What makes a great film?

Ahhhh....the blog posts. So they begin once again...

For me, a film can be considered a good film in many different ways. Realistically speaking, there are no set rules for what makes a good film, there is secret recipe to a good movie; everything is subjective.

I went to see Transformer: Dark of the Moon in an IMAX theater and 20 minutes in, I just wanted to get up and leave. I know for a fact that I'm not alone on this one. Still, this movie raked in over $1.12 billion dollars worldwide. So how can a movie that so many people despised make so much money? Well, that's because there are the same amount of people, if not more, who loved this movie and went to see it 2-3 times (like my cousin who was the one who dragged me with him).  This reinforces the idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder which can certainly be applied to film.

That being said, there are certain aspects a film could have that could not only keep be interested, but also be an actual good movie. This can be applied to short films as well.

Firstly, the protagonist(s) should be a dynamic character. By that I mean, he/she should have transformed in some way by the end of the story. I'm sorry for doing this, but I have to reference Breaking Bad again. I understand that this isn't a film, but it is has a cinematic tone. Think of it like a movie franchise which comes out with a sequel after sequel, but each sequel only improves on the past movies. Vince Gilligan, the creator and main writer of the show, stated that we went into the show with the intention of taking this character, Walter White, from Mr. Chips to Scarface. This is exactly what the creators have done. Every single character in the show, not just Walter, is evolving in some way. No character is the same or thinks the same way as the time they were introduced in the show. This constant evolution keeps me interesting in the characters. If I'm interesting the characters, then I'm usually willing to let the story slide a little bid. However in the case of Breaking Bad, there is a combination of brilliant story telling with excellent characters all thanks. I believe that if you start with an interesting character, the story will come to you because once you understand your own creation, you can start taking it to places the viewer will find interesting. Last year, this is one aspect, I did not focus on. All the characters in my short films were one-dimensional and unrelatable which made the whole story rather boring to watch. In the case of Walter White, he is relatable because he as redeeming qualities. He's truly most interested in providing for and protecting his family. No matter how far off he goes off-course of being only in the business of cooking crystal meth for his medical bills and future of his family, the viewers thinks back and says that Walt is a good guy. The character is changing for the bad, but the viewer's interest in him always keep him on their side (most of them at least at this point). A character cannot be always good or always bad....he/she must be a combination of both. Being flawed is part of being a human.

"From Mr. Chips to Scarface"




Characters are great and all, but I cannot stress the importance of a good story. The story can be as simple as possible, but it has to be enganing. It has to keep the viewer interested in watching the movie. In the case of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, all it did for me was provide eye candy and big explosions with lots of action which was only fun was a total of 10 minutes. Heck, I can't even remember what the story was about. (something about changing Earth to Cybertron). This is also a feature lacked in my short films last year. The story was always so convoluted that viewers lost interest in everything.

The Black Hole is a great example of a very short film with an idea so simple that it's genius. Not only that, in the little times provided for the story, the filmmakers are able to make us (the viewers) question human morality, abuse of powers, and natural greed. We get all that from a guy who finds a mini black hole in a paper. Not only that, it teaches us a lesson. I suggest you watch it yourself since it's only about 3 minutes long.

Finally, I'd like to add that there should be an emotional investment and connection in the film. The filmmakers, which all the tools available to them such as cinematography, gear, props, music/score etc., should make me feel a certain way at the end. Sometimes, a happy ending isn't always the best way to go for this. For example, (SPOILER ALERT FOR FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) Every single football movie I've seen revolves around a band of misfits or outcasts from society who join together to stand for themselves and their cause until they finally win at the end. In Friday Night Lights, however, all of the hard work of all of the characters and their losses are not paid off because that's just life. It's based on a real story so it makes it that much more believable that everyone wasn't having the time of their lives at every turn. It's a realistic look at the obsession of football culture from a perspective of a town who lives and breathes high school football.
In the clip above, everything comes together for the team and it seems like that their last chance at a state championship is tangible. Then, quickly it's all brought to an end. Throughout the movie, you are complelety invested in the characters and their lives outside of football that it results in an emotional reaction. Even if you don't ball your eyes out, there is an emotional impact that sticks. All of this is heightened by the tools available to the filmmakers especially the camera movements/shots along with the music.

Again, I'd like to point out that picking "What makes a great film" is highly subjective and there are no specific ways that you could create a perfect film.