Hello World!
Here is one of my first articles ever written and I heard enjoyed it . It is something that popped into my mind after experiencing the uproar caused by the ending(s) of Mass Effect 3 (great game , btw ). Hope you liked it . If u come across bugs , report in and we'll try to troubleshoot ))
Say you‘ve just walked out from a movie . You enjoyed the script , the acting , the camera work and the action sequences but the feeling that the ending was somewhat lacking just can’t creep out of your head. It just didn’t quite deliver. As a result, you feel somewhat disappointed, even your most blurry expectations being betrayed, leaving you pondering everything it could have been, yet sadly never will be.
You then look it up on the Internet and eventually find out that the outspoken majority also shares your point of view . You then join the movement , waiting desperately for the film makers to come up with a more satisfying closure . And here it is , you get it . An alternative ending just showed up and everyone seems to be happy , now ready to move on , speaking words of gratitude to the director/producers . But , wait , something isn’t quite all-right about all this…
First of all , we can all agree on the notion that a movie , besides being a product is also an art form , an embodiment of someone’s visionary thoughts , a distinct way in which we , people , express our feeling or concerns upon a certain topic , problem or reality or maybe just a great pastime and an effective time-killer . The question is , what specific role do we, the audience , the criticizing source of feedback , possibly have in the process of influencing and even creating art ? Who are we to organize reckless backlashes against certain artistic visions that didn’t happen to be perceived the way we wanted to ? A dilemma , isn’t it ?
Take ,for example ,Charles Dickens’ novel s that were used to be published in monthly or weekly installments . This convenient format allowed him to evaluate the feedback from his readers and ,basically, modify the plot keys and character developments , according to these very reactions . Hence ,, most great art forms practiced nowadays have to face peer/public review .
There is a whole plethora of cases when relevant creations have been changed or improved upon based off of public opinion. Here is a short list of movies and books that have certain plot moments changed due to negative reception:
– Titanic
– The Abyss
– Bladerunner (about 15 times)
– Harry Potter (book and movie )
– Dune (book and movie )
– Multiple James Bond movies .
The list goes on and on…
Who is right ,in the end,then, the artist or the audience ? Shouldn’t the author(s)be fully responsible for his ways of delivering art ? Isn’t he independent of all public opinion regarding his work ? Or should he focus his attention on receiving feedback ,whether positive or negative , in order to face the music and take action in favor of his audience? It’s a double-edged sword really.
On one hand, art is a personal expression, it’s his own vision and he could do absolutely anything he wants with it .On the other hand, listening to public opinion and addressing their concerns is probably the only way for your art to work commercially. And that is the very problem we have to face concerning art and its place in our flawed society.
It may sound clichéd but the thing is :the world can sometimes be a very crude place dominated by self-righteousness and arrogance . Those with power come on top of those that lack it . That happens to be the natural order of things , unfortunately . And power usually comes with…you guessed it , money , usually,lots of it . And yet again unfortunately , a good bulk of art forms nowadays have shaped into nothing less that just “products” meant to be prioritized towards satisfying the customer base (in this case, the audience) while ultimately gaining profit .
The lust for money does drive people , even into assuming that art is just means of material benefit , fact that nearly killed art as we knew it . There is still hope , but nowadays ,stereotypically speaking , in the battle between the artist and the audience , it all comes down to money…
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