A Message from Movieland

2009-04-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

Books have long been a key form of literature in our society. They have enhanced imagination and allowed individuals to develop their ability to escape reality and be a part of something that they would otherwise not be exposed to. Although print media has definitely developed into a huge part of our society, now movies have taken the stage when it comes to popular entertainment. They have taken the role of written media in many scenes. Movies are a newer type of literature (than print media) that caters to providing entertainment to individuals in a more visually-stimulating manner. Communication itself has actually now become hugely centered around images, and more people even respond to visual stimulus when learning. Since movies have emerged as an important form of media, there have also been several trends that have evolved over the decades.

One trend that we can notice quite explicitly is the fascination that movie makers have with film adaptations of novels and written literature. Ever since movies were made, there were movies based on printed literature. In the past, many of these were largely about sensible situations and historical realities. Movies like Titanic and A Walk to Remember focused on stories that were either about a historical event or something that relates to everyday life. Now as time has passed, a new genre has begun to emerge. No longer are film adaptations of written work limited to stories about realistic situations. Written work like children’s novels and graphic novels are now being chosen for movie plot-lines. Basically there are two major reasons why these children story adaptations have become so popular in the last few years. Firstly, newer technology has been developed to enhance the movie experience; secondly, movie producers and directors who’ve grown up reading these stories are now taking the reins when it comes to movie-making. These two distinct reasons – technology and generation – have led to more and more children’s story adaptations being evident in our society.

Many forms of literature have been dubbed ‘children’s literature’, but the film world has diversified that genre quite a bit. Various books and graphic novels that were once thought to be solely enjoyed by children, have been adapted into films that adults can also enjoy. These stories are not so much about the ordinary things in life, but focus on the fantastical, the unbelievable and even the supernatural. Superhero movies have also been put into this category in the past, because comic books were often thought of as being directed to children since they are graphic novels, and they include some of the fantasy aspect that separates this type of literature. Even if we analyze the top-grossing movies in the last year compared to those from a couple of decades ago, it is clear how ‘children’s’ stories have now been adapted to interest the whole family – and so there is a huge market for this kind of plot.

With this in mind, it means that from the top 10 grossing films of 2008, The Dark Knight, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar 2, Iron Man, WALL-E and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian were all movies that made it big in the box office and can also be put in the ‘children’s literature’-based film category. Forty years prior to this date, in 1968, the top grossing films of this year included a number of works that were film adaptations of a play or novel – such as Oliver! and Romeo and Juliet – however there wasn’t any movie that would properly fit into the ‘children’s literature’ category which can also be appropriate for adults and that included the fantasy aspect. We can see that in 1988, twenty years earlier, there were a few movies that fit this description such as Beetlejuice, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Big (out of the top 10 grossing films of that year). This proves that over the years, the popularity for children’s films has greatly increased, and technology has developed to be used in these storylines as well.

We’ve established that these children’s stories have the fantastical in common. In the past, exhibiting these whimsical ideas into a movie was difficult, because there were certain obstacles that the producers faced to make the movie look authentic and realistic. But now, newer artistic elements have emerged, making movies much more appealing as well as entertaining. In terms of technological advancements, with the easy access to technology like better stunt equipment as well as CGI animation, stories that were once difficult to render onto the big screen can be developed and even impress the audience with its effects. As technology develops our society, the entrance of this into the film industry has resulted in countless movies being made using this technique. This means that computer animation is used to produce images that would otherwise be created using one’s imagination – the basis of the ultimate novel. It has developed as a new form of film-making since 1976. Characters that were once too tricky to realistically produce on-screen can now become much more convincing with the use of CGI animation. Computer animation has led to the challenge of producing photorealistic animation such as anthropomorphism and human motion as well. If we take a look at Dr.Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who, we can compare the older version to that of the recent 2008 adaptation using CGI animation. It is evident how much more detailed the CGI animation allows film makers to be, and how it adds to the texture and realism of the characters.

Original Version

Recently Released

The first completely computer-generated series was ReBoot, and the first computer-generated animated movie was Toy Story. Notice that both of these are mainly directed towards children, and have anthropomorphism or some sense of fantasy to it. Also, with computer animation, it allows for more realistic special effects – which leads me to bring up the comic book phase.

Ever since the graphic novel was first available, essentially there were comic books as well. And with comic books come avid comic book fans. Supporters of Batman, Spiderman, Superman…you name it, many of whom have lined up their comic-book collections and waited patiently for the release of the newest editions. The superheroes featured in these graphic novels represented a part of a humanity that was often difficult to find: the powerful, yet concealed conquerors leading double lives and risking what they had in order to save human kind. And people have accepted this idea willingly. In the past, reenacting the scenes featured in these comic books was a difficult task. Film makers tried their best to show it realistically, with such movies as Superman and Batman. Here we can see how much film-making has changed over the years and has allowed movie makers to use advanced stunts and special effects in their film versions of Batman.

Original Batman from 1966

Tim Burton's Batman

Dark Knight from 2008

The second reason why these children’s movies are so popular and present in movie culture today is because many of the movie producers and directors grew up reading the original literature that these movies are based on. Many of the ingenious minds behind top-grossing films were once fans of the literature behind the movie, and that is what inspired them to make the movie in the first place. In many cases, this is how several of the comic book movies came about. Since a number of directors were avid fans of the series before making the movie, they strive to do ultimate justice to the superhero plotline that they choose. Take Sam Raimi, the director of the Spiderman films. Raimi was a big fan of the Spiderman series in his youth, and his passion for Spiderman helped him get the job. Although many people would say that movies can never do justice to a written work, if the director of the movie is passionate to make it live up to the original, then it can do just that, which is why directors like Sam Raimi are sought out for in the film industry. Another example of a fan of a series is Peter Jackson, the producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He originally discovered these books as a teenager, and became a fan of Tolkien’s literature. The Lord of the Rings trilogy has gone on to become well known for its computer animation effects as well. It uses computer animation mainly to create many of the war scenes as well as characters that were a part of Middle Earth. Below we see the scene between Gandalf and the Balrog. CGI animation can be seen in the visualization of the background and scenery (when the group runs across the ‘bridge’) and also in the character of the Balrog. CGI animation was most likely used for many parts of this fight scene as well.

Gandalf Versus the Balrog

As more and more people grow up and decide to become part of the film industry, they take roles as leaders in these projects and have a chance to present various plot lines and stories that they enjoyed as a child, to the audience that they are catering to. This can be one possible reason why so many children’s stories are becoming so popular in today’s film industry – the younger generation is finally growing up.

Some may say that book-based movies are ruining the intellectual side of society. It could be a means of turning people against reading and becoming more literate. However, many times these movies have actually allowed for more publicity towards these novels. It could be surprising to know the amount of books that have been adapted into movies, because the ratio is probably very high. For example, recently there was an excessive hype about the movie Twilight. Girls – and maybe even guys – around the country were raving over this movie coming out based on a forbidden love between a vampire and a human. When I first heard about this, I was slightly confused since I had known that the book had come out long before the movie was put into motion. It puzzled me as to why so many people were interested in something after all this time. What I came to realize was that turning the book into a movie was a very smart decision, because it gave huge publicity to the book as well. I know several people, including myself, who have read the book now, and who even haven’t watched the movie yet. The incredible amount of excitement for the debut of the movie sparked interest in many people who weren’t fans in the beginning and who have now come to appreciate the novels, if not the movie itself. One very evident example of this is the Harry Potter series. When the movie was first released, people who had read it earlier were interested, but soon enough there emerged fans of the movie. This meant that as the series continued being developed into films, the fans also were interested in reading the book equivalent before the movie was released. And so, Harry Potter managed to rack up, not only a book fan-base, but a movie fan-base as well. In this way, film adaptations of movies (whether children’s movies or not) are a great way to increase interest in lesser-known novels and stories. Movie releases in the past have proven that this kind of publicity can actually be beneficial to the reading public.

Although movies are generally thought of as a means of brain-melting, the movies of today involve a lot more thought and attention than they did in the past. Children who watch these movies can take a lot more from them than just their basic alphabet and simplistic morals. In actuality, many of the stories that emerge today are in fact based on the typical storyline of literature from the past. Although many parents might prefer their children reading classic literature like Romeo and Juliet or Tale of Two Cities, stories like Twilight and Ironman are modern adaptations of these old concepts. They use the basics of classic literature, but are developed to better suit contemporary issues and also be at a level of intellect that matches the versatility of technology today. Society itself is very fast-paced, and these movies do not disappoint when it comes to being fast as well. These films now require the audience to take note of several details and focus on the complex plot lines. Therefore, although reading is very important to the development of a child, these movies can be beneficial to them as well since they increase their intellectual capability to process more information.

Overall, out of film adaptations of written works, children’s literature-based movies have developed into a distinct form of film in the society we currently live in. The use of technology has definitely been useful in rendering the key fantastical elements onto the big screen. This has increased viewer interest, as much of what is on film has become more authentic. Furthermore, the maturity of movie producers and directors who were exposed to this literature while growing up has been very important in these film adaptations emerging so undeniably. Although it has been argued that these movies will be detrimental to the literate side of society, it actually gives more publicity to the written works and also demands more from the audience than the movie equivalents of the past. As these children’s literature-based movies take the stage in today’s film industry, let us just sit back, relax and enjoy our popcorn while we watch Horton speak to the tiny speck of Whoville and Batman kicking some Joker butt.

Works Cited:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_in_film

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cg_animation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_in_film

http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2008&p=.htm

Hi Everybody!

2009-04-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

So this blog is mainly being used to discuss the trends found in movies of today. Pop culture is a huge part of our society, and it is definitely amazing to see what has changed over the years.

This post is also for me to test out the concept of blogging :)
Ok then, enjoy!

A Night at the Movies

A Message from Movieland

Hi Everybody!