Extra Credit - James Clarke

On the topic of realist or formalist film, I find myself torn between the two. Admire so many aspects of both schools of thought. The formalist theory of the importance of all of the technical elements of film is of incredible influence on me as a movie fan and as a film maker. The score, the camera work, the editing, the timing, are all integral to how I view and make movies. On the other hand, if the elements all seem fabricated and don't fit the form of the movie, the reality of the film completely fades away. When I am in the theater or seeing a movie for the first time, it is key for me to become engulfed by the film or I am not interested.

I realize this might seem like trying to have my cake and eat it too, but in modern cinema I don't feel that is the case. Today all of the realistic elements of storytelling can be present complete with the additional formalist elements. In fact, many elements originating in realist film (such as the montage from The Battleship Potempkin) and the cinematography of probably the first realist film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. As a long time fan of film, I believe the reality of the world that the film creates. So long as the the rest of the film goes along with the same premise, I can still believe in the reality of the film, no matter how unrealistic that it is. This makes the placement and use of formalist elements very critical.

To me, I am somewhat of a purist. I will pay no matter how much money it is to go by myself (if necessary) to sit in the middle, center row of a theater and become engulfed in the story I am watching. The sound, the characters and my investment in them, the story and the spectacle are all my favorite parts. Sometimes I look for the message and the deeper meaning of the text, but sometimes I just take joy in the sense of wonder that motion pictures create. This is my passion, it is my hobby, and I hope to one day make it my career. Of the qualities in my favorite films, I would definitely have to point out that the majority of them contain an unfaltering hero in the purist form, foiled well by a villain so devious that you can't help but like them as well. The story usually spans more than one film, which also makes me a sucker for trilogies. Adventure stories that remind me of my own imagination and desires to explore the world and live on the edge of danger. These are the reasons we watch movies, to identify with characters that we wish we could be, and live vicariously through them.