not found the script and then figured that it was so action-packed!
During those times, the radio was the most convenient form of mass communication. It’s like everyone can hear what radio commentators say, and many believed it to be true. Well, the story was about Martians attacking the earth, and studies made by unnamed historians conclude that six million people heard the Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS) broadcast; 1.7 million believed tit to be true, and 1.2 million were extremely frightened of what they thought of as breaking news. People were astounded; they panicked and thought that might be the end. In the garden of a certain Mr. Wilmuth in Grover’s Mill in New Jersey was where the cylindrical metal disk landed. It contained Martians—green with tentacles, ready to attack and conquer the earth. It was also said that many “were killed by putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared,” and that martial law was even declared throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Police and authority tried to shoot the Martians, but they failed. In the end, men were defeated. The Martians prevailed and inhabited our planet. Only Prof. Richard Pierson remained alive. He was an astronomer, and he was also the one who documented the Martian invasion.
At the end of the broadcast, I could say that Carl Phillips was an effective commentator. Not only did he spoke well, he also helped the other characters give justice to their roles. Plus points for delivering the lines meticulously that they seemed almost real. Maybe this was why the people listening got totally hooked—that they forgot they were supposed to hear a drama. If I were part of the audience that time, I swear I would have also believed. Of course, that topic is something new to my ears, something I would be fascinated about, and at the same time will make me wonder if there was really extraterrestrial life. I would have been in hiding to save my precious life for fear to be killed! No kidding! Probably, the serious tone of the actors is what made the broadcast convincing enough. Also, a bit of exaggeration like many civilians who died because of the metal disk that landed and was first thought of as a meteorite, for example, greatly stole the audience’s attention. Greatly affected were the people that they forgot its Halloween. Actually, War of the Worlds was a Halloween presentation. I give director Orson Welles two thumbs up for a job well done. It’s like April Fools’ Day set in Halloween. A good scare, isn’t it? ;-)
On October 30, 1938, an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theater in the Air aired War of the Worlds, an adaptation of HG Wells’ novel of the same title. I listened to the broadcast and found its script for back-up. It was so long, it would have bored me had I not found the script and then figured that it was so action-packed!
During those times, the radio was the most convenient form of mass communication. It’s like everyone can hear what radio commentators say, and many believed it to be true. Well, the story was about Martians attacking the earth, and studies made by unnamed historians conclude that six million people heard the Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS) broadcast; 1.7 million believed tit to be true, and 1.2 million were extremely frightened of what they thought of as breaking news. People were astounded; they panicked and thought that might be the end. In the garden of a certain Mr. Wilmuth in Grover’s Mill in New Jersey was where the cylindrical metal disk landed. It contained Martians—green with tentacles, ready to attack and conquer the earth. It was also said that many “were killed by putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared,” and that martial law was even declared throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Police and authority tried to shoot the Martians, but they failed. In the end, men were defeated. The Martians prevailed and inhabited our planet. Only Prof. Richard Pierson remained alive. He was an astronomer, and he was also the one who documented the Martian invasion.
At the end of the broadcast, I could say that Carl Phillips was an effective commentator. Not only did he spoke well, he also helped the other characters give justice to their roles. Plus points for delivering the lines meticulously that they seemed almost real. Maybe this was why the people listening got totally hooked—that they forgot they were supposed to hear a drama. If I were part of the audience that time, I swear I would have also believed. Of course, that topic is something new to my ears, something I would be fascinated about, and at the same time will make me wonder if there was really extraterrestrial life. I would have been in hiding to save my precious life for fear to be killed! No kidding! Probably, the serious tone of the actors is what made the broadcast convincing enough. Also, a bit of exaggeration like many civilians who died because of the metal disk that landed and was first thought of as a meteorite, for example, greatly stole the audience’s attention. Greatly affected were the people that they forgot its Halloween. Actually, War of the Worlds was a Halloween presentation. I give director Orson Welles two thumbs up for a job well done. It’s like April Fools’ Day set in Halloween. A good scare, isn’t it? ;-)
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