De-construction of the Glam-World

A filmmaker would say “Jo bikta hai, wo banta hai”. A film maker like Dibakar Benarjee says, “The audience mind has been corrupted to what I called Emotional pornography. Porno has that comeshotand you are building up to it. Similarly ye Emotional pornography hai. Ke BH**C**D har wakt kuch na kuch hona chaiya.”

Moving further with the discourse on films, a question what do films do? They reflect the societal realities, they entertain etc are the most generic answers you will get. No one will ever say, and I am talking about the people in this business, that films make money. Big Money!! So, the question how they make money? It makes money through distribution channels like cinema hall releases, music sale, overseas collection etc. But who pays that money? It’s the audience. And why will they pay money to see which someone else has made? To be entertained! So far so good! But let’s try to see another aspect for films, especially in context of commercial films.

Talking about main stream commercial cinema, Bollywood (and basics would remain same for all other industries across the globe), there is no doubt that a film will in some way or the other reflect societal realities. Real happenings are the biggest inspiration for films! Even in Sci-Fi’s we get to see the real life in combination with UFO or whatever (look carefully the UFO are just a distorted human being). But an important factor, why films are making money, why people become die hard fans of film actors (idolizing them) while they are simple human beings like you and me is, “FILMS SELL DREAMS!!” Believe it or not, they do.

The flawless skin of actresses, the glow on the back of their hair, almost like the aura of God, is all created my dear friend. Such things don’t exist in reality. Have you ever noticed it even in the most beautiful girl or woman you ever came across??? Then, the macho-men flaunting their six pack abs, surely is not a social reality. (No offense to anyone and everyone who has worked so hard to get them. I wish I had one myself!!) But what I am getting at is, films are made and not merely shot, made in a way to appeal to the audience. Normal life, we all know is boring, so people go to watch films or listen to a radio etc for entertainment. And as far as that purpose is being fulfilled, almost everything is justified. So, I hope I make sense when I say films sell dreams. A guy will like to have a girlfriend who looks like Madhubala or Priyanka Chopra. A girl will like to look like Madhubala or Priyanka. A girl will like to have boyfriend like Hrithik or Saif. A guy will like to have a six pack. But are these realities or are these our wants and desires? This is what selling dreams is, not the ones we feel when we are asleep, but the ones we aspire for. Of course there can be exceptions, in terms of people as well as films and I will, with an open heart, accept them.

Now, mind it, simple plain hard work and back straining effort is what goes into making a film. And it’s so easy to criticize them. Sitting like a lazy bum and writing articles will not change anything. So, my aim here is to get behind the process of filmmaking and not ridicule it.

Film screen is a 2D surface on which a 3D world is presented. Hence, third dimension has to be created, which would exist either in our mind, or in our interpretations. This can be achieved mainly by two techniques: one by creating a feeling of actual depth in the picture and second by creating a make believe world in itself. Creating depth can be achieved by placing a person nearer to the camera and the other farther away, which will build a feeling of distance between the two and hence a 3^rd dimension. The second technique is creating a complete world in itself, which mean a space and time where most things happen according to a set pattern or rule. Eg. In a sci-fi movie like the matrix, things don’t happen as in our world, but according to the backdrop which have been created in the movie and created so effectively and precisely that we believe it while at the same time enjoy it. In addition to this, films have numerous shots like the close up, mid shot or a long shot and a lot of their variations. The camera keeps hopping, showing us different perspectives of the characters and the environment, but there is not time loss in the process. Hence “The Camera” is an omnipresent eye of the director.

Now we know a film is seen from the point of view of its director. But, it is interpreted according our own and a lot of research goes into finding what will gratify the audience and how. Example a horror film is to be made. Then, what is the most effective way to do so? How will the film invoke the feeling that the filmmaker wants in the audience? A few simple techniques are to keep a dark background, use dreadful looking figures and put creepy soundtracks. But, these are just the ingredients. A filmmaker should know how to mix them and in what measure. It is similar to cooking a meal; proper ingredients in required quantity will give a delicious meal and vice-versa. Similarly facts like, inserting silent track before a particular horror sequence to invoke superior reaction by catching the audience off guard, will be used. All these little little facts have to be researched and the best way to present them zeroed down.

Last but not the least, one crucial thing to understand is the fact that we don’t see the action which happens on screen. I repeat we do not see the action that seems to be happening on the screen. Rather, we see an action which was captured by the camera but is now being projected. The action could have happened 50yrs ago, but the power of the medium is such that we feel its happening “right now” in front of our eyes. This is not to take away the excitement of film viewing, but to make ourselves more aware of the facts about this omnipresent medium.

We are all thinking beings and don’t consume each and everything fed to us. We are selective in our choice and like to watch or consume what gratifies us. But through research and reaction study it can be established what will provide gratification to a larger mass and hence manufactured. So understanding cinema as a reel world and not real world becomes imperative.