Not every film has to make a statement or be about a movement.
In this modern era of media and pop culture dismissing straightforward tropes in film and television for being culturally unprogressive and irrelevant, the result of this sensationalism will inevitably lead to the descent of the foundational component of storytelling which is to simply ‘tell a story’ without having any cultural or political connotation.
Attaching mediocre standards, criticizing coincidental repetitions, because it does not satiate our innate desire for the novel, the unheard, the unseen, is the actual backward path film enthusiasts and pop culture is obliviously striding on. The fact that only a selected number of tropes and plotlines receive a warm reception in today’s media is genuinely harmful to the expansive core of filmmaking and storytelling.
Yes, it is fair that critics and fans now hold a key role in approving the kind of stories being shared and the kind of narratives being sold. It is right that we now prefer stories with more diversity, representation and inclusion of minority groups. However, this approach to storytelling stems from an unpleasable audience and not the writer, which goes against how art should be created in the first place.
The author, director, screenwriters, or producers, are the figures that should be at the helm of filmmaking from pre-production to post-production. But now, a new model of filmmaking continues to grow in popularity. One that puts the audience in the central stage of the whole experience, instead of the story, its characters and its core message. This overwhelming desire for filmmakers to appeal and gain false critical acclaim from academy bodies and renowned cinema forums shreds the simplicity and authenticity of the exhibition. Therefore, making the art of filmmaking a performative obligation for cultural or commercial function.
But what is exactly wrong with this model?
You may wonder. The story being told should take top priority followed by the audience. As soon as it evolves into the reverse pattern, it becomes obvious and pretentious leading to cases of performative diversity, forced-cringe dialogues, shallow representation, which this same audience will eventually see-through. Even if this reverse model should be employed in movie production and marketing, it should be done within the full liberty of the filmmaker not out of coercion or fear of backlash.
The film industry has seen a myriad of creative and technological evolutions, as well as infusions of notable elements to edify filmmaking over the years. Some of these modifications and the names behind them understood the assignment, while others only achieved the disastrous impacts still a problem in filmmaking today.
Out of a continuous need for advancement, the industry, its players, and pop culture are on a speedy ship on a fatal voyage. While it is easier to distract ourselves with the ear-tickling terms and elements consistent in television today, we must query, if the sensation of having strict representational and cultural standards is truly edifying filmmaking and storytelling in general. Or, ruining its essence.
