What drives the audience to get excited about a film, and pushes them to watch it in the theatres? Is it because of their eagerness to watch their favorite actors perform on the big screen, or is it because of the environment they are going to enter? Apart from all these factors, it is the experience people are willing to get from the exciting themes and concepts the movies comprise of. People entering the theatres hope for something good and positive to happen so that they can take it back home and apply it to their lives. It need not be social messages and advice, every single time. Audiences are willing to watch their superheroes fight and defeat evil while protecting the people. Fantasy concepts made by the Marvel and DC comics work on these themes where the superheroes fight for the good and well-being of the citizens by protecting the world from evil. The characters portrayed in the films create a huge impact on the lives of the common people who try to mimic them in real life, right from the way they walk, behave and communicate with each other.
Imagine your favorite characters advising you to be a perfect person in life with some boring lectures, that too towards the end of the film. Definitely, there is a high chance that the audience could go restless and get bored. But there won’t be a significant impact created if these pieces of advice are thrown out somewhere in the middle of the film either. The impact created and the opinions made about a film are many times based on the end portions that play a vital role in the film as they provide a conclusion to the audience about what the entire film is all about. Is there any magic with the end portions of the film or is it just the mindsets of the people believing as such?
Is the climax considered the most important segment?
Consider the following scenario where a film revolves around the hero-villain theme concept. In the end, the hero defeats the enemy and saves the world. Observe the reactions of the audience when they exit the theatres. They feel a positive vibe around them since the good has won over the evil, making them feel confident and even hope good things can happen in their lives too. Now, twist the climax the other way around, where the villain kills the superhero and continues to spread evil around the city in the film. This time, the reaction changes, and will not stay the same as above, since few might feel insecure and dissatisfied with the way the film ended and the impact created.
We can clearly understand from these scenarios, the impact a film creates on the minds of the audience is heavy. As these kinds of scenarios have a high possibility of taking place towards the end of the film, the climax portions become more important than the other portions in the film. Since the impact given by these climax portions are heavy, the writing has to be precise and convincingly done so that the audience is able to accept the film as a whole.
Many of us have this habit of watching out for reviews before booking tickets. In a two-and-a-half-hour film, the audience could barely remember anything other than the last half-an-hour portion of the film as the impact created by those portions will be heavy. So they end up reviewing only the end portion and not the entire film. There are many instances where the film has failed to impress the audience because of the climax sequences, though the making and the concept are conveyed brilliantly in the film. More than the concept and the making of the film, the audiences are more attracted and keen to know the end of the film and end up reviewing the film negatively
Just like the audience, are filmmakers also concerned about the climax more rather than the making of the film?
The producers and filmmakers have analyzed and figured out the reason for a film to do well at the box office. They figured out that if the audiences are satisfied with the ending of the film, then it turns out to be a good film overall. When a director narrates a story to a producer, they are more excited to watch out for the end of the film just like the audience, rather than the theme or the message the film conveys. The producers are ready to invest only if the end portions are written in a convincing way. This is not a healthy practice as the creativity and innovations of a creator aren’t explored appropriately in such cases. Due to this, many experimental films are failing at the box office because of the adjustments and changes made, just to convince the audience by making them leave the theatres with satisfaction. Now, the filmmakers are demanded to concentrate more on the ending portions as they have to make sure that the climax is convincingly done so that the audience accepts the film and welcomes it with a huge opening.
Indian filmmaker Thiagarajan Kumara Raja shared his writing process for the film ‘Super deluxe’ in an interview. He says that the climax of the film is the most important part where the justice for the theme that traveled in the entire film, is done. He mentions that he had only written the end portion of the film and further developed the story by branching out the character arcs and elongating the concept from the climax. He believes that if the climax portions are written well, then the entire film turns out to be a well-crafted film. As an audience, he is more eager to watch out for how the film is going to end and what will happen to the characters. He implies the same concept in his writings and makes sure that the climax is well-written.
Are people expecting a piece of advice or a social message to be conveyed at the end?
People entering the theatres in huge numbers are hoping to enter a new world so that they can forget reality and experience a new perspective on life. They find films to be boring if they are stuck with reality and couldn’t divert from them. This can happen if the film pours out social messages and advice which seem to be fitted forcefully into the films, serving no purpose. But entertainment is always the other way around. These messages and advice do not carry entertainment value; but entertainment can always carry some message in it. It is the role of the filmmaker, not to just throw away the messages, but rather convey them in an entertaining way. Audiences always expect films to be more than reality and larger than life. Definitely, they are not expecting only advice at the end. So the creators have to be very careful in the writing of that particular portion.
Every film will create an impact on the minds of the audience. Those are nothing but the themes that are conveyed. Moreover, the audience is ready to take those themes and depict them in their reality. Films can be a life-changing event that can happen to many of us. Apart from entertainment, films can motivate, inspire and create a positive vibe around us. At times, the themes and the messages that are conveyed via a film to us, can be path-breaking and teach us to lead our lives in a better way, than before. But audiences aren’t willing to spend their time and money only to hear lectures and social messages. Be it any kind of film, a very serious or a completely quirky film, each has its own way of conveying the theme to the audience in some or the other way. Rather than concentrating more on social messages, filmmakers should try to convey them in an entertaining way so that the audience can take something from those films. In the end, it's the entertainment that upholds the entire film more than the advice poured, and definitely not the other way around.
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