Filmmaking is not a new art. Movies have been shown around the world since the ancient times. It was in ancient China that movable pictures and even the motion picture camera were developed and used as an artistic creation. However, movable pictures and cameras were cumbersome and expensive when compared to the present day state of digital photography and editing software.
A film is actually a sequence of moving images, typically with sound, which create a moving picture story. In the beginning, some form of artistic expression was widely used in Chinese Cinema. Some people still love to watch old Chinese movies in the theater even after they are released without knowing anything about the plot.
The advent of film movements brought about a major change in the way films are viewed and enjoyed. It also transformed the entire concept of the film itself. The advent of classic, conventional film techniques such as Steady Camera, long takes and close-ups became the stuff of classic films, while the cutting-edge technological advancements in the digital domain allowed directors to create a film universe of their own. It has become possible to present animated characters, complex story plots, intense battle scenes, and breathtaking landscapes in the same frame of imagination as the classical cinema.
Filmmakers are constantly trying to push the boundaries of artistic filmmaking. As the technology advances and changes, the medium becomes more flexible for creative filmmakers. Traditional film techniques, particularly the long take and the Steady Camera, still hold strong though. But with an increasing number of people watching independent films on DVD, the artistic possibilities of film are becoming more aggressive and real. A well-made and well-scripted independent film can achieve worldwide success.
A feature documentary in the vein of Waiting For Godot could become a major international hit if it is produced in Europe, but then again, the same film wouldn’t even be possible without the support of an expertly trained crew and excellent equipment. France is presently home to some of the most accomplished film-makers in the world. They have produced a string of major international cinema films, which have won them over the hearts of movie lovers all over the globe. A French New Wave director has the advantage of being able to tap into the ever-increasingly diverse resources of the European film market, in order to present his/her film in a manner that is original, distinctive and challenging.
The rise of the independent film industry in France, and the subsequent global popularity of its best-known artists, can be attributed to the rise of the “Nouveau” movement, which strove to make movies that are more personal, more expressive, more subjective, more innovative and more artistic than the mainstream, formulaic movies of the 1950s. The birth of the art Cinema movement, which replaced the lightweight, objective and largely formulaic forms of motion pictures with the more expressive, more humanistic approach, paved the way for the development of the French New Wave. The success of these new movies led to the successful careers of some of today’s top directors.