Assess what distinguishes a successful film from an

unsuccessful one.
Movies provide entertainment by immersing people in an imaginary world.
However, movies or films need to have certain qualities to be a great movie.
Various attributes distinguish a successful motion from an unsuccessful one, for
example, good plots, genre, acting, music, visual effects, and marketing.

A compelling storyline plays an integral role in making a film successful. A

successful movie has to include an attractive and appealing story as it has a good
impression on the audience, and the audience is also attracted to a good plot. Real-
life stories have also provided the greatest inspirations to some of the movies that
the world has seen such as The Theory Of Everything based on Stephen Hawking's
poignant story has achieved many prestigious awards receiving the Oscar award
and nominees. Movies that relate to real-life events and touch the audience's hearts
through strong emotional appeal also help create good movie standards.
Unsuccessful films usually have a poor plot which induces in audiences apathy.
The audience does not enjoy a movie holding a confused plot and also movies that
can have a bad influence on people. Besides the storyline, a good film should have
great character development. The viewer should sense character development as
they should transition from one level to the next and transpire naturally. In all
these, the story should maintain a seamless flow and perpetuate the audience's
interest. Films have to be understandable, provide insight into all character's
personalities and roles.

A successful film must have a convincing performance and direction. Actors make
a significant effect on a movie's popularity as their fan following is attracted to
watch the movie. There is also a great array of actors with enormous followings on
social media, which means the film might have an instant reach. Furthermore, a
movie director contributes immensely to the performance given by the actors.
James Cameron, the director of the blockbuster movie, Titanic, immersed the
audience and grabbed their attention by the emotional performance of the famous
actors, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kate Winslet. Movies such as Catwoman starring
Halle Berry failed because of poor performance and direction. Therefore, the poor
direction can negatively affect a movie.

A successful movie has a compelling music composition and the most naturalistic
visual and special effects. Music is generally used in films to support the visual
images and the action. The added music changes the audience's mood entirely and
provokes strong emotions from them. Music helps in creating a more convincing
atmosphere of time and place, and sometimes the story progresses in the songs.
Horror movies use music to create suspense and impending fear. However, an
over-powering music score can make a film unsuccessful. Special effects also play
an integral role in people's imagination as they make the scientific impossible
possible in a science fiction genre by immersing people into an imaginary world
like the auto bots transforming into automobiles, or the massive war in the movie
"Lord of the rings", which portrays more than a million artificial soldiers. Poor
special effects can damage a movie even if it has a good plot as it would distract
the viewers from the story. Special effects involve more expertise and skills than
the physical effects like a car explosion or a train derailment, which are shot in a
protected physical space. Therefore, they can be expensive but movies such as
Paranormal activity with a low budget were a success.

Genre, advertising, and marketing play a significant role in the promotion of a

movie. Advertising attracts a wide range of audiences and makes them aware of
the upcoming movie and about their favorite actors' projects. It can appeal to all
ages such as Avatar. Celebrity endorsement can have a huge influence as well.
Celebrity endorsement attaches the fame of a celebrity to the movie.

In conclusion, there are a lot of elements in making a movie successful. Even

though many movies are produced every year, some are more popular than others.
Good plots, genre, acting, music, visual effects, and marketing can guarantee
success.