Random Talk

[Nintex]

do you think moviemaking hasn't really changed since the 90s?

I remember being a kid and it was always extremely obvious when I was watching something old, the quality of the image, the quality of the recording, the style of scriptwriting, the style of editing, the pacing, the types of shots they would include

it was like they had no confidence in the audience's ability to understand how people get from one location to another so there were constant driving scenes showing people parking and getting out of cars and going through doors, just fully wasted time

and lots of "talking heads," pure dialogue without artistry, lots of tell-don't-show

it feels to me like the 90s were a breakpoint where we figured out a formula and haven't deviated that much since

have things evened out, or am I just unable to have that perspective because I've seen all of it the whole time?

if you show a kid Home Alone today, will they just instantly know "wow this is super old" - not just due to the technology and lack of cell phones, since period pieces are still made today, but due to vague qualities in the filmmaking

what about Lord of the Rings, which is now "super old," as old as movies from the 60s and 70s when we were kids

does it feel old?

Looking at my collection, one movie that really was a turning point was the Bourne Identity.
The way the chase scene was done with just the Paul Oakenfold score playing, the way the quick cuts were done, the way the fight scenes were done.
A lot was just implied simply by visual story telling and environmental story telling. It was kept deliberately vague as Bourne didn't say to Marie what he was doing or why and every time you expected him to, something happened that prevented him from opening up. The movie actually teases the audience with this, as Marie asks Bourne what he is doing and how she can help and the CIA people also go: "If you want us to do our jobs, you have to tell us more". But throughout everyone that knows anything insists that it is better to keep everyone else and thus the audience in the dark.

You have to pick up on all the cues, glances at phones, flashbacks and hints yourself to complete the narrative and even then some things are left open to interpretation. In ways even the ending is.

Other movies like Casino Royale and Mission Impossible started to play with that concept too, but would also circle back to explain things and didn't go all the way of keeping things vague and later Bourne movies would also give the audience more exposition and hints.

but then again, this might be one of those favorite films of mine where I am completely biased for obvious reasons.