Sub Question #1- How has the quality of the movie changed over time?
The quality of the movie changed over time in many ways. For example technology has advanced within the film industry over the last century, giving movies an opportunity to tell better and more realistic stories. In the past, cameras were large and bulky; now they are not. Additionally, every detail about film sets had to be built by hand by the film industry. Currently, there are hundreds of jobs in the film industry. Today, movies are recorded and filmed in much better quality than the past. Overall, the quality of the movie advanced and changed over time since the 1900s.

Sub Question #2 – What are some amazing successes in movie making and what are some terrible failures?
There are many many things that can make a movie succeed and many many things that can make a movie fail. A movie can succeed by good ratings and good reviews. This is because, after the viewer sees good ratings and good reviews, the viewer gets encouraged to go watch the movie. A movie can also succeed if a main character is an actor or actress that is really famous and that has received many awards in acting. In addition, there’s a better chance more people will watch a movie that has a lot of  reviews and ratings from other people. The viewer will then know many people have watched that movie.

A movie can fail if the makers set an unrealistic budget, if the makers think about making a movie without thought or common sense, or forgetting that one of the most important parts of the movie is the story. For example, the makers of the movie want the viewers to take something away from the movie. The movie “Jupiter Ascending” that was made in 2005 lost $80 million. This was because the makers of this movie stated they forgot to make an interesting movie along the way. Another movie in 1999 lost $98-$183 million. This was because the budget was all out of control. Overall, there are many reasons why movies can succeed or movies can fail.

Sub Question #3- What elements of movie making have changed over time most dramatically?
There are lots of elements of movie making that have changed dramatically over time. For example, one major change is black and white to color. The first two well known color movies that have came out were, “The Wizard Of Oz” and “Gone With The Wind.” Another major change in movie making are the prices of the movie. In 1915 the movie, “The Birth Of A Nation” cost $100,000. At this time, this was a large amount of money. In 2007, a movie cost $341 million. That’s a big price difference! Another dramatic change are the cameras. In the past, cameras needed to be reloaded. Now days, we use digital single-lense reflex cameras. In the past, cameras were large and bulky. Now they are lightweight and more easy to carry. A long time ago, every detail about film sets had to be built by hand. Now, we use green screens and blue screens. Another change is animation. The quality has improved, changed, and advanced so much over time. Don’t you think 3D is really cool? It probably took a lot of advanced technology. Additionally, jobs have changed. Today, there are so many film industry jobs out there. It’s amazing! Lastly, a while ago, there was no visual way to see what has just been recorded. The director had to just give the actors and actresses feedback. Fortunately, today, we can see what have just filmed and figure out a way to improve. Overall, there has been so many dramatic changes over time in movie making, and there are many more to come.

Sub Question #4- What was the very first movie that was made? What were its qualities?
The very first movie that was made was called, “The Horse In Motion.” This movie was released in 1878. The movie involved many cameras. Since this movie was made a long time ago, it obviously was made with motion pictures. Motion pictures are basically when you take a picture of something or someone, then that something or someone slightly moves. You have to take a lot of pictures, then put them together. Twelve pictures equal one second in terms of motion pictures. At this time, the makers of this movie used motion pictures because back then they didn’t have any advanced technology like we do today. The movie was really short (fifteen seconds long.) That means the makers of this movie had to take one hundred eighty pictures. The movie was black and white. Overall, if you compare this first movie that was made to the latest movie that was made, you would definitely see some major differences.

Sub Question #5- What advancements and technology has been used over time to improve the quality of movies?
Over time, advancements and technology have been used to improve the quality of movies. Camera technology has improved and new ways have been discovered to make the the quality of movies better. In 1927, a major motion picture was released. The fact that it was a major motion picture shows that technology for movies has improved. Before, there were silent films. Now, there are films with synchronous sound. Thanks to all of this technology that gives movies an opportunity to improve. New ways of capturing movies have been improved as well, with the changes of cameras. Another improvement we have now is titles on the screen. This improvement gives you a better understanding of the narration.

Sub Question #6- How does the cast impact the success or failure of a movie?
Sometimes in movies the cast gets along, and sometimes in movies the cast doesn’t. This impacts the movie, weather it will fail or be successful. If the cast gets along, it will most likely be easier to make the movie. If the cast doesn’t get along, it will most likely be harder to make the movie. Sometimes, when the cast doesn’t get along, the viewers might want to watch the movie just to see how the cast got along on screen. This is a way the movie can earn money. Overall, the cast can make a movie fail or be successful.

Sub Question #7- How does the budget of a movie impact its success or failure?
Makers of a movie need millions of dollars to create and sell movies. Some studios in Hollywood can spend millions of dollars to make a single unique movie. As you might have been told, before every movie the makers must set a budget. Sometimes, the makers set totally unrealistic budgets or budgets that are out of control, which can lead a movie to fail and lose money. Overall, if you make movies, you really have to think about the budget.

Main Inquiry Question- How has movie making evolved over time and what elements contribute to a movie’s success or failure?
Movie making evolved over time in many ways. For example the quality has changed over time, being able to tell more realistic stories, a story that after watching, the viewer will then take something away from the movie. Perhaps learn a lesson or realize something to make the viewer think differently. The cameras have definitely changed and have gotten much better. In the past, cameras used to be large and bulky, and now they are much easier to carry around. Additionally backgrounds and backdrops have changed. For example, they used to be built by hand by the film industry; now we are able to use green and blue screens. Green and blue screens are much simpler and easier to use. They are much less stressful than making every detail of the backgrounds and backdrops by hand. Let’s talk about color. Movies went from black and white to color. One of the first two well known movies that came out in color are, “The Wizard Of Oz” and “Gone With The Wind.” Another way movie making changed is the price. In 1915 a movie cost $100,000. At that time that was a large amount. Recently a movie came out that was $341 million. If you compare the two, that’s a big price difference. Additionally, animation changed a lot. If you compare the animated version of “Snow White” to “The Secret Life Of Pets,” you will see a major difference in terms of quality. Even though, “The Secret Life Of Pets,” is animated, it looks so realistic, and so clear.

Many things can make a movie succeed. A movie can succeed by good rating and good reviews. This encourages the viewer to watch the movie. To add on, another thing that encourages the viewer to watch the movie is how many ratings or reviews there are, so the viewer knows how many people watched the movie. For example if the viewer sees 3,000,000 ratings and reviews they know over 3,000,000 people watched that movie because not everybody rates or reviews the movie. Additionally, another reason why a movie can succeed is if the main character is a famous actor that has received many awards. The viewer may then think, “oh so and so is in this movie, they’re a really good actor, I think I should watch the movie.” Another reason why movies can succeed is if the cast gets along really well. Overall, there are many reasons that can cause a movie to succeed.

Many things can make a movie fail. A movie can fail if the movie makers set an unrealistic or out of control budget. Sometimes, when the makers set an unrealistic budget or the budget is out of control, this can cause the movie to lose money. For example, a movie, that was released in 1999 lost $98-$183 million just because the budget was out of control. Another reason of how movies can fail is if the makers forget one of the most important parts of the movie is the story or if the makers think about making a movie without thought or common sense. Another reason why movies can fail is if the cast doesn’t get along. Although, a movie can fail this way or be hard to make, it may not fail because the viewers might watch the movie to see the drama and see how the characters  get along on screen. Overall, there are many reasons that can cause a movie to fail.