“Film, television, and video are vehicles of creative expression” (Janaro & Altshuler, p. 240)
This is very true. When someone thinks of things that allow us to express ourselves, we think of things such as art or books. You know, things that could tell a story or send a message. The three things mentioned in that quote are included in that category. For one thing, there is absolutely enough time in films for someone to spread a message in it. Some films already feature something such as a moral for the viewer to walk away with. In just about every television show, there is a story to be found in every single episode. In videos, you are free to put pretty much whatever you want in them, and there is a lot of freedom to be creative.
“Certainly Star Wars ushered in the era of high-end special effects, blockbuster franchises, and the centrality of science fiction and fantasy in our movie world.” (Janaro & Altshuler, p. 253)
Give this little statement some thought, and it will end up making a lot of sense. Before Star Wars came to be, there was not a whole ton of movies quite like it. It would not be until after this movie that we would see a lot more movies packed with special effects and series of movies that are science fiction and fantasy related. There are plenty of examples of movies like this that came after Star Wars. One strong example would be the Harry Potter movie series, which is about a boy who has magical powers. Another example would be the Marvel movie series, which is about a universe of super heroes. Marvel had been around before Star Wars, but the cinematic universe would not exist until nearly thirty years after. These examples are far from the only ones. without the Star Wars movies, I feel like the world of movies would look much different.
“The fact is that the ‘new golden age’ of television is now.” (Janaro & Altshuler, p. 268)
When a few details of how the situation looks these days are taken into account, it is not hard to realize that this is quite true. For one thing, if a show is aired on a channel that often comes with something like ads, there will be a necessity for censorship and limits. Once these things are forced to be taken into account, the magic can be killed. I am talking about things like violence, sexual content, language, scheduling, and timing. However, when these shows are featured on premium channels and streaming services, these chains end up removed. Now that shows are being moved to these locations, I strongly believe that television is improving.
Conclusion
To conclude, this chapter will give you a strong, excellent view into the world of film and television and what it involves. Of course, the reader will likely have knowledge on this topic going in, but it is guaranteed that they will walk out knowing even more.
Works Cited
Janaro, R. P., & Altshuler, T. C. (2017). The Art of Being Human: The Humanities as a Technique for Living. Boston, MA: Pearson
Picture of Old Television: (Slate Blog (2019). https://slate.com/culture/2019/10/golden-age-of-tv-is-over-streaming-wars.html
Picture of Star Wars: (NPRIllinois Blog (2020). https://www.nprillinois.org/post/why-we-cant-stop-arguing-about-star-wars-or-unexpected-virtue-chili#stream/0
Picture of Flat-Screen Television: (Qrius Blog (2018). https://qrius.com/television-viewing-millennials-affecting-industry/
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