What is realism, really?

Reading Summary

The chapter discusses realism and how there can be such a varying number of films that people consider to be realism. Smith explains how films skew the truth of reality by simplifying the truth, condensing days, months or years into an hour, and changing characters for convenience. As people watch films they use their own life perspectives and their own expectations as to what they think is realistic. People often believe that reality is not pretty and rely on their own personal experiences to determine what exactly is conveying realism and what is being played up for theatrics. Smith argues that realism is not a genre but rather a lens to view a film, but no matter how it is portrayed, the truth will be distorted.

Outside Example

This chapter reminded me of realism art, in both black and white sketches and oil paintings. Realism oil paintings can be so detailed that they almost appear to be a photograph, and sometimes can only being identified as a painting when told so. Realistic sketches, on the other hand, can look very very much like a photograph, but is often in black and white and lack the texture of paints. Realism art can be used to paint people, places, or objects in a remarkable amount of detail.

Reading Connection

Realism art is similar to realistic films because both are using a manipulated medium to portray something that does, or could, exist. When someone sketches a person’s face they can do so in such a way that it is as if someone is loking at a photograph, however the picture was still drawn so it will not appear exactly as a picture would because there was constant intervention of a person in the creation. In film, reinactments of events can be almost exact or real clips can be used to portray a story, but how the audience views them and the way they are presented can distort the truth. Both film and art can be incredible realistic seeming, but are to staged and inorganic to be a truely real immitation of something that is real.