Movie Watching, a Hobby or an ART?
Martin Scorsese’s take on cinema, “Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out”. How much does this make sense? To me it means a lot.
I am an engineering grad who loves to watch movies every now and then. So I might say that I have a hobby of watching movies. (in fact I have nothing else to do except watch movies and series on my laptop and of course eat and sleep!).
So having a hobby of watching movie means that I might be watching each and every movie that come on Friday right away, right? No, its not what watching movie as a hobby is.
This watching movie as a hobby thing started during your first day at a college or school or tuition, where the professor/teacher for introduction makes each and every one stand up and say their name and from where they are and stuff and tell you to speak about yourself and what are the hobbies. Believe me the professor has no interest in learning about your hobbies at all, its just he/she wants make a impression among the students that he/she is cool enough to respect your hobbies.
Well most of the folks(actually, those who have talent and real hobbies) will say something like singing, book reading, dancing and much more creative activities they pursue. Among all, the most common hobby that everyone will say that you will find is Watching Movie and Listening to Music.
Among all, the most common hobby you will find folks say is Watching Movie and Listening to Music.
So what is that you actually do in this so called hobby of watching movie?
First most answer people usually say:
I watch each and every movie that release every Friday.
I go to theatre to watch each weekend to watch at least one movie.
I watch at least two to three movies a day.
Whenever I want to relax or take a break, I watch movie, it takes the stress out of me.
and stuffs and some routine answers.
So just by watching any movie at your leisure or when you are tired and want to relax make it a hobby?
This is when I start to think, is the hobby of watching movies proper?
What is it then?
Ever wondered how a movie is made?
From the basic subject or theme to creating a story out of that subject to a visualising characters and doing the character development around the main plot and along with it to developing the surrounding of the character. This is just the part of writing and latter comes the dialogues and then after a while comes editing of the script. This script is further read and read again and again to get into the feel of characters in the plot. Furthermore selecting right actors for the plot and making them act. Role of director, production designer, costume designer, make up artist, tour/location manager, cinematographer, to even a simple peon who keeps and things on the set at proper location on the basis of set design being provided.
Such small details are to be taken care of what is in the frame that the viewer will see and what inference must get deducted by the user.
I know people watch movie to have fun and relax and not dive deep into the movie making thing and stuff, its visual entertainment.
But for the people who claim to have watching movie as a hobby tends to dive deep in such matters to get information which arouses their speculation.
What a hobbyist would do is search for a specific movie genre that he/she is interested in. Then search for movies in that genre and then take out special time to watch it. That also watching too at one go and not by pausing at half and watching the other half later. Also a true hobbyist would not fast forward scenes which bore them or are slow.
Watching Movie is an ART.
Watching movie is a art and that art comes when you are truly interested in the movie. Watching movie for the sake of fun and information and action is okay but if you want it to be your hobby, try to indulge in it.
Almost all hobbyist will have a list to movie of their favourites because they cannot have a single movie as their best favourite movie. Some have directors, some has cinematographers, writers as their favourites.
After watching movie a hobbyist usually analysis a movie, scales the cinematography, direction, script, plot, dialogues, acting and many such factor and then on that basis review that the movie that they have watched is worth spending their time or not.
Finding trivia’s, surfing the back stage videos and surfing net for the more information related are some of the things a hobbyist does and if you are one of the person doing this stuff, then be proud and to say that you have a true understanding and insights of movies and YOU HAVE A HOBBY OF WATCHING MOVIES.
Here are some videos that have made me wonder and ask question to myself as what is the limit to our push art to a new level and think beyond what is creative and real.
13 Hours The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi (2016)
This movie is not so much into the story, but is one of the good movies in action and cinematography as we all have seen the work of Michael Bay in Transformer Series.
This is just one example of creativity being appreciated. Its not only in visual form but in the script too like I recent saw Heat(1995) and the conversation between Robert Di Niro and Al Pacino is terrific and brings goosebumps.
Or be it the Daniel Day Lewis acting or direction in the There Will be Blood.
There are countless examples from movies of Alfred Hitchcock to Clint Eastwood to Steven Spielberg to Christopher Nolan etc.
From movies of actors and actresses like Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lawrence etc to veterans like Marlon Brando, (ahh.. The Godfather).
The list goes on and on.
Appreciate movies as they are and what all processes have taken place to make a 2 hour entertainment for you.
A true movie hobbyist is the one who sees this culture of appreciating movies going down for cheap and instant fun thrills kind of movie culture growing at the same time and writes to save this culture.
