A movie, also known as a motion picture, short film, or independent film, is an artistic work of visual entertainment used to simulate various experiences which convey ideas, stories, impressions, emotions, beauty, or scenery through the medium of moving pictures. Unlike paintings or sculpture, movies are created in a highly controlled environment in which the director and other contributors to the movie’s production rarely have the final decision about the appearance of any part of the film. Instead, decisions are made by the directors, producers and studio executives who all have a stake in the creative process. Movies are designed and produced based on the director’s vision for the content. The audience enters the movie theater with an understanding of the story, plot, characters, and the symbolism attached to the images and sounds of the movie.
In the last ten years or so there has been a significant amount of emphasis placed on movies focusing on themes of personal growth and self awareness. There has also been an increased focus on movies that deal with social issues or those which deal with environmental themes. Although movies are increasingly targeted toward younger audiences, themes change over the years as society changes. Movie plots and themes may be based around issues such as: divorce, teenage pregnancy, social problems (such as racism and class discrimination), or a desire to escape the daily restraints of society. The idea behind these themes is to provide an escape from the often mundane, and stressful, realities of daily life.
A decade later, after the release of a number of comedies and dramas centered on issues of social and political activism, the focus turned to issues regarding human health, or the deterioration of our environment. These movies provided a counterpoint to the popular Disney cartoons of the era, which primarily focused on children and families. Over the last ten years or so the focus of movie entertainment has become more geared towards the adult audience. Many movies have had varying degrees of success in the ratings, and some of the best-rated movies in the last decade have been comedies.
A decade later, after the release of a number of movies dealing with controversial topics, the focus has shifted to one sentence: character development. Character development is not a simple concept though. It is often difficult for a movie producer to find a story that will appeal to a wide variety of viewers. Some stories revolve around one single character, while others center on several different ones. For example, the recent movie Captain America: Civil War featured multiple protagonists while the previous movies featured one hero and often had little to no character development throughout the film. The success of any movie depends on the director crafting a story that appeals to a wide variety of people, as well as developing characters that can sustain the audience’s interest over the course of several movies.
After the release of a few successful movies, a new focus has emerged regarding the age demographic that watches movies. It was a decade ago, when most movies were aimed at children. Since the turn of the millennium however, the focus on family viewing habits has changed drastically. Movie producers have begun to make movies that are more family oriented, focusing on the development of teenage and young adult audiences. As a result, a character who is older than thirty years of age in a modern movie is likely to be on screen for quite some time, providing development for that character.
One of the biggest successes of the last decade has been the movie The Hangover, which managed to raise the bar on funny movie fare while simultaneously maintaining a universal message about health and nutrition. After the success of The Hangover, more movies have been produced that deal with food and nutrition, including Finding Nemo, The Curious Case of Mr. Sabika (ages eight and younger), and World War Z. In addition to these examples of successful comedies that have been made about food and nutrition themes, a number of successful dramas and movies that tackle weight issues and health problems have also been released. No matter what type of movie you prefer, chances are you can find a movie that will most likely deliver on your expectations.