Filmmaking is the art of turning written material into movies. In the past, movies were often made from documentary materials and other types of artistic presentations. Filmmakers used to employ the services of other people to help them write, direct, produce and edit their movies. Today, movies are mostly self-produced with the help of computer technology. The process of making a movie has become more standardized and involves fewer people involved in the process.
Filmmakers are like writers who are given the task to create a movie on their own. Although it was possible to self-publish such books in the past, the process was time-consuming and highly competitive. Today, filmmakers can self-publish their works without delay. As a consequence, the term “filmmaker” no longer refers to an individual with creative ideas but to an organization that finances, produces and releases the movies. The development of this new wave of filmmaking owes its success to the growth and commercial success of digital video on demand (DVOD) services such as Netflix and Hulu.
A plot of any film may be well developed using dialogue and complex plotting, but film makers still seek to discover the visual language of images. One technique to express the main themes of a movie is to create character studies. Characters are a group of people whose interaction is central to the theme of the movie. The filmmakers use various techniques to portray characters such as dialogue, montage, music, special effects, background, foreshadowing, irony, simile, allusion, symbolism and simile.
Filmmaking is a multi-million dollar business in the United States. The leading feature films of this decade have generated enormous profits for producers and distributors. Movies directed by Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg have been financially rewarding because they created new trends in the filmmaking industry. Other directors whose films have been box-office successes include Michelangelo Marley’s Othello (Lions), Walt Disney and Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City.
Filmmaking in the United States is mostly independent or low budget, although some big-budget blockbusters like Avatar have been produced in Hollywood. Filmmakers working in the industry need not seek major distribution deals to publish their films. Occasionally, they can choose to self-publish a short film, a version of which is shown at film festivals or shown in video stores. In some cases, films are distributed by mail-order.
When describing motion pictures, filmmakers refer to three different categories of picture mediums: film, television and digital computer animation (CDA). For example, a scene from an animated motion picture is described using the terms animation, visual effects or computer animation. As film continues to evolve into smaller, more affordable products, it is replacing the ever-increasingly costly photography. The transition to digital films is currently set to complete in 2021. The growth of the film industry will continue to provide many people with opportunities that have yet to be fully realized.