Film Trivia | 100 did you know facts & trivia about Films [Part 2]

We already found out some trivia about the history of Film and how it became one of the best known media. Now, its time to learn some more about it.

You can check everything there is to know about it here. So let’s dive into some more trivia about film.

Film is considered to have its own language
James Monaco wrote a classic text on film theory, titled “How to Read a Film,” that addresses this
Director Ingmar Bergman famously said, “Andrei Tarkovsky for me is the greatest director, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream”
An example of the language is a sequence of back and forth images of one speaking actor’s left profile, followed by another speaking actor’s right profile, then a repetition of this, which is a language understood by the audience to indicate a conversation
This describes another theory of film, the 180-degree rule
This rule is a visual story-telling device with an ability to place a viewer in a context of being psychologically present through the use of visual composition and editing
The “Hollywood style” includes this narrative theory, due to the overwhelming practice of the rule by movie studios based in Hollywood, California, during film’s classical era
Another example of cinematic language is having a shot that zooms in on the forehead of an actor with an expression of silent reflection that cuts to a shot of a younger actor who vaguely resembles the first actor
Thus, indicating that the first person is remembering a past self, an edit of compositions that causes a time transition
Montage is the technique by which separate pieces of film are selected, edited, and then pieced together to make a new section of film
A scene could show a man going into battle, with flashbacks to his youth and to his home-life and with added special effects, placed into the film after filming is complete
As these were all filmed separately, and perhaps with different actors
The final version is called a montage
Directors developed a theory of montage
Beginning with Eisenstein and the complex juxtaposition of images in his film Battleship Potemkin
Incorporation of musical and visual counterpoint, and scene development through mise en scene, editing, and effects has led to more complex techniques comparable to those used in opera and ballet
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films
In general, these works can be divided into two categories: academic criticism by film scholars and journalistic film criticism that appears regularly in newspapers and other media
Film critics working for newspapers, magazines, and broadcast media mainly review new releases
Normally they only see any given film once and have only a day or two to formulate their opinions
Despite this, critics have an important impact on the audience response and attendance at films, especially those of certain genres
Mass marketed action, horror, and comedy films tend not to be greatly affected by a critic’s overall judgment of a film
The plot summary and description of a film and the assessment of the director’s and screenwriters’ work that makes up the majority of most film reviews can still have an important impact on whether people decide to see a film
For prestige films such as most dramas and art films, the influence of reviews is important
Poor reviews from leading critics at major papers and magazines will often reduce audience interest and attendance
The impact of a reviewer on a given film’s box office performance is a matter of debate
Some observers claim that movie marketing in the 2000s is so intense, well-coordinated and well financed that reviewers cannot prevent a poorly written or filmed blockbuster from attaining market success
However, the cataclysmic failure of some heavily promoted films which were harshly reviewed, as well as the unexpected success of critically praised independent films indicates that extreme critical reactions can have considerable influence
Other observers note that positive film reviews have been shown to spark interest in little-known films
Conversely, there have been several films in which film companies have so little confidence that they refuse to give reviewers an advanced viewing to avoid widespread panning of the film
However, this usually backfires, as reviewers are wise to the tactic and warn the public that the film may not be worth seeing and the films often do poorly as a result
Journalist film critics are sometimes called film reviewers
Critics who take a more academic approach to films, through publishing in film journals and writing books about films using film theory or film studies approaches, study how film and filming techniques work, and what effect they have on people
Rather than having their reviews published in newspapers or appearing on television, their articles are published in scholarly journals or up-market magazines
They also tend to be affiliated with colleges or universities as professors or instructors
The making and showing of motion pictures became a source of profit almost as soon as the process was invented
Upon seeing how successful their new invention, and its product, was in their native France, the Lumières quickly set about touring the Continent to exhibit the first films privately to royalty and publicly to the masses
In each country, they would normally add new, local scenes to their catalogue
Quickly enough, found local entrepreneurs in the various countries of Europe to buy their equipment and photograph, export, import, and screen additional product commercially
The Oberammergau Passion Play of 1898 was the first commercial motion picture ever produced
Other pictures soon followed, and motion pictures became a separate industry that overshadowed the vaudeville world
Dedicated theaters and companies formed specifically to produce and distribute films
Meanwhile motion picture actors became major celebrities and commanded huge fees for their performances
By 1917 Charlie Chaplin had a contract that called for an annual salary of one million dollars
From 1931 to 1956, film was also the only image storage and playback system for television programming until the introduction of videotape recorders
In the United States, much of the film industry is centered around Hollywood, California
Other regional centers exist in many parts of the world
This is Mumbai-centered Bollywood, the Indian film industry’s Hindi cinema which produces the largest number of films in the world
Though the expense involved in making films has led cinema production to concentrate under the auspices of movie studios
Recent advances in affordable film making equipment have allowed independent film productions to flourish
Profit is a key force in the industry, due to the costly and risky nature of filmmaking
Many films have large cost overruns
An infamous example is Kevin Costner’s Waterworld
Yet many filmmakers strive to create works of lasting social significance
The Academy Awards are the most prominent film awards in the United States
Providing recognition each year to films, based on their artistic merits
There is also a large industry for educational and instructional films made in lieu of or in addition to lectures and texts
The Academy Awards are also known as the Oscars
Revenue in the industry is sometimes volatile due to the reliance on blockbuster films released in movie theaters
The rise of alternative home entertainment has raised questions about the future of the cinema industry
Hollywood employment has become less reliable, particularly for medium and low-budget films
Derivative academic fields of study may both interact with and develop independently of filmmaking
As in film theory and analysis
Fields of academic study have been created that are derivative or dependent on the existence of film
Such as film criticism, film history, divisions of film propaganda in authoritarian governments, or psychological on subliminal effects
These fields may further create derivative fields, such as a movie review section in a newspaper or a television guide
Sub-industries can spin off from film
Such as popcorn makers, and film-related toys
Sub-industries of pre-existing industries may deal specifically with film
Such as product placement and other advertising within films
Trailers or previews are advertisements for films that will be shown in 1 to 3 months at a cinema
Back in the early days of cinema, with theaters that had only one or two screens, only certain trailers were shown for the films that were going to be shown there
Later, when theaters added more screens or new theaters were built with a lot of screens, all different trailers were shown even if they weren’t going to play that film in that theater
Film studios realized that the more trailers that were shown, the more patrons would go to a different theater to see the film when it came out
The term “trailer” comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a film program
That practice did not last long because patrons tended to leave the theater after the films ended
Βut the name has stuck
Trailers are now shown before the film begins
Film trailers are also common on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs
Αs well as on the Internet and mobile devices
Trailers are created to be engaging and interesting for viewers
As a result, in the Internet era, viewers often seek out trailers to watch them
Of the ten billion videos watched online annually in 2008, film trailers ranked third, after news and user-created videos
Teasers are a much shorter preview or advertisement that lasts only 10 to 30 seconds
Teasers are used to get patrons excited about a film coming out in the next six to twelve months
Teasers may be produced even before the film production is completed
Film is used for a range of goals, including education and propaganda
When the purpose is primarily educational, a film is called an “educational film”
Examples are recordings of academic lectures and experiments, or a film based on a classic novel
Film may be propaganda, in whole or in part
Such films made by Leni Riefenstahl in Nazi Germany, US war film trailers during World War II, or artistic films made under Stalin by Eisenstein
They may also be works of political protest
Such films were the films of Andrzej Wajda, or more subtly, the films of Andrei Tarkovsky
The same film may be considered educational by some, and propaganda by others as the categorization of a film can be subjective
Film distribution is the process through which a film is made available for viewing by an audience
This is normally the task of a professional film distributor, who would determine the marketing strategy of the film, the media by which a film is to be exhibited or made available for viewing, and may set the release date and other matters
The film may be exhibited directly to the public either through a movie theater or television for personal home viewing
Other ways of distributing a film include rental or personal purchase of the film in a variety of media and formats
Such as VHS tape or DVD, or Internet downloading or streaming using a computer
More recently in the distribution domain we have new streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, AppleTV and more to come