Film Through Time by LASA Ezine

Cont 06

Letter From the Editors

12 18

Timeline of Marvel MCU Movies by Barret

The MPAA Film Rating System by Bernice

What Makes a Movie Great

by Barret

Let’s Talk Censorship!

by Bernice

A Less Popcorn Filled Future for Film Distribution

by Brynn

Film Watching Statistics

by Brynn

Dissection of a Film by Luke

tents 34

The Greatest of All Time

by Luke

Guess the Movie Crossword

by Bernice

T E K C I T A M E E N E O N N T I O M CI CINEMA T I D M A D A TICKET ADMIT ONE ONE ADMIT

Brynn Hughes

Letter from Barret Siebeneicher

Brynn Hughes, who goes by Brynn, enjoys dancing as a hobby because it’s a way for her to express herself and have fun with her friends. She takes A/V video production at LASA and has always had an interest in film, so she is looking forward to writing about film in her feature story and overall Ezine magazine. Her ideas for after graduation include going to a college for film and becoming a director or studying forensic science. A fun fact about her is that she has two younger sisters.

Film Through Time | 6

Barret Siebeneicher, a fine fellow, participates in sports such as football and basketball. He loves to sleep and relax at home. He plans on a possible sports career in the future as a manager, but he hasn’t quite decided what he wants yet. He shows interest in film and media and is writing an article about it wonderfully and greatly. He loves to eat because to him it’s always bulking season. Maybe he should become a professional eater so he can eat all the time.

the Editors Luke Lipton

Luke Lipton or Luke is a student at LASA high school, who is interested in sleep and video games. Luke is thinking about writing about movies during his time in the ezine class and is interested in the history of movies. Once Luke leaves high school he wants to go to college but is not sure what he wants to major in. Luke has previous experience with extracting AirPods out of a school toilet, so maybe he could pursue plumbing.

Thank You all for Reading our Article!

Bernice Pierre-Louis

Bernice is a freshman at LASA. She’s really into art and has always been inspired by animations and watching tv. She also loves to read and write. In Ezine, Bernice is excited to do graphic design and make really creative spreads. After high school, Bernice is thinking of going into technology or computer science but she’s not 100% sure. She’s deathly afraid of dogs though, so as long as she doesn’t become a vet she’ll be fine.

What Makes a Movie Great The Under Representation behind the process of creating movies By Barret Siebeneicher

Courtesty of Chase Yi Film Through Time | 8

ou always see movies and films, but do you know how to capture that magic? What goes into the film that makes it perfect? Is it the lighting, sound, audio, etc? Or is it the director and actors putting a spin on their fictional characters?What really happens behind the scenes is what real prep work it takes to create movies. No one really knows the true way movies are interesting, but with research we can gain a better understanding. How do we really make a good movie then? Well first it has to start with who is creating the movie. This could be a director or film studio. They gather information on the movie they want to create and then put that plan into action. This plan consists of where to film, when to film, and what we need to film the perfect movie. Let’s start with the where. You want to set your movie in a

place where it fits in with the story. You don’t want to film a deep dark movie on the beach because the feel isn’t right. Find a city with cloud cover that’s cold if you want that feeling.When directors plan out their movie schedules they do it in time increments from 6 months to 2 years. Directors find consistent times where they can get their actors and crew to get on set and film. With no film plan, no one knows when to truly show up. When needing props for a movie, directors “create a basis or an idea of how they want the movie set and the props included in the movie to be. Then they get together with a production team to make a sketch of the props they need for the desired films,” said Suri Bealer. Suri Bealer, the president of Electronic props,

This a prop closet used to store uded and old props for movies and films. actors to agree to go with you says her process is as follows. and assure them that the movie will turn out well. “I reach out to directors and producers and ask if we can Another big part of creating use our props in their movies. movies is audio, music, and If they say yes then there are sound. If you had a movie with a couple of steps that need to bad music and sound effects be taken. We ask them if they it probably wouldn’t be a good need certain props that we already have or we ask them if movie. Let’s take a look at we need to make any new spe- the new Batman movie. The Nirvana song that plays the cialized props for their film. entire time gives a feeling of We can then figure out the darkness and fear, which goes location and dates where we with the narrative of Batman. need to send the props. And finally, we “sign an agreement If it was some random song or for our props to be licensed”.” some happy music it wouldn’t give off the same feel. This is only one major aspect “It’s really important to reof movie filming, with all that member that sound is half of directors have to do they reyour movie. You know, without ally feel pressure. One of the audio, you’re a silent film, you biggest things with planning films is location. Directors and know, you’re limited to what managers have to either stage you can see on screen,”said Morgan Honaker, a sound scenes or take flights to go places in the world to capture mixer for sound crafter studios. the perfect feel for the movAudio, not just music, is imie. With this you have to get portant too. With special mixactors and stunt ing and sound effects it makes

your film more alive and professional. Morgan Honaker reflects on this topic by saying “one of the ways that you do that is with backgrounds. So if they’re at a waterpark, you would add like children laughing in the background. You would add like distant sounds of slides and kind of maybe a rumble of like water moving underneath the park that’s supplying all of the rides. But then also, you’d add, if it’s daytime, you’d add like birds or air, or if you’re near the ocean, maybe distant waves, that kind of thing to really build out the soundscape and again, make it feel real”. This process takes a while though, sound crafters for movies have to watch the films over and over with no sound and create a game plan of how they want to incorporate effective sound. Mixing sound usually takes high quality and many speakers so you can have the best quality sound. “You could have a hundred-ish speakers if you really wanted to go crazy. Generally, though, you’d have 10 to 20 speakers and then a couple of subwoofers that you’re working with,” said Morgan Honaker. When creating a movie your budget is also very important. You have to plan out how much money you need for the film production, and then how much money you need to pay the crew and actors. We see this play out in the designing of sets, during the filming of John Wick, Suri Bealer said this in relation, “The movie company paid for half the price of the Film Through Time | 10

Suri Bealer said this about the John Wick movie production "I think that one thing I’ve learned is that if things are going well tween the production company and you’re writing well you don’t and the independent company stop at half past five. I’ve a very hired by the production managloose schedule. If it’s going well I er. The production manager is will carry on writing through the the supervisor of money being night – if it’s happening you’ve made and being spent. For big got to keep it happening” Mark movies like John Wick money Herman a well known director is a key role. You have to film speaking on script writing. Script many explosions and death writing has to be one of the key scenes, so the cost to make it components when creating look real is going to be a lot. "Most scenes are of explosives, movies. People like Mark spend days and weeks trying to create guns, buildings breaking stuff like the perfect narrative to tell a full that so when creating the props we story. Many script writers say had to hire people who specialize that often viewers look past the in blowing things up, pyro artists. text and dialogue in a movie, We also had to then create all the and just zone in on the images props for two years which was the and sound. This makes script longest we have ever worked on writers like Mark frustrated a project. I don’t like to say it but because all their hard work has for the purpose of the interview been in a way excluded from the I will it was like we were making viewer’s perspective. When you fake movie bombs for two years read reviews there is almost no reference to the language and This really shows how dangrous movies can be. One fac- dialogue being presented in the movie. What really can make tor that plays into this danger movies is in fact the language is stunts. Stunts are hard to do and slang. There are reasons because you have to find the why Marvel movies are so popright person to do everystunt. ular, because the charters are They have to look like your funny and relatable. That all actors and agree to do near has to do with the language of

creation of the props’’ that production cost is split be-

death defiying stunts.

Morgan Honaker watches film to help visualize what sounds need to be added. Courtesy of Morgan Honaker

the script. Given a movie is being filmed but as well with everything mentioned before the camera crew and the cameras itself elevate the movie. Some of the most used professional digital movie cameras include:Arri Alexa, Blackmagic URSA, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras, Canon Cinema EOS. Panavision Genesis, Red Epic, Red Scarlet, and Red One. Though the ARRI has continued to set the standard for cinematic filmmaking. Americans eventually got their hands on the compact ARRIFLEX 35 film cameras they had heard so much about. Directors can indulisallly decied what camera they want to use for their film, whatever they choose should be a valid pick because of the range of greatness cameras have nowadays. Movies are such great things that are very much appreciated in our society, people spend years trying to make a near perfect movie. People might say Titanic or Avengers are the greatest movies, but every great movie has its flaws. People can say the writing of the Titanic is cheesy or that the Avengers plot doesn't make it great. Not all movies are made perfect and us as viewers have to respect that. Viewers have to know how hard it really is to make a near perfect movie. We need to give more credit to the prop makers, the soundcrafters, and the writers because without them we wouldn't have any masterpieces. People will learn how important the behind the scenes process in creating films is. You know without any of those key steps and tiny details we don't get to see these masterpieces displayed before our eyes. Because without movies and films our world seems a little less interesting. movies and films our world seems a little less interesting.

Movie camera ready to shoot any action for a film. Courtesy of Denny Muller

Timeline of Marve Iron Man 2

Iron Man

2010

2008

Thor

The Inredible Hulk Iron Man 3

2011 201

Captain America: The Winter Soilder

2014

2013

Thor:The Dark World Doctor Strange

2016

Captain America: Civil War

Guardians Of The Galaxy Thor: Ragnarok

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Avengers: In

2017

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Black Panther

Black Widow

2020-2022 2020-2021

WandaVision

Film Through Time | 12

Shang Chi and The legend O

Marvel Has Created Movies in four diffrent phases. The first one lasts fro a surlpus of movies during each of these times including Iron Man, Aven ty a movie in here that you will enjoy.

el Mcu Movies Captin America: The First Avenger

2012

11 1

Avengers Avengers: Age of Ultron

2015

Ant Man

nfinity War

Captain Marvel

018

Spider-Man: Far From Home

2019

Ant-Man and The Wasp

Avengers: Endgame

The Eternals

Of The Ten Rings

Spider-Man: No Way Home

om 2008-2012, the second 2013-1015, the third 2016-2019, and the fourth one 2020-present day. There is ngers Endgame, and Spider-Man. Marvel has created such a big base for this universe that there is defeni-

Let’s Talk Censorship Giving you the know-how and why of children movie ratings

Illustration by Bernice Pierre-Louis by: Bernice Pierre-Louis

t’s a saturday evening and you want to watch a movie with your whole family, so you search for a movie that interests you, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Aside from a little violence and gore that you heard from a friend, you believe the movie is suitable for your parents and 4 yearold sibling to watch. You tune in and in about 2 hours, your sibling is horrified and wailing over the gore and brutal violence, while your parents are disturbed with the amount of graphic scenes and profanity in witness to your sibling. You wonder if this movie was the best choice for tonight’s family movie Film Through Time | 14

night and how you would have figured out which movies are really suitable for a 4 year-old. The MPAA and other mainstream movie rating organizations have come a long way in viewer censorship when regarding film. From the Hays code to the Official MPAA rating to websites designed primarily for reviewing children’s media, rating movies have evolved with the intent in mind to think of the families providing appropriate content for their families and to see to what extent we should “think of the children”. In the early days of film, movies would be rated in the

mind of a business marketing strategy. For the supreme court and Hollywood execs, movies weren’t seen as a basis for art and creativity, but as a means to profit and a way to elevate consumerism. This meant that filmmakers had to follow a strict code of conduct to abide by these execs, and this is where the Hays code was founded. In 1930, the Hays Code was established as a state of rules censoring anything that was seen as inappropriate and vile. In short, the Hays Code was a first in censoring media for families and children with clean language and little to no kissing or signs of affection between characters. Eventually the Hays Code

was abolished in favor of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) rating system which wanted to instead have the interest of parents who wanted to choose the content for their children instead of businessmen. Senior writer and filmmaker liaison to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPA) said in response, “ Our system was developed to actually try to get rid of production code to get rid of the Hays Code so that filmmakers can tell the story they want to tell. And then our rating and descriptors will tell parents if it’s appropriate for their kids or not. So again, we’re trying to empower the parents to make the choice”.

The right way to censor children’s media has always

friendly and clean to the more subtlety inappropriate and violent. The MPA has developed a rating system to somewhat accurately place movies in their respective age groups for viewing. According to the MPA, Children’s movies usually fall into G or PG. “A rated PG, which PG, stands for parental guidance. In this category, there might be a little bit of that edge, milder words, maybe some namecalling, jerk, stupid

“We want parents to have the power to choose for their own families”. been a difficult question to answer for families and film reviewers; more often than not movies marketed for children range from the overly

A family, close in comfort, sit and watch a movie together. Photgraph by PersonalCreations.

idiot, that type of thing. Might be old non realistic violence. You know, this kid friendly, pretty, family focused type entertainment, like your Hallmark movies, those types of things could be PG,” said Downs. CARA (Certification and ratingadministration) is the team at the MPA directed by Ms. Downs, that collectively decides on and rates movie material for audiences. Composed of workers that are parents themselves, CARA rates about 700-900 movies Film Through Time | 16

each year. The organization rates movies based on their collective parental view and always finds to keep the children and filmmakers in mind with their decisions. “We are a group of people, parents, there’s like a dozen of us, right? We stream the movies on these, secure platforms. So it’s not just Netflix, or Apple or whatever it was, we have a designated secure platform, we all screen at the same time and we watch the entire movie without pausing it or rewinding. We just watched from start to

finish. And then we’re taking notes the whole time. So every single curse word, I have to write it down and tally and try to write down as much detail as I can about the violence and the sex and everything that’s going on,” said Downs. Despite the organization’s efforts, the ratings themselves leave a lot of gray area for content in children’s movies. Movies in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), for example, are categorized as PG-13, mainly from the violence and effects, but other than that the movies are pretty clean and safe for

most audiences. Then you have movies like Inception where violence and sexual themes remain prevalent throughout the movie with a seemingly convoluted plot to younger audiences to tie it all together. This gray area in the rating of age groups leaves parents unsure of what type of movies are suitable for their children to accompany them to the theaters.

organizations, ours is all based on child development criteria, you know, what kids are typically ready for it, which ages, you know, varies obviously, by kid and by family”, said Betsy Bozdech, Betsy Bozdech and her team work primarily in screen media, which delves into TV shows and mainly movies. She has been working in the industry for 16 years and believes in rating movies for children based on their maturity. When asked about the differences linking her rating process and the MPA she said that the matters of rating are entirely different in system. The MPA rates for a general outlook on movies, so a movie rated R or NC-17 would obviously not be made for children whilst movies in the G to PG-13 area may be available to kids provided the context. Common Sense media intends to go deeper with this approach, as a website and organization primarily for kid-friendly and family content. When rating movies for children, it’s good to remember that the reason why they are rating these movies is not for censorship, but to appropriate kids in the correct maturity scale, to not impact their thoughts and actions too early on in their life. Common Sense

“One of our founding principles is sanity, not censorship”.

Founded in 2003, Common Sense Media is a non-profit organization that delves into that specific gray area of children’s entertainment. Their website holds all the reviews and ratings of children’s media ranging from TV shows, movies, books, and even video games. The rating system evaluates movies with a specific age rating for each movie depending on the contents seen. For instance, a movie like Spider-man: No Way Home is depicted with an “age 11+” rating, and is given a ranking on categories like language, violence, positive role models, and positive messages all in an easy to read and user friendly GUI. Betsy Bozdech, Head of ratings and reviews at Common Sense Media says, “Common Sense Media approaches, read media ratings differently from other

Media recognizes this and founds their org over showing kids media until they are ready to view them “ I think there’s censorship, and then there’s, you know, holding off on things when your kids aren’t ready for them, right., I don’t think my eight year old should watch it[an R rated movie] and I do not want him to watch it. So I guess some folks could say that’s a form of censorship if they want to watch it. However, as his parent, it is my right and my responsibility to make sure he sees things when he’s ready for them,” said Bozdech. So the next time it’s your turn to hold a family movie night, keep in mind that the movies you choose retain to a younger audience and review rating. If you’re unsure on how to pick correctly, the MPA and Common Sense Media have been hard at work since the 1960’s providing regulations and censorship on movies family-friendly to downright mature for the viewing experience of families, so you can enjoy the movies you love watching.

An array of movies ranging from Pg to R rated are shown. Potograph by Andrei Z

The MPA Film by: Bernice Pierre-Louis

The MPAA rating system has been the official way for audiences and filmmakers to know outright gore and mature themes. These ratings determine the type of audience that woul

When was the MPA Rating systems put in place and used publicly? The MPAA established their official rating system in 1968, replacing the old hays code production system where films were restricted based on what was marketable to all audiences. The code was a buisness based system that didn’t let filmmakers produce the art they wanted to express and caused controversy in the movie scene. The MPAA rating system has filmmakers in their best interest by rating a movie based on the content of the movie, letting creators and families decide the content they can view based on the rating.

Film Through Time | 18

G PG PG-13

R NC-17

GENERAL Movies in this category are for everyone; rating and the audience for this type of

PARENTAL Movies in this category are for most people; example of this would be your average disney

PARENTAL Movies in this category are for more mature content. To view you should be 13 or older

RESTR

Movies in this category are for mature and adult the addition of sexual situations more apt in

NO CHILD Movies in this category are very explicit and obscene and gore is prevalent. To view you

Rating System AUDIENCES profanity, violence, and sexual situations will not be seen with this movie are often family’s or children at the ages of 1-8 years old.

GUIDANCE violence can be shown with restrictions in these movies and an movie. Families are the target audience for this type of movie.

GUIDANCE UNDER 13 audiences; they can contain violence, and other inappropriate and an example of this type of movie are MCU movies.

ICTED

audiences; violence and gore can be frequent in these movies with movies rated R. To view you should be 18 or older.

REN UNDER 17 targeted for adult audiences only; suggestive content is very must be over the age of 17 and present your ID for identification.

Movie rating Questionnaire

1. At what age did you watch your first PG-13 movie? A) Right when I turned 13 years old. B) When I was age 11-12 C) When I was age 6-10 D) Under age 5 2. Do you believe the MPA rating system is accurate in it’s age group restrictions? A) No, I believe the age restrictions are much too old and should be reduced. B) Yes, I believe the age restrictions are accurate and we should follow the limits set by the system. C) I don’t care for the age restrictions and will watch movies based on my own maturity.

Sources; mtsu.edu, motionpictures.org

w where certain movies fall into, from family friendly content to ld watch a movie for it’s themes.

A Less Popcorn Filled Future for Film Distribution How film distribution techniques are changing By Brynn Hughes

ne day you’re sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the film to start. There’s the quiet buzz of people reclining in their seats, the fizz of your sister’s icee, the buttery, warm smell of popcorn, all warming your senses. The previews start up. The lights go dim. You sit back in your nice, comfy chair and get ready for the next two hours of gripling excitement and then, next thing you know, it’s four months later and you’re up in your room struggling to pick

Film Through Time | 20

something worth watching on Netflix for your zoom movie night with friends. There’s no more popcorn. No more previews. No more emotions filling the room. It’s just you and your streaming service. The way movies are put out into the world will never ever be the same again - especially after COVID-19. Film distribution has been a constantly adapting process but it’s changed more than ever in the recent years as the COVID 19 pandemic rages on and technology continues to advance. According to statista,

in 1996 there were 7,798 movie theaters in the US but as of 2020, there are only 5,798 theaters around. When the world shut down, film companies had to scramble and reconfigure their release techniques so the industry could stay afloat. They’ve had to shorten theatrical windows and make films theater exclusive. They’ve also experimented with implementing slow releases and utilizing dual releases. Jennifer Mizener works at Amblin Partners, Steven Spielberg’s company, for Wren

Photo by Geoffrey Moffett on Unsplash

Visual Effects. She said film distribution has changed with the times. New movies used to come out on a Friday and then a new one would be released a few weeks later and then another even more weeks later. Now things are much different.

of content to people in the different ways that they want to view it,” explained Mizener.

theater before moving to peoples’ homes, its potential is hurt

Michael Nordine, a freelance film writer for Variety, explained that studios create new techniques because of their audiences.

“With the technology that we have between theater release, television, streaming services, iPhones, and all of these advancements in technology, the film industry, like so many others, are changing with the times in order to be able to provide different kinds

“Studios are rethinking their theatrical approach because if it’s not Spider-Man, then people are tending to stay out of the theaters right now,” said Nordine.

“I don’t think [movies are reaching their highest potential with shortening theatrical windows]. The way the theatrical release schedule works now is basically, if you don’t have a strong opening weekend, that’s sort of your whole story. There isn’t much opportunity for movies to have a slow burn release where they pick up momentum as they go along. [For instance], Titanic was the highest grossing movie

According to Nordine, when a movie has less time in a

of all time until Avatar came out. [Titanic] never made more than something like $10 or $20 million in a single weekend but it kept making a consistent amount every single weekend for a month,” said Nordine. “I think there’s a feeling now that people [who] want to see a movie, will go to see it in the first week or they won’t see it at all. So if the movie underperformed its first weekend then [everyone’s] just going to give up on it immediately.” Not everyone has been comfortable going to theaters during the pandemic. For this reason, Mizener found the theater exclusive method, a technique that ensures a movie is in theaters only for a while before moving to streaming services, disappointing for the film industry.

With fewer people going to the movies, theaters are at risk and if theaters are at risk, so are movies themselves. Movies are meant to be seen in theaters according to Nordine who said movies are special because they are

outing again according to Mizener. “Many of those theaters and these chains have suffered the last two years. When people feel comfortable again and there’s a big exciting movie out, it will feel exciting again to go to the movies. It won’t just be ‘let’s go to the movies’ it’ll be like, ‘oh, we’re going to the movies. It smells like popcorn.’ It’s just all the experiences that come with that. [We’ll] get to see trailers again and all those fun things that go with it,” said Mizener.

“You just hope that with all the different streaming services that the goal is always still the same; to try to provide people with the best quality options that you can that are entertaining and hit the mark.”

“I don’t think that many have been really successful with going in that direction of just saying, ‘we want it on the big screen.’ Of course, so does everyone. We make movies with the idea and the dream of seeing them on the big screen in an audience filled with people, [but that] isn’t the world that we live in right now. While I understand certain movies [get] delayed and plan to be theatrical only because they are a big spectacle… if the world can’t Film Through Time | 22

do that, if the world can’t come to you, you do have to figure out how to come to the world,” said Mizener.

meant to be seen on the big screen. Nordine is worried about theaters’ markets in the future.

Jazmyne Moreno is a film programmer at the Austin FIlm Society Cinema. She explained that film distribution is also changing because of streaming services like Netflix.

“[Film distribution is changing for] a number of reasons, I think you have streaming platforms that are often creating a sort of a content machine that you feed constantly,” said Moreno.

“I think that the theatrical experience will continue to be more and more of a niche market for people who really value it,” said Nordine

Nordine agreed that streaming services are just putting out quantity over quality to make money and keep their services up and running.

Post pandemic, going to theaters will be an exciting

“For me, I like movies to feel special and feel like events.

I think that that’s happening less and less now. Streaming services are sort of just turning them into content,” said Nordine. While some could argue that these ‘content machines’ only produce projects of less quality, Mizener explained how this content isn’t all necessarily bad. There are still diamonds in the rough that streaming services bring to light. “It’s interesting because I look at it from both someone that works within this industry and also as somebody that partakes in this industry. There’s the TV and movie fan in me and then there’s the professional and how those meld together… I think that, pandemic or not, having streaming services offers an opportunity for people to have all sorts of different kinds of content but also possibly to see shows or movies that aren’t the blockbusters that need the 100 million dollar opening. [These would] just get swallowed up at the box office by the bigger projects but they still deserve an audience. They’re great projects. So streaming services are able to provide people an opportunity to see projects that maybe audiences might not have seen if they were just going to the theater,” said Mizener. According to Moreno, determining the success of a film is much harder nowadays because of streaming

services. “You’ve got metrics that we the public don’t quite know. So how Netflix determines how popular a film is or how well it did, is by how many people watched it, but what they consider a watch might be a fuse, a few minutes. So if someone only watched five minutes of a Netflix movie, they ‘watched it’. [That makes it] harder to gauge what a ‘success’ is anymore,” said Moreno. Mizener explained how the last few years have been good for streaming services but hard for theaters. “I think from a revenue standpoint, it’s going to be huge. There used to be such a separation between film and television and now all those lines have blurred over the last few years. Then, obviously over the last two, it’s just all mixed in together. I think from a theater owner standpoint, it’s got to be really tough because they’re not bringing in what they used to and having those options. It’s a great opportunity

for all the streaming services to jump in on that,” said Mizener. Mizener, like so many others, felt lucky that streaming services were available during quarantine and that film studios took a chance. “I think the first couple months [were] a wait and see and then all of a sudden [studios went] ‘you know what, we’re gonna be locked down for a while, people need more stuff. What are our options?’ and they started pairing up more with the streaming services,” said Mizener. “I mean, thank goodness the streaming services were up

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

Photo by Meg Boulden on Unsplash

and going and this was a business model people were executing already because had they done this, maybe 10 years ago and we had a lockdown, we would have all been scrambling desperately for something to watch.”

same kind of special feeling that it used to.Tickets are so much more expensive than [they] used to be. Food is more expensive than it used to be. For a lot of people it just seems like a hassle,” said Nordine.

Rather than movie theaters changing the way the public see movies, Nordine said it’s the streaming services that change public perceptions. To him, movies are meant to be seen blown up on the big screen but nowadays, people aren’t going to the theaters as often as they used to.

Mizener talked about the first movie that was released to streaming services without a theatrical release back in 2020.

“I think [theaters are] the way people have been seeing movies for 100 years. It’s more that streaming services are changing the way people see [movies]... I really value the actual experience [of theaters] but I think to a lot of people, it doesn’t have that Film Through Time | 24

“[Trolls World Tour] was the first one [to be released at home instead of in a theater]. It was a Universal film and they were going to release it like everything else and they decided, ‘you know what, we’re gonna give it a shot.’ I think a lot of people thought, ‘oh, that’s nuts, because they’re not going to make the same amount of

money,’ but they did a wonderful job, especially for all the families that were home and trapped inside, especially with little kids that you’re trying to keep entertained. It was actually a very cost effective way for a family to watch something new together because now you rented [a movie] for $20 instead of taking every member of your family to the theater for $10-$15$20 a piece. It worked and it benefited everyone. Maybe they didn’t make, I’m not sure of the numbers, maybe they didn’t make the same amount as if they’d come out in theaters but I think the movie reached more people than could necessarily even afford to go,” said Mizener. With shortening theatrical windows and more people watching movies from home, Moreno said movie theaters can still be saved by offering what streaming services can’t. “I think that [movie theaters can be saved from becoming a thing of the past] by offering what the streamers can’t, which is that sense of curation. When you’re on Netflix, or Amazon Prime, or any of the others, you’re offered tons of choices but there’s no curation. So you just sort of throw a thing on, you don’t know if it’s the

quote unquote, good or bad or whatever. There’s no real context for it,” said Moreno. “That sense of care and curation that is offered by a theater [and] that sense of community and joining in with other people and their interest is lost when you don’t have that ability to connect to one another. So I think all of those things [will be] lost whenever theaters [are] done.” Mizener said she appreciates studios who offer both theatrical release and streaming service release simultaneously. “I applaud those that offer both right away because it reminds us that while this is a business and people want to make money at it, you are thinking about how we want people to see it, and we want people to have the option and not be left out of it,” said Mizener. Over the last few years, as the COVID pandemic has continued, the film industry has had to constantly adapt. Mizener is most impressed with the industries’ ability to listen to audiences. “I think our ability to listen to what the audiences are looking for and how they want to see it, not just what they want to see, but how they want to view it [is most interesting]. Especially over the last two years, when everyone’s been in lockdown, how quickly the industry was listening and starting to pivot in order to

make sure that the material people were craving was getting to them in whatever form that we could because once everything locked down obviously we weren’t going to the theaters, we weren’t going outside, we were erring on the side of caution and safety for everybody’s health but that didn’t mean people didn’t want things to watch. And of course, we’re all locked in our homes and bored out of our minds. So you’ve got to figure out what is the best way forward to get things,” said Mizener.

different streaming services that the goal is always still the same; to try to provide people with the best quality options that you can that are entertaining and hit the mark and the audience that you’re looking for,” said Mizener. Film distribution will continue to change in the future just like it always has. Who knows what the methods will be like even ten years down the road?

Mizener said that the industry changing isn’t a new thing though. “It is very rare within the industry that I work in where someone goes, ‘well, that’s the way I’ve been doing it for 30 years. That’s the way it’s always done.’ That’s not a statement that works because I can’t even say that about things from two years ago. It’s constantly changing and I love that about it,” explained Mizener. Going forward, Nordine, Moreno, and Mizener all think streaming services will grow as theaters shrink. Mizener explained her hopes for the future no matter what happens. “The industry has always changed with the times, with the technology, and with the audience that craves it. This is no different in that sense but you just hope that with all the

Photo by Jonatan Moerman on Unsplash

Film Watchi

Where Do You Prefer to Watch New Movies?

By Brynn

A survey taken of LASA students about diffe movie theater watching to streaming service “what’s the best streaming service?” and “h theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic?” A

Theaters During Covid?

---- -- ---- -----------

What Movie Did You Last Go See?

Source: Google survey of LASA students Film Through Time | 26

Pros of Theaters - “Watching movies in a theater gives a much more cinematic viewing experience, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in a film on the big screen. It is usually higher quality than a film at your home tv, and just has that charm and ambience of seeing a movie ‘in theaters’.” - Caty Tarrant - “It feels like more of an ordeal, or something of more importance than watching a movie at home.” - Unknown - “Better viewing experience, easily able to meet up with friends and enjoy without worrying about hosting it at someone’s house, more immersion in the film.” - Sean Clarke

ing Statistics

n Hughes

What’s the Best Streaming Service?

erent film watching aspects stretching from es. Different topics were asked about such as how comfortable are you going into movie All results were taken out of 49 to 51 people.

Netflix

Disney+

Hulu

HBO Max

Amazon Prime Video

YouTube TV ---- -- ---- -----------

---- -- ---- -----------

Hoopla

Sling TV

Cons of Theaters - “I don’t like having to sit next to people I don’t know and the food is expensive.” Lila Withrow - “Surrounded by people you don’t know and influenced by their reactions to the movie.” - Unknown - “I would say the unnecessary talking of other viewers in the theater. Other than that, nothing really.” - Jake Smuts - “Movie tickets and the food at theaters are so expensive! I’m also nervous about Covid exposure while in the theater.” Unknown

When Were You Last in a Theater?

54% 16% 8% 8% 6% 4% 2% 2%

Luke Lipton

Dissection of a Film

An understanding of a medium we take for grante

Photo by Jakob Owens, Unsplash.com Film Through Time | 28

ed.

young filmmaker, fresh from school, decides it’s time to create their first movie.The filmmaker gets a studio to pick up their project. They hire actors, camera operators, script writers and so on, they also get a budget and solid locations. Everything is turning great for the young filmmakers first movie, and now it is time for the first screening of the film. The young filmmaker sits along with the audience, equally scared and excited for their reactions. Now as the credits are rolling, the audience is roaring with applaud. The critics gave the film glowing reviews, friends and family congratulated the filmmaker on their great achievement, but how did they make a good film? You need to have a great team of people to bring a movie together. The screenwriter, producer, director, and the rest of the crew, need to all be working together to form a cohesive visual that people will remember. Because of the need of everyone to come together and give it their all, film is extremely expensive, with some films reaching into budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars. The high cost of film further shows the importance of everyone doing their absolute best to deliver the greatest product that they can. The screenwriter’s job is to write the story. A writer must create the backbone of the world and the interactions so that others, such as the actors and directors, can bring emotion to the world. Katherine Craft, a talented writer, has worked in both plays and film for many years. Since Craft has experience in both of these mediums, she can tell what works and doesn’t work for both of them. “Plays and theater in general, they’re more auditory. Film and TV are very visual mediums, where you actually want less

dialogue and more images and actions to tell your story. There are some writers who are great at it. But a lot of times, you don’t want your characters giving long speeches or having scenes that run really long. Whereas in plays, a lot of it is more based on dialogue. So your characters can talk, it can be one location for the entire play, you can have a great play that’s one location with two characters, and that’s it. And the thing is they can have this amazing, life changing conversation that the audience sort of gets to witness and be a part of, and that doesn’t always mean that the same kind of setup has to change,” Craft explained. Film is not a stationary thing, it also not a live thing. You can mess up on a film set, but not on a stage. This is important to how films and plays are structured differently, as there are many things you can do in film and not plays, and vice versa. Writing is so important in this aspect because you need to write what your audience would know of a movie, if you write a movie like a play, then the audience could feel like what they saw wasn’t a good movie because it would tell instead of show. If this change is very skillfully done, however, you could work it to your advantage. This change can set you apart from the crowd and garner interest amongst movie goers. Film Through Time | 30

Megin Boyles, a film producer, has much experience, so she has an idea on what a producer should be focusing on, and what you need to make the end result

“we know what our viewers will stay for, and if it starts to drag, it slows down, there’s too much talking, they’ll just stop watching.” exactly what you want it to be. “I think that as a producer, you have to really keep the budget in mind and keep things that make sure the schedule stays on track. If the schedule falls behind, the budget goes up. But you have to really balance watching the budget versus keeping the integrity of the art. But the producer has to make sure everyone’s happy and staying on schedule, but also getting the job done. And staying on budget, without having to compromise too much in the art. And that’s tricky.” said Boyles. Craft worked with Snapchat to create an original show

called Kappa Crypto. She had to find ways to stay true to art while writing to the Snapchat audience, which proved to be different than what she was used to. “Snapchat had very specific ways that they wanted you to write the series, and that was to appeal to, you know, as many people as possible. And as well as to keep people’s attention because if you know, people are on Snapchat, they’re on their phones. And so what I wrote for Snapchat had to move very quickly. It had to have a lot of cliffhangers, a lot of action, and they were really specific around like, we know what our viewers will stay for, and if it starts to drag, it slows down, if there’s too much talking, they’ll just stop watching.” Boyles has worked with many filmmakers on many different projects, she knows what must be prioritized and what must wait, but this can change from person to person. “When I first started, I started off as a production assistant. I went to film school, and I thought the production and getting the shot was the most important thing. But as I’ve actually made films and had my career, I will say that it is extremely important that you capture what is needed, but I think the planning is probably most important. Actually having

a true budget that’s real. So sometimes you’ll have a budget that someone just kind of pulled out of thin air and then there’s a real, true budget where you go line by line and planning that includes, rehearsing and getting together with talent, having a director who has a very clear plan for every single day of the shoot. And it’s also flexible for when things go wrong, they can pivot and they have it all planned out. So I think the most important part is actually the planning, the pre production and all the right pieces together as well. creatives and your talent. Production to me is the most important,” Boyles finished. Van Ditthavong, a film director from Laos, was a photographer before a film director. He had previous experience with capturing a frame, building a story, and creating things that catch the eye. “Film is a visual medium. My photography helped tremendously as I transitioned into becoming a filmmaker. I think it gave me a leg up, even though I started my filmmaking career late. Also, I write visually and try as much as possible to use words to show rather than tell as they say. Another benefit of being a photographer is that my knowledge of lighting and compositional elements really helps me communicate better with cinematographers and crew.

A person pictured writing a screenplay on a laptop Photo by Glen Carstens Peters, Unsplash.com

Photo by: Jeremy Yap Unsplash.com A projector displaying a film onto a screen.

And that’s one of the attributes a Director needs is great communication along with great empathy,” Ditthavong said.

Directors must pay attention to what your audience wants, otherwise, nobody will come to see your film. However, it is just as important to stay true to yourself and to make a movie you want to make. When asked about working for a wider audience, he answered with the following statement. “Audience is very important. You always want to keep your audience in mind and always assume they know more than you think. However, as far as creating work to reach a wider audience - I haven’t had that issue at this point in my career. I’m more focused on crafting the best story and film and working with Film Through Time | 32

tremendously talented and hardworking people to help make that happen.”

successful film, I think that involves four components: The narrative/script, The visual, The performance, The What your end goal is will be music/sound. How you exedifferent from everyone else. cute on those four areas will You could be aiming for fame, determine a good amount. money, or you might just be Oh - and then throw a trelooking to tell your story. Ev- mendous amount of luck into eryone has their own idea of it all!” success, and some goals are easier to achieve than others, It’s important to look through and that’s alright. Everyone everything while making a has a chance no matter how film. Everyone must be conbig or small a goal is. Dittributing their all to meet the thavong stated, end goal. The film not only needs to capture the audi“I think once you determine ence’s heart, but also fulfill what success is then you can your own ideal image of the answer that question. For project you worked on. Marexample, does the film have keting, luck, and great filma great festival run? Does the making all go hand in hand film get distribution? does in making a film successful. the film launch your career Without a good writer, the but doesn’t make your inplot might not hold itself tovestors money back? Is it a gether. Without a good probox-office hit? So everyone ducer, there may not be the has a different idea of sucright talent in the film, or it cess. But to have a creatively may go over budget. Without

a good director, the vision of the film may be clouded, and its purpose could be lost. A good film has all the elements that people want to see, what’s most important about a film’s success is if people will want to see it. When a movie makes no profits, this may limit the people who worked on the film’s future, which is why you must always make it your all when creating a film.

will struggle to connect with people. A film can connect with people because its an art, and people consume art to feel emotion or to relax. Film is also an avenue for making profit, without the profit, artists would not be able to continue their work. Balancing the artistic and technical aspects of a film is what a film-

Everyone in a film project must put in all their effort into making a movie the best it can be, without the effort, the movie

Photo by Avel Chuklanov, Unsplash.com A clapboard used by directors to dictate the flow of a set.

maker does, and when both of these sides are pushed above greatness, a masterpiece is created.

THE GREATEST Who are most influential and famous film directors of all time? Throughout the century, many people have stepped up to the challenge of creating a film, and here we are to celebrate those who succeeded in creating masterpieces. Created by Luke Lipton

The Japanese director Akira Kurosawa is widely considered as one of the greatest directors. His works inspired Star Wars, A Fistful of Dollars, and more. Known for Seven Samurai (1954), Rashomon (1950), and Ikiru (1952) Source: IMDb

Film Through Time | 34

Alfred Hitchcock, widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, reigned the film industry in the earlier half of the twentieth century. Known for Psycho (1960), Vertigo (1958), and The Birds (1963).

OF ALL TIME Stanley Kubrick is known for his pessimistic and unique filmmaking. He has made movies considered by many to be the greatest of all time. His work in science fiction and horror has forever changed the film industry. Known for The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Steven Spielberg is currently one of the most famous directors alive. He has been making movies in a career spanning over 4 decades. He has made some of the most famous films of all time. Known for E.T. (1982), Jaws (1975), Ready Player One (2018), and West Side Story (2021).

GUESS THE MOVIE CROSSWORD This crossoword is desined to test your movie knowledge. Answers are all movie titles with clues based on quotes, trivia, and synopsis’s of popular and more niche movies.

Across

Film Through Time | 36

Down