Getting to know the Hollywood style

The magic chair takes you anywhere – It makes you a part of the adventure of the characters in the film. Thus, films all over the world have been playing a role to most, if not all, people’s weekly routine.

            David Bordwell, Janet Staiger, and Kristin Thompson studied 100 Hollywood films from 1917 to 1960 and concluded the developed cinematic style – The Hollywood style. Because of the global dominance of Hollywood films, it has been a paradigm to other filmmakers anywhere.

            I can’t say if I really have an understanding on films, because I only watch just for the sake of entertainment. And if ever I am asked to critique a movie, I focus on the story itself. This is why, I think, Hollywood films are really effective because they are good storytellers.

            They focus on their characters, setting, and they make it a point to connect to the audience. As they tell the story, they make their audience crave for more. And in order to produce a movie that can carry its audience, they turned the Hollywood style into a studio style. They designed the entire movie. They did it so well that it has become as if invisible. I bet no one has ever noticed a man-made environment on a Hollywood film.

            Because they are storytellers, they made sure that nothing can interfere the audience from knowing everything about the story, No single glitch in editing was ever found or has drawn attention to itself on a Hollywood film - Again, the concept of being invisible or continuity editing.

            By the end of the movie, there was no question left unanswered. Hollywood films made their story concise and free from disturbances; in editing, in acting, or even in the set design.

            Yes it is still entertaining but looking at the generation we have today, it may be predictable. As the society grows, our level of thinking and creativity must grow also. Thus, I think, it will be helpful if Hollywood films would take risks. Their style won’t produce critical thinker audience but only, dependent ones.

           I may not be knowledgeable enough about films yet, but as a Mass Communication student, I wish to make a film different from others, a film that has no pattern. If ever I will have this opportunity, I wish to produce films with different styles.