“Only desire truly initiates learning.” –Serge Daney
Introduction: Film as an Art Form
There has been endless debate whether film should be perceived as an art form. Rudolf Arnheim has certainly posed this debate in his book titled “Film as Art” where he states that
There are still many educated people who stoutly deny the possibility that film might be art. They say in effect: “Film cannot be art, for it does nothing but reproduce reality mechanically.” Those who defend this point of view are reasoning from the analogy of painting. (Arnheim, 1957, p. 8)
To an extent, this is correct. The reality of the subject takes form through the painter’s eyes, and they use their hands to create the artwork. Yet, people need to consider the basic elements of filming techniques that directors utilize purposefully to captivate their audience through a series of moving pictures. It takes artistic elements to make a successful film and it is a matter of considerable sensibility. According to Arnheim,
People who contemptuously refer to the camera as an automatic recording machine must be made to realize that even in the photographic reproduction of a simple object, a feeling for its nature is required which is quite beyond any mechanical operation.
Directors, just like other artists, often make choices deliberately for the sake of achieving specific effects. For instance, their reduction of depth, choice in light and color, the limitations of the image and distance from the object, as well as absence on the space-time continuum are all dominant factors. According to Arnheim’s aesthetic, which is a dominant way of thinking about the medium, in a good film, every moment captured should contribute to the actions. Moreover, it is imperative for the viewers’ attention to be guided so they may understand this work of art. That is how viewers submerge themselves into the film and ultimately feel what the director desires them to feel.
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