Are disaster movies really that popular?

1807 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Special effects techniques and motion pictures

Ever since the movie Star Wars came out, there has been an ever progressive increase in the use and development of special effects. From the very well detailed models of the Star Wars movies, the trend has been towards more realistic special effects as a whole. In the middle 1990’s, computer technology reached a point where complex visual effects could be rendered in such a realistic fashion that the special effect in question looked breathtakingly real. Seizing on this realization, the movies Twister and Independence Day were released which used the latest in computer graphic effects which seemed so realistic, it was actually very difficult for audiences to determine where the CGI ended and where the models began. As a result of this, disaster movies enjoyed great success, leading to movies such as Volcano and Dante’s Peak, as well as a slew of other movies with disaster as a central theme.
Many of these movies were so popular, that they went on to become some of the biggest movies of the decade as well as some of the biggest movies ever. What’s more, audience participation showed a desire for audiences to not just be entertained, but also to participate in the disaster itself. The upshot of this catharsis has been to allow disaster preparation officials the opportunity to communicate at large about the hazards we as a nation, as well as us as a world, can be reasonably expected to face in our lives.
With the development of special effects cinematography in the early 1900’s, signified best by with George Millie’s “A voyage to the moon”, there has been a constant strive to take viewers to exotic places. The effect is to immerse the viewer into this world they are visiting. From the early days, it was always a prop of some sort....

... middle of paper ...

...005) Chapter: “Catastrophilia”
Glenn D. Walters, Ph.D “Understanding the Popular Appeal of Horror Cinema: An Integrated-Interactive Model ” Journal of Media Psychology, Volume 9, No. 2, Spring, 2004:
Honeycutt, James et al. “Individual Differences in Catharsis, Emotional Valence, Trauma Anxiety, and Social Networks Among Hurricane Katrina and Rita Victims” Southern Communication Journal Volume 73, Issue 3, 2008
Lavik, Erlend. “Battle for the blockbuster” New Review of film and television studies Volume 6 issue 2(2008) .
Brotman, Barbera. “What direction do emotions run when movies mirror current events?” Chicago Tribune, March 21, 2011 < http://goo.gl/HgXDC1 >
Lyn Topinka. USGS CVO menu “Volcanoes in Historical and popular culture”
May 21, 2008

Show More
Related

  • FIL110 WA7

    641 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lewis, J. (2008). American Film: A History. New York, NY. W.W. Norton and Co. Inc. (p. 405,406,502).

    Read More

  • How Does Laura Mulvey Use Gender Stereotypes In Horror Film

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    Modern movie producers continue finding ways to make films more gory, “realistic,” and relatable. They’ve begun utilizing props and special effects to please their audience but why do the audience members prefer realistic

    Read More

  • Hurricane Andrew: Storm of the Century

    2104 Words  | 5 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... The. “Hurricane Andrew: The Human Side of Recovery.” Disaster Recovery Journal, System Support Inc. 1 Sept. 2001. Web.

    Read More

  • The Impacts of Hurrican Katrina

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    Natural disaster can be traumatic events that have a huge impact on the mental health of communities often resulting in an increase in mental health needs that don’t get met. In 2005, one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. History, Hurricane Katrina, hit the states of Louisiana and Mississippi affecting 90,000 square miles. In addition to the 2000 people killed and million displaced as a result of the Hurricane, a significant number of people, according to multiple studies, suffered and continue to suffer from mental health issues including stress, anxiety, depression and PTSD. After the Hurricane, communities were both physically and emotionally devastated leaving individuals without loved ones, homes, belongings or jobs (Rhodes, J., Chan, C., Paxson, C., Rouse, C. E., Waters, M. and Fussell, E., 2010. p. 238). The Gulf Coast, whose mental health system had been obliterated by the Hurricane, was in desperation of mental health services in order to prevent chaos and initiate recovery immediately. The U.S. government did not provide sufficient services; thus, illustrating how the affected communities’ mental health needs weren’t being met and continue to not be met today. The survivors of Hurricane Katrina did not receive sufficient mental health services due to lack of government action and lack of programs with the capacity to assist large numbers of people which resulted in the individuals and communities affected to endure homelessness, poverty, and mental health issues even till this day.

    Read More

  • America's Response to Hurricane Katrina

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...., Ompad, D. C., Menke, A., Tynes, L. L., & Muntner, P. (2007). Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in a New Orleans workforce following Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Urban Health, 84(2), 142-152.

    Read More

  • The Offensive Movie Cliché That Won’t Die and Race Relations Light Years from the Earth

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maasik, Sonia, and J. Fisher Solomon. "The Offensive Movie Cliche That Won't die." Signs of life in the U.S.A.: readings on popular culture for writers. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1994. 407-411. Print.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Horror Films

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    Modern day horror films are very different from the first horror films which date back to the late nineteenth century, but the goal of shocking the audience is still the same. Over the course of its existence, the horror industry has had to innovate new ways to keep its viewers on the edge of their seats. Horror films are frightening films created solely to ignite anxiety and panic within the viewers. Dread and alarm summon deep fears by captivating the audience with a shocking, terrifying, and unpredictable finale that leaves the viewer stunned. (Horror Films)

    Read More

  • The Great Imagination Heist Essay

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    One could easily dismiss movies as superficial, unnecessarily violent spectacles, although such a viewpoint is distressingly pessimistic and myopic. In a given year, several films are released which have long-lasting effects on large numbers of individuals. These pictures speak

    Read More

  • Film Bodies: Genre, Gender and Excess

    2633 Words  | 6 Pages

    Williams, Linda. "Film Bodies: Genre, Gender and Excess." Braudy and Cohen (1991 / 2004): 727-41. Print.

    Read More

  • Suture Theory

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kaja Silverman writes in “Suture [Excerpt]” that the construction of the cinematic film as an object that creates a kind of anxiety for the viewer. Because the image is bound on all sides by the periphery of the camera, the viewer’s point of view is limited, reduced, and fixed (219-29). And because imaged are stitched together on the film stock into a series of images, a form of suturing is at play in constructing the narrative. Filmmakers get spectator to connect with the story by suturing them into the film. We, audiences find ourselves "in the story"; we get emotionally involved and identify with the character on screen. In this paper, I will connect the suture theory in relation to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), through the exploration of camera composition.

    Read More

  • Do the Right Thing Scene Analysis

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print

    Read More

  • Comparing Alien And A Trip To The Moon

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    During 19th century Georges Méliès creates a new form of special effects and introduced the story board which will later change the world of cinema.

    Read More

  • Movie Analysis: The Social Network

    1429 Words  | 3 Pages

    Barsam, R. M., Monahan, D., & Gocsik, K. M. (2012). Looking at movies: an introduction to film (4th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Co..

    Read More

  • Disaster Mental Health, And The Theories Of Disaster Mental Health

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    These traumatic events and disasters continued to take place but no one determined or took into account the psychological aspect of the events. It was not until World War 1 that people took notice of the psychological impact of these events. People began to realize the impact of technological advances. World War 1 brought dynamite to the fore front which proved to have a last effect on soldiers fighting in the war.Technology became one of the first trends in Disaster Mental Health. As the dependency on technology and the advances of technology became prevalent, so did the consequences if the technology failed or went wrong (Halpern, 2007). The events became ...

    Read More

  • Scene Analysis of "The Green Mile"

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Barsam, Richard. Looking at Movies An Introduction to Film, Second Edition (Set with DVD). New York: W. W. Norton, 2006. Print.

    Read More

More about Are disaster movies really that popular?

Open Document