Young Film Artists Could Learn A Thing Or Two About Darkness

Have you ever watched a movie that has such as the impact on you, that you decided to change your life in some way right then and there? If you’ve said yes in your mind already, count yourself blessed as you might have been bitten by the movie bug. Some stories are incredibly powerful, and if they smack into your life at the right angle, you’ll be defenseless against their force. Something that touches your heart when your guard was down made you ponder your own existence, broke you in to harsh realities and perhaps gave you a fighting attitude to strive and achieve. The power of cinema is immeasurable. It’s a very personal experience because we interpret what we see differently to the person sitting next to us. You’re worlds apart from each other yet watching the same characters tell the same story. Dark movies have a tendency to achieve this more so than others because they challenge our morality and mortality. How could youngsters learn about this invisible force?

Like us but not really

Characters that show prominent signs of humanity such as love and care don’t necessarily have to be the ‘safe’ figures in a story. Take for example The Godfather; here is a man who loves and cares for his family, but will murder another man’s family to ultimately get what he wants. Does this make him an animal? The way you begin and the way you end to capture the character’s true nature in a capsule. Vito Corleone began his life seeing his mother and father murdered. He then came to America where he saw people who leeched off of their own community in the form of a dictator-like Don. His life ended with him playing with his grandson in his garden, happy and kind. These dark figures are just like us, but not really. Study what makes them into who they are and then, what they are. Where does the who drop off to be a what?

Attractive lawlessness

Civilization cannot exist without laws. These laws give the world order, some kind of stability that we can rely on to keep chaos at bay. Yet within all of us, lies the unruly creature that wants to break free from the chains it slung around itself. We want to do what we want, when and how we want to. Films that explore living outside of the law are inherently appealing to the darker side of humanity. We live vicariously through these people on screen, trying to get a taste of what it would feel like to not be afraid to be bad. Black Mass, the recent Hollywood box office giant, was an exploration of a real-life criminal. The Scott Cooper Miami Fanclub is a group dedicated to celebrating the works of the director and producer of this film. On the website, you can find a catalogue of his interviews in which he explains the theories and ideas behind this kind of cinematic attraction.

Breaking away from the field of other young filmmakers is a talent trait employers lust for. Exploring why dangerous and dark themes attract us to such stories will undoubtedly make you better at what you do.