Movies vs. Books

I am torn between two passions, two types of arts. I am an aspiring writer who can’t decide whether to be a screenwriter or a novelist. They’re both forms of art, and both ways of expressing one’s self and telling stories. Although the public considers novels art and literature, movies are mostly looked at by the public as just “money makers” and are only viewed as art when they are Academy Award winners or independent (self distributed and not a wide release movie). (thesis) Film is as much as art as any novel is and all one has to do is look at any film in another perspective to see it. Film, in my opinion, is three-dimensional art. Novels, paintings, and music are one-dimensional, and graphic novels and radio dramas are two-dimensional. I call films three-dimensional because they are novels, painting/photography, and music all mixed together.

The difference between novel and film is quite known by most. Novels are written; films are piercing visuals with sound effects. Novels use up hundreds of pages having to paint the scenes, actions, and characters though elaborate descriptions. Films use up millions by hiring actors, set builders, props, etc. Novels are much longer and average up to 300 pages. (present participial) Where as films are much shorter and scripts range up to 120, causing the finished product to run about two hours long. Unlike novels, films are mostly dialogue and performed actions and require no long descriptions. Anything can happen in novels, there are no limits. Nothing is impossible in the world of writing. For films, it’s another story, films has limits clearly written in the dollar. There are things in movies that are impossible, impossible for special effects to show, impossible for budget, impossible for content, impossible for time. Films have limits by producers who finance and distribute the film. It could be the same for writers too. In some cases, there are publishers out there who are strict as to the content of the novel and restrict certain things that they find not inappropriate or crucial to the story. The only way in which both writers and filmmakers are fully free to do what they want is if they’re freelance/independent.

Novels are easily considered art because they are one person’s hard work and effort. It takes great skill to create plot, characters, setting, and theme. An average writer writes a novel within a year, for others a week or even years. Because of this, novels are taken more seriously and can win Pulitzers and other famous awards.

Films are very different and are art in they’re own right. Film is like a novel mixed with paintings and music; all three in one. (past participial) Each shot comes from a planned sketch, planned to reveal a key element to the story. Each script from where a film is made from has a theme, a meaning to the story it tells. And each background score is a ballad to the character and the situation. Movies may not always be one person’s work; they’re usually made by hundreds of people, with millions of dollars put into the project, and a bunch of support as well. Movies take up to a year to be made and another year to edit and distribute, and not only to make money, but to tell a story, to entertain, to teach, and to enlighten.

Take my favorite film and novel for instance, The Color Purple. Both movie and book are brilliant to me in they’re own ways. There’s no telling which is better, one has something the other doesn’t. The novel is beautiful and completely captures the time and the essence of the era’s hardship. (noun phrase) The author, Alice Walker, is highly acclaimed for this masterpiece winning a Pulitzer for it. The novel is very realistic and graphic narrated through the Celie’s letters written to God. The film on the other hand is just as beautiful and more. It was directed by Stephen Spielberg and scored and produced by Quincy Jones. The main characters are played by Whoppi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Danny Glover. (absolute) The cinematography is breathtaking with artistic details, the flowers being purple, costumes revealing mood of character, changing of scenes, and foreshadowing using objects as symbols. (adjective series) There are some scenes that came powerful when reading the novel, but watching them come to life, with the vibrant acting, strong chemistry, enticing music, brought even more emotion than before. The one thing in the film that really sets it apart from the novel, the one thing the novel couldn’t bring is the music, which sets the tone. The music and the lyrics, it recited like poetry revealing the true sentiment of the scenes and characters. The whole movie did the prize-winning novel justice. It captured more than what was expected of the theme, even with a few cut out scenes and some limited character development.

Movies are not the hard work of one brilliant person, as novels are. Movies are the hard work of hundreds: architects, writers, sketch artists, musicians, actors, directors, etc. All involved in bringing a masterpiece (Yes, I’m talking about all movies, even the horrible ones) to life. With all the hard work and effort of hundreds putting all three together, novel, photography/painting, and music, film should be taken more seriously for an art and should qualify for the same awards and recognition that other art receives.