Filmmaking / Directing : What determines high quality cinema to you? by Jeremy Lasman

Jeremy Lasman Hi Jeremy, for me it’s a number of things, from the storytelling, to the characters, the cinematography, production design, the score too. If you put the word ‘generic’ in front of any of those words, it brings disaster to any sense of high quality.

I think high quality cinema means scenes that are full of great camera angles, great performances, great conflict, great attention to detail, etc., as well as the look of the scenes, Jeremy Lasman.

Charlie Chaplin has a good quote I can't quite remember. It goes something like "all the tools and techniques we use in cinema are all to display PERSONALITY". I think that's what cinema is about. Telling a story that makes people FEEL, with personality. Everything else is windowdressing.

I still have a lot to learn but for me what makes great cinema is the attention to the details of each frame and bit of audio. The team work involved in making every second of a film march to its ultimate conclusion. It's a philosophy compounded by the contribution of each creative. And, if everyone does it right, a masterpiece that will stimulate all our senses immersing us in its magic world, is created.

Maurice Vaughan But what determines "great"?

Langley Coleman Wow yes, I wholeheartedly agree. How do you tell or determine good from great from masterful Personality?

Jeremy Lasman What determines "great" (when it comes to cinema) is quality and innovativeness.

Maurice Vaughan Love your circular logic. What I'm getting at is How do you personally know when you've seen High Quality, how do you tell? Innovativeness is totally where its at 100% too!

I mostly connect with the emotion in a film. A brilliant score mixed with even average direction can sometimes sweep me away. The Magnificent Seven is a good example. sure, a remake of the 7 Samurai, but what they did with it just because of the soundtrack. Two riders on horseback doing nothing more than trotting along across the wilderness in the distance is suddenly exciting and explosive because of the music grabbing you and putting you on the edge of the seat. Little, smart ideas like that.

Jeremy Lasman I think that's mostly a taste question. I really disagree with the pedestals we tend to put "auteur" directors on. I think there's definitely a mastery of craft that some directors display (kubrick, fincher, nolan) but whether or not that craftsmanship actually has value, at the end of the day, is up to the audience.

For example, no one can argue against the fact that Wes Anderson's film show a mastery over the medium - but personally I find his work incredibly dull.

Or Michael Bay - another great example of technical mastery and a lot of personality in his choices that just do not resonate with me.

Langley Coleman What then is the difference between Quality and Mastery to you?

Jeremy Lasman Quality is subjective. Mastery is less so

"How do you personally know when you've seen High Quality, how do you tell?" I think after watching a lotta average movies and a lotta great movies, Jeremy Lasman, you can tell when you see greatness/High Quality. It's like you're trained. Sometimes I'll watch a great movie, then I'll watch an average movie and I just can't get into the average movie.

I am a sucker for stories that have no foolishness. When people have information, they share it. There is no unexplained events. Characters drive the story. Decisions make sense.

If you can do that and produce a great story. I am a major fan.

@Jeremy It’s a combination of visuals plus character dynamics for me. If visuals are more memorable than the lead characters then something doesn’t sit right. I’m not saying visuals need to be “epic panoramas” but rather have a silent personality that glues whole scene. Dialogue is a bonus off course. I’d rather sit through a zero budget film where very careful planning was taken to create layers, atmosphere & a unique visceral edge than a 30 million good & bad guys big weapon action.

This is certainly a good one! The timing and everything! Jeremy Lasman, at this point in human history, "seriously important" and controversial!

I think of high quality cinema as being, Actors becoming the characters, the images are all beautifully composed with light, color, and shadow assisting the actors building the mood of the scene. The writing has to tell the story in an economical fashion with only the words that convey the intended message. The music supports the mood of each scene helping the audience feel what the actors are portraying. It's a complex art and always has flaws, when examined closely, but is amazing when done well.

For me great cinema is just a beautiful story being told beautifully

To me great cinema is a great plot that can stay interesting and suspenseful right to the end. I also like movies with good endings, not always necessarily happy endings, but endings that are well written and well thought out. When movies have stupid endings, it makes me not want to watch that movie again. I also love cinematography in movies. Especially scenes showing the view from the sky or a film scene filmed from a helicopter or plane that shows the landscape.

Fresh and unique approach that's filmable and concept actually works - ex. just watched "Searching" - Bingo!

@debbie Totally agree with you on the layers aspect that contributes to great cinema! Also loved your term "unique visceral edge" - can you share more what you mean by that/how you tell its there or create it?

@Eon I love your scale here, can you expand on what you mean a bit more?

Jeremy Lasman, very good subject "Expansion"! Expansion of the mind and theme "Fiction Becomes Fact", as just one for concepts. As human beings are we limitimg ourselves. The mere mention of the long anticipated and now a prominent subject... "AI". It's here!! Can't deny it! "Conceptualized" in so many films in the past, It's now "reality", and part of our..."evolution". How much more is there to come, reverting to theme and thoughts, "Fiction Becomes Fact"?

The alchemy of talent and inspiration - when a great script, director, cast, producer and crew unite symbiotically for weeks or months and the result is that I simply and effortlessly get lost in their world and characters for 2-hours. Then I'm half way through the end credits and haven't moved and suddenly realize I've been watching something and I'm back in the real world. So many different genres and stories can take me there and that's high quality cinema to me.