This week I watched a movie. In the special features they said that for this movie they built the biggest movie set ever (at least up til that time), covering 7 acres. That’s quite impressive. And of course, they built the buildings with all the little details, murals and landscaping. As I watched this I had to ask "Is it necessary?" I suppose that has a yes and no answer. In one sense it’s not needed. A lot of that detail will never be seen and most people will never grasp how big the set is, or notice the costume of the extra at the furthest end of the crowd. Could it be done with less? Oh yes, look at the older movies! But on the other hand it is necessary in order to have a high quality movie. Although all the details may not be noticed, it is possible and probable they would be noticed if they were gone.
But that leads me to another question. Is it worth it? With advancing technology, not only is more money being spent on creating our entertainment, but we’re also able to see how they make the movies and so, have a better idea of the millions and billions of dollars that are being spent, not to mention the enormous amounts of time devoted to these projects. I personally am becoming a little overwhelmed at the excess. Of course, I enjoy the privilege of sitting down and watching a well done, high quality movie. But is it worth the cost? Is entertainment as important as we have made it?
the.happenings 