Young viewers slow to discover artistry, uniqueness of independent movies

Posted: May 26, 2023

The art of filmmaking has significantly evolved over the years. While movies once had no sound or color, today we see a wide variety of different special effects as well as camera techniques. Many believe that the quality of films will only continue to improve, but could we be seeing a decline in modern day filmmaking?

Over the past years, giant blockbusters such as Marvel films have dominated the box office. Most independent films, which can often provide the most quality, struggle to get recognition or can’t even get their movies to the theaters. Minnehaha 9th graders, who are the future of movie viewing, weighed in on how they view the current state of film. It seemed to be a consistent theme that most students only watch major blockbusters.

“I feel like the quality of movies is progressively getting worse,” said first-year Nafyad Dalle. “While the big movies look good, it feels like they’re lacking in script. I only really watch action and comedy movies.”

Ultimately, though, it seemed that most students had a larger appreciation for how a movie looks visually rather than the quality of the acting or script. Dalle, who even noted that some of the most successful movies lack in script, still said that he can be enticed by action or comedies.

“I enjoy movies, but I just rarely feel as if I have time to watch any,” said first-year Danielle Hobbie. “When I do, it’s often when a major movie releases.”

Many wonder if independent movies will eventually become a dying breed, considering that the youth tends to only be interested in the major blockbusters. The future of movies could be as simple as each person just attending a major superhero movie once a month.

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