Western Films - Essay Example

Running Head: WESTERN FILMS Western Films Name: Institution: Course: Date: Introduction Film industry has seen tremendous development over decades, in this essay the films that will be discussed are Karate Kid one and Karate Kid two since these are movies that were produced in two different cinematic eras. Karate Kid one is a film that was produced in the 80’s while Karate Kid II is a 2010 film. Karate Kid I is considered to be one of the best movies of the 80’s and a very classic one. (Scott 2003) It is a story that talks of a young boy who needs to face some challenges in life such as his fears, moving to a new environment and girls. The boy finds himself in a very unfriendly environment that consists of boys who bully him and the only way he can overcome the situation is through learning how to fight using karate. Karate kid II has the same characteristics of Karate Kid I because the events that take place in these two movies do not differ much except the part that they are produced in different cinematic eras. (Frank 1990). Why the movies are Considered as Western There are many reasons as to why the movies are considered western. Western genres of films tend to compare the confrontation between modern social changes and technology. In most cases, western genre tends to portray some conquest the nature of civilization and the wilderness. These films tend to depict a society that is organized within some codes of honor and some aspects of justice. (Richard 1983).The themes that are found in western films focus more on explaining elements that are used in order to teach morality. In reference to how Daniel in Karate Kid was raised, he is not provocative and some children tend to force him to revenge due to the fact that they want to bully him without any response from. Daniel is only left with on option which is to take revenge. The other aspect of these films is where the teachers of karate use their profession to teach discipline and other moral values to their students. Western films also teach people how to overcome their fears thus in these two films the students of karate are taught how face danger in life without panicking. A Western film not only instills respect and discipline but also ensures that some traditional aspect of life are taught and put in comparison with modern civilization (Richard 1983). Appropriate For Comparison These two films are appropriate for comparison because they all have a lot of contextual similarity. Karate Kid I and II are films that deal with instilling discipline in children and also focuses on making them responsible people in the society. These two movies have a similar storyline that makes it easy for someone who has watched both versions to easily compare and contrast. Karate Kid II is a remake of the first version that was done in the 80’s and it is easy to compare these two because they took place between two different eras in history and that a lot has changed between the times of production. (Arthur 1972). There are some factors that should be considered when focusing on the two films viz; technology, gender, audience and other factors. The storyline in the films are mainly based on social and historical differences between the Americans and the Chinese. In both movies it is evident that the author’s have some historical background on Americans and Chinese. The first version of karate Kid portrays how white people in America dominated people back in the nineteenth century and in the second version it depicts how black people in America have started dominating. These historical events make both versions of the film more interesting and that is what attracts the attention of the audience. (Richard 1983).The target audience in these two films also give more reasons for comparison since they have been targeting mainly children of the male sex as the main character so as to have a masculine audience. The films also have great differences in the technology that has been used since the ones used in the nineteenth century and in the modern world differ a lot. These films can be differentiated in many different ways like the cinemas that produced them, the time when they were produced, the author that wrote them, the film-going experience and so much more. Technology The mode of technology that has been implemented in these two films differs a lot due to the fact that technology grows gradually with time. The mode of technology that was used in the 80’s and the one implemented in the modern world cannot be matched since there are great differences. (Brian 1988). The film industry in the modern world is mainly consisted of commercial and technological institutions in the sense that there are very many film companies, film festivals, cinematography and screenwriting among other technological factors. With the improvement in the level of technology, movies in the modern world tend to have more filming equipment as compared to those in the 80’s. The characters have also changed with the transformation in the mode of technology since they want to adapt to the changes that the world of technology has embraced. Richard (1983).The mode of technologies that were used in both films differs a lot since they were produced in different eras. The second version of karate Kid uses modern technologies and it takes advantage of the technology in order to impress the audience. Visual technology like the 3D makes a big impact on the audience since it reflects how issues in life are approached in different approaches. The film-making technology has really changed and improved a lot over time especially on the sound effects, the colour, and widescreen and how they are distributed in the modern world. The mode of distribution of these films has really improved because there are many ways of distributing these films in the modern world. The mode of technology has really changed over the past decades thus making the film more interesting for the viewer. Gender The films also portray the attitudes of people towards gender and how it has changed in the modern world. The male child is perceived to be more active in the movies as compared to the female child. The films deal with gender in a very different manner in the sense that it only focuses on the issues affecting masculinity. The films prove that being a ‘man’ is not only having a physical body but also to have been learned and having some concepts about life. The characters in the movie depict the aspect of masculinity that is believed by everyone else in the society as strong and able to face any challenge. Thus they want to show that they are men by not giving up anytime they have a fight. According to Richard (1983). Men are depicted as heroes in both Karate Kid I and II. The feminine characters in karate kid I are portrayed as people who cannot have achievements in the society while in Karate kid II they are also shown to be able to do something unique. The role of women as depicted in each film is to take care of children and ensure that they are well disciplined. As far as gender is concerned, both men and women play very important roles. Men play the role of instilling discipline and respect in the children while women play the role of ensuring that their children are well developed in the society. Film Industry and prevalence of western genre The film industry in the 80’s was quite different from the modern industries since the industry had not yet discovered new techniques. In the modern world there are many discoveries that have been made like having greatest movies being produced in ‘New Hollywood’. Movies that have been produced in the modern ‘Hollywood’ are viewed as films of high quality. Films made in the 80’s are not of quality as compared to those in the modern world. Films that lie in the western genre tend to appear unique in because these are films that are well advertised and it has a wide market in the modern world. One of the advantages that the modern version of karate kid has over the other is that they have a modernized way of advertising their films. In the modern world films are advertised in very different models since they do it through modern social cites, newspapers and the media at large. Movies that were produced in the previous years not longer exist in the modern world because their contents are seen to be vague and out of date. The audience in the 80’s were more attuned in western genre movies compared to those in the modern world and this is one of the advantages that western genre films in the previous years had over those in the modern world. Films produced in 2010 are considered to be more stable compared to those in the 80’s because they are produced with more sophisticated machines. In regards to Henry (2009). Each film fits well in the overall production of its time. The system that was used in the 80’s to produce Karate kid I came about through experiments that were done in the process of discovering modern technology. The economic structure that has made both Karate kid I and II to happen is through their developed mode of advertisement in the modern society. Each film may represent a form of diversified product for its time through focusing on what affects the present generation since they form the majority part of the consumers of these movies. The techniques that have been applied in these films have been very successful in many ways since they have been in a position to attract a great audience and it has made big sells in the market through good marketing process that was implemented effectively. Authorship These two films portray different authorship that has been circulating in the film industry over the past decades because there are some ideas that have been included in the Karate Kid II and did not exist in the previous years. Some of the ideas that have changed over the decades are such as the languages that they use, the methods used in order to attract the attention of the audience and other aspects of the movie that are considered in the modern film narratives. One of the most important aspects of a film in the modern industries is the incorporation of music and dances in order to attract the attention of the viewer. Most of the authors of modern films prefer incorporating some aspects of musical effects in their movies so as to make it more interesting. In Karate Kid II there is the use of Rap effects and break dances that are used to impress the audience. (Lisa 2009). The use of musical effects to attract the attention of the audience and effects that can be used to attract the attention of the viewers is one of the ways in which film industries are growing rapidly because their market is widening with time. The ideas of the author can contribute a lot to the way the film is marketed in the modern world because if their ideas are convincing then they are bound to be bought in the market and if they are boring then the market is minimized. Most of the films that have failed in the past are those that did not have a good background of the author making it to fail in the market. The authors of both films are very interesting in the sense that their films are very attractive and the viewer is bound to follow the storyline and the action part of it making the film flow well. Audience For any film to gain the market it should have an audience or targeted group that appreciates their work because these are the same people who promote their work. If the audience is impressed with a film then chances that the film is going to sell is very high because they give it a positive attitude thus making it to sell. (Henry 2009). The only way that a film can sell is through ensuring that it has focused on the points that affect the life of the audience. The storylines in both films seem to be similar in many ways because they all focus on matters related to social lives of people from different parts of the world. The storyline is more focused on the relation that exists between the U.S and China and that mainly implies that their historical backgrounds are focused on. The majority of the audience have to be from china and the U.S because their cultures are the ones which are mainly focused on. The concepts that are taught in these two films are also very relevant since they are more related to what the audience want to learn. (Finola 2009). The dialogue part of a film also plays a big role in the manner in which the film has to attract the attention of the audience since it has to relate with how they converse. Conclusion In conclusion the dialogue has to have some aspect of humour and this means that for the audience to be attracted them should have some quality conversation that will keep the audience glued to the screen. When producing a film, the author must ensure that he has focused on issues that make impacts on the lives of the audience since they are the ones who will contribute to the success References Scott, S (2003).The Invention of western films: a cultural history of the genre’s first Half Century. Cambridge University Press. Frank, M (1990). Film study: an analytical bibliography. Fairleigh Dickinson University press Arthur, F (1972). Western Films: heroes, heavies and sagebrush of the “B” genre.University of Virginia. Richard, W (1983). Western Films: a brief history. Sunflower University Press. Brian, G (1988). Western films: Quality paperbacks series. Da capo Press. Henry, H (2009). Western Film Highlights: The best of the west 1914-2001. Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub. Lisa, L (2009). Will Smith: A Bibliography. Green wood Bibliographies. ABC-CLIO Finola K (2009). Fil Malking ; Performing Arts / Film & Video / Direction & Production. Butterworth- Heinemann. Read More