Framing my Analyses and Looking Back at the Past

Today I have finished my 9 Frame Analysis on the opening sequences for Forrest Gump, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. I analyzed the credits, denotation, and connotations present, and I enjoyed the process. Studying the techniques that the scenes displayed gave me ideas for my own film opening.

The main topic of this blog, though, is myself looking back at how movies were made in the pre-digital era. Like most forms of mainstream media, the film industry was very different before the digital-era, from certain limitations to different conventions present.

First, the most noticeable change prior to the pre-digital era has been the increased use of computer-generated imagery to create visual effects. Nowadays, a lot of big-budget blockbusters, especially action-oriented films, use CGI to create immersive visuals, such as giant monsters, spaceships, or energy effects off of a powerful weapon. For example, the opening sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has the main characters fighting a giant space squid monster, which was brought to life thanks to CGI. The monster looks real enough to the point of believability, never making the audience doubt that the monster is from space. However, before the digital era, most films only used practical effects, which, while still used today, were far more prevalent back then. The Star Wars series of films is a good example of how practical effects substituted nicely for films during a time where CGI was rare. From space ships such as X-wings to monstrous beasts like the Rancor, practical effects made up these iconic visuals, still providing the audience at the time an immersive experience.

Another thing that has changed from the pre-digital era was the technology that is used to film movies. As time went on, camera technology got better, allowing for more dynamic and cinematic shots. For example, Forrest Gump was a film that utilized an aerial establishing long-take for the opening sequence, allowing for an impressive visual start for the movie. Whether filmed using a crane or a drone, that same technology, if it even was usable, was far more limited back then than it is now.

Finally, the digital era has provided a more extensive outlet for filmmaking. In the past, films were only widely released in theaters, which also played the news, or as VHS tapes in stores such as Blockbuster. Now, within an era of smartphones and the internet, filmmaking has become more widely available. Whereas filming a movie was a long, tedious, and complicated process in the past, now almost anyone can make a film, largely due to the video making capabilities of YouTube. Films are also more likely to be pirated online, which bypasses many people needing to go to a theater to see it. Since more people can make films now, some could argue that the art of filmmaking has lost some of its value in the digital era.

Overall, filmmaking is much different now than it was before the digital era, with evolving technologies and improving techniques. Whether this is change for the better or worse is up to time to tell, but it certainly is different.