The arrival of film and television in the 20th century had a profound impact. The audio-visual medium proved to be a powerful tool that captured global events, told stories of human experience and provided captivating entertainment. Film and television both explore our world and serve as an escape from it. Their massive popularity carries an undeniable influence.
For many viewers film is synonymous with the escapist movies of Hollywood. While many countries have developed strong and independent national cinemas, the United States has long dominated the international market. Films have the power to unite viewers and be a tool to educate audiences about human rights and social issues. Unfortunately this potential is often overshadowed by commercially driven... (more)
The arrival of film and television in the 20th century had a profound impact. The audio-visual medium proved to be a powerful tool that captured global events, told stories of human experience and provided captivating entertainment. Film and television both explore our world and serve as an escape from it. Their massive popularity carries an undeniable influence.
For many viewers film is synonymous with the escapist movies of Hollywood. While many countries have developed strong and independent national cinemas, the United States has long dominated the international market. Films have the power to unite viewers and be a tool to educate audiences about human rights and social issues. Unfortunately this potential is often overshadowed by commercially driven industries that largely focus on entertainment and profit. Nevertheless, many films have proven their capacity to shed light on stories from around the world.
Television is a highly controversial medium. It has come under fire as a tool for propaganda, promoting violence and even causing the “dumbing down” of society. Advertisers and corporately-owned networks determine what viewers will see and their influence has led to biased journalism and been known to censor politically sensitive commentary. Some believe the impact of television is so intense that fast paced and superficial programming has caused a less thoughtful society. Yet the positive affects of television can not be ignored. News brings us immediate stories from around the world, documentaries teach us a kaleidoscope of subjects and both sitcoms and dramas have been known to bring taboo topics into the mainstream.
Film and television are major avenues for communication. Both have been traditionally dominated by big business or government, making it difficult to produce and exhibit works independently. However the arrival of new digital technologies and the internet is changing this. Creating audio-visual work is becoming increasingly more affordable and the internet offers a vast broadcast forum. This has enabled ordinary citizens to reach millions around the world and is hopefully leading to more independent voices being heard.
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