Have you ever felt like the movie you are watching suddenly winked at you? As in, a character in the movie implying, or straight away addressing the fact, that they are inside the movie, and you are observing them?If you have, then this surreal moment, blurring the line between story and storytelling, is what we call the magic of metacinema.What is a Meta Movie?A meta movie displays self-awareness, acknowledging the artificial or cinematic nature of its constructed narrative/world, and makes it known to the audience. There are several ways in which a meta movie can establish this:1. Breaking the fourth wallA character directly addressing the audience (Example: Deadpool)An off-screen narrator expressing inner thoughts (Example: American Psycho)2. Movie-within-a-movie formatBehind-the-scenes focus, where the narrative explores the process of filmmaking (Example: 8½)Genre deconstruction, where the movie parodies its own genre (Example: Tropic Thunder)The found-footage narrative, where the movie is presented as an artifact of its own story (Example: The Blair Witch Project)The main objective of metacinema is to push the boundaries of traditional storytelling by building a deeper, more intimate/intellectual engagement with both the subject matter and the audience. Aside from this, a metacinema is a perfect tool for parody, satire, for using genre deconstruction tropes, analyzing identity, tackling creative block, and obscuring the difference between fact and fiction for dramatic effect.11 Meta Movies That Crack the Cinematic IllusionHere is a carefully chosen list of 11 movies that use the elements of metacinema to inform their entire philosophy rather than merely experimenting with...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today