Films About Photography

At its heart, film is a purely visual art form. The same can also be said for photography. However, the two share a significant number of similarities. It can even be stated that photography directly influences movie making. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that plenty of films have been released over the years that are about the art of taking photos.

Film Examples

In the movie One Hour Photo, a picture developer becomes dangerously obsessed with a family. He hoards their images and fantasises about being part of their lives. Robin Williams plays the villain in this dark thriller exploring the power of photography over the human psyche.

In the 1960s, an art film called Blow-Up came out, which now acts as a visual record of Swinging London. It follows a professional photographer as he takes pictures of supermodels. The story takes a strange turn when he sees a crime committed through his camera.

If readers are looking for a movie about photography, there are few more famous than Rear Window. It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. James Stewart plays a man who is confined to his apartment after breaking a leg. He views the outside life around him through the lens of his camera.

Photography is also sometimes featured in horror films. For example, in The Omen, a man sees a clue to his own impending death when developing photos of himself. This serves to create a tremendous amount of narrative tension.

Photography in Video Games

In recent years video games have undoubtedly become one of the most popular entertainment mediums in the world. As a result, many game titles feature photography as a theme. Sometimes the main character is a photographer. Other times the central conflict of the narrative is set off by the discovery of photographs.

If readers want to stay up to date with new game releases, then the BBC website can be helpful. It keeps people informed about exciting emerging titles. The biggest ones tend to also be reviewed by top BBC game critics. It is surprising how many video games utilise photography in some way. This is mainly because the taking of pictures is a crucial aspect of modern society.

Photography as a Game Mechanic

The game Dead Rising is an excellent example of how photography can feature as a mechanic. The main character is a photojournalist who is tasked with visually documenting a zombie apocalypse. The Grand Theft Auto franchise also contains numerous missions where the player must take pictures and send them off to their boss. This mission type has appeared in the series since 2002.