The Reality Of Movies Versus The Magic Of Life

Written by: Anna Niemira

"Cinema is not a series of abstract ideas but rather the phrasing of moments." - Jean-Luc Godard

Everything began in France with the Lumière brothers, over 100 years ago. Through the decades, the film industry has become a multi-billion dollar worldwide phenomenon. The American Hollywood, considered to be the cradle of the first movie studios, and the oldest national film industry, has been joined over the decades by other film-producing giants. Bollywood, based in Mumbai, India, and Nigeria’s Nollywood are some of the most prominent international movie production centers. Furthermore, China is considered the largest in gross box office profits. 

There are thousands of film festivals and screenplay contests running each year for various genres of short, feature, and documentary films.  The European Cannes, Venice, Berlin, the American Sundance, and the Toronto Film Festivals are some of the most prestigious and influential in the world. Often, notable movies presented at these festivals become strong contenders for further nominations, including recommendations for the most renowned and glamorous Oscar Academy Awards. 

Since 1929, the Oscars have been crème de la crème within the American and international film industry. The golden Oscar statuette represents excellence, creativity, exceptional acting and movie production, as well as other criteria.

“If your dream is all about winning an ‪Oscar, a ‪‎Grammy, an ‪Emmy, or another award, give up and quit now! Why dream for accolades, awards, recognition, or celebrity status? Dream to learn, achieve, grow, sustain and succeed....” - Loren Weisman

 

Why do we love movies?

"Cinema is a mirror by which we often see ourselves." - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

We read books to imagine a tale. We watch movies to have situations, events, and stories visualized to us — all through the imagination of the film director, the cast, and the crew.

Movies are a source of inspiration, joy, and often an escape. We bond emotionally with the characters, feel their pains, join them in their struggles, and share their experiences. 

We identify with leading figures that match our personality and temperament or represent our aspirations. We respect values and motivations that mirror our own. We reflect on our own choices by analyzing our hero's journey and chosen solutions. We cheer for the protagonist. We loathe the antagonist. 

We sympathize with our heroes and want them to overcome their problems and be victorious, no matter the circumstances. We desire for villains to learn their lesson and atone, admitting their wrongdoing or otherwise being defeated. 

Movies might reflect our journey, presenting parallel experiences to our own, with film characters being reflections of ourselves, and the people around us. Depending on the genre, they can also represent a temporary escape from our current situation, a chance to experience the new and the unknown. Movies are great entertainment as much as they can also be a source of empowerment. 

"We are the movies and the movies are us." - David Ansen

What are the most popular film genres?

"I am a genre lover - everything from spaghetti western to samurai movie." - Quentin Tarantino

Motion pictures divide into genres based on narrative elements, thematic categories, and emotional involvement, dictating filming techniques. 

Film characters are developed through archetypes, goals, motivations, and motives. The atmosphere of a movie involves shooting locations, costumes, scenography, and viewers' perceived feelings. The story includes scene-to-scene central figures' perspective shifts, themes, and moods. 

Some genres, like romance, comedy, or drama play on a spectrum of our emotions often referring to real-life issues we experience in our daily lives. We watch these genres movies to confront our own feelings, to restore hope and happiness.

Thrillers, horrors, or action movies build excitement based on suspense and tension caused by delayed jeopardized situations. Such films cause controlled, short-lived stress giving an energy boost and inspire us to do extraordinary things.  Interestingly, these genres can be a much better choice for a date than romance or comedy. When we are scared our brains produce dopamine, the feel-good chemical, the same as when feeling infatuated.

Historical, adventure, and fantasy film genres take us to particular settings of different time periods, or supernatural world with magical sensations. When life gets a bit dull, we tend to enjoy movies allowing us to escape to another world, expanding our imagination, and stimulating our mind.

There are many subgenres within each category. To keep cinema exciting and innovative, directors draw from various genres creating diverse and unique hybrid motion pictures. It is less about a specific genre and more about an exciting plot, multi-dimensional characters, and superb, engaging dialogues. Great cinematography and sound add to the creative process of making movies. 

"The thing that makes a great genre movie is one that's not just entertainment, not just horror or sci-fi or whatever. The ones I love are the genre pictures with some subversive message underlying it all." - Ethan Hawke

How to convert your life into a movie?

"To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script, and the script." - Alfred Hitchcock

We love movies. Why not create our life as though it is a movie? We know drama, going through a variety of life pains. We risk and make edgy decisions, like an action hero. We romance. We laugh at comical moments of our mishaps and silly situations. And we go through scary moments of our adventures. 

The very same rule of an exciting hybrid of various genres in a movie pertains to our life.

The more we confront and the more we experience the better! All situations and emotions are there for a reason - the good, the bad, and the ugly - adding dimensions and excitement to our story. Like in a movie, to build your life, you also need a script.  

Are you ready for a close-up?

You are the main character, a protagonist. Take time to analyze who you are, what you like, what you want to achieve. Know your values. Be open with yourself about your virtues, vices, strengths, and weaknesses. Understand how you want to be perceived and appreciated by others. Recognize your dreams and wishes. Know your fears. Allow for your authentic inner voice to speak out loud and guide you in creating and building your personality and persona. 

What is your story?

Summarize your one-liner logline in answering the question:  what is your life about?  

Contemplate your goals, aspirations, and actions you need to take to complete them. Think of location: a place of living, work, or favorite getaway spots. Ponder on your ideas. Create an inspirational and exciting plot for the story of your life, the places you want to visit, the people you want to meet, the experiences you want to have. 

Are you set to take action?

You are the writer, main character, director, and producer of your movie titled: "My Life". You can create a masterpiece, or you can deliver a flop. You can imagine no limitations for what you can do, have, and be, or you can hinder your development process with excuses, procrastination, and inner barriers. You can explore, dream, and discover, or you can remain still at your perceived safe harbour. Not all ideas might be great. Not all actions can be successful, yet, you will not know until you undertake them. Have no regrets about what you did not do thus far. The time to start to write your script is now! Take heart and keep your spirit positively ignited for being the right person, at the right time, at the right place.

"There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the passion of life." Federico Fellini

The magic of life

"We are all actors and the world is our stage." - William Shakespeare

Movies can be magical, and the same goes for our lives. Many great movies are based on true stories. Real-life situations can be even more thrilling, compelling, and inspiring. Courage and curiosity, being open to confronting challenges, feeling deeply, and living passionately are the foundation of creating a storyline and a character. 

Dream! Keep on dreaming and then make your dreams a reality. This is when the action starts and thrilling moments occur. Some wishes come true, and some don't. Some things do not materialize for a reason. C'est la vie! Accept that and move on. You can always re-write your script, do add-ons, and shoot new scenes. 

Do not shy away from playing the main role and be a director of your circumstances. Embrace and brave your life. As Yoda from Star Wars said: "Do or do not. There is no try." Look at the mirror and say: “I am ready!” And, get the recording going! 

Lights, camera, and action!