Friday, December 18, 2009
A Nation Of Filmmakers
Each moment is caught within a frame, both in view and in time. With the rapid ascent of telecommunications' devices complete with video/audio capability, we have become a culture of mise en scene---the society of setting. But are we, as amateur documentarians, capable of ascertaining the power and importance of the images we collect? Maybe, we save the moment just to save the moment with no chance of reflection or remorse.
As a nation of filmmakers, we hurry to upload gold to YouTube, only to find that gold is merely a color on the vast palette of the electronic universe.
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With the development of YouTube the world of film changed forever. Now everyone has the ability to become a film maker without even leaving their home. This has created a viral film world that is full of moments no one should see. It has completely changed privacy and brought down an art form that was once highly regarded. Great documentaries are now no more famous than the latest YouTube video posted by some 5th grader with too much time on his hands.
ReplyDeleteI feel like there is now a deprofessionalization in the film industry. YouTube is a prime example of this. "Movies" are not left only to the professionals anymore. Anyone can go out and direct, record, edit and produce a film and upload it to YouTube and receive millions of hits.
ReplyDeleteWhile this may be true, I also feel that You Tube is a great place for aspiring film makers to get their work out there. It allows others to critique their ideas. Great film makers were amateurs once, and you have to start somewhere.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel as though Youtube is the downfall of film. It was fun for a while but now anyone and everyone can upload videos about anything. Youtube makes things great for aspiring film makers but the videos on the website have started to mock it. The good things on Youtube are things like commercials, music videos, newscasts and alike but, there are also things on Youtube like videos of people chugging beer, stripteases, and things along those lines. This is fine for some websites but youtube can be accessed by anyone. some of the videos are for mature audiences but a person of any age can set up an account claiming to be older than 18. I think that if people want their films to be taken seriously they will have to upload their videos somewhere other than Youtube.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the comment regarding the deprofessionalization of the film industry through Youtube, I feel that this may be more of a bad thing. Youtube essentially gave anyone with a camera and a computer an inch and those people took a mile. Youtube literally just reached the "1 billion videos point," which means that if one hopes to "make it big," they'd certainly have to provide something unseen before in their video. Trying to find a good, legitimate short film on Youtube is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
ReplyDeleteThat website has truly become a pile of rubbish and a place for mindless entertainment, hindering the progression of the professional film making industry. The amateur filmmakers that think they can start their career through Youtube seem to make a mockery of the aspiring amateurs who ventured out to Los Angeles in the 1920s.
It may be a convenient, popular medium through which one can express themselves, but is that really a good thing anymore? Take a moment and think how tainted this medium has become!
(Reilly Dixon - MPC 9:15 on MW)
I definitely agree with you, Colin. It is the downfall of films. Anyone and everyone posts videos on youtube. And once it was cool, and i guess it still is in some cases. You can learn basically any kind of dance by going onto youtube. Or even find other "how to's" on there. It's kind of a cool thing for that, but I don't know about the whole finding film makers on there. And It's crazy some of the stuff that is on there. There should not be things like stripteases or whatever it is. Everyone can see this stuff. And like we are learning the internet is taking over everything right now. I will not want my kids seeing this stuff when they are old enough to know about youtube.
ReplyDeleteDanielle Bethel- MPC 915 MW
I don't think that the deprofessionalization of film will come with any degree of speed because of YouTube. I think that YouTube can create a creative outlet, even for the 12-year-old with too much time on their hands. No matter how much junk floods the site, or inappropriate adult-themed material, there will still be room for and the ability to post quality independent films on YouTube. Just as film fans have to wade through the lower-quality "popcorn" movies every year, so it will become with YouTube.
ReplyDelete- Cody Yoney MPC MW 9:15
YouTube's popularity comes from the fact it is a website that can show you pretty much a video of anything you could imagine. Mostly it is a source of entertainment, whether it is idiots doing stunts, web videos made by amateurs, TV episodes, movie trailers, how-to videos, historical events, and many more. Yes it is an amazing invention for giving the chance of no-names and youth visionaries to pretty much produce anything they ever wanted and show it to a mass media made up of various countries. Will they find fortune or fame? Probably not. Will they be recognized for doing something new and exciting? No. But the fact they get the opportunity to express themselves and show it to billions of people, that is amazing. I am grateful for it every time I want to see an episode of The Jefferson's, a Van Halen video, or old footage of Steve Irwin. Now do I think there is professionalism in YouTube? Of course not. Will I take anyone's work seriously if its on YouTube? Not anymore. If you want to make something short and entertaining and have the chance for millions to see it then yes put it on YouTube. But if you want to be taken serious, and you want to make a living off this sort of thing, do not put it on YouTube. Stick to a credible medium and attract the attention of professionals in the field, not computer addicted teens.
ReplyDelete-Griffin Jacob Media, Power and Culture Mon & Weds
I completely agree, Griffin. There's a charm to YouTube that really can't make or break the videos posted on there if taken seriously, yet also gives the flavor and pizazz to the internet community today.
ReplyDeleteWhere there can be some less tasteful videos posted, that will be found in any kind of media, yet as with the case of YouTube, it is not going undealt with. Moderators and users alike do their best to keep YouTube a safe and enjoyable environment to those looking for a safe and enjoyable source of entertainment.
In terms of the decline of film making finesse, I see YouTube posing no real threat. Those looking to find the next upcoming talent may choose to look towards YouTube or not, but I think it is safe to agree with you, Griffin, that has been and will always be simply a guaranteed place for expression through the use of video. True, some music artists on the market today were discovered through YouTube. Colbie Callait, for example.
Yet I still believe that users posting on YouTube don't all post in hopes of making it big or catching the eye of some executive in Broadway or California with a career opportunity.. Just the thought that someone across the country or even the world can see a snippet of another person's life, creativity, humor, or opinions, seems to be enough for the average YouTube user. That, in a nutshell, is good enough for me as well. :)
I agree that the current technology everyone has access to has changed the term "filmmaker". Now that anyone can make something and upload it to YouTube gives people access to an endless supply of content. Most of the videos posted on YouTube aren't that great and may lack in "professional" quality, but that doesn't stop people from posting. YouTube as an outlet is great because it opens up the playing field and allows people to be creative, show their perspective, and connect with a community of viewers. Not everyone who post things are looking to make it big or go onto Hollywood with their ideas. The content creators online have the advantage of getting instant feedback from their work where actual directors spend years working on a project and only hope for good reviews. Just because someone doesn't have a multimillion dollar production behind them doesn't discredit the fact that they're putting their vision out there. Many people do make a living by posting videos on online and we're in a time that allows that to happen. The overall tone is that YouTube is just a port where people want to post videos and become famous, when people don't see it as a destination for new content and opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI feel that youtube is a great expansion to today's film industry. Doors to new genres have opened giving us a broader spectrum of video arts. Now people are viewing video blogs, webisodes, and viral videos. Its content may not be as conventional or refined as that of an Indy film fest or big Hollywood screening, but with its ease of use and massive audience, youtube provides a stepping stone for aspiring film makers to be discovered.
ReplyDeleteYouTube has revolutionized the sharing of online videos by allowing people to not only post user-generated content, but also collaborate with one another like never before. Some people may just see YouTube as a place for viral videos or a site to see the latest music videos, but there is a lot more to the website. YouTube allows people to express their creativity and socially interact with others in a completely new way.
ReplyDeleteI think YouTube is unique in the way that people can interact with one another via comments, video responses, and collaborative channels.
Mary Betz
(Media, Power, Culture MW 9:15)
In discussing whether or not YouTube is diluting or tainting filmmaking, the line between a film and video must be distinguished. YouTube is a medium for sharing "videos" that peek into the lives and personalities of people around the world. To say that filmmaking has been destroyed by YouTube is rash, and referring to striptease and beer drinking videos as evidence towards those claims is fallacious. These videos and "film" have nothing to do with each other, which also further proves that YouTube is not a medium for exclusively sharing art. Yes there may be amateur films found all over YouTube, but to criticize those films due to videos of less worth and decency, found on the same site, would be absurd. YouTube is not a medium restricted to high art, so to criticize the amateur films that are found on YouTube is also fallacious. The people taking casual videos of daily life do not consider themselves filmmakers and it would logically follow that they are indeed not filmmakers. No one said they were.
ReplyDeleteYouTube itself does nothing to hurt filmmaking. If anything, the people giving a million hits to crap videos of no intellectual worth are the ones at fault. YouTube in it of itself has no innate qualities that harm filmmaking. In fact, YouTube serves as a powerful resource for feedback towards amateur filmmakers. In addition, YouTube is home to endless concert videos that have never before been seen and "how to" videos that offer quick tips for everyday life. YouTube is filled with garbage, but it is we the people that feed into it by giving poor videos a million hits!
In conclusion, I feel that stating YouTube has destroyed filmmaking is rash. Comparing the crap on the site to actual amateur filmmaking is unfair and has nothing to do with any innate quality of YouTube; the people are at fault for this. YouTube can and is used as a fine resource when the videos of less quality are over looked and the useful ones are embraced.