titaniumdoughnut -- Maybe I'm misunderstanding the distinction you're making. But I keep asking myself: how else do we know the filmmaker's perspective except through what is given to us through the filmmaker's films -- which are a series of choices about execution?

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h what is given to us through the filmmaker's films -- which are a series of choices about execution?

The distinction is in the fact that choices of execution are not always able to be determined soley by ones perspective.

Often the perspective must be comunicated by the means available, thereby no longer making execution itself a determining factor in creating perspective.

We choose what to say but not always how to say it.

And when we make the mistake to concern ourselves more with how instead of why we end up with The Transformers.

To be honest I didn't read all of the other posts, only because I'm almost a year behind... which sucks. But, here is my opinion.
We live in a time when a person can make a HD film with great effects for under $2,000. Counting the camera. We are living in a time where information is spread faster than a speeding bullet. Faster than light. But most important, we live in a time where we can make a movie for under $2,000!!!! THAT'S the best part. We are all so lucky and fortunate to live in this day and age. No, I do not believe our culture, or film industry for that matter, is going down the ****ter. If anything, it is up to our generation to prevent that. We are the first group of kids who were given these cameras at a young age and could make a high quality film with no budget at all. We are the first generation to spread information via websites like studentfilms.com and can discover one another and grow from our own ideas. NOW is a time to be as optimistic as ever and I hope that I see more great movies come out of the minds of you guys, myself included. That's why I'm here. There is some serious talent on this site, and others, and I believe our world is headed in the right direction. It is just up to us to keep it that way.

Sorry I'm posting so much... I guess I'm catcing up?

I realize this is an old topic, but i felt like saying something about it: I think our generation is too satisfied with the voice we have in society. If you look at the "leaders" of any movement, you see people that had a strong opinion or vision of what could be, and refused to shut up about it. Today we fight the 'mainstream' so much we stick ourselves in this rut where we refuse to find a way to reach mainstream audiences, instead sticking to the sources of Indie film distribution. I have nothing against Indie film, I've seen some very good stuff. But in a lot of ways I think this whole idea of 'fighting hollywood' just constricts our ability to get our feelings out there to a larger pool of people. Hollywood dictates what people consider quality cinema, meaning it is also the most direct route to revolutionizing and moving the art forward. We all have to start somewhere, as students with low budgets and not the greatest cameras, and we should practice expressing ourselves from the beginning, but I think the most change occurs when we refuse to not be heard instead of 'accepting our place.' I know the films we see in theaters get really old really fast, but it's our generation that has the facilities and outlet to change them. As nervous larry said though, we've gotta find the heart.

this is the new world. we all know that MOST (if not 90%) of all of movie theatres are owned by the same hollywood big wigs (to put it in simple words) who feed movie formulas to us based on what worked last year.

There is no such thing as Hollywood and there is no such thing as Indie film distribution. THose days are all gone.

I am saying this to stray you away from those worlds, i am merely saying those people are working to "distract the world" from the real problems.

we're all guilty of being "Entertained", there is no purpose to these idle moments when fires are STILL BURNING, and mostly in your own EYES.

and some of us arent even allowed a chance to explain their world....where is Iraq? where is North Korea? These people are all being suppressed.

And you are wanting to join an entertainment parade and get your film in theatres all around the world? This is the absolute END of it all you guys, and how so sickly ironic that we are all connected via internet and already have the ability to BE IN HOMES. aNd there are MORE homes than there are movie theatres. FREE VENUE. THE NEW VENUE.

Give it up, show it up, dont wait anylonger.

Oh damn.

I hate the internet. Never before has a generation had the blinding technological ability to say nothing at all.

I'm going to the zoo.

I think people will look at "going to the movies" as an experience... just like going to a baseball game. The theater business might one day dry up, but the movie business won't. Why? Movies are too integrated into our culture to just shrivel up and disappear simply because of new technology. I think the movie industry will only get more sucessful as time goes on... the internet will be put to more use, especially with distribution of the films. Like Kyle said, it is the free venue. the new venue.

I think that what we have now is great mix of different movements.

What I mean is that cinema has become so eclectic in so many different parts of the world that if you stop to analyze the types of movies being produced you will notice that we are making pretty much everything there's to make.

Making a movie has become so "easy" with video cameras or cell phones that students and filmmakers are already making everything. In a single class, you find movies that are expressionistic, French New Wavish, Neo-realistic, experimental, noirish...

The problem is: these "movements" coexist together, and they are so abundant that no one will be so revolutionary like the French New Wave, for instance, once was.