Pakistan’s Cinema, still very alien to technology

 The roots of the Pakistan cinema can be traced back to the pre-partition era. Even before the creation of Pakistan, Lahore was the hub of “cinematic” activities. The movie Teri Yaad was the first film to be released in the newly crafted state of Jinnah, Pakistan. It was mediocre start but soon the industry developed as the investors saw it profitable business.

In the 60s decade the film making in Pakistan attained the status of Industry. It was by no mean below par than its arch rival’s film industry, Bollywood. But it started to change as the bigger industry with large resources and huge audience, financially and technologically muscled down Lollywood, the Pakistan’s film Industry.

The fragile economy and political upheavals in the 70s alienated the audience from the cinemas. The investors lost interest in once thriving industry as a consequence, financial constraints made only selected scripts possible to translate on the big screens.

The era of alienation of Pakistan cinema destroyed the whole eco-system which came to existence with the birth and development of Pakistan film industry. The limited audience had to live with the certain scripts which were reproduced again and again.

In modern times technology play its crucial part in the cinema making. Strong scripts with skillful actors fail to enthuse the audience if the technological part is not considered appropriately. In today’s world of cinema making, post production editing is the integral part. The overall innovation in technology had its significant impact on the movie making industry.

Where Pakistan remained estranged from innovation and technology in cinema making, the technological revolution completely reshaped the film Industry around the world, US in particular. The technology helped in the personification of those narratives which came to existence purely and utterly out of wild imaginations.

The narratives of Arabian Nights which mesmerized young and the old alike were brought to life on the giant screens. The fantasies related to the future, translated into movies, captivated the audience in the cinema halls. Technology paved way for the innovation and innovation gave new dimension to the movie making.

Superman, Spiderman, the Wizard of Oz and many other characters dragged out of comics to entertain the audience worldwide. The technology helped to describe the horrors of war in the most realistic way, and it all eventually helped movies to be globally recognized. 

 In 1933, Hollywood released “King Kong” which enthralled the spectators and put them in trance.  The movie proved to be the watershed for the American Film industry. It provided the foundation for the science fiction movies and technology infrastructure.

Where the surge in the technology has facilitated the human life overall with certain social complications, its effect on the movies can hardly be ignored. The last decade was the clear evidence to endorse the argument.  Movies like Lord of the Rings, Batman, and The Hobbit only able to mesmerize the audience when the visual and sound effects with other technological fundamentals harmonized with the script to captivate the audience.

      Software industry and cinema making: The technology around the world has become integral part of the cinema making. From the movie making to the post production editing, technology is playing its role not only to provide incredible cinematic results but also in cutting down the production expenses.

 District 9 sets the precedence for other movies and endorses the use of technology to cut down the production costs. The movie was made with the expense of $30 million and proved that $150 million (Avatar) is not required to deliver an action-packed CGI (Computer Graphic Imagry) extravaganza.

 The Indian Film Industry is also embracing the technology by keeping in consideration the global trends. These new technologies are not only facilitating in the Sci-fi and Adventure movies but also improving the basic ingredients of film making direction, sound and visual effects and such other small but fundamentals of cinema making.

Movies like Robot, RA-One and Krish are proving to be the trend changers in India. The high-tech constraints had limited Bollywood to the typical Bollywood formulated movies but the developed software industry in India has open new avenues. Now ideas like Koi Mil Gaya and Robot can be translated into movies to enthrall spectators and to generate revenues for the film makers.

Pakistan cluster of talent in software houses can be used to produce quality movie. The developing software industry of Pakistan can help the Lollywood to internationally recognize its movies. Lollywood should pool the talent available to create movies which target not only national but also International audience. Pakistan’s technology industry could prove to be the provision for the Pakistan films to achieve this object.

Once student of FAST, Mir Zafar Ali, the talent from Pakistan paved its ways to the Hollywood. He played a background role in the team that won the Academy Award for best visual effects in 2007, for the movie The Golden Compass. 

 The Pakistan Film industry’s saga to revive from the ashes of the past continues as the movies like Khuda Kay Liye, Bol and in 2013 Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi and WAAR has drawn audience to Pakistani cinemas. The integration of Pakistan’s Film Industry with the software industry will provide another dimension to the software houses for their commercial application. 

The blend will help in the growth of both industries, creating jobs and improved infrastructure with diversity and innovation.  It is not only going to provide the entertainment to the depressed nation but will also become the voice for the 180 million Pakistanis who have suffered a lot in last decade. The shattered economy will be aided by the Film Industry and colored description to the political and social ideas.  The new eco-system of the cinema will come to existence.