Question

Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:

Indian films have a history of their emergence, growth and development. There were the days of silent films where viewers interpreted visuals on screen and constructed their own understanding of what the films may have tried to communicate. Then came the days of audio-visual films, black and white films and later, colour films. People who can afford to watch films at theatres and those who can do so on their television screens at home are entertained by the stories that films tell us. There are all kinds of ideas, ideologies, tragedies, themes and values that films communicate. Today one can watch films on the internet on one’s mobile phones. Sometimes the explicit and implicit messages are received by viewers, but they can also be lost on them. Besides actors’ abilities to play varied roles or characters, there are a whole lot of persons involved with the production process as well as its marketing. This may include the film director, screenplay writers, designers, sound engineers, make-up artists and stylists, casting experts, musicians and so on. Fields like Visual Sociology, Sociology of Mass Communication, and Marketing Sociology have a role to play in the study of these varied dimensions. Films as a source of knowledge play multiple roles even today. The story lines and types of films are ever increasing. Films are not limited to nor bound by standard themes, love stories or gender stereotyping. Films can cause much upheaval on one hand and generate much interest on the other. Regional films and international films have added to the list of viewing possibilities and multiple interests.

Questions:

1. How is film making a team work?
2. Discuss the role of films in society.

Answer 1

1. Filmmaking is teamwork because there are a whole lot of people involved in the production process and its marketing. This may include the film director, screenplay writers, designers, sound engineers, make-up artists and stylists, casting experts, musicians, etc.
2. The role of films in society-
   1. The ideas, ideologies, themes, and stories depicted in films influence the way people think and behave.
   2. Films can cause much upheaval on the one hand and generate much interest on the other.
   3. The explicit and implicit messages given by films also influence people’s thought processes.