A movie, also known as a movie trailer, video short, vignette, or motion picture, is an artistic work of multimedia visual art designed to simulate actual experiences that convey specific ideas, emotions, themes, perceptions, beauty, or environment through the utilisation of moving images. As such, a movie has the ability to communicate its message across many societal and demographic divides; from the early black and white of the movie Wild Hogs to the colour of the Blue Screen of Avatar. It also has the ability to influence viewers to react in particular ways either good or bad.
Therefore, one important aspect of producing a successful film is to create a strong and relevant theme. The theme of the film is what unites the film in the minds of the audience, as it is this theme that will help to create a consistent theme throughout the film and the promotional material supplied to viewers. Themes are commonly divided into two categories, the thematic and the sub-theme.
The thematic theme is one that is built up over the course of the movie, often centred around one central theme or characters such as the US, war, animals, or some other general idea. The main characters of a movie then generally have a theme that helps to define their personality and the motivations for being a part of the film. Themes are commonly seen throughout independent films and can be drawn from popular culture such as movies, comic books, television, bands or even film noir. The sub-themes are those that are built around a specific style of film, like the neo-noir style that features films set in the 1930s to the classic Hollywood movies of the golden age.
A popular sub-thematic theme is the contemporary theme, which is usually centered on the present day, the near future or the futuristic. One example of this would be the upcoming movie starring Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes called After Hours. The theme centers on a man that finds himself haunted by his past, and through the help of other people he is able to put his life back together again. Other examples of this could include movies such as Braveheart and Sex and the City, which both make use of ideas of national identity. Another popular modern theme is the current environmental issue, which has found an array of movie plots dealing with global warming, energy shortages and possible solutions.
Moving images and stylized camera work is also a major part of cinema. Two examples of this would be the shoot-by-shoot technique in the block chase in National Lampoon’s Animal House and the stylized photography of movies such as The Matrix. Motion picture technology is continually improving and new techniques are being created to enable the display of high quality moving pictures in a large format such as a computer monitor. Examples of this would be theamorphosis, which is when a film is made to change the angle of a shot and make it appear as though multiple images are being displayed instead of a single flat image.
Film makers have learned to use many of these themes throughout history to tell a story. We will continue to see themes developed throughout movies, books, and other forms of media as long as people continue to be drawn to things that are interesting or extraordinary. This is the reason why movies, books, and other media continue to be so popular throughout our changing society.