Film has had a significant overall impact on popular culture and is likely to influence society for many years in a variety of different ways for many years to come. This is a fairly new cultural phenomenon as up until the 20th century there wasn’t really a film or movie culture. Furthermore cameras as well as film were certainly scarce.
Hollywood And Pop Culture
Love it or hate it , Hollywood and pop culture is here to stay. Around the 1940s was when Hollywood and pop culture really took off as increasingly people looked to entertainment and films to lift spirits.
What is remarkable about this time period is that although bombs were being dropped on cities people often made the journey to cinemas to watch films about the war as well as other films such as Western’s or crime thriller films. This illustrates just what a singifcant overall impact the film industry clearly had on society.
However since that period in time many things within the film industry have changed dramatically and have sparked a lot of political and social change as well as reinforcing negative stereotypes within society.
Present Day Film Culture
There is a lot that can be said about present day film culture. Once of the most notable things about present day film culture is the changes that have been made within the industry.
Over the course of its existence Hollywood has gradually become aware of the negative stereotypes it has displayed as well as the blatant discrimination it has shown to preferred actors/cast. This had led to significant changes within the industry such as more actors from diverse backgrounds being cast in significant or leading roles.
However although these changes are being made and some issues are being addressed , there remains a number of issues with the Hollywood film industry. One of these issues is favouritism.
Many actors who have been in major films are cast for new ones despite the fact that newer actors might be much better suited to the role overall. The same actors appearing in leading roles consistently can frustrate movie critics and aspiring actors alike.
What Effect Has Film Had On Popular Culture/ Society
Overall, film has had a significant overall influence on popular culture and society as a whole. One of the main ways in which the film industry has had a significant overall influence on society is smoking.
Smoking was often glamorised and actively promoted within the film industry for many years. This led to a large number of people from across different levels of society choosing to smoke as they thought it was socially acceptable and a good thing to do. This potentially lead to millions more people across the world developing health conditions which can be linked to smoking.
However as time has went on people have become more wise to the effects smoking can have on your health and the overall damage that it can do. This has come about as a result of government campaigns to improve the general public’s health as well as data coming from the NHS illustrating that those who smoke are far more likely to develop a catalogue of serious health problems.
How Can The Film Industry Repair The Damage That It Has Done?
There are a number of different ways through which the film industry can repair the damage that has been done. One of the main ways in which this can be done is through investing into community and youth projects.
Increasingly youth theatres as well as acting academies across the UK are funded by charitable organisations. By supporting these organisations the film industry can help to encourage young actors into the industry as well as supporting them in their studies and their work.
