Have you ever considered that there is a difference between moviemaking and filmmaking? On the surface this may seem a bit odd, but I think there actually can be, on several different levels. First, some definitions from my own personal film dictionary.
Movies. Major studios make these. Big event, popcorn entertainment, wide appeal, escape extravaganzas for us all. I go to movies. Some I like, many I don’t. They serve a purpose of pure escapist entertainment. And who couldn’t use that, especially in these times of great stress. Studios spend a lot of time doing market research, demographic studies, analyzing release patterns, etc. trying to figure what most of us want to see, and they pump them out just like the local widget factory. And they use the template for as long as they can get away with it, until new research says they need to build a new mold (or usually just tweak the old one a bit). Movies are rarely, if ever, viewed as classics and don’t usually survive the test of time, since they often reflect pop culture and/or the flavor of the month. They are motion pictures with little meaning, and they rarely involve “issue-based” films, or so-called “passionate filmmaking.”
Films. Studios make these, too. As well as mini-majors and independents. These may have some fairly wide appeal, but involve more serious issues, unusual subject matter, or a different point of view than a mainstream one. The marketing and release of films is done more carefully, and rarely in very wide releases unless it’s determined a certain star, director or timely issue warrants the risk for the distributor. But nowadays (actually for awhile now), as with movies, opening weekends for films are watched very closely. With films, since usually less is invested than with movies, they may be pulled quickly and financially recouped in after theater exploitation; DVD, cable, foreign, online, etc. Most of what I see are films, and it’s around 50/50 whether I enjoy them or not. Some films are viewed as classics and can survive the time test. I would say that most of the passionate indie filmmakers try to make films with meaning, but of course don’t always succeed.
Cinema. Studios rarely make these, if ever. They used to more often, before the attorneys, CPA’s and investment bankers co-opted creativity and imagination and took them all over. For the most part only independents make these. Although in foreign cinema you may see more than in America. In this country, very little cinema is made. What is cinema to me? Purely artistic motion pictures. Ones that are completely original in style, tone, substance, theme and vision (I know, a tall order and very rare), and probably have minimal economic value to most distributors. However, in the right distribution hands a piece of cinema could do fairly well. Obviously if it can find its audience, which most distributors today rarely allow cinema (or even film) to do. True cinema has a clear pathway to becoming a classic, but many times isn’t, at least according to the general public, because they may be relatively unknown. Although cine-buffs, film historians and Robert Osborn types will probably know them.
Now, are there motion pictures that could fit in all three categories? Actually, I believe it’s quite possible. A studio may gear up to produce a movie, then during its release realize it could be a film, (actually the public probably realizes it) and over time film ‘experts’ may view it as a fine piece of classic cinema. Also then, it’s obvious that a motion picture could fit into two of these categories, or actually be on the cusp. I’ve seen a few films that border on being cinema.
So, are Movies, Films, Cinema, actually different terms that attempt to label and identify the business, industry, and art form of moving pictures? Well, we must remember, these are my definitions and opinions, and may have no basis in actual fact or fiction. But I think there is a difference, albeit somewhat subtle, between a moviemaker and a filmmaker.
In the final analysis, moviemakers, filmmakers, whatever, are first and foremost storytellers. And we have … an unspoken covenant with the audience to tell an engaging story. But sometimes that does get lost in this whole complicated process, as even us filmmakers can be somewhat indulgent getting lost in the telling of the story. And therein lies the crux of the issue. We have to tell the story with a unique, original perspective, one that should be accessible to a fairly large general audience (that is if we want very many people to watch it), but yet that is also very personal from the perspective of the main characters. How to do that? Try juggling a dozen plates while traversing a tightrope in a barrel over Niagara Falls during a storm. Right … but of course we must try, for the show must always go on!
“Every day is a beautiful day.” — Jimmy Stewart
JAD
Author: Jerry Alden Deal
Writer – Director – Producer of Way To Go Media, LLC.
Over the past thirty years Jerry has been hired numerous times to develop and write screenplays for other production companies. During that same period several of his spec scripts were also optioned. ‘Dreams Awake’ was Jerry’s feature directorial debut. He has several other projects in various stages of development. One of which, the feature documentary ‘The Inner Sonic Key’ is currently in post-production.