A movie, also known as a motion picture, short film, video, or video animation, is an artistic work of visual art usually intended to convey messages, ideas, emotions, representations, beauty, or setting through the medium of moving pictures. Movies are one of the most popular and influential forms of entertainment in the modern era. Movies can be home videos made by families and friends or they can be the movies shown in movies theaters. Motion pictures are often produced by major movie studios such as Walt Disney Studios, Dreamworks, or Warner Bros. The most famous of these movie producing companies is Pixar.
Movie producing owes its origins to the dawn of television and the early years of cinema. When movable pictures were first developed, they were viewed using a televised transmission which was transmitted from a projector to a screen in the theatre or directly to audiences sitting in the house. This method of transmitting pictures was very crude by today’s standards. Thanks to advances in the telephone, radio, and television, movable picture presentations became possible. These early days of cinema involved large theaters with huge screens for the audience to view the film screens while waiting for the final credits to complete.
The use of moviemaking equipment was limited because the technological restraints of the day prevented the development of any kind of movie camera or other elaborate equipment. Early films tried to tell stories through simple, everyday events. The concept of telling a story was considered too complicated for a film to be successful at the time.
However, over time, movies developed into two distinctly different types. The early movies were either comedy, drama, melodrama, or romance. The later developed into hybrid genres that mixed elements of comedy, drama, and action. The hybrid genres were not only influenced by the evolution of filmmaking technology but also by specific trends in society. Some filmmakers developed a humorous point-of-view, while others wanted to portray a more serious tone.
The hybrid film genres were closely related to the success of certain directors like Walt Disney and Steve Jobs. Disney made films that mixed family entertainment with adventure, fantasy, and comedy. He succeeded where other directors who preferred to make movies exclusively for kids and family audiences had failed. Jobs directed the classic Macintosh computer science fiction film “Cocaine” ( 1982). A more serious film genre theory emerged with the release of Lawrence Kasdan’s film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2000).
Film makers finally evolved to the point that they could successfully produce feature length films that satisfied their audiences’ desire for popcorn and cheese. Production techniques were also streamlined to ensure the highest production value and highest profit margins. Sound effects and computer-generated images increased the quality and realism of film even further. Today, movie production companies are able to create projects that are technologically feasible and exciting.