Because film is an art form what makes a film good changes from person to person and what their preferences are. The film I will be using for my reference as what a good film good is the film ‘Spirited Away’ which was directed and written by ‘Hayao Miyazaki’. This film won an academy award for best animated feature in 2003 and in 2016 was voted 4th best film of the century by the BBC from 177 critics from around the world. The film follows a ten-year-old girl who accidentally enters the spiritual world and must find a way to escape and find her parents. This film’s art and music both work together to make this film an unforgettable experience to watch.
In a film even though the macro elements are extremely important such as the message and the genre, I think that the micro elements such as editing, and sound are the ones that make a film good because when done wrong it can take away attention from the story and the macro elements of the film. Good sound and editing can help the watcher immerse themselves into the story and not get distracted by bad camera angles. The soundtrack in Studio Ghibli movies are unique soundtracks that were created by Joe Hisaishi, the soundtracks are unique and help to create an atmosphere and convey emotions in the film. One of Joe Hisashi’s most recognizable compositions was from the opening theme of Spirited Away and it’s called “One summers day”. This opening theme adds magic and helps the watcher immerse themselves into the film.
In spirited away a good representation of mis en scene is this scene. This wide shot shows Chihiro (the main character) walking off to the horizon. I think that this scene can show how she has grown and developed as a person and how much braver she is, it also shows how she is alone, this contrasts to the beginning scenes where she was too scared to leave her mother’s side. Because of the sky and the sea almost blending into each other this scene also shows how big the spirit world is and how she is so small in comparison
Macro elements such as themes make a film good because then the film will leave an impact on the watcher and then will not easily be forgotten because of the way that the film made the watcher feel. The themes in spirited away are identity, greed and isolation, even though this movie is aimed at kids the meaningful themes can be noticed by anyone who watches this film and can teach life lessons. Studio Ghibli’s style is very eye catching and unique it adds another level to their movies, this style combines Japanese manga and anime with American animation. The studio Ghibli style also has amazing scenery and landscapes seen in howls moving castle and spirited away.
To conclude I think that what makes a film good relies on the micro elements being good so that the macro elements of a film will be noticed.
