What is Realism

Reading Summary

Realism on screen is not exactly what we all perceive it to be. The meaning of “real” in realism is contrary to what it fully encompasses. Majority of films and shows are planned in advance down to every detail. The chapter discusses two kinds of trends within realism films and shows, the “dramatic look” and the “documentary look”. The “dramatic look” is supposed to consume the viewer to an extent that they forget to question how “real” what they’re watching is. Majority of Hollywood films and shows embody this “dramatic look” effect because nothing is truly natural or unplanned. The “documentary look” is supposed to convince the viewer that what they are watching is happening in real time without all the edits and scripts although this too is planned. When it comes down to it, realism is merely an opinion to the viewer on how “real” the screening is and what they consider to be real.

Outside Example

Recently I watched the film 1917 and was reminded of this idea of realism. Although not fully based on a true story, this film did reflect a real soldier’s experiences in World War 1. The heart of the film was based on real ideas and emotions but with a planned plot and script. The fact that this film was almost entirely shot in one continuous take is where I have found myself asking how much was planned and were there any spontaneous “real” moments because they didn’t give themselves the option of retakes for every scene. This is where realism is put into the viewers hands.

Reading Connection

The film 1917 embodies aspects of both the “dramatic look” and the “documentary look”. Because it is a Hollywood film, there is obviously lots of planning, script writing, scene practicing etc. Nothing about a Hollywood film is argued as real. But in being based off of real events and because the director chose to shoot this film in one shot, it leaves me as the viewer to believe that some aspects of the film were in the moment and natural. This is where the  “documentary look” can be seen because cameras were in constant movement capturing everything as it happened.