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Christopher McKinnis
Professor Julie Hicks
Arts and Society: Film
8 December 2015
Final Reflection Paper
Coming into this course, I was quite excited to begin my journey as a developing film
critic and potential filmmaker. Although I havent had much experience in the film world prior
to starting school here, I feel that I have learned so much and feel that I can contribute to the film
world. There are so many aspects to film that help create such beautiful pieces of art. The
intricacies that are involved in the production of a film are truly remarkable, and has allowed me
to see a different side to the filmmaking process that I wasnt completely aware of prior to this
course. Most watch films and movies for the action-packed, special effect-infested aspects that
are incorporated into much of todays movies. However, underneath such intensity is a level of
delicacy and ingenuity that is often overlooked. This semester has allowed me to grow not only
as a more-focused film watcher, but also as a film analyst and critic, being able to identify key
aspects of the filmmaking and editing processes that help contribute to the magic behind the
making of a film.
Before I began this course, I had a basic understanding of how films were created. I
understood how some special effects were created and the level of patience and delicacy in order
to edit such precise parts of a film. However, over the course of the semester, I have begun to
understand that there is so much more to a film than just that. One of the things that I truly found
to be quite intriguing was the level of preciseness that is involved in regards to mise-en-scene.
Mise-en-scene plays a crucial part on how the viewer perceives the film. Many people watch
movies and films mindlessly and focus more time on the action and special effects, when, in all

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actuality, the symbolism and small details that may seem insignificant truly make a movie a
movie. For example, the importance of lighting and color is evident in most movies, such as in
the movie Traffic. The color filters that are applied to the different scenes throughout the movie
contribute to the overall flow of the movie. Director Steven Soderbergh differentiates each of
the story strands from each other using the different color schemes, strategically using a specific
color filter to act as an overarching mood setter to set up the situation at hand. Mise-en-scene
also allows the viewer to explore a different realm of film that most people cant quite
comprehend without the ability to be open-minded to different perspectives and situation, and
gives viewers the chance to truly appreciate a film for what it is and the craftsmanship that goes
into making a film.
Art is such a crucial aspect to society for many different reasons. For one, its a lot of
fun! Music and painting and drawing and writing are all things that can be done for the
amusement of oneself and others, and can be used as the perfect getaway from lifes struggles,
serving as a wonderful de-stresser. Its the perfect opportunity to express our emotions in a
manner that is not only safe, but also beautiful in its own realm. In addition, art can be used as a
means to tell a story, whether good or bad. It can be used to address a bigger issue at hand, a
conflict that, at first, most people cant see, until that piece of art is revealed for all to see. Film
is an incredible medium for people to project powerful messages to the audience. It shapes how
we see the world, and ultimately, shapes our actions to grow and make the world a better place.
Many works of film have been used to criticism a society for the better, due to a pressing issue
that could potentially surface into a catastrophic problem. A prime example of a films influence
on a society and its values and views is Crash. To this day, racism continues to be an issue that
surrounds the people of not only the United States, but all over the world. Such a movie like

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Crash criticizes such intolerable behavior that must be resolved in order for people to move as
not only individuals but as an entire community. In this movie, director Paul Haggis presents a
society in which how society is corrupted in its relationships between different ethnic, racial, and
societal groups. One of the things that are challenged in this movie is this battle between the
ideas of social constructs and inborn characteristics. Race and gender are not physical attributes.
No, they are social imprints of images that a society as a whole implant on people, based off of
their ethnicities, sex, and sexual orientations. These scenes clearly illustrate that racial categories
are created and employed by other people, although many of this categories often say little of a
persons actual cultural and ethnic background.
Culture also has a powerful influence on how film is created as well. Neorealism, an
Italian film movement that derived from the end of World War II, played a huge role in how the
film Bicycle Thieves was constructed, and ultimately would lead to characteristics that are
common in todays films and movies. The major feature of Neorealist filmmaking is a
concentration on the lives of ordinary people struggling against adversity in the devastation of
the aftermath of WWII. They tend to focus on poor, working class people and their everyday
lives, the socio-economic conditions of the time, and the desperation and moral ambiguity which
results. In the case of Bicycle Thieves, the main character Antonio is surrounded in an
environment where poverty and financial instability has struck, and struggles to find and
maintain a job. Over the course of the film, the struggles that the working class people have to
undergo becomes evident over time, through the living conditions that are present at the Ricci
household as well as many instances. In addition, the use of nonprofessional actors was a key
characteristic of the Neorealist movement, and has continued to play a huge part in many modern
films and movies, such as the film Beasts of the Southern Wild, where the majority of the actors

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and actresses were brand new to the film industry. The usage of real people in neorealist films
elevated the portrayal of the struggle that these working-class people had to go through during
this time period.
My growth in the world of film has truly broadened my mind and has allowed me to
become even more open-minded to not only the world of film and what it has to offer, but to
issues that are occurring in our societies today. I found the films Crash and American Beauty to
be the most influential films that I watched this semester for a couple of reasons. Not only were
both of these films were well-constructed and well-conceived, but they present societal issues
and the effects of them in a false, yet completely valid, reality that allowed the audience to
become aware of what s really going on around them. Overall, all of the films and movies this
semester have helped me grow as not only as a film student, but as a better analyst of art and
visual representations that possess much deeper meanings than what may be hard to see at first.
The reflections have allowed to connect what I watch with the tools and techniques of
filmmaking and integrate my prior knowledge to what I learn through the viewing of such
incredible films. In addition, I have been able to exhibit my new knowledge in filmmaking not
only in the reflective responses that I have produced over the course of the semester, but also
through my job as a videographer with the video production team for Niner Media here at UNC
Charlotte. Whenever I shoot footage of an event, regardless of the content, I always try to
incorporate my knowledge in lighting and coloring to be able to produce the best footage
possible, and being able to edit my footage is also crucial to my development as an inspiring
documentarian.
For me, to see myself understanding a film and being able to see why a director did what
he or she did, or why an editor incorporated this music in the background, or why a certain

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lighting was used, is truly the most rewarding aspect of this entire experience. To be completely
hones, and not to sound clich, but there hasnt been a single moment that I found to be
disappointing. Every moment watching and learning from a film has allowed me to develop a
stronger understanding of how films work, and theres nothing that I would change from this
semester. Film is a beautiful thing; when you take the time to realize how intricate and delicate
film is, you begin to appreciate what goes into the making of a film or movie. It isnt easy work,
and often many obstacles prevent directors and editors to get their message out to people.
However, regardless of how many obstacles there are, the job still gets done. I now have a better
sense of film is all about, and I excited to be able to continue my journey as an aspiring
filmmaker.