I consider a film good if it is able to remain within me for the next few days after watching it. Originality is often a major contributing factor to making a good film. A good film not only has an original script, but has original cinematographic methods in which the film is strewn together. The cinematographer should take a lot of risks when filming a movie so that the film is interesting to watch, and include a lot of different perspectives.
Music adds a lot to a film, it can help influence the mood of the scene for the audience. Also if the film’s ending leaves me surprised or moved that is an indication of a good film.
Of course actors make a film good as well. I believe an actor is good if she/he is able to make me feel the same emotion he/she is supposed to be feeling. A good example of this is in recent movie Mystic River, while watching I was so enraptured by Sean Penn’s performance that when he cried I began to feel like him, sad, as though I had lost a loved one.
A good film is not necessarily the most entertaining film, or the most successful. People are easily entertained by gossip, and action and like to be kept on their feet while they are watching a movie. Often times, they may leave the theater misinterpreting their feeling of entertainment for enjoyment. I think the difference between a good film and a bad film is the originality factor. In order to be a good film you must have an element that separates your film from everyone else’s. Whether it be an interesting or unique plot or a distinctive way of filming the movie. Along with being interesting visually I usually think that sound or music adds an extra element to any film.
An example of a good film is Requiem for a Dream. The soundtrack is perfect because it always perfectly depicts the sentiment of the movie, whether it is chaos, confusion, or beauty. I also really like the different sequences, and filming of the movie. Because of all of these factors I think that this movie is an example of a goof film.
There are many things about a film that make it good. Of course a film that gets talked about for days, weeks, or even years is good. But why was it talked about is the question? It was either controversial, which is always good because it can be part of conversations and debates throughout all over the world. Or perhaps it had great acting, where the actor completely makes you relate to the character and sympathize, empathize, or perhaps hate the character. However, these couple of things are just the context of the film. The way that the movie was made, so the director and cinematographer are essential are essential in making a movie either good or bad. However, how good they really can be, of course depends on the budget. So, a skilled actor; good, effective plot; experienced and clever cinematographer; experienced director; and a decent budget all add to making a film a good one. Of course what’s good or not depends on each individual move viewer since everyone has different tastes in genres , actors, directors, and themes. But a REALLY good film, the majority of all viewers will all like.
There are many aspects to a movie. Whether it be acting, dialogue, directing, camera angles, special effects, or set design, every little aspect of a movie has a significant effect on the film as a whole. Every single aspect is very important. Even though each aspect plays a large role, I have always found that great directing can carry a film into a world of greatness.
Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, and George Lucas are some of the greatest directors and their great directing is shown through their great films. Films such as Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., Psycho, and Vertigo are very famous and successful films that have been carried into greatness my great and unique directing. Directing is so important because it overlaps with all of the other aspects of film. The director oversees the script, the acting, the dialogue, the camera angles, the special effects, etc. These are the jobs of the director. A director is a leader and a guider.
I view the director as the backbone of a film. The director is the glue that pieces all of the aspects of a film together. Without solid acting, dialogue, and many other factors, a movie cannot work properly, but directing is always essential. To me, directing is the key to good movie making.
For me a good film is defined by how the story is told
visually. I enjoy watching movies that have an interesting
use of cinematography. If a film is just shot in one style
throughout the entire film then I find it annoys me, I might
still enjoy the plot, but visually I am bored. When a director
takes a story and films it in an interesting way that appeals to
me more than a film that is just shot in one way. I think
what makes a good film is the directors ability to tell a story
completely, this includes the visual component as well as the
sound and whatever else a director may use.
I think the best film would be one in which the director
never needs to use dialogue or writing to setup a scene in a
way which the audience can understand. This also applies to
other things the director may decide to leave out. The
saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds true for
film as well. I would rather see a visually stunning film than
a film in which it is visually boring even if it has the best
script to back it up.
When I go to see films I always have an opinion on whether I hate them or love them. I think so many things go under what makes a film good and what makes a film bad. But for the most part there’s something that just me and my friends always agree on when we talk about how a movie was.
In my opinion the two most important things in a film are the actors/actresses and the storyline. I absolutely hate when films hire bad actors and it ruins the whole movie for me. I can’t stand to watch it through. I remember my dad really wanted to see one of the recent Star Wars movies and I watched it through with him and that little boy was horrible! It made me wonder how so much computer graphics and effort could go into the movie yet they couldn’t find a good actor around the same age of that young boy.
I can handle a lot of different storylines and that’s kind of how I like to choose what movies I get to see. I really like drama/comedies like that movie “Mona Lisa Smile” with Julia Roberts. I saw the movie “Ghost” the other day and I thought it was really, really great! I loved it all the way through. I can sit through horror movies and that sort, but I really don’t like it. The storylines never get me excited to try and figure out who the killer is and stuff like that.
I think a good movie really depends on the person who’s watching. I think everyone has a preference on what they like to watch and what they don’t like to watch. And I’m sure camera angles are really important but honestly I don’t really pay much attention to them.
-Michael Thai
For me, one of the single most important parts of films is the sound effects. Because of my dad's profesion, I get to see the difference between a film with complete sound mixing and a film with just straight diagenic/location sound. Not only is there a huge difference, but the location sound is just boring. Simple dialogue with maybe a few hits and bird chirps. That's all you get. But after you spend a good amount of time with a scene, you can add a lot. Voiceovers and other non-diagenic sounds make a world of difference. A good film has to have a good sound job. If it doesn't, it may be the most impressively visual film EVER, but if it sounds like crap, then it's really not going to work for me.
Then again, if done right, some silent films can be amazing. But the only way they can work without sound, is if there is a lot of style put into the picture. Constant cuts and shifts of the scene are a must; without the changing angles and shots you'd get pretty bored. Pans, tracking shots and zooms are helpful things as well, because they can add dimension to the film. Also, with a pan in the right place, you almost feel like you're actually in the film. Also, the right kinds of dissolves or cuts between scenes are extremely important. You can't go from an extremely dramatic scene to a happy bright one, without a dissolve. You just can't make that an automatic cut.
Movies require depth. That normally starts in the script, which has to have a beginning, middle and end. If it doesn't, the movie will suck.
What makes a good film?
I think what makes a good film is the music, the suspense and drama created by the actors, and the use of background and camera shots. The music makes the emotions in a movie more clear. The acting is instrumental as they are the ones trying to express the theme or idea of a movie and carry it out. The use of camera shots and background can both be used to set the mood of a scene and a way to diversify the movie, make it more interesting and less bland.
The music creates the feeling, and the atmosphere. For exaple one thing that made lord of the rings so good was how they made the battle sccenes so dramatic and powerful, they did this through the music, it set every scene of the movie making each scene so more extravegent and powerful, the music creating the atmosphere. Music used properly also makes scenes where the emotion is not so clear, clear. Or it can be used in the opposite way making a scene sound happy, but the scene turns out to be totally different from what you might of expected.
The actors are one of the more important qualities of a movie, they carry out the action, and therfor are one of the most important things in making a good film. The actors express the feelings and actions going on in a movie. If they do it badly, speaking very monotone, not expressing the emotions that they were supposed to show. They create the effect of a film, in “Monster”, could it havebeen done as well if the actress had not been able to portray the feelings and distrubed nature of her character? They are an absolutly neccesary component to any film.
Just as important as eithier the actors or the music is the film background and the camera angling. The camera angling important because without it the film would be bland, imagine a movie shot only in medium shot, it would become dull, using the camera well really effects the drama and feelings in a movie. The background is important also because it sets the scenery, what if a movie was just filmed in one room, it can still be good, but it would still be harder to enjoy, it would make the film dull. Creating a lush environment that sets the scene verus a cardboard box, which is better? The background and use of camera are absolutly needed in making a film, making it less dull and more exiciting.
What makes a good film?
The media has created entertainment for every type of person, in every area of the world. Because people are brought up in different cultures they grow up to have vastly different taste. To reap the most benefit, the media must create "work" for every audience. But when such different styles and tastes come together who is the one to judge what makes a good film. To judge a film based on genre is biased and flawed: comedy, action, horror - are all very different, but we can remember films are all made the same way. Camera shots, directors, lighting, style, and music. To judge a film based on mechanics is straight ahead.
Films, good films, should keep you interested and somewhat entranced. I think the two most important aspects of film are music and editing. Music most importantly, because even if a film is shot badly, everyone enjoys listening to good music. Even at the worst of times you can close your eyes, and with good music, you will not be completely turened off to the movie.
The editing of scenes should be interesting as well. Choppy, jerky cuts and zooms will leave the audience with a migraine, but smooth transitions, and many of them will give the viewer different perspectives and angles. Showing nice angles that a person would normally not look at can make a film beautiful and appreciated. A film also must in someway be original and eye catching.
Of course in the eyes of film companies the answer to this questions is simple. “ a good film makes money, a bad film does not.”
To me, a good movie involves a lot of good scenery. A motion picture with panoramic views of a mountainside or establishing shots of an on location tour of a village in a rain forest really impresses me. Even if the movie is a turkey, if it has incredible scenery that the people involved in the film really cared about, then I think that the movie is not as bad as it could be.
Sound is also a big asset. With sound emotions are high. I think that one of the scariest movies have the scariest background music. If the sound is some stupid backtrack that the director uses to fill in the awkward gaps between lines, then that to me, is a sign of a very badly directed movie.
Special effects are important as well. When a movie involves a “CG” character or background and it’s obvious that what was done was produced on a computer, then that just takes away from the quality of the movie. I find that I cannot concentrate on anything but that "CG" character or backdrop and that really takes away from the movie experience.