alan french

Hi.
When it was apparent that cinema was going sound, people in the film business felt that this would mean an end to a special style of pantomime acting on the screen. Charlie Chaplin, (or should I call him Sir Charles Chaplin?) felt that sound films, would over a period of time, become more realistic and eventually the audiences would crave even more realism etc.

Over the years, many films have been viewed and many new production methods have been introduced. Also, there has been the increased popularity of television. And so I think that I must not dismiss the dramas and films specially broadcast in this medium. As up to a certain degree, the same principle may intelligently be argued about TV.

Looking at the past and present, (who can say about the future?) has the late Sir Charles Chaplin been proved right?

I operate by public computer and my time is running out. So I shall return another time with interest as to see what people think.

Alan French.

Windthrop

The term 'reality' is a tricky customer. All forms of art are by definition artful and therefore to some extent contrived. Film making can never be entirely neutral so 'reality' is impossible.

Hitchcock once said that drama is 'life with the boring bits left out'. This implies selection when making a film. The implication is that lack of selection - the boring bits left in - is closest to reality. This raises the quesion of reality TV and is it reality. The 'cast' are aware of the cameras and there is a certain amount of manipulation by the programme makers so it is not really 'reality'.

The only way to reality is to have hidden CCTV cameras picking up natural action. The public being unaware of the camera (these days difficult) and behaving rather than acting would constitute some form of reality.

That's the joke that killed the Music Hall

john audley

CCTV: I thought that was the growing system - report in the DDM 'huge telescope to see people in New York and visa versa.

'You should be kind to us normals, there are not many of us left you know'!

batman

I think that actually read 'telescope to see huge people in New York'.

I wish I had claws.

john audley

And the BBC had to explain how the thing worked

'You should be kind to us normals, there are not many of us left you know'!