Friday, December 18, 2009

Film Studies, and How I Know Nothing

I'm not afraid to admit when I'm completely ignorant on a subject and, when it comes to analyzing film, I find that I am a complete novice. All the technical jargon used by Villarejo just makes me feel...stupid. And that's not a way that I generally like to feel. I realize just how much I have to learn when it comes to being able to adequately discuss a film other than the general plot points and talent of the actors.

With a lack of any kind of impressive English majory words...there is a lot of stuff that goes into it. Sure, I like movies. But so does everyone. You'd think that a culture of people brought up on watching them would be kind of be embedded with the information, but I don't know the first thing about what she writes in her section on cinematography.

Granted, that's what the book is meant to educate its readers on, but still, like I said, you'd think we'd kind of already know some of it. Thank God I haven't taken anything beyond Drama and Film yet because without this book or I'd be screwed.

Certainly there are movies that I love, but I don't love them because of camera angles or subtle directorial choices. I love them usually because of the story, or the characters. I remember watching one of my favorite movies with a friend of mine who went to school for film-making and she was noticing all these things that I couldn't see. And when she tried to talk about them with me I couldn't contribute at all because I had no background.

I think I'll end this post with a question. I wonder why it is that there isn't more emphasis put on looking at films analytically in high school. We all watch them and there are so many that have had serious impacts on our society. In this changing, technologically advanced society that we live in, I think it might be time to start implementing more film courses in high school...and then maybe people won't feel quite as dumb as I do when they come across a book like Villarejo's.

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