Storytelling Through Film

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Storytelling Though Film What draws people to film over any other media used to tell stories? The written word has existed for hundreds of years going back to the Guttenberg Bibles, and yet consumers overwhelmingly prefer to view films. The answer lies in the relationship we feel with a well made film. Films have the ability to captivate the audience, to draw them into the story in such a way that a book can never accomplish. Film has the power to create real emotion attachment between the viewer and the characters on screen. The simple convenience of film draws many away for libraries and into theatres as well. There is even a certain ritual fulfillment provided by “going to the movies” that more casual media experiences cannot fulfill. The human mind has always sought out entertainment, from the Roman Coliseum to the stage and written word. Film is the greatest evolution of entertainment to date; it can capture the senses and heart of the subject more completely than any other form of media. Film evokes a greater emotional response from the viewer than the written word can hope to. Humans experience everything about our lives and the world around us through our five senses. Our senses are simply not aroused by the written word. As a person reads they may be exposed to sights and sounds, but these will detract from the experience of attempting to immerse one’s self into a story that must be creates solely in one’s imagination. This is contradictory to the design of the human mind. In order to fully immerse the viewer into a story, a film utilizes the two senses most integral to the human experience; sight and sound. Furthermore, when a film is viewed in the intended environment of a darkened theatre, little or no outside sensory input affects the viewer. This controlled sensory input allows the viewer to feel like they have entered the story and
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