Necromancer Cinema

Necromancer Cinema describes films created by Necromancers and with a necromancer world-view. While necromancers can be found in nearly all other aspects of the film industry, only films explicitly made in the specific "necromancer style" are considered Necromancer Cinema.

Style

Films make heavy use of symbolism and metaphor. Stories are usually heavily character-driven and rely on the skill of actors to tell the story. Plots are complex, nuanced, and filled with subtleties. Most importantly, the films are made for their artistic value and not "to make money" as with "tan'nesh" movies. For this reason, most non-necromancers describe them dense and unapproachable. However, necromancer films do still find a strong audience among non-necromancers for their often-times gratuitous levels of nudity

Most notably, every film includes at least three stories. Typically two stories that use a more conventional genre(such as a thriller that includes a comedic side-plot), and a story that mirrors something from the Endu Epics. This formula is very rarely broken from, though sometimes subverted in creative ways.

Themes

Because these movies are made for a necromancer audience and conform to a necromancer world-view, they commonly take place in and around necromancer communities. Themes such as alienation from the outside world, isolation, seclusion, community, family, and heavy use of the religious aspects of necromancy are most prevalent.

Much like Necromancer Theater, actual violence is extremely rarely depicted on-screen. If it is used, expect it to be mild(a powerful slap is typically the limit) and used as a metaphor for something else. In an odd aversion, the act of love-making is more often used as a stand-in for fighting(the same way kissing is used in theater). It can be quite difficult for an outside viewer to tell if the couple on-screen is supposed to be having a fist-fight or making a baby.

Orthodoxy

Though most necromancer filmmakers are conservative, depictions of ultra-orthodox communities are a major component of most necromancer films. Such communities often welcome the productions and cooperate fully. This is done because any practicing necromancer is, on some level, orthodox, and may yearn for that lifestyle. It also helps that any seriously necromancer story is going to require some level of this.

Methods

Necromancers tend to eschew large-scale productions and make little use of special effects(be it practical or visual). Even makeup is employed sparingly. Lavish set-dressings are common and productions make heavy use of location-shooting to get the desired effects. Their industry is particularly well-known for its skill at natural lighting, though this often has as much to do with meager budgets as the auteur process.

"Guerilla filming" is very common, especially among the smaller production companies. This can and has led to legal disputes owing to some of the more "colorful" aspects of the process.

Historical Films

Film adaptations of Endu Epics and famous necromancer plays see very frequent productions. When depicting a specific time-period, meticulous attention to detail and historic accuracy are used.

Nudity

As necromancers do not inherently consider all nudity to be sexual, necromancer films often depict quite a lot of it. Any film that includes an orthodox community as part of it's setting will include a visit to the local bathhouse. Nudity is frequently used as part of the metaphoric aspects of he film as a way to reflect vulnerability and fear. Sexualized nudity is also common as necromancers have different social mores, or as a way of depicting violence. This can often lead to some more extreme films being downright pornographic. This issue is not helped by the fact that most necromancers shave their genital areas.

Controversies

Necromancers do not rate their films according to content, but rather intended viewer experience(E.G. "light and fun" or "deep and cerebral", etc). No film is explicitly aimed at an age range except for some children's movies, and even those can be hard to spot by outsiders.

Many calls have been made by the none-necromancer public to ban or sensor these movies, but film is considered by the New Day Alliance as "protected free speech". Necromancers themselves are further classified as a "special people or cultural group" and thus receive further protections for their art and literature.

This leaves controlling the film's distribution and ratings to the motion picture board, which tends to be especially harsh on necromancer cinema due to the high levels of nudity. As nearly all films are given the highest rating and classed as being for adults only, if not outright banned from common distribution as pornography. Mainstream theaters typically refuse to screen necromancer films as a matter of course, relegating them to the private or arthouse theaters.

For the necromancers none of this is a problem, as anywhere with a sizable necromancer population will have it's own necromancer theaters(these often screen exclusively necromancer films). In the absence of such population densities, smaller temples build private theaters and enjoy free distribution of most necromancer films.

However, in urban areas where necromancers live alongside non-necromancers in large numbers, this creates something of a problem. The necromancer theaters make no effort to bar non-necromancers and as they do not consider their films to be distasteful. This allows teenagers and children easy-access to films the main stream would consider inappropriate.

In a small irony, the necromancers actually espouse the opposite problem. They blame the rest of society for corrupting their own youth by allowing violence to be seen so freely.

Necromancer Movie Theaters

Dedicated movie theaters for necromancers can be found in any area with a reasonable necromancer population. These can range from single-screen to multi-plexes, though in general the seating numbers are fairly low. A typical facility will have 3-6 screens with 100-200 seats per screen. Theaters are known for being particularly lax compared to more main-stream cinemas. Ticket prices are about the same but concessions are cheaper and usually come in a wider variety.