A film is any audiovisual work fixed in any medium or medium, the development of which is defined as a work of creation, production, montage and post-production and which, in addition, is intended, first of all, for commercial exploitation in movie theaters. Mere reproductions of events or representations of any kind are excluded from this definition. This cinematic illusion makes the viewer perceive the continuous movement between separate objects viewed in rapid succession. The process of filming is both an art and an industry. Currently you can watch movies online on different platforms, for example Netflix movies.
What is film
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The term comes from the Latin Pellicula, which represents the meaning of Pellis, that is, skin and it is a group of still images that are projected on a screen consecutively and in rapid succession, thus causing an optical illusion of different images in movement.
This term is also used as a synonym to refer to cinematographic works, which recreate documentary or fictitious stories, in addition, they are recorded on a flexible medium or a digital container to record and read through continuous or intermittent mechanisms for the succession of the images.
History of movies
The antecedents of motion captures and reproductions through different mechanical means date back to the 19th century, in fact, it all began with pre-cinematography, when cinema was considered the product of a rather slow experimental evolution in the register of centuries.
The main objective and function of the manufacturers and assemblers of toys and inventors of various objects was to send some kind of entertainment to people through visual media, but in addition, cinema and movies were an imperative system of humanity to be able to express themselves..
It should be noted that the first film in history was under the project of the Lumiere brothers, who began filming The Exit of the Workers from the Lumière Factory in Lyon in 1985.
The basis of films and cinema is developed in technology and science, hence the imminent interest in discovering outlets for the application of technical research is born. Over time, the first films began to appear, which were based on static shots that showed the actions without any kind of editing or cinematographic techniques.
It was not until the late 20th century that scenes were grouped together to tell a story in films. These scenes were considered as multiple shots, which were photographed at different distances and angles.
Later, techniques such as camera movement were developed to count or capture the frames. Cinematography was taken into account as a purely visual art, this is because, at that time, films had no sounds and were called silent films, which were projected in theaters with live music.
After the First World War and the stoppage of cinematography, the first color films appeared, which were considered an important technological development.
Making a movie
Films are created thanks to various photography methods that are characterized by having real scenes, but to achieve this, a special moving image camera is needed that can photograph the various models or drawings.
Traditional animation techniques are generally used thanks to the images that are generated by means of a computer or by the combination of visual effects. The development process is called filming and is formed according to various stages, these generate the initial story or the main idea.
In addition, it is done through the script, cast, filming, sound recordings, reproduction, editing and the projection of the result before an audience that triggers the premiere of the film. The filming can be carried out in different locations, although of course, everything will depend on the political, social or economic environment that the project covers, likewise, different special technologies and cinematographic techniques are used so that this phase can be carried out without problems.
Processing phases
These are the shooting phases for making the films and they will be explained below.
- Development: it is the first stage for filming and it is where the basic idea of the project is carried out. It begins with a synopsis that leads to the creation of the script, which can be based on a previously realized idea (as long as you have the rights to said work) or simply start an original and completely new project.
The script must be written with enough clarity, a good structure, description of the characters, mark your own style and develop the dialogues.
- Pre-production: here the organization is carried out to begin with the filming of the film, starting with the casting to locate the actors who will give life to the characters, do the scouting for the recording locations, etc.
That is why all the details are planned and designed with extreme care and professionalism, as it is a key phase for all production.
- Production: everything should be fully prepared at this stage, from scenery and lighting to props and audio. In this phase the team must stick to punctuality because delays generate expenses and that is an extra budget for production.
In addition, it is important to maintain the continuity of the project so that details are not lost in the filming, this is because within the key parts of the production, here the sequences for editing are taken into account.
- Post-production: it is in this phase where the editing of the material begins, that is, from the images and clips to the audio. Sound effects, music, visual effects and credits texts are also integrated.
- Distribution: it is said that this is the most complicated phase because it deals with the distribution and support of the film, in this way the film can be released in the cinema and obtain the respective collections, unless there is a distributor that supports the project from the beginning. If it cannot be distributed in this way, then the film must be entered at festivals.
Now, it is important to highlight that the degree of film project depends on the budget that is available.
Main participants
Although in principle it is not believed, in this type of projects many people are involved, not only the actors, but the different cinematography teams that are in charge of bringing the project to life, creating it, editing it and distributing it so that people can enjoy the art audiovisual.
In this section we will talk about those people who make up the main participation of short or feature films.
- Production team: first of all, the producer must be mentioned , who is in charge of accompanying the idea from the beginning to the end of the process, in addition, is responsible for the production structure, being its owner and having the rights to exploit the work together with its content.
There is also the executive producer, whose responsibility is to raise and manage the money for the production.
The co-producer, on the other hand, is the company associated with the producer to finance and carry out the project. Another member of this team is the associate producer, who heads the television network when a co-production or pre-sale takes place.
- Direction team: the director leads, who chooses the artistic team, is in charge of proposing the people of the technical team, conducts rehearsals with the actors, performs the staging and supervises the montages. The assistant director represents a link between the producer, the director and the team, so he knows 100% what the film is intended to be made.
There is also the assistant director, who is assigned only by the director and is in charge of the scenery and locations, in addition to making the production report, distributing the scripts and changing them as the case may be.
- Camera team: starting with the cinematographer, who is responsible for the visual, technical and stylistic phase of the film, in addition, he captures the script to the images, achieving the lighting design and defining the most feasible camera frames according to the opinion of the director.
The camera operator is in charge of making the operations of these, working with the supervision of the photographic director and taking charge of organizing the framing of the camera aesthetically according to the decoration, in addition, he plans the movement of the device with the machinist.
- Sound team: the first to be mentioned is the sound engineer, who is responsible for the film's soundtrack and musical effects. It is he who is in charge of making proposals to the director and of maintaining quality and sound record.
The sound assistant follows the instructions of the sound engineer, thus taking care of holding the boom with the microphone and keeping it in a suitable position to perfectly capture the sound, of course, maintaining the relevant distances.
- Art team: it is necessary to mention first the art director, who designs everything that is observed in a film, starting from pre-production and is involved in the development of the film, although everything depends on the complexity of the project.
There is the set designer, who directs and designs the decorated constructions, in addition, receives help from the construction team and goes ahead in the filming by elaborating or preparing the following locations.
Then there is the air freshener, who has the responsibility of installing the assembly or executing the style that has been proposed by the director previously and that has been accepted by the superiors, of course, taking into account the furniture and its maintenance.
- The makeup artist: save redundancy, he is in charge of making up people and must always stay on set to make makeup corrections on time. Finally, the hairdresser, who is in charge of making the actors' hairstyles, although he also tends to shave, cut, wash or dye each one's hair.
- Screenwriter: he is in charge of developing the story that gives reason for being the film that is intended to be made. It should be as clear as possible so as not to leave an absence of dialogue or confusion when choosing the actors, as they must be faithful to the descriptions.
- Musician: is part of the sound team, belonging to the soundtrack that gives the special effect to the films regardless of their genre.
- Actors: these are the main actors, who give life to the protagonists of the film's history. There are also secondary actors, who have a different importance in the film, but still have a certain role.
On the other hand, there are the extras and the dubbing actors, the latter dubbing the dialogues of the film from one language to another, synchronizing words according to the movement of the lips of the character that is on the screen.
Also on the production team is the production manager, who works with the production manager to coordinate operations and logistics on the set.
The production assistant assists the director and the production manager in the execution of organizational activities, including the purchase or rental of material, requesting permits for recording locations, ordering and organizing meals, taking care of the filming, closing the streets or distribute calls for filming.
The location manager is part of the production team only when it comes to large projects, because he is in charge of filming sites, permits, pricing, and using the objects or structure of the locations.
The production coordinator or secretary does the administrative tasks or activities, as well as taking the organization of the office during production. Finally, the accountant, who is in charge of keeping the relationship of income and legal expenses according to the items of production.
The person in charge of continuity works with the assistant director and both are in charge of preparing the pre-production stage, calculating the estimation time on screen of the recorded sequences.
The casting director, who can be an agency or a specific person and is in charge of looking for the main actors, supporting actors and extras. Finally, the press officer, who is fully familiar with the entertainment and culture sections of all the media.
His job is to contact the media to inform about the process of the film, that is, talk about the participants, the central theme, shooting dates and possible premiere, etc. All in order to promote the film and to raise the largest number of people interested in the project.
The focuser performs the measurements and keeps the camera focused on the taking of images, in addition, it provides the data to the script, in this way, it can include them in the camera part. The valet attendant is responsible for unloading the material, marking the identification of the cans and maintaining control of the negative material. The specialist operator is in charge of the special systems for taking images, whether they are aerial or aquatic.
The video assistant operates and installs the equipment and classifies the tapes, in addition, he connects the recorders to the film camera, in this way, he manages to record while the filming is taking place. There is also still photography, which photographs important scenes at the same time they are being filmed.
To end this informative aspect, the Gaffer is mentioned, who is in charge of commanding or directing the electrical equipment as long as he follows the directions of the cinematographer to install the lighting according to the positions and quality of the lights, organizing them and keeping the light projectors with their accessories.
The decoration assistant employs or carries out the measurements of spaces, creation of the lists of collective production needs, coordinating the transport of all the material to the location and, finally, staying all the time during the filming to solve the emergencies that are raised at the last minute.
There is also the stagehand, which is responsible for managing all the props or decorative objects that are important in the film. The costume designer decides which costumes the characters will wear, all depending on the director's orders.
Highest-grossing movies in history
There are too many movies out there today, some can be watched online and tagged as free movies or just searched on the web as online movies. Most of the films have enjoyed wide recognition, but there are also others that have not found the way to success, however, in this section the highest-grossing films so far will be mentioned.
- Gone with the Wind, of the year 1939 raised 3,728,000,000
- Avatar, from 2009, managed to raise $ 2,273,000,000
- Titanic, from 1997, raised $ 3,099,000,000
- S tar Wars Episode IV released in 1977, grossed $ 3,061,000,000
- Avengers endgame in 2019, managed to raise $ 2,790,849,263
- Smiles and Tears of 1965, generated a collection of $ 2,564,000,000
- ET the Alien in 1982, raised $ 2,503,000,000
- The Ten Commandments in 1956, generated a profit of $ 2,370,000,000
- Doctor Zhivago from 1966, won $ 2,246,000,000
- Star Wars episode VII of the year 2015, generated a profit of $ 2,215,000,000
- Avengers Infinity war of 2018, earned around $ 2,048,359,754
- Jurassic World, released in 2015, earning $ 1,670,400,637
Examples of movie genres
Everyone has heard of the existence of different types of movies, but nobody really pays attention to their characteristics, for example, action movies will never be similar or similar to comedy movies, yes, these can have some humor, but if the main plot is action, its characteristics change.
The same happens with horror movies and love movies, the themes are very different and although there are scenes that show characteristics of one of the two styles, neither is the same. On the other hand, when talking about Disney movies, you can quickly talk about children's movies.
Action
These are films that generate tension in the people who see them, in addition, they have fights, chases and a direction of movement with a lot of emphasis. They usually encompass battles, rescues, explosions, and escapades. Action films always show the triumph of good against evil, but they are generally characterized as adult films due to the high level of sexuality exposed. An example of these movies is John Wick.
Science fiction
They tend to have futuristic and fantastic situations, although most of the time they focus on astral or three-dimensional travel, for example, Blade Runner. The characters in this type of film are not human all the time, as you can rate robots, aliens or androids, in addition, their production contains special effects.
Comedy
Comedy films are characterized by being funny and with the purpose of making viewers laugh. Mexican films usually predominate with this style, for example, No manches Frida or Loca por el trabajo.
Drama
These are completely serious films with extremely realistic situations that represent people's daily lives, including tension and scenes with a lot of drama, an example is the film Parasites. Old Mexican films have this characterization.
Fantasy
They are characterized by completely breaking with reality, in them you can see worlds that do not really exist or strange creatures, for example, the entire Harry Potter saga.
Romance
Love films have characteristics of solid plots and with expressive situations regarding love, family and the feeling of being loved, for example, Titanic.
Musicals
In scenes in these types of films, the characters perform elaborate choreography and sing in most of the dialogues, including Mama Mia.
suspense
They always have to do with organized crime and murders, in fact, the plot is what makes these films successful all over the world, a clear example of this is the film Huye.
Terror
Horror movies bring out people's worst fears with extremely tense, anguish-filled scenes with shocking effect, including the Conjuring or Damian movies.
Documentary film
They reflect real events by organizing sounds and visual structure according to the author's point, for example, Miss Americana.
Animated
They include magical characters and these are sometimes not people, in fact they are cartoons with animals as main characters, for example, Finding Nemo.
