TVisNottheNewFilm

byMikeS.Ryan
inIssues,LineItems,Filmmakermagazine
onJul23,2015

AsmuchasIloveBreakingBad,TheWire,MadMenandTwin
Peaks,asgreatandasgroundbreakingasthoseshowswere,they
stillarenotcinema.
Therecentexplosionofqualitylongformcableserieshastaken
theTVformtoanewlevelofartistryandcraftsmanship.Ashow
likeMadMenisnotonlythrillingbecauseofitscommentaryonits
era,butbecauseofthezeitgeistenergycreatedbyeveryone
watchingtheshow,talkingaboutitandsharingopinionsonsocial
media.Today,perhapsmorethanever,anewseasonofaquality
showbecomesaculturalevent.Combinethatwithjournalisms
recapculture,inwhichnewspapers,magazinesandwebsites
devotepagestosummariesofthepriornightsshowsallthe
whileshrinkingoreveneliminatingfilmreviewsanditspretty
easytounderstandwhycinemafeelssomewhatinadequatein
comparison.
Consequently,inalloftheexcitementoverthisgrandnewGolden
Ageofepisodictelevision,weseemtohaveforgottenwhatis
uniqueandsingulartothemediumoffilm.Someofushavelost
faithinthemediumcompletelyandmovedontothesearchfor
alternateformsofstorytelling,liketransmedia.Othershavefully
embracedtheideathatmostyoungpeopleareonlycomfortablein
theshortattentionspanspaceofVimeovideoclips.
Furthermore,whilethereusedtobeatimewhenunpopularor
taboosubjects,settingsorperspectivescouldonlybefoundatthe
movies,thesedaysthereisnosubjectmatterofflimitstoTV.A

positivecomedyaboutanatheist,multiracial,LGBTA,offthe
grid,anarchistfreelovefamilywouldbenoproblemthesedays
foranyTVnetwork.BackbeforecableTV,whentheadvertisers
neededtoapprovethecontent,itwasonlyinfilmthattaboo
subjectsandcharacterscouldbeexplored;today,LastTangoin
Pariscouldbepitchedasacableseries.
Withtelevisioncooptingculturalconversationandprovocative
content,thefeaturefilmformatisindeedunderassault.But,like
thenovelwhichwasinfreefallintheearly50sduetothe
emergenceofTVtheformwillcontinueand,intime,anew
appreciationofitsuniquequalitieswillemerge.Ifyourintentasa
creatorisprimarilytotellstoriesandengageamassaudience,then
Ithinkithasbecomeclearthattherearemore,possiblybetter
mediumsforyouthancinema.Butifyoucallyourselfafilmmaker
orafilmlover,thenyoushouldbesomeoneinvestedinthe
specificqualitiesofthecinematicmedium.Inthiscurrenttimeof
transition,asnewmediumsandnewlifestylehabitsarebeing
formed,weasfilmmakersandfilmloversneedtoassertcinemas
positioninthecrowdedvisualentertainmentlandscape.
Quitesimply,weneedtoasserttheuniquequalitiesofthefeature
filmformat,qualitiesthatmakeitdistinctivefromallother
mediums.Likeanoldmarriedcouplelookingtorenewtheirvows,
itmaybetimeforusfilmloverstorestatethereasonwhywefell
inlovewiththeformtobeginwith.Andifthereisnodistinction
betweenfilmandtelevisionwhenitcomestosubjectmatterand
characters,thenthatmeansthedistinctionmustbefoundinform,
notcontent.Hopefully,listingtheseaspectsthatdifferentiatefilm
fromtelevisionwillgiveyouareasontomakeafilmorto
simplygoouttoyourlocaltheater,buyaticketandenjoythe
uninterrupteddarkness.

SILENCE.

TVisadialoguedrivenmedium.InTV,thewriterisking.In
seriesTV,writersworkundertheguidanceofshowrunnersto
createoverallseriesarcs.Individualwritersdistinguishthemselves
inthecrowdedwritersroombywritingdialoguethatsoarsand
leadstoadramaticdynamicbetweencharactersthatotherwise
wouldnotbepresent.InTV,dialogueisthemostimportantmeans
tocommunicateplot,themeandcharactertotheviewer.
Incinema,however,imagesareexpectedtocarryasmuchas,if
notmore,significancethandialogue.Youcanhavequietmoments
inTV,butextendedperiodsofsilence(nomusicorscoreonly
roomtone)isabsolutelyforbidden.Likewise,usingdialogueinan
overlyironicorunrealisticmannerisalsofrowneduponinTV.In
TV,themeaningisinthewords,soyoucanthavetoomuch
dialogueexpressinganythingotherthantheliteralrhetoricaltruth.
Characterscanlieandbesarcastic,butwemustcometorealize,
throughtheplot,thattheyarelying,oraredeluded,andthatthere
isanactualliteraltruth.CouldyouimagineanongoingTVseries
inwhicheveryonespeaksasiftheywereinPintersTheBirthday
PartyorBlaTarrsTurinHorse?

UnderTheSkin

Likewise,couldyoueverimaginesilenceformorethanfive
minuteswithoutablastingsoundtrackonaTVshow?Couldyou

imagineactualplotpointshappeningthroughimagesandwithout
dialoguetodrivehomethepoint?Howaboutamajorturningpoint
signaledonlybyasoundeffect,asintherecentfilmUnderthe
Skin,whenScarlettJohanssonscharacterfirststartstofeel
empathywhenshehearsababycrywhilesittinginavanduringa
trafficjam?Inthetheaters,withgreat5.1surround,thesoundof
thebabycryinghadadramaticspatialcomponent.Ontelevision,
withoutthisspatialpositioning,andwithoutthefocusanaudience
bringstoafeaturefilminthetheater,thisplotpointissimplynot
conveyedaswell.
Oncedialogueiseliminatedasthemainmeanstoconveymeaning,
narrativesother,purelyvisualelementsbecomethedefault
transmitterofinformation.Suchelementsfunctioninawaythatis
completelyuniquetothemediumofcinema.Whenyouhavelittle
tonodialogue,gesturesbecometheimportantmeansofconveying
attitude,intentandtheinnermoodofacharacter.Theeyesofthe
actorbecometheliteralportalsintohisorheremotionalstate.
Accesstothoseeyesthroughthecloseupisapowerfulcinematic
device.TVisprimarilyamediumtightformat;closeupssomehow
feeltoospecificinaTVdrama.Butincinema,storyspaceallows
foragreatervariationinshotsizeanddepthstaging.Inastorythat
isbeingtoldwithoutarelianceondialogue,thosevisualoptions
becomeextremelysignificant.Incinemawecanspendscreen
time,sometimesthroughanextendedheldshotwithoutacut,to
accessthecharactersinnerstateofmind.Gettingasenseofa
charactersplaceintheworld,withoutusingdialogue,butthrough
thepresenceofthecamera,iswhatwetalkaboutwhenwesay
cinematic.

Results

InthenewAndrewBujalskiromanticcomedy,Results,themain
character,playedbyKevinCorrigan,barelyhasanylinesof
dialogue.Othercharactersmayspewtorrentsofwellnessblatherat
him,andheremainssilent.Yethiseyes,mouthandbodyposture
conveyactualtruthsthatclearlyrevealhisownskepticism,fears,
insecuritiesandanger.Itsaperformancethatcanonlybe
describedascinematic.CoulditworkinaTVshow?Sure,butits
unlikelythatCorriganscharacterwouldbewritteninsuchaway
astoplacesolittleemphasisondialoguetoconveyhistrueinner
stateofmind.
Receivinginformationandexperiencingacharactersjourneyina
waythatdependsonvisualcuesasopposedtoverbalonesisthe
singlemostdistinctiveaspectofthecinematicexperience.

VARIEDMODESOFNARRATION.
TVisprimarilytoldfromathirdperson,objectivepointofview.
Awholestorytoldfromthelimitedperspectiveofonecharacter,
orevenmoreradically,fromanarratorsperspectivewhose
pointofviewmayactuallybeunreliableornotsharedbyanyone
actualcharacterwouldbewaytoocomplicatedtobecarried
throughmultipleTVepisodes.Likewise,thestoryasasubjective

orinteriorexplorationofcharacter,mitigatedbythedirectorsown
subjectivity,isprimarilytherealmofcinema.Sotooanarrator
whodoesnotlikehischaracters,orwhohasadifferentworldview
thanthecharacters,isafunctionofthemoreactivecinema
experienceandnotcommonlyseenonTV.(Again,someofthe
betterTVshowsoccasionallydouseajudgmentalnarrative
perspective,likeepisodesofOuterLimitsandTheTwilightZone,
inwhichwefeelthenarrationexistingoutsideofthecharacters
perspectives.)
InMadMenandTheSopranoswefeelthatthecharacters
worldviewisflawed,andweareencouragedtoengagewiththe
charactersthroughasomewhatcriticalperspective.Butthesetwo
recentexamplesarerareandinmanywayspartofthereasonwhy
theyareexemplaryexamplesofthenewlongformTVcategory.

LetterfromanUnknownWoman

InthefilmsofMaxOphls,specificallyLetterfromanUnknown
Woman,ormorerecentlyinMiguelGomessTabu,sometimes
actualvoiceovercanbeusedinawaythatstillallowsforthe
primacyofimageovertheword.Butonlyincinemacanthetruth
beconveyedthroughameansotherthanthewords.LetterFrom
anUnknownWomanisinmanywaysanencyclopediafullof
examplesofthepurelycinematic,somanyofwhichcouldnotbe

usedwithintheTVformat.Theuniqueuseofvoiceover,froman
oldletter;theuseofstillphotos;theuseofunmotivatedcamera
dollyshotsallareinservicetothisoverallthemethatthepastis
aliveinthepresenttenseandthatthetruthisnotasitmayfirst
appear.Thisconflationofpastintopresent,donealsosobrilliantly
inTabu,ispartoftheexperientialaspectofengaginginastory
designedtobeviewedinonefeatureformatsitting.

CIRCULARandOBLIQUEPLOTTING.
CouldyoueverseeTheMalteseFalconasaTVseries?Audiences
wouldneverhanginforplottwiststhatintheendcantbe
followedordontaddup.Iftheywould,asatleastsomepartofits
initialaudienceseemedtoforTwinPeaks,itwouldbetherare
exception.Inthecaseofcircularplotting,orwhatIliketocall
vortexplotting,thepayofffromtheprimacyoftheimagerywould
notbeenough,ontelevision,tooffsetforaudiencesthe
confoundingnatureofanonlinearplot.ThereisnowayaTV
audiencecouldfollowacircularplotlikeAlfredHitchcocks
VertigoorPaulThomasAndersonsInherentViceovermultiple
seasons.Yetinthefeaturefilmformatsuchstrangestoryformats
canbeexperiencedforthoseviewerscourageousandwilling
enoughtobesochallenged.

MINIMALPLOTTING.

TVoftensustainsinterestovermultipleepisodesthroughthe
deviceofthecliffhangerordanglingplotpoint.Butifyourdrama
hasaminimaltoflatplotarc,youhavenothingtodangle.Inorder
toenticeviewerstoreturnatthesametimenextweek,ortobinge
onthrough,youneedtodanglethatplotpoint.Andifyoudont
havemultipleplotstrands,theninTVyoumustatleasthavea
goodamountofreversals.Acharacterwhostartsoffmeekhasto,
afterafewepisodes,becomeaggressiveandassertive.Afemale
charactershusbandhastoatsomepointcomeoutasgay.An

aggressivemobbosswillinlaterepisodesshowhisvulnerable
fearfulside.

OldJoy

YoucouldneverhaveaTVseriesthatlacksbothadanglingplot
structureandreversals.Yetthestyleknownasslowcinema
consistsofjustsuchstoriescontainingminimalplotsandminimal
reversals.Classicsoftheslowcinemastyle,suchasLisandro
AlonsosLosMuertos,KellyReichardtsOldJoy,Apichatpong
WeerasethakulsBlissfullyYours,ChantalAkermansJeanne
DielmanandsuchAntonionifilmsasRedDesert,areallminimally
plottedbuttellcompellingcinematicstories.
BecausetherateofreversalsneedstobemorefrequentinTVthan
incinema,thismeanstheTVmediumisinherentlymoreplot
driventhancinema.Onceplotbecomeslessessentialtothestory
experienceweareintruecinematicterritoryandinaspatial
narrativezonethatisutterlyforbiddentoTV.
Filmsthatdontrelyonsteepdramaticarcstosustaininterestrely
onothercomponentstoengageviewers,andthoseother
componentsbecometheessentialcorecharacteristicbuilding
blocksofthecinematicexperience.InTV,thescriptmayactually
betheblueprintforthefinalproduct.Infilm,thescriptshouldbea
startingpointonly;thedirectionneedstotranscendthescriptin
orderforittobecalledcinema.

AVARIEDVISUALPERSONALSTYLE.

Minimallyplotted,ambiguouslythemed,interiordriven,
atmospheric,ponderous,slowsilentfilmswithlongtakesandwide
shotsmaysoundlikearthousetorturetosomepeople,butthose
tendenciesareonlythemostobviousexamplesofcinematicstyle.
Atrueunderstandingofwhatmakescinemadifferentthanmost
TVhastodowithanunderstandingofhowthebasiccomponents
ofcomposition,shotsize,cameramovement,editingandsound
canbemanipulatedtorenderaparticulardirectorsvisualstyle.
WhenwespeakofthestyleofdirectorssuchasRobertBresson,
YasujirOzu,RobertoRossellini,NicholasRay,DouglasSirk,
ToddHaynes,theDardennes,JeanLucGodardandAndrei
Tarkovsky,wetalkabouttheirparticularuseofthesebasic
buildingblocksofcinematicstyle.Intermsofframing,dothey
frameinanopenmannerlikeRenoirorinaclosedmanner
likeHitchcock?Howdotheymovethecameraorperhaps,asin
thecaseofRoyAndersson,howdotheystructuretheirstories
aroundnotmovingthecamera?Dotheytendtowardstagingwith
deepfocus,likeWelles,orshallowdepthoffieldlikethelater
Pasolinifilms?Aretheypronetousefocuspullsinaself
consciousway,asawaytoacknowledgetheartificeofthestory?
Whatistheirtendencyinediting?
Ingeneral,TViscuttodialogue,whereasincinema,theoptionto
cutawayfromacharacterwhoisspeaking,ortonotevenshowthe
personspeaking,isthecornerstoneofsomefilmdirectorsstyle,
alongwithsuchselfconsciousdevicesasjumpcutsandlap
dissolves.
Howdofilmdirectorsusesoundtoadvancetheirthemes?Inthe
caseofRobertAltman,hehadatendencytolayermultiple
conversationsontopofoneanother;thiscreatedacertainchaotic
energyandanhonestlycriticalattitudetowardtheconstructionof
storyandcharacterintent.Incinema,wedonttalkaboutstyle
solelyintermsofscriptsorstories.WhereasinTV,ifthereissuch
athingasanauteur,thatpersonisthewriter,notthehiredper

episodedirectors.Whenwetalkaboutthespecificdifferences
betweentheWesternsofJohnFord,HowardHawksandAnthony
Mann,wetalkaboutthosedifferencesintermsofhowtheyhandle
thearticulationoftheirscripts,notsolelyintermsofthescripts
themselves.Theideathatthecinemadirectorisgoingbeyondthe
script,goingunderandsometimesaroundthescript,isatendency
thatisutterlynotpartoftheTVmedium.
UnfortunatelywerarelyseethisthesedaysinAmericanfilms
actualdirection.OftenmostAmericanfilmsarejustrecordingsof
scripts.Butthisiscinemaspotential,itsabilitytoliftastoryoff
thepageandintoadramatizationthatisuniquecomparedtoall
otherdramaticmediums.Itisthelengthoftheheldshotsofa
characterspeakinginaCarlTheodorDreyerfilmthatmakesthe
experiencetransporting.Itsnotonlywhatthecharactersaysthat
issignificant;itsessentialcinematiccomponentishowthat
dialogueisdirectedvisually.

THEPOWEROFTHEWIDESHOT.

TVisprimarilyamediumtightshotformat.Wideshotstendto
losetheirpoweronthesmallscreen,andtheytendtorelease
tension.
ForthisreasonitshardertomaintainanatmospherictoneinTV
thaninfilm.ThisisinpartwhatmakesTwinPeakssuchaunique
TVexperience.Lynchmanagedtofindawaytomaintaina
unique,dark,mysteriousmoodandtonebyworkingwithinthe
mediumshotexpectationsoftheformat,butinTVthatabilityis
highlyunusual.

TheNakedSpur

Incinema,theuseofthewideshotoftenmanagestodramatizethe
locationaroundthecharacter.IntheWesternsofAnthonyMann,
suchasTheNakedSpur,thelocationsbecomecharactersinandof
themselves.Theriverandtherockymountainareforcestobe
reckonedwithasyouwouldaprotagonist.Inthegrittyurbancrime
dramasofDonSiegel,theheroisoftendwarfedbythelarger
urbanlandscapearoundhim,whichtendstoreflectthegreater
existentialdilemmaofacopwhocannotsolvethecrimeorachieve
truejustice.
ItishardertouselocationsandlandscapesinTVduetothe
smallerformat,butalso,oncemore,becausethemechanisms
drivingthedramaforwardaredialogueandplot.Thereisless
roomforthethematiccontextualizationoftheherosjourney
throughimagery.Cinematicelementslikedepthoffield
compositionandwidescreenframingareusuallyofflimitstoTV
drama,althoughrecentTVminiserieslikeTopoftheLakeand
OliveKitteridge,bothmadebyprimarilycinematicdirectors,did
stretchtowardusinglandscapetocapturethemeandcharacter.
Becausethenatureoffilmdramaisprimarilyaspatialexperience,
beingbasedaroundaheromovingthroughtheworld,itneedsthe
fullpaletteofcinematicdevicestofullymanifestitself.Thisaspect

ofcinemaissomewhathardtodescribebecausethereisnoliterary
termforit.Thepresenceofaherosimplyexistinginaworldthat
iseithersimilarorutterlycontrarytoourownisbyitself
compelling.Thatsbasicallythecoreofthedramainartfilmsby
CarlosReygadas,LisandroAlonso,PedroCosta,BlaTarrand
ApichatpongWeerasethakul.Thewayinwhichspaceisarticulated
throughouttheherosjourneyleadstheviewertoencounterhisor
herownexistenceinamannerlikenoothermedium.Thereis
inherentdramainwatchingacharactermakehiswaythroughthe
world.Itsaconflictthatdrawsfromthetensionbetweenbeing
andappearinganinherentlyphysical/visualdramathatonly
cinemacannavigateorcapitalizeupon.

TIMESPASSAGEASDRAMA.

LongformTVdramakicksfilmsasswithregardstosocial
politicalhistoricalepicsthatspanmultipleyears.Duetothelarge
amountofviewinghoursitisabletomarshal,televisionsability
toproduceaweinspiring,epichistoricaltalesisunmatchable.But,
thefeelingofexperiencingtimeexpanded,orcontracted,within
theshorterfeaturefilmviewinglength(evenwhenextendedto
sevenandhalfhours,asinBlaTarrsSatantango)isutterly
unique.Onlycinemaiswillingtoretardtimetotheextentthata
smallamountofplottimeisdramatizedthroughrealscreentime
expansion.Likeamusicalcomposition,thetimelimitofthe
featureformatincreasesitsurgencythroughcompression.
Directorswhousetheurgencyofcompressedtimewithinthe
featurefilmformatareinthiswayclosertomusicalcomposers
thannovelists.Thefusionofthetwoisagainoneofcinemas
uniquequalities

AMBIGUITY.

Amajorpartofwhatitmeanstobealiveisdealingwith
uncertainty.Noneofusreallyknowswhatistrue,whatiscoming

nextandwhatitallmeans.Cinemahastheabilitytograpplewith
dramaticquestionsthatdonotrevealeasyanswersinanimmediate
spatial,physicalway.ThehorrorfilmsofValLewtonmade
frighteningournotknowingwhatisjustoutsidetheframe.Letting
suchquestionsbetheentiretyofthedramaticexperienceisnot
somethingthatepisodicTVdoesverywell.

LAvventura

Atthesametime,itmustbesaid,mostfilmstodayrarelyareable
tonavigatethesemurkywaterseither.AfilmlikeAntonionis
LAvventura,inwhichafrienddisappearsduringaboatexcursion,
andinwhichthemysteryofherdisappearanceisnotsolvednor
actuallyfullyinvestigated,isthetypeoffilmthatcouldbarelyget
madetoday,letalonewatched.Often,especiallyinAmerica,we
likeourstoriestohaveapointandtoreachafirmconclusion
(readtherecentabsurdreviewofRoyAnderssonslatestfilmin
EntertainmentWeekly).Itstoughtomanagethistypeofdramain
filmandevenharderwithintheTVformat.Partofthereasonthe
endingofTheSopranoswassoboldandunprecedentedwas
becausethelongrunningseriesendeduponatruenoteof
ambiguityregardingthefuturedestinyoftheheroandhisfamily.

ACTIVEVIEWINGREQUIRED.

TVstillneedstotreattheviewerasapassivecouchpotato.
Althoughthisischangingsomewhatwithshowsthatpushthe
limitsbyfeaturingsympatheticantiheros,theformatstillisstuck
withthenotionthattheaudiencecanchangethechannelinaquick
moment.Thus,thereislesswillingnessintelevisiontodealwith
unansweredormisleadingdramaticquestions.Godardoncesaid
thattherealdramaincinemahappensbetweenthescreenandthe
audiencemeaningtheaudiencehastoparticipateinthecreation
ofmeaning.
AlthoughitsarareaspectofAmericancinema,theideathatthe
filmdemandstheviewerparticipateinthecreationofmeaningis
utterlynotanoptionontelevision.InthefilmsofRickAlverson,
suchasinhisrecentEntertainment,theaudiencemustactively
engagewiththeeventsonthescreen.Meaningortruthisnot
codedorhiddeninmetaphor;meaninginhisfilmsisfound
throughtheaudiencepushingagainsttheeventsdepictedonthe
screen.Insomewaystheexperienceofwatchinghisfilmsis
confrontational.Theaudiencememberisthreatenedand
challengedtocreatemeaning.Itisnothandedtoyoulikeitoftenis
inTV.ThisisalsooneofthereasonswhyBennettMillers
directorialstyleisuniquehesnotshovinghisperspectiveon
theplotdownyourthroat.Hisisasubtle,quietvoicethatdrives
thestorytelling,andthatquietvoiceisnotsustainableoverthe
lengthofalong,multipleyearTVseries.Foxcatchertreatsthe
viewerwithatypeofrespectthatisrarethesedays.Bynotforcing
itspointofview,andthroughitspacing,toneandmodulated
performances,itallowsitsviewofeventstoemergefrombetween
thebeatsofitsplot
Theabilitytotellastoryvisually,utilizingmeansotherthanjust
dialogueandplot,istheuniquepotentialofcinema.Itmaybe
unusualforcurrentAmericandirectorstofullyexploitthis
potential,butifwearegoingtodistinguishourselvesfromlong
formTVseriesthenitisthesequalitiesthatwemustemphasize

andrelish.
Overthedecadestherehavebeenregularproclamationsaboutthe
deathofcinema.
WhenIwasworkingasaprojectionistatNewYorksBleecker
StreetCinemainthemid80s,Iwasshockedonedaytobetoldby
DanTalbot,founderofNewYorkerFilms,thatmostreptheaters
wereabouttogooutofbusinessduetoanupandcomingnew
inventioncalledVHS.Bymanypeoplesdefinition,VHSwasthe
beginningoftheendofcinemabecauseitmovedthebulkoffilm
viewingfromadarkenedwidescreentheatertothesmallerTVin
thelivingroom.Cinemahassurvivedthatthreat,inpartbecause
homeTVshavegottenbigger,butmostlybecause,despitethe
closingofmanytheaters,thevalueofcinemadoestranscendthe
physicalityoftheviewingformat.
Likewise,whendigitalcamerasbecameprevalentandfilmstock
startedtobecomerare,manyworriedthattruefilmwasdeaddue
tothedigitalrevolution.Thisargumentnevermadesensetome
becauseallTVwasshotonfilmstock,sothecapturemedium
itselfcouldnotbeacriteriaofthecinematic.
Inthe90sIworkedlocationsonaTVshowcalledNewYork
Undercover.Weshoton16mminfantastic,offbeatNewYork
Cityspots,yetwerarelygottoexperiencethoselocationsinthe
finalcutsbecausetheshowwasdesignedforthetight,medium
shotTVformat.Filmstockstillcouldnthelptheshowtobecome
anymorecinematicandriseabovethebanalscriptsandTV
direction.

Tangerine

But,despitethealmosttotaleliminationofactualcelluloidin
moviestoday,theideaofcinemaisstillvibrantandalluring.Sean
BakersnewiPhonecapturedTangerineisstillmorecinematic
thanmanyfilmsshotonactualfilmstock.Ofcourse,whenyou
combinecinematicgrammarwithactualfilmstock,andthose
qualitiesofthefilmstockinformthestoryandthespatial
experienceastheydosobrilliantlyinJeffPreisssrecent
Lowdownyouvegotacinematicgrandslam.
Filmstockandgianttheaterscreensarenottomedefining
qualitiesofcinema,and,likewise,Idontwanttoindulgein
outdatedbanteraboutthethreattohighculturebythemass
mediumofTV.Thosefearofobsolescenceargumentshavebeen
goingonsincethefirstappearanceoftheprintedword,when
Socratesfearedthattheoraltraditionwouldbedestroyedbylazy
readers,whowouldrelyontheprintedpageratherthan
memorization,whichinturnwouldcauseslothfulhabitsinyoung
pupils.
Ihavenofearsaboutcinemasdeath,butIdofearthataudiences,
distributorsandfilmfestivalprogrammershavestartedtoforget
thatcinemaisverydifferentthanTV.WithmediocreTVpilots
beingprogrammedintofilmfestivalsandblandtwohourdefacto

pilotsmasqueradingasfeaturefilms,Ithinkitstimeweremind
ourselvesastowhywelovefilmandadmitthatthereisa
differencebetweenthetwomediums.Letscelebratethose
differencesandbeawareofwhatatruefilmisasopposedtothe
latestmediocreromcomtryingtosplitthedifferencebetweenTV
andfilm.Filmmakersneedtostopselfcensoringthemselves,and
conservativedistributorsneedtogetoutofthewayofdistributors
whorealizethatitisonlythroughbold,distinctivecinematic
voicesthatthemediumwillregaintherespectofaudiencesofall
ages.ThenewdistributorA24isavoiceforthefuturewiththeir
recentreleaseExMachina.Itsarealfilm,andanyonewhocalls
themselvesafilmloverneedstoseeitonthebigscreenwhileitis
stillintheaters.Itssuccessdemonstratesthatthereisanaudience
demandforchallenging,truecinemathatdeploysalloftheabove
describedqualities.
Filmmakers,filmloversandfilmfestivalprogrammersmusttoday
understandthatcinemahasbecomeanichemedium,andtheymust
becomechampionsoftheartform,constantlyassertingthe
mediumsqualities.Festivalprogrammersmustseetheirjobas
promotingcinemabyprogrammingtrulychallengingfilmsand
banningtheshowingofTVpilots,asCanneshasdone.And
filmmakersneedtomakecinema,notTVpilotsin90minuteform.
Havenofear,TVisnotthecompetitionifyouaremaking,
programminganddistributingactualcinema.Cinemawillsurvive,
despiteorregardlessofhowgreatlongformTVcontinuestobe.
MikeS.RyanisafilmproducerwhohasproducedfilmsforTodd
Solondz,KellyReichardt,HalHartley,RickAlversonandBela
Tarr.HislatestfilmsareFreeinDeed,byJakeMahaffy,
premieringattheVeniceFilmFestival,andTheMissingGirl,but
A.D.Calvo,premieringattheTorontoInternationalFilmFestival.