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RVHorror
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
532 Posts |
 Posted - 10/05/2006 : 5:09:58 PM
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From today's (10/5) IMDB:
'George Lucas chastised the nation's universities for not treating the study of film in the same way they do other academic disciplines such as law, medicine, journalism, and architecture. "It just isn't thought of in the same breath, which is for me a sacrilege," Lucas said"...'
Now, I love movies, but doesn't this seem rather over the top? I honestly think medicine is far more important than any movie ever made. We need doctors; film-makers are really a luxury (one I wouldn't want to forgo, but please).
Besides, how can we study his movies when he keeps changing them? |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 8:18:38 PM
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There's a little apples and oranges comparison going on there, yes. Medicine is (mostly) a science, though talent is required for many of its disciplines. Architecture involves a lot of science but has a large artistic (and therefore subjective) component. The actual practice of law is also based almost entirely on talent once you get past the research and memorization, so I say it is also an art. So I think those compare to film fairly well and the point is made. Medicine is kind of in another league though.
Journalism doesn't even belong in the list with any of them-- a bunch of people who's only job is to say hat they saw, and they can't even get that right. Pathetic. It should be on a level with toilet scrubbing and politics.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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BradH812
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1294 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 8:43:00 PM
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| I think George Lucas could be a film course all by himself, though not for reasons he'd like to hear about. Considering how he has shown little or no insight into what made his work in the 70's as good as it was, he could be a poster child for the phrase, "Be Careful What You Wish For; You May Get It." |
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Joliet Jake Blues
Minister of the Sacraments of Jabootu
Australia
41 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 12:38:08 AM
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Does he mean though in terms of "art history" ie, the profession of film critics, or film itself, ie film makers?
The first argument makes a little sense, the second somewhat less.
As a lawyer, I would obviously argue the rule of law is far more important than "film".
"Age and guile beat youth, innocence and a bad haircut" - P.J. O'Rourke |
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New Hinda
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Israel
469 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 02:35:43 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by RVHorror
From today's (10/5) IMDB:
'George Lucas chastised the nation's universities for not treating the study of film in the same way they do other academic disciplines such as law, medicine, journalism, and architecture. "It just isn't thought of in the same breath, which is for me a sacrilege," Lucas said"...'
The fact that George Lucas thinks not taking movies seriously is "sacrilage" shows why he has lost his ability to make light-hearted romps. We NEED doctors. We need architects. Unfortunately, we sometimes need lawyers. we can live without movies. Journalists, with a few admirable exceptions, we really don't need. They're fauxographers. They run around collecting unflattering stories about Israel and America and don't dare criticize the real menaces. |
Edited by - New Hinda on 10/06/2006 04:23:58 AM |
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John Nowak
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1017 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 12:11:36 PM
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BradH812 pretty much said it all in the first sentence.
There's a lot of really good movies out there. I wouldn't swap any of them for aspirin or light bulbs.
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We've always been united in stupidity. That's why there is no hope. But, then again, when has that ever stopped us?
-- hbrennan |
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Food
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 7:12:21 PM
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| As a medical worker, I think Lucas is suffering from fecocephaly. |
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tam1MI
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
558 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2006 : 11:15:24 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by BradH812
I think George Lucas could be a film course all by himself, though not for reasons he'd like to hear about. Considering how he has shown little or no insight into what made his work in the 70's as good as it was, he could be a poster child for the phrase, "Be Careful What You Wish For; You May Get It."
Or "Don't Divorce the Person Who Made Your First Two Movies Great". ;) |
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Ken HPoJ
Supreme Potentate
USA
1530 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2006 : 1:09:24 PM
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Interesting that the worse his movies get, the more petulant Lucas becomes about film being treated as an discipline that is literally holy.' (Else his use of the ‘sacrilege’ is as nonsensical as it is pompous and moronic.) And New Hinda is correct, I think, in postulating that there is a correlation there. Let me also concur that Journalism has suffered since being re-conceived as a profession requiring an intense academic grounding, as with Law and Medicine, instead of what it is, which is a craft. And to compare journalism with Architecture (!) is just to my mind bizarre beyond words. Neither journalism or film (making or appreciation) require formal training, which is rather more than one can say for Law, Medicine or the designing of buildings.
PEGGY: I don't see how having a girl on the team would ruin it. Did a woman judge ruin the Supreme Court?
HANK: Yes, and that woman's name was Earl Warren.
--King of the Hill |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2006 : 1:15:52 PM
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| The guy who gave us Jar Jar Binks says we don't take movies seriously? |
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John Nowak
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1017 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2006 : 4:24:43 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ken HPoJ
Neither journalism or film (making or appreciation) require formal training, which is rather more than one can say for Law, Medicine or the designing of buildings.
Well... to be honest, I think there is a pretty fair amount of purely technical training needed to make a movie -- just getting the pictures on film can result in all sorts of weird problems. To take a simple example, watch Last Spaceship on Venus. The Eastern European or Russian film crew didn't have experience lighting a black actor, and you can see the problems.
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We've always been united in stupidity. That's why there is no hope. But, then again, when has that ever stopped us?
-- hbrennan |
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Ken HPoJ
Supreme Potentate
USA
1530 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2006 : 4:56:39 PM
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Yes, you're right, in terms of cameramen and other skilled technicians, such as lighting guys. However, the people we think of as 'film makers', like screenwriters or directors, don't need formal instruction as much as genuine talent. Certainly technical skill is a bonus, but I'd say film schools have not exactly increased the number of great filmmakers.
PEGGY: I don't see how having a girl on the team would ruin it. Did a woman judge ruin the Supreme Court?
HANK: Yes, and that woman's name was Earl Warren.
--King of the Hill |
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BradH812
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1294 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2006 : 11:44:04 PM
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Film schools are great at teaching theory, and for giving an idea how movies are made. And I have no complaints about my Screenwriting 101 class.
The one thing they don't teach, however, is perhaps the most important lesson: how and when to break the rules. And that's something you can't teach. That's where the raw talent comes in. |
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John Nowak
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1017 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2006 : 09:23:37 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ken HPoJ
Certainly technical skill is a bonus, but I'd say film schools have not exactly increased the number of great filmmakers.
I think that cinematography and lighting plays a huge role in the art of film making -- just watch a film made by, say, Karl Freund and compare it to one churned out as a B-Flick in the same era -- but I'll concede that point. Also, I agree, as a given, that film schools don't and can't make someone talented.
But film schools probably have promoted a "shared language" among film makers. In some ways, this is bad [Every film looks the same] but in some ways this is good, especially when it comes to editing a film (which, I argue, is indeed intrinsic to the art of film making). The review of Firewalker on this very site had a magnificent shot-by-shot dissection of a scene, pointing out how the editing made the scene confusing.
I think that's the sort of thing you can learn in school.
However, I agree that film schools can't give you something interesting to say, and that's where most films seem to fall apart. Look at Spielberg -- he's a master at putting films together, but I don't think he's able to say anything interesting beyond "Sharks are damn scary."
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We've always been united in stupidity. That's why there is no hope. But, then again, when has that ever stopped us?
-- hbrennan |
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John Nowak
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1017 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2006 : 09:25:36 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by BradH812
Film schools are great at teaching theory, and for giving an idea how movies are made. And I have no complaints about my Screenwriting 101 class.
The one thing they don't teach, however, is perhaps the most important lesson: how and when to break the rules. And that's something you can't teach. That's where the raw talent comes in.
Yeah, I think that's a very important point.
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We've always been united in stupidity. That's why there is no hope. But, then again, when has that ever stopped us?
-- hbrennan |
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jackspencerjr
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
262 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2006 : 1:27:16 PM
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See, I'm actually on board with the sacrilege comment.Storytelling is an important part of the human condition, and since film is the dominant story form these days, then it is important to be studied. Without it, everyone will be on Prozac or some other mood-altering drug. The Bible is, after all, a collection of stories.
However, it is ironic that comment came from Lucas who has shown little more than contempt for his own films. |
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