The Impact of Cinema

What fascinates me about films is the marketing campaign. In fact, it’s the marketing that attracted my young mind back when I was about 7 years old; whenever my father took me to a movie theatre; we spent an hour or sometimes actually two hours in the lobby waiting for our show. During this anticipation, we both would slowly walk and take our time and cherish the film posters on the walls. I still do it, even when I go to movies alone sometimes. There is something about it that made me fall in love with cinema. What gets my attention and what got my attention when I was young in the movie posters on those walls was the title of the film; the font, color and design of the poster, the characters in tears or smile on their faces.

It was this young mind of mine that was introduced to an idea then. This is an idea with a vision, which defines my dream with the impact of a single movie poster. I imagined myself, at that young age back then on the movie poster, with my face on it printed and an explosion captured behind me and my name printed on top of the poster with the title of the film beneath my chin. Or my name printed as the writer.

Studios today produce many films of different genres and each project requires marketing. We see trailers, posters, TV SPOTS, little advertising banners on websites and blogs. Newspapers and magazines with specific sections regarding films, walking in the mall, I turn my face, I see movie posters. When I drive down towards downtown, I notice the billboards, and I often ask myself, am I in heaven or a kid in a candy store? – So, in silence, one night I heard a pin drop, I slightly moved my head towards the direction of the sound. There was nothing on the floor though. I realized that I too can be part of such heaven. Butterflies began flying around in my stomach, I started getting goose bumps. And often, I stood in front of the mirror to see if craziness can be seen and touched inside me. For my eyes and my young mind, to actually define my point of view in that age, cinema was redefined.

The impact of a single movie poster redefined me; it was an introduction to a new world. A world full of creativity, with ideas travelling to comprehend the impact of storytelling. – So, today here I sit thinking about my past and comparing with present day. I asked myself, if cinema can be redefined. Can it be understood? – Can the new generation understand the impact of cinema?  Cinema woke me up, so therefore I cherish it and going to contribute to make it better and to see it run longer. Film-makers and writers with unique vision can change lives. I was a kid with no vision, but through films I found that vision. I see light in this long corridor at the end.

Looking at the poster of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises helmed by Mr. Christopher Nolan, which is going to be released on July 20^th, I wonder who else is going to feel what I felt when I was young. Who else is going to sense the sound of a pin dropping in silence? – I compared the past with present today, and I feel that cinema is probably in the verge of being redefined again for one soul somewhere, or for more. I am still and will always be that kid standing in the lobby looking at the posters, I guess, yet with a vision this time. I can feel the gravity of the impact that cinema can deliver; it’s only less than a month away. I believe on July 20^th cinema will be redefined and understood. Someone somewhere may rise in this long corridor, which has a light at the end. A light that I was introduced to. The light that now I can see with clear vision.