Definition of a good film

It should have a catchy beginning. This may be done using either or some of the following several techniques.

• The manner in which titles are shown.

• The opening scene. This is when the film begins without much introduction and credits.

• Background score / Title score.

• Cinematography.

• Narration.

• Written message describing an event/occurrence. Or stating that the film is based on a famous novel, or stating that it’s a true story.

• Screen presence of a powerful actor.

Once the film has taken a strong grip of the audience with a good start, then the next objective is to maintain it till its end. Here is where the plot, screenplay and editing matter most.

An original plot/story means half the battle is won. But in cinema it’s not all to have a good story; how you tell it decides whether it would be appreciated or not. Few of the styles in which one can tell a story is as follows (Note: In case of some films, some styles might overlap).

• In a straight line, as a sequence of events, chronologically. Ex: A Civil Action, Motorcycle Diaries, Goodwill Hunting, Rocky, As good as it gets, Rain man, Capote, Benhur, McKenna's Gold, Jurrasic Park, Independence day, The Recruit, Troy, Lost in Translation, Finding Forrester, Godfather I, Midnight Run, Scent of a woman, The Edge, Unbreakable, U.S. Marshalls, The Departed etc.
  

• Flashback. Again this could be a continuous one or as intermittent flashbacks. Ex: Godfather II, Lawrence of Arabia, Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, Titanic, Catch me if you can, Bandits.
  

• As a narrative, in first person or in third person. Ex: Forrest Gump, Apocalypse Now, Platoon
  

• As a sequence of events, chronologically incorrect. This is a modern style where the audience is first put into chaos only to be given a pleasant shock of coincidental merger of events that solves the jigsaw puzzle and evolves into a perfect story. A rare examples are, Lucky Number Sleven and Babel.
  

• More that one story told separately. They all have the same theme. Another of the modern styles. Ex: Babel, Gandha (Marathi).
  

• Absurdity. Just events that have a captivating effect but not much or no reason. Another of the modern styles. But it’s a very difficult art to do so. A rare example is, “Pulp fiction”.

Once we have a script it needs to be told/represented on screen. Whatever you see on screen - every single detail - comes through a screenplay. A well-crafted screenplay keeps the audience involved and glued to the screen, to use a hyperbola not allowing a blink of eye. So the screenplay dictates which actors and things will makeup the scene and what every animate/inanimate thing would act like while the scene is running.

Finally, editing which without doubt is the heart of filmmaking process. It is through good editing that a filmmaker cuts and trims each scene in the film. Good editing simply means making the film concise/compact without affecting its essentials. Thus this also decides the length of the film.

I intend to add on to this write-up as and when I learn more about this difficult yet wonderful art of filmmaking.