FILM MATTERS - GO TO KODAK AND HAVE YOUR SAY!

 

 

‘WAX POETIC’ – FILM!
By Patrice James

Film moves me, it grooves me, and it makes my thoughts flow.  
It’s natural, intense, filled with a luminous GLOW!
Those asking and questioning why, how, where, when;
have sold out to conformity; now keyboard NOT pen.
I was raised in a space and place fraught with trauma;
the medium of film allows me to expel and exorcize all my drama.

So, the question being posed, is why Film Matters?  Well, in this purportedly democratic world, where each person has a freedom of choice, why should certain things lose their appeal or relevance, just because the marketplace labels them as outmoded, unpopular or dare I declare OBSOLETE?  Well for me, an explanation for why film matters is not really necessary.  Art matters, and the independent artist’s ability to work within whichever art form or medium he or she desires as a form of creative expression is really what’s relevant.  There is not an absolute necessity for us to either apply meaning or worth to, or demand an explanation or a defense of all things; some things contain purely intrinsic value.   The medium of film is one such thing.

In a rapidly increasing consumerist, hyper digitized, fast-food, fast-paced, quick-fix, homogeneous environment/society which demands that everyone has access to everything, no matter their professional acumen.  It is extremely refreshing to have access to original mediums and technologies that STILL demand great discipline, respect for process, a commitment to detail, and a reverence for craftsmanship, and artistry.  In my opinion if we cease to learn, appreciate, and respect existing knowledge, I’m afraid we run the risk of ‘reinventing the wheel’!  And one of the most obvious problems facing us in this ‘free-for-all’ reality is that there is a true lack of understanding about the ethos of film.  New technologies and new technology users are obsessed with achieving a filmic look or experience, without first having any true understanding about the medium itself, its origins, and its historical and contemporary relevance in motion picture capture/moving images.  So the language of film has become appropriated, ‘dummied down’ re-interpreted to satisfy a hyper-digital, purely consumerist driven creation machine; and in order for this machine to thrive and excel; Film mustn’t MATTER!

By my understanding; great art has never been informed by popularity or what’s in mode; genuine art sets the standard by which all else must follow.  Artists are the true champions and orators of cultural appreciation, social accountability and as such need to be equipped with a variety of tools through which they can create, express, and comment.  Film is one of the most tangible, and evolved mediums; it allows for both an experiential and profoundly inventive creative experience.  And so, film matters, because IT IS, IT CAN, IT DOES, IT WILL!