FILM THEORY

 FILM THEORY

Film theory is the study of film and how its many elements work together to present a vision of reality. Film theory takes an academic approach to explaining the essence of cinema and how it holds a mirror up to its audience and the world at large. Film theory differs from movie criticism (which entails assessment of a movie`s effectiveness) and movie history (which explores the improvement and evolution of cinema over time).

As gender issues, psychoanalysis, and sexuality began to dominate the modern conversation in the 1960s and ’70s, film theorists became increasingly interested in reading films through the lenses of these disciplines. In the decades since, film theory has developed as an academic discipline, with cinema studies becoming more common in universities.

FIVE Types of Film Theory:

1).Feminist: Feminist film theory studies representations of women in cinema. A foundational work of feminist film theory is Laura Mulvey’s 1975 essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” in which she coined the term “male gaze.” Feminist theory may investigate how filmmakers objectify and sexualize female characters without regard for their subjectivity.

2).Marxist: Marxist film theory studies the representation of power structures and class struggle in film. In Marxist readings of a film, the theorist may focus on protagonists fighting for the needs of a group against the powers of capital.

3).Psychoanalytic: Psychoanalytic film theory emphasizes the study of the human psyche, analyzing the effect of things like narcissism, sexual desire, or unconscious thoughts on a character’s movement through a narrative.

4).Queer: Queer emphasizes queer subject matter and subtexts in film, exploring how sexual orientation and gender identity manifest in cinema.

5).Auteur: Auteur theory assumes that the director is the primary artistic visionary of a film. This theory functions under the belief that the best films are made by filmmakers with a unique, personal vision who write and direct their own films.