Cinematography

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 482.

Star Power

Extraordinary vs. Ordinary

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COMMERCIAL HITS

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• For a movie to be a commercial hit, its plot has to resonate with the dreams, fears, beliefs and values of its target audience.Besides, the plot needs to be driven by the concepts of reward, revenge or escape and revolve around a conflict or quest that can only be resolved through growing acts of risk and sacrifice on the part of the protagonist.

• A successful movie features a "fish out of water" hero who is either an extraordinary character trying to fit into an ordinary setting (e.g., Forrest Gump) or an ordinary character forced to survive in an extraordinary environment or under unusual circumstances for which he is not prepared (e.g., Luke Skywalker).

• When an actor has a large and enthusiastic fan base, virtually any movie he is in, is going to be guaranteed an audience. Unfortunately, this is true even if he's totally wrong for the part or the script isn't particularly well written. It's also a little-known fact that actors-turned-producers sometimes make movies they know will fail because they need to be able to claim them as a loss on their taxes.

• Technology has radically changed the way movies are filmed, especially insofar as computer-generated imagery (CGI) has not only reduced the cost of building sets but also allows actors to magically morph into different beings, integrates historic footage into a contemporary context (e.g., "Forrest Gump"),and can create all manner of natural and manmade disasters without actually destroying anything. This "electronic eye-candy" is a popular draw that translates to commercial success, particularly with teens who are the largest movie going audience worldwide.