Cinema: Its Uses and Abuses
Cinema means a collection of moving pictures which are exhibited with the help of light. These motion pictures are produced by the rapid projection of a great number of photographs on the screen. Cinema is now a strong medium of communication which has both positive and negative impacts on society.
Pictures of men and women are taken in quick succession. Actors and actresses play in a studio. Sometimes they go out for outdoor shooting. The moving pictures of the actors and actresses are taken against a suitable background as demanded. All these pictures are arranged in a long film. These photographs are shown on the screen in the cinema house with the help of an instrument called “Cinematograph”.
Nowadays more modern and sophisticated video-camera has been invented. Now all the actions of the actors and actresses are taken by a video-camera and shown directly and instantly. Now the audio-video cameras can take photographs and dialogues at the same time. At present, cinema is a combination of audio-visual technology. Pictures of men and women are taken when they move and talk.
Cinema has become very popular nowadays. Cinema shows are held every day at every place in the world. Cinema attracts a large number of spectators Including men, women, and children. Now films can be recorded on CD and DVD and they can be enjoyed on a TV screen or on the monitor of a computer.
Cinema is a medium of both instruction and entertainment. It not only gives us delight but also instruction.
Though cinema provides us a pleasant relaxation, it has some bad effects too. It is often misused. by some people who always want to earn money by making films. Money-making is their only objective. They avoid the question of instruction while making films. They make films only to give pleasure and entertainment. These people who make films care very little for the morality and its effect on the spectators. These men make obscene and vulgar pictures. This kind of film leads to our young generation astray. As a result, the number of child delinquents is increasing in our society. The number of crimes committed by our adolescents is alarming.
But good films have some messages to uplift the moral values of the people. They can give delight and instructions to the people. Cinema reflects and represents life, culture, a society of a country. Cinema is, no doubt, a great source of our recreation. After the day’s hard work, we need recreation to remove the tiredness of our body and mind and this can be provided by cinema. The educational value of cinema is also very important. Cinema can play a vital role in creating moral values and consciousness among the people. Good cinemas are sources of both pleasure and education. Bad cinemas, on the other hand, can lead the society to corruption and moral degeneration.
To conclude, A great responsibility rests on the shoulders of the producers and directors of the cinema. Money should not be the only goal of cinema ‘production’. Improvement of moral sense and establishment of truth instead of falsehood should be the goal of cinema production.
