Changing Trends in World Cinema

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CHANGING TRENDS IN CINEMA

A Bollywood and Hollywood Perspective

15th

April, 2013

Submitted To:

Dr. Shahila Zafar

SSL

VIT University

Submitted By:

Piyush Vilas Chaudhari

12BBT0119


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ABSTRACT

Cinema in India is like brushing your teeth, you cant escape it anyway. Shahrukh

Khans humorous statement, in its own way, yells the already established fact that

Indians are Movie frenzy. Movie making has evolved, and evolved tremendously overyears. From Guru Dutts Pyaasa (1957) to Shahrukh Khans Swades (2004),

Indian Cinema has somehow managed to sustain the quality it began with. Talking

about the world, World Cinema too has come a long way from its old Al Pacino

days to the recent Argo. The most positive development seems the fact that

audience have matured when it comes to movie viewing. The report analyses the

development in Cinema on the basis of two parameters- Content and Technology.

Data Collection was mostly done from search engines and Wikipedia. The views of

audiences of different age groups were recorded through a questionnaire. The findings

mostly depicted the changing audience, which gives preference to Story and

Performance and not to the big names involved or Critical reviews. The findings also

suggest that although the audience dont consider Indian cinema on par with

Hollywood where the movie content is considered, technologically, we are almost

equal to them. The possible reasons for these findings are the recent advances in

Indian cinema with movies like Ra. One and Robot, which has taken Indian cinema

on the globe. And yes, though we still have a long way to go, it is good to see that we

have started taking Cinema seriously and this attitude will help us to evolve more and

better in coming time.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.Introduction Aim Scope Background of Study2.Change in the story and Portrayal of Characters: A Hollywood Perspective A Bollywood Perspective3. Change in Movie Making with development of Technology4.Data Analysis5.Conclusions6.References


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INTRODUCTION

Aim:

The purpose of this report is to study the changing trends in the Cinema over a period

of time (from 1950s till date) with reference to the change in story and portrayal of

characters and also with the Technology used.

Scope:

The project includes detailed description of the trends that have developed over the

time period in Cinema, whether its the portrayal of Characters or the storyline or the

Technology used. It also contains a detailed analysis of the Survey conducted among

people of different age groups about their views on the above trends.

Background of the study:

As Martin Scorseseputs in his own words, Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame

and what's out.Cinema is so familiar and so prevalent in our lives that we are often

lulled into Passive viewing or into Simple entertainment. As a result, certain aspects

of a film are often "invisible." We become too negligible towards things other than

entertainment that we do not see the technical beauty of the work like Camera work,

editing, and sound. Nor do we realize the production struggles that accompany every

film which includes the script's many rewrites, the drama of getting the project

financed, the casting challenges, and so on. Films reflect the cultures and nations in

which they were produced. Hollywood films, one might argue, reflect certain things

about our nation's culture: our love of distraction, our attraction to adrenaline and

testosterone, our need for good to triumph over evil, and our belief that things workout in the end.

Different cultures and nations have different values and hence they produce differentsorts of films. Sometimes they dont seem to impress us. We might watch a Frenchfilm, for example, and wonder why it's funny. Or we might watch a Russian film andwonder why the director never calls for a close up. These observations are in factexcellent starting places. Film is an incredibly complex medium. Just take a look atthe credits at the end of any film. Each of the people listed there has contributedsomething essential to the film's production - from lighting, to sound, to wardrobe, toediting, to special effects.


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CHANGE IN STORY AND PORTRAYAL OF

CHARACTERS

A HOLLYWOOD PERSPECTIVE

Hollywood Cinema is always known to be visionary. The story and portrayal ofcharacters show clearly reflects a visionary trend that becomes the path for the societyto follow. The cult thriller, Psycho (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, was atrendsetter for every movie of the genre after it. As Fiz-X Entertainment quotes it, Itdefined the genre and has since become an unforgettable horror classic. It shocked

people with its chocolate blood and still scares the living daylights out of many today.The murder of Janet Leigh's character in the shower is the film's pivotal scene and oneof the best-known in all of cinema.Jaws (1975) was one of the first films to really

become a blockbuster in Hollywood history. The content of the movie may not lookconvincing as of today, back then, it infused terror in the mind of people to such anextent that they were even scared to go to swimming. That's the effect of a goodmovie that's so ahead of its time it becomes real to everyone who watches it.Hollywood movies, in terms of story and character portrayl, haven t changed muchsince then. Although the technology has a big role to play in generating awe forHollywood movies, the script and strong performances are also inevitable parts of itssuccess. Still a debatable movie, for the fact that it was a flop if numbers are to be

believed, Office Time (1999) earned a place for itself in cinema history by beingcomically ahead of its time.

The character portrayal has changed, to a large extent. Movies such as The Italian Job(2003) and The Dark Knight (2008) has sparked a trend where instead of storylinedeciding who is the hero, the performance decides who actually gets the applause ofthe audience. Post-classical cinema is the changing methods of storytelling of the

New Hollywood producers. The characterization is done completely different,storylines may feature unsettling "twist endings", main characters may behave in amorally ambiguous fashion, and the lines between the antagonist and protagonist may

be blurred.


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CHANGE IN STORY AND PORTRAYAL OF

CHARACTERS

A BOLLYWOOD PERSPECTIVE

We actually started our Cinema journey from the year 1913. But it is far interesting tolook back and remember how our country first started to appreciate the unique

possibility of finding a new art and commerce in the simplicity of moving pictures.This traces is roots to an event in 1896, when one of Lumiere brothers films, Marvelof the Century was exhibited in Mumbai. Their work infused more curiosity not onlyin our country India but around the globe.

The Post Independence period , from the late 1940s to the 1960s is regarded as the"Golden Age" of Hindi cinema. Some of the most beautiful and critically acclaimed

classics of all times were made that were recognized nationally as well as

internationally. Examples include theGuru Dutt filmsPyaasa(1957) andKaagaz Ke

Phool(1959) and theRaj Kapoor filmsAwaara(1951) andShree 420(1955). These

films expressed social themes mainly dealing with working-class urban life in India;

Awaara presented the city as two sides of the same coin: a nightmare and a dream,

while Pyaasa critiqued the unreality of city life. Some of the most epic movies of

Indian cinema were made at that time, which includesMehboob Khan'sMother India

(1957), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language

Film, and K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Madhumati (1958), directed by Bimal

Roy and written byRitwik Ghatak,popularised the theme ofreincarnation inWestern

popular culture. It also became a trendsetter for other movies like Karz, Om Shanti

Om, etc.

The first path-breaking step in the portrayal of character was taken by Yash Chopra

with his 1975 hit, Deewar. Amitabh Bacchan, with his grey character of Vijay, won

the accolades of the Audience. Yash Chopra didnt stopped here and went on to make

Darr(1993), the story of an obsessed lover (Shahrukh Khan)and the lengths to which

he goes to get the girl (Juhi Chawla)who is already happily engaged to someone else.

Shahrukh Khan also acted in movies Baazigar and Anjaam, where he played the same

anti-hero roles but still got both the critical acclaim as well as public acceptance. In

Khan's entry in Encyclopdia Britannica's "Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema" it was

stated that "he defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and

created his own version of the revisionist hero." He can be actually stated as the

original trendsetter with regard to character portrayal. He is still reinventing himself

with movies like Don(2006) and Don 2(2011).

Songs and Dance numbers are an essential part of any Bollywood movie. Music and

Dance is beautifully woven into script. A film's success depends largely on the quality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Dutthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyaasahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyaasahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyaasahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaagaz_Ke_Phoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaagaz_Ke_Phoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaagaz_Ke_Phoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaagaz_Ke_Phoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raj_Kapoorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awaarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awaarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awaarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shree_420http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shree_420http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shree_420http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehboob_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Foreign_Language_Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Foreign_Language_Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Asifhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal-e-Azamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal-e-Azamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhumatihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhumatihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimal_Royhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimal_Royhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritwik_Ghatakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation_in_popular_western_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation_in_popular_western_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahrukh_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juhi_Chawlahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juhi_Chawlahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahrukh_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation_in_popular_western_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation_in_popular_western_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritwik_Ghatakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimal_Royhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimal_Royhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhumatihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal-e-Azamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Asifhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Foreign_Language_Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Foreign_Language_Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehboob_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shree_420http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awaarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raj_Kapoorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaagaz_Ke_Phoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaagaz_Ke_Phoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyaasahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Dutt


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of such musical numbers. This is the reason why a film's music is often releasedbefore the movie and helps increase the audience.

Bollywood plots have tended to be melodramatic.Formulatic elements such as star-crossed lovers and angry parents, love triangles, family ties, sacrifice, corrupt

politicians, kidnappers, conniving villains, courtesans with hearts of gold, long-lostrelatives and siblings separated by fate, dramatic reversals of fortune, and convenientcoincidences are frequently employed to make the movie more interesting.

(Source: Filmfare)

Its not that we only make masala movies. We do have another category of Cinemawith more artistic aims and more sophisticated stories, both inside and outside theBollywood tradition. Known as Parallel Cinmea, they often lost out at the box officeto masala movies due to less mass appeal. However, the conventions are changing. Alarge Indian diaspora in English-speaking countries, and increasedWestern influence

at home, have nudged Bollywood films closer to Hollywood models.

Film critic Lata Khubchandani writes, "our earliest films...had liberal doses ofintimacy and sensuality in them. Strangely, it was after Independence the censor

board came into being and so did all the strictures." (Source: Google News). Storiesnow tend to feature urbanites dating and dancing in clubs rather than centring on pre-arranged marriages. Though these changes can widely be seen in contemporaryBollywood, traditional conservative ways of Indian culture continue to exist in Indiaoutside the industry and an element of resistance by some to western-basedinfluences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodramatichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooker_with_a_heart_of_goldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooker_with_a_heart_of_goldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodramatic


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CHANGE IN TECHNOLOGY

A HOLLYWOOD PERSPECTIVE

The development of motion picture complexity has been driven by a continuing

technological evolution, ignited and manipulated by human initiative and

inventiveness. It is through graphic effects, sounds and visual recordings that all

individuals see how we have evolved to present day digital technology.

As the film history has progressed, filmmaking technology has also progressed, from

cameras, to sound recording, to editing. But then, more advanced technology doen not

make it superior in each application. Technology is a tool that just helps to broaden

the horizon of conventional cinema.

The movies like The Dark Knight won accolades for the use of IMAX cameras for

shooting the scenes. The highest grossing movie of all time, Avataar, have to give the

credits of its huge success to Director James Cameron and his effective use of

Filmaking technology.

There's no denying that we have been slow learners when it comes to adaptingtechniques in Indian films. But seeing the present scenario, it seems we have acceptedthe contribution of technology, and have started giving technology the due it deservesin the present cinematic scenario.

The debate is not about using technology in making of a film. The only thing that weshould realize is, no matter what amount of emotions and other normal ingredients thefilms have, but very core of the movie would be the technology itself.

A lot of credit must be given to Robot, Rajnikant's classic that, in more ways thanone, could be termed as the first to use technology effectively as well as to give it a

pivotal role in the movie. What Robot did can be seen in multiple ways. Though themovie starred Rajnikant himself, it cant be denied that the audience, at the same time,

was stunned by the portrayal of technology, which shared limelight with the superstarhimself.

Close on the heels of the success of Robot came Ra-One. Shah Rukh Khan's megamovie displayed the story of a video game. It was indeed a brave attempt, irrespectiveof public response, which, of course, is a subject of a different debate. Ra. One did thesame thing as Robot, twirl everything around the technology, a topic which was wasnot attempted by Bollywood earlier. West, though, comes with a history of over threedecades.

Movies like Tron and War Games touched upon the similar subject as Ra. One did.

What these films also showcased was their poaching a contemporary subject. The

moment Ra. One choosed to showcase a subject that has mass acceptance andunderstanding, it hit the Bulls eye, as millions of youngsters hooked on to games of


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all sorts. Contemporary subjects and set-ups would definitely be easily accepted by

the audience and filmmakers venturing into this zone must keep this in mind.

The main issue in these things can be the amount of impact technology put on theaudiences. No one can deny the fact that technology was the most necessary

component of the movie, still Robot is and will always be regarded as Rajnikantsclassic and the positive reactions for the film were largely due to his presence.

With a share of new and experimental films being made in recent times, its high timethat the producers start looking for more experimental movies with technology at theircore. This can get an instant connect with the new-generation audience, who aremature enough to take new subjects, but see the idea of mixing it with Superstars anabsurd idea.


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METHODOLOGY

1. Collection of References from various Journals and Research papers.2. Preparation of Questionnaire.3. Bringing the Questionnaire in Public Domain by the means of Online Survey

Sheet.

4. Collection of data from the survey responses.5.

Analysis of the data on the basis of certain criterias like Age Group, Gender,

Movie genre, etc.

6. Relating the Movie trends to some of the trendsetter films in Cinema history.7. Discussions on the trends.8. Conclusions and Recommendations.


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DATA COLLECTION

The Data was collected from various research papers and articles from various film

archives. The views of audiences were recorded through a questionnaire:

https://docs.google.com/a/vit.ac.in/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFNnUXdXTHJJ

MnQ1dmtQbXpkejBZX0E6MQ

The main contributors in the survey were students of VIT University, Vellore. The

responses of various other professionals were also received and were analysed.Responses were also received from NRIs and they also compared Bollywood and

Hollywood trends with enthusiasm.
https://docs.google.com/a/vit.ac.in/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFNnUXdXTHJJMnQ1dmtQbXpkejBZX0E6MQhttps://docs.google.com/a/vit.ac.in/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFNnUXdXTHJJMnQ1dmtQbXpkejBZX0E6MQhttps://docs.google.com/a/vit.ac.in/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFNnUXdXTHJJMnQ1dmtQbXpkejBZX0E6MQhttps://docs.google.com/a/vit.ac.in/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFNnUXdXTHJJMnQ1dmtQbXpkejBZX0E6MQhttps://docs.google.com/a/vit.ac.in/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFNnUXdXTHJJMnQ1dmtQbXpkejBZX0E6MQ


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Questionnaire

The questionnaire is basically prepared to analyse the present trends in Global Movies

* Required

Gender : *

Male Female

What is your age group??

15 and Under

16-25 26-35 36-45 45+

Which is your favourite Hollywood Movie? (Old)

Which is your favourite Bollywood Movie? (Old)

Which is your favourite Hollywood Movie? (Recent)

Which is your favourite Bollywood Movie? (Recent)

Which is your favourite genre of Movies?

Action

Adventure Comedy Drama Horror Musicals Sci-Fi Romance


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How do you rate a movie?

On the basis of the Team involved (Actors, Directors, Technicians, etc.) Story Performance Success at Box-Office Critic Reviews

What are the differences you find in the movies that were made earlier and movies that

are made today? You need to answer this question based on "Characters and Story" and

based on "Use of technology".

Do you feel Indian Movies are on par with their Hollywood counterparts? Again, you need

to answer this question based on "Characters and Story" and based on "Use of

technology".

Name :

Occupation :

City :


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DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

The above pie chart shows the number of people who were a part of the survey

categorized on the basis of their age groups.

Age Group Responses

Under 15 2

16-25 4726-35 4

36-45 6

45+ 4

Under 15

16-25

26-35

36-45

45+

Fig. Chart showing various age groups in the surveyFig.1: Comparision of people of different age groups

Male

Female

Fig.2 : Gender comparision


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The above chart analyses the gender of people who filled the questionnaire. The

statistics say that out of the total, 77% are males while rest are females.

The pie chart shown above depicts the preference of genre among the audience. The

data analysis shows that Comedy, Drama and Action are the favorite genres of the

audience while the Horror and Musicals are the least preferable. The inference that

can be drawn for the chart is that our Audience still prefers a movie that gives them

entertainment in lieu of their money. We still have a long way to go, and we are yet to

accept and implement the trends. Science-Fictions movies, which have become a

craze worldwide, are yet to impress our audience.

Genre Percentage

Action 46.875

Adventure 28.125

Comedy 56.25

Drama 37.5Horror 23.4375

Musicals 25

Sci-Fi 29.6875

Romance 37.5

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Drama

Horror

Musicals

Sci-Fi

Romance

Fig.3: Comparision of various genre according to preference


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The above figure brings out a positive result from the respective findings. Almost

75% of Audience rates a movie on the basis of its story and performance of the

characters. While Team involved, Critics Reviews and Success at Box Office doesnt

seem to affect their preference. This indicates a change in mindset of audience as they

are no longer deceived by the big names or the critics review while watching a movie.

They judge a movie purely based on the content and the character portrayal.

Perspective Percentage

Team Involved 15.625

Story 67.1875

Performance 53.125

Success at Box Office 10.9375

Critics Review 18.75

The descriptive questions though, present a totally different picture when compared to

the objective data. Movies like The Dark Knight, Darr and Ra. One comes out as the

preference of the general audience. The most probable reason of this trend seems to

be the change in mindset of audience regarding the characters. Audience no longer

enjoys seeing a too-good-to-be-true character playing the lead role. They now want a

more realistic character that they can associate themselves with. If audience praises

Shahrukh Khan more than Sunny Deol in Darr, or The Joker unknowingly becomes

the hero of The Dark Knight instead of Batman, it only depicts how movie viewing

has evolved over years. As Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan talks about Ra.One,

Villians are always the most important factor of a successful movie. Thats why

Sholay is Gabbar Singhs movie and the hero of Mr. India is Mogambo. Consideringall these things, I decided to name my movie after the lead villain.

Team Involved

Story

Performance

Success at Box Office

Critics Review

Fig.4: Comparision of Movie Viewing trends among audience


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When Heath Ledger saw Batman Begins, he started working to make the character

more similar to the tone of the movie: Heath Ledger described his Joker as a

"psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy." In the

film, the Joker has a desire to upset social order in Gotham City through crime, and

comes to define himself by his conflict with Batman. As a part of preparation for therole, Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character's

posture, voice, and personality, and recorded the thoughts and feelings of his

character in a diary. "There's a bit of everything in him. There's nothing that

consistent," Ledger said, and added, "There are a few more surprises to him."

The Dark Knight was a path-breaking movie both in terms of character portrayal as

well as technology used. For its release in IMAX theaters, Christopher Nolan, the

director of the trilogy, shot four major sequences in that format, including the Joker's

opening bank robbery and the car chase midway through the film, which saw IMAX

cameras to be used for shooting a feature film for the first time. For fifteen years

Nolan had wanted to shoot in the IMAX format, and he also used it for "quiet scenes

which pictorially we thought would be interesting.

Picture1: DirectorChristopher Nolan (far left) and actorHeath Ledger (in make-up) filming a

scene in The Dark Knightwith an IMAX camera.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Nolanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Ledgerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Ledgerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Nolan


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The above pie chart reflects the verdict of general audience on whether Indian movies

can compete Hollywood movies in terms of movie content. Only 34% of the people

feel we are ready to take on Hollywood in terms of story and character portrayal. The

major audience doesnt feel so. The possible reason may again be the possible

inclination of Indian filmmakers towards Masala movies, and still the youth, which

is the major contributor to this survey, doesnt feel our movies are up to that mark.

But taking the bigger picture in mind, movies like Swades, Kahaani, Lagaan, My

Name is Khan, etc. have put India on the globe, and has won accolades. Maybe a few

more years, and we will definitely match Hollywood in terms of movie content.

The above comparison brings out a big positive from Indian cinema. 52% of general

public feels the technology which we use for movie making is definitely in line with

the technology used in Hollywood movies. Bu this view might have built up in recent

years with the release of movies like Ra.One and Robot.

Yes

No

Fig.5: Are Indian Movies on par with Hollywood in terms of content?

Yes

No

Fig.6: Are Indian Movies on par with Hollywood in terms of technology?


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Ra.One was an idea incepted by Anubhav Sinha. Filming began in March 2010 inIndia and UK. The post-production involved 3-D conversion and the application ofvisual effects, the latter being recognised as a technological breakthrough amongIndian films. With a total estimated budget of around 125 crore (US$22.75 million),

Ra.Onewas one of the most expensive Indian films at the time of release.

Picture2 and 3: Important scenes of Ra. One, where technology was employed more than

conventional shooting to make the scenes look realistic

The Bond movies have made people interested in technology, but together with theshowcasing of actual and feasible gadgets, there is a mixture of fantasy technology.The "active camouflage" that makes a car invisible in Die Another Day (2002); themagnetic field producing Rolex wristwatch in Live and Let Die (1973); and the soundtampering electronic device implanted in the neck in Diamonds are Forever (1971) arehardly realistic. But most of the devices in Bond movies are quite authentic eventhese unrealistic weapons are theoretically possible. The Bond movies have evolvedto become more and more realistic with time. It actually brought the sense of style inthe hero of a movie.

All the progress through time in information, say intricate animations andtechnological advancements are the eye- opener" which awakens visions to the

future and widens our perspectives. The new Era of Information Technology is our

link to preserving the past, keeping track of the present and looking forward to the

future.


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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

As celebrated author Mr. V.S. Naipaul says, The first 50 years of the cinema were

absolutely great years. Original minds were at work establishing the ways to tell a

story. And what is happening now is a copying, a pastiche-ing of what was done by

great men. The advent in technology has increased the apprehension in the minds of

many intellectuals that the fast faced developments may make a big compromise with

the quality of Cinema A growing number of people will be able to capture visual

images more easily; images may be created through software graphics on the

computer without any actual shooting. Such processes may have an easy access to

cinema, still it may not portray the real performance and human element that we

experience even today when we see classics. Cinema reflects culture and there is no

harm in adapting technology, but not at the cost of losing your originality. Jackie

Chan speaks up for whole of the world. This will be a big blow to the prestige of

Cinema.

There may be huge spurt in the number of movies produced, but story and content are

paying the cost. There is no debate: Cinema is definitely in trouble. Although the

returns have increased in recent years, losses have mounted as well. The story and

content have degraded, to a large extent, and it seems there is nothing for a person

who has a interest in quality cinema.

But theres always another side. If we look the positive angle, Bollywood has madegreat strides in all technical areas of Filmmaking. For example, comparing two of

Aamir Khans cricket based films, Awwal Number (1990) and Lagaan (2001), shows

great improvements made by Cinema in editing, cinematography and other production

values. Movies like Argo (2012), The Lincoln (2012) and in India, My Name is Khan

(2010) and Swades (2004) have shown that World Cinema is still good enough to

come up classics in terms of Story and Performance.

Technology has brought revolutionary changes to movie making. Says Hugh

Jackman, Although Nolan has shot all the scenes of The Dark Knight beautifully,

we can definitely make out the scenes that are shot with IMAX cameras. They are so

divine. Back Home, Movies like Ra. One and Don 2, and quite possibly Dhoom 3

give us a hope making our presence felt on globe in terms of technological advances.

The only thing the Cinema needs right now is investment in some quality work.

Entertainment is definitely the key to success but we should not forget the key

definition of Cinema: It is the window through which we can see the society. More

emphasis is needed on parallel cinema and its progress. Bollywood Directors like

Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj and Tigmnashu Dhulia are the best people to

handle the mantle of parallel cinema in todays India.


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Perhaps Bollywood, after many missteps and taking blows from outside world, may

finally be ready to start influencing the rest of the world in a big way. We definitely

have a long way to go, but the good thing is, we have started taking our steps forward.

It does not matter whether it will take 15-20 or more years for us to influence World

Cinema, but the notable thing is, we already have that vision.


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REFERENCES

Arti, R. (2003, January 2003.'The Hindi film industry is not united'.

Rediff, December 14, 2003http:/www.rediff.com/movies/2003/jan/30ghai.htm

Bollywood cash registers lose their ring [Letter to the editor](2003, April 15)- The Economic Timeshttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=43401544

Cash boost for Bollywood. (2001, July 25)- BBChttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1456962.stm

YaleGlobal Online Magazine Webhttp://yaleglobal.yale.edu/about/essay.jsp

Pearson, B. (2002, August 25)Hollywood speaks to India's middle class- Varietyhttp://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_article&articleID=VR1117871802&cs=1

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Changing Trends in World Cinema

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