The Movies and Film Acts (A common App)

For many people, going to the movies is solely a social event. They go for the action, the friends, the camaraderie, or the food. Many can't even be bothered to stop texting or playing Angry Birds while they sit in the theater. But to a shrinking number of people, myself included, movies are about so much more than a night out. There is an important quality in movies that isn't reflected in all the physical trappings of the industry. No movie theater or film poster can truly express what cinema means to its biggest fans. All good films are a small slice of the collective human soul. They have the power to express specific emotions not often seen or felt. When I watch a movie and I can connect to a character's joy, or despair, or frustration, it can often have a very interesting and powerful effect. Unlike many other forms of media, cinema has the ability to verify my existence. To truly understand a character and be able to relate to him or her can authenticate me as a valid individual. It can be a powerful connection to humanity as a whole to realize that no emotion or action is unique. Someone will always be able to connect to my own frustrations or struggles. Even if the trials seen on the screen seem foreign, they give me the unique opportunity to better grasp an experience outside of myself. The believability of the worlds and characters created in front of my eyes can often feel so believable as to supersede my own reality. While these worlds may be fictional and stylized, they offer glimpses that function like small passages into another place and time. But this is the tragedy of the movies. Film acts only as a window and not as a door. Watching a movie I am doing only that, watching. When the credits roll and the lights go up, there is a moment of sober realization that nothing has changed yet. All the problems that I entered the theater with are still waiting to latch on to me at the door, but the affirmation gained has made me a stronger person to face them. This self verification is also so compelling because people my age spend so much of their own lives seeking validation. We work towards grades to prove we are intelligent, friends to prove we are popular, and laughs to prove we are not self loathing. Around most teenagers is a layer of insulation that seeks to gain the approval of everyone that simply passes by. By recognizing that this insulation exists, movies help to tear down the facade, even if only a little. The most popular movies today may fill the screen with fantastic pictures of creatures that never existed but they lose the ability to impact the viewer, which is a special effect far greater than anything conjured up on a computer.

This is my essay for the common app. I am just looking for some general feedback and editing mistakes. Thanks!

Your essay is fantastic! You are an excellent writer and your thoughts are very well-organized. This is easy to read and interesting, probably because you have many good points.

Yes, movies can be inspiring- to make yourself a better person or be happier in general. A movie should also be a form of escape from the mundane into an amazing world. And you say this: A movie should also be a form of escape from the mundane into an amazing world. Basically, this the most important thing you can say, it is a major point.

The most popular movies today may fill the screen with fantastic pictures of creatures that never existed but they lose the ability to impact the viewer, which is a special effect far greater than anything conjured up on a computer. What you are saying here is great, but the sentence is a bit long and wordy.

your essay was great.you made me feel like a part of it,since i love films and all of your points were true and exact. if you don't mind, what topic are you answering on the common app? 1-6

I am putting is just as a question of my choice, which is an option.