In the “Traditional” art media we’ve had small bouts of non-realistic art (mannerism, etc) and the larger movement against representationalism ( Impressionism, Dada, Abstract, Pop, Modern, etc)
And yet, in the film arts (and in computer games, which may or may not be art depending on your definition), we have yet to see major movements.
I bring this up (in regards to the Wii*) and films/television shows in general being “realistic.”
I know we expect our stories to be believable, and I’m sure most have read Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories” about the need for a internal sense of reliability in our fictional worlds or stories. And yet, Stories are not reality. Greek Drama had only masks, radio only sounds, short stories only sketches. The Viewer was/is expected to fill in the details, make the judgment, interpret the art.
The problem here is that with increasing detail and “reality” (with special effects and such) in movies, too often added detail only shows how unreal and unbelievable the Art is. The well flushed out character is often not only uninterpretable, he is a character of diminished possibilities, adaptabilities and appeal.
My issue lately with film and FX stems from the issue that while I like explosions and CGI trickery and such, I still know that it is a fiction. It is a story. Simply put, “This is not a pipe”(with apologies to Magritte). I’m getting tired of expecting to believe it is a pipe (no matter how pipe like it is), when I know It’s not – It’s a god-damned picture of a pipe. The treachery of images leads us to want to have this realism to help our suspension of disbelief, yet it is too often a crutch for poor storytelling.
Where is the Picasso of Film? Dali? Magritte? I’m heartened by the plot/story maneuverings of Charlie Kaufman, Wes Anderson, Michael Gondry, Alejandro Agresti and Amenábar. Are there others whom I should seek to satisfy my need for the abstract, expressionistic, existential?
I could go on about my distaste for the ostensible demand for character development in modern story-telling, but I’ll save that for another post sometime.
*This is Wii related in the aspect that the graphics of the Wii and the games so far produced eschew the “realism” trend in PC and console gaming in favor of a game-play aspect and or abstract representationlism of their respective worlds. The Mii looks like a cartoon figure, etc.
