David Lynch on the iPhone
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Hahaha, I like it.
I think I agree with Lynch here. Downloading films rather than going to the pictures has become the norm among my peers, which frustrates me intently. I have no problem with downloading films rather than renting/buying/tv but to assume that a download is equal to the cinema experience baffles me. Case in point would be No Country For Old Men, a film I've hyped up to a few mates since seeing a film festival preview. They've now acquired it on divx and are planning to watch it on TV. To me, this is no replacement to the tension of watching it on the big screen where it gets your undivided attention. For me it would change No Country from a four star film into a good-to-passable crime thriller.
Don't get it twisted, this is no anti-piracy rant, legal downloads are the same, but surely watching a movie on a a laptop/phone/download cuts out pretty much all of the specific features of the medium, no?
I think I agree with Lynch here. Downloading films rather than going to the pictures has become the norm among my peers, which frustrates me intently. I have no problem with downloading films rather than renting/buying/tv but to assume that a download is equal to the cinema experience baffles me. Case in point would be No Country For Old Men, a film I've hyped up to a few mates since seeing a film festival preview. They've now acquired it on divx and are planning to watch it on TV. To me, this is no replacement to the tension of watching it on the big screen where it gets your undivided attention. For me it would change No Country from a four star film into a good-to-passable crime thriller.
Don't get it twisted, this is no anti-piracy rant, legal downloads are the same, but surely watching a movie on a a laptop/phone/download cuts out pretty much all of the specific features of the medium, no?
yeah cinema going is wicked its an experience you make an effort for and share with people.
also you get to be wowed by the architecture of making a film work in the cinema.
dvds are ok but not an event.
i worry about art and developments. its fucked , no one wants to pay for it on a popular level , and in the uk etc, no fucker is paying for it, cos the olympics need funding.
also you get to be wowed by the architecture of making a film work in the cinema.
dvds are ok but not an event.
i worry about art and developments. its fucked , no one wants to pay for it on a popular level , and in the uk etc, no fucker is paying for it, cos the olympics need funding.
you
Well-known member
Firstly - I thought he didn't swear? It really shocked me when he did.
Going to the cinema is a wicked experience when it goes well, but half the time its not even that comfortable - people talk, people eating, slurping etc, I used to work at cinema and have had to humour loads of unhappy people because a 'chav' has focused his attention and energy on throwing popcorn rather than watching the film. Also DVDs are so cheap now its difficult to pay £6 + to see a film when most dvds on play are around £6 and you can watch em again and again and they look nice all stacked together. On the subject of Lynch - ( and this is relevant ) I bought Inland Empire on DVD from play.com about £10 posted. I watched it at a friends house through a projector on a comfy sofa. The cinema experience was pretty much perfect - infact it was probably one of my best cinematic experiences ( mainly due to the projector, I dont think IE would have the same impact on a widescreen TV ) - but consider the cost, excluding the projector, the evening would be £15 max between 3. I dont think you could get 3 people into a cinema ( except on orange wednesdays ) for that, let alone have drinks and nibbles. Plus, with the home cinema you can guarantee a Pussy Cat Dolls ringtone isn't going to interrupt you half a dozen times...
I sympathise with Cinemas, because walking in and out of an engrossing film is fantastic, but with increasing anti-social tendencies in a portion of the customers and decreasing DVD prices online... I think its a losing battle.
However, I recently got an Ipod, i dont think id get much out of watching a film on it, I use it to watch documentaries but i think it would lose whatever a gorgeous film has that makes it so great. How can anyone watch 'the deer hunter' whilst taking head-phones out and looking elsewhere and mumbling "station please"...... on a 2inch screen, purrrhleese...
Someone told me Arts funding has been cut by around a third - across the board - because of the Olympics *sigh*
Going to the cinema is a wicked experience when it goes well, but half the time its not even that comfortable - people talk, people eating, slurping etc, I used to work at cinema and have had to humour loads of unhappy people because a 'chav' has focused his attention and energy on throwing popcorn rather than watching the film. Also DVDs are so cheap now its difficult to pay £6 + to see a film when most dvds on play are around £6 and you can watch em again and again and they look nice all stacked together. On the subject of Lynch - ( and this is relevant ) I bought Inland Empire on DVD from play.com about £10 posted. I watched it at a friends house through a projector on a comfy sofa. The cinema experience was pretty much perfect - infact it was probably one of my best cinematic experiences ( mainly due to the projector, I dont think IE would have the same impact on a widescreen TV ) - but consider the cost, excluding the projector, the evening would be £15 max between 3. I dont think you could get 3 people into a cinema ( except on orange wednesdays ) for that, let alone have drinks and nibbles. Plus, with the home cinema you can guarantee a Pussy Cat Dolls ringtone isn't going to interrupt you half a dozen times...
I sympathise with Cinemas, because walking in and out of an engrossing film is fantastic, but with increasing anti-social tendencies in a portion of the customers and decreasing DVD prices online... I think its a losing battle.
However, I recently got an Ipod, i dont think id get much out of watching a film on it, I use it to watch documentaries but i think it would lose whatever a gorgeous film has that makes it so great. How can anyone watch 'the deer hunter' whilst taking head-phones out and looking elsewhere and mumbling "station please"...... on a 2inch screen, purrrhleese...
Someone told me Arts funding has been cut by around a third - across the board - because of the Olympics *sigh*
I dunno where you live (London?), but I rarely pay more than £5 for a cinema ticket in the various cities I frequent. I have also had a UGC/Cineworld £10/£11-a-month subscription for at least 5 years, which has made seeing films the cheapest of all my hobbies.
I agree that depending on what film you're watching and where you're watching it the audience can have an impact on the experience. I usually try and take this into account when choosing when and where to watch a movie. I have rarely had a precious film ruined by talking or ringtones, but many a trashy movie improved by audience reaction of laughter, gasps, jumps and shrieks. I suppose this depends where you live and what kind of cinemas are in the local area.
Personally I find I am less likely to give a movie proper attention at home in comparison to the cinema. I'll be distracted by going for a cup of tea, slice of toast, adjusting audio settings, my own telephone/mobile ringing etc. Maybe I just have poor concentration.
As for watching feature films on an ipod/phone/ds/psp/blackberry I really wouldn't be arsed.
empty mirror
remember the jackalope
I can't see anyone here defending the idea of watching a film on an iPod, iPhone or anything with a lower-case "i" prefix.
The cinema vs. home theater debate is interesting! This is essentially the stuff of Brecht: dramatic theater vs. epic theater. Brecht suggested that the former, in which the viewer is totally immersed in the play, is a tool of oppression in the form of entertainment. Epic theater allows the viewer a critical distance (Brecht suggested the audience smoke cigars, something to tend to, a distraction to prevent total immersion or identification) and room to ponder what is unfolding in front of yo (from the yo thread somewhere on this forum) eyes and well, have the mind wander.
I reckon I've stretched the metaphor a bit, but I like You's idea of cinema. A not-extremely-serious, but ponderous (without the negative connotations sometimes connected with that word), reflective experience that engages the mind, not only playing on the emotions.
Given the choice, I would bet John Cage would watch a flick with You instead of at the cinema any day. And I'd tag along with Mr. Cage. (I guess this is the inverse of what You was actually saying, as he mentioned that the cinema is more prone to interruptions than the home, but whatever.)
[insert apology for being pedantic here]
The cinema vs. home theater debate is interesting! This is essentially the stuff of Brecht: dramatic theater vs. epic theater. Brecht suggested that the former, in which the viewer is totally immersed in the play, is a tool of oppression in the form of entertainment. Epic theater allows the viewer a critical distance (Brecht suggested the audience smoke cigars, something to tend to, a distraction to prevent total immersion or identification) and room to ponder what is unfolding in front of yo (from the yo thread somewhere on this forum) eyes and well, have the mind wander.
I reckon I've stretched the metaphor a bit, but I like You's idea of cinema. A not-extremely-serious, but ponderous (without the negative connotations sometimes connected with that word), reflective experience that engages the mind, not only playing on the emotions.
Given the choice, I would bet John Cage would watch a flick with You instead of at the cinema any day. And I'd tag along with Mr. Cage. (I guess this is the inverse of what You was actually saying, as he mentioned that the cinema is more prone to interruptions than the home, but whatever.)
[insert apology for being pedantic here]
you
Well-known member
Tox - that subscription deal is very good value, last time I visited a 'Showcase' I payed £6.50 or something. Also I've heard that, in general, corn to pop corn has a bigger 'mark up' than opium to heroin...... When you think how much corn costs ( although yeah recently its been going up ) and how much is in a extra large £3.90 bag of "fresh" pop corn.... how much is a handful of corn?? Not too much I bet. Oh - and the chain cinemas don't sell fresh pop-corn granted it was popped on site and in that week, but its not what id call fresh.....
Tox & Empty Mirror - Personally I like to sit in the dark and really envelope myself in a film, I may eat and drink but in general I devote myself to the film, and hope to become engrossed in it. This is perhaps on the dramatic side of things. But a few days ago I re-watched Haneke's 'Funny Games' on a naff little portable on a friends bed. I found myself constantly thinking about the film in comparison with 'the piano teacher'..... now maybe this happened because of the setting ( maybe on the epic theatre side? ) or maybe it was because of Tom and Jerry piercing the third curtain or maybe these notions of comparison popped into my head purely because I was watching it for a second time. I dunno. But the first time when I was in a dramatic/engrossed in the illusion type state I was gripped by the suspense and hitchcockian tension, however in the second viewing I was impressed by the suspense and hitchcockian tension whilst admiring these facets of the film, and thinking about them, rather than just being immersed and enveloped...y'know???
Its just occurred to me ive picked a terrible director to use as an example to explore this muddy notion of mine....... whilst watching FG in a 'dramatic' setting should yo be more... or less aware of the films techniques and workings etc mmmmmmmm feck....
Tox & Empty Mirror - Personally I like to sit in the dark and really envelope myself in a film, I may eat and drink but in general I devote myself to the film, and hope to become engrossed in it. This is perhaps on the dramatic side of things. But a few days ago I re-watched Haneke's 'Funny Games' on a naff little portable on a friends bed. I found myself constantly thinking about the film in comparison with 'the piano teacher'..... now maybe this happened because of the setting ( maybe on the epic theatre side? ) or maybe it was because of Tom and Jerry piercing the third curtain or maybe these notions of comparison popped into my head purely because I was watching it for a second time. I dunno. But the first time when I was in a dramatic/engrossed in the illusion type state I was gripped by the suspense and hitchcockian tension, however in the second viewing I was impressed by the suspense and hitchcockian tension whilst admiring these facets of the film, and thinking about them, rather than just being immersed and enveloped...y'know???
Its just occurred to me ive picked a terrible director to use as an example to explore this muddy notion of mine....... whilst watching FG in a 'dramatic' setting should yo be more... or less aware of the films techniques and workings etc mmmmmmmm feck....
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empty mirror
remember the jackalope
Hah! Funny Games is totally epic!
you
Well-known member
exactly - but would yo really realise ( or would one get the effects ) that it was so much more epic than other films IF yo were to watch it on an Ipod?????
Maybe the brechtian facets would be less apparent?
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noel emits
a wonderful wooden reason
I'm amused at this usage of yo and applaud attempts to popularise it but isn't it supposed to be for third person pronouns? :slanted: 
mistersloane
heavy heavy monster sound
Is it? Which chains? The ones I worked in it wasn't even popped on site! It came in big bags ready popped and is then heated up over that light bulb to give the illusion of freshness, which is why it tastes so shit.
We use a projector at home, I haven't had TV for nearly 20 years now, but still go to the flicks for big events, you can drink and smoke and do drugs at home. Much more immersive. Cinema audiences aren't falling though, they're still really healthy in this country.
crackerjack
Well-known member
This just reminded me of an old Dissensus thread on the magic of cinema. This would support the case for watching films at home on a projector I think!
the tale of how cinema attendances fall is one that seems to be rattled out alot, going to a cinema is still an experience and the more sophisticated the technology gets, the more sensations they build into films to make them these huge cgied rollercoasters the more they'll sustain the event of going to the cinema.
that's the big industry i guess, i'm sure the smaller films suffer a bit, i dunno but alot of well told more indie films seem to do well these days too, people are more open to them.