BEHIND THE CAMERA
Have you ever got home from a long day’s work and to relax, you turn on the first movie you can find? You inevitably end up half watching, half zoning-out. At the end, you’re lucky if you remember anything that happened on-screen. This is the way that too many Canadians are watching movies nowadays. Likely, it has something to do with on-demand streaming service where media is a click away. When we don’t pay attention or put films on as background noise, this is passive movie-watching and it doesn’t give any justice to the film. The opposite is active movie watching, or when we intend on consuming media and are attentive to it.
There is something to be said about putting on a movie and giving it your full attention. When we actively listen, we pick up on the details. The subtle acting from the characters, the hints in the dialogue, items in the background, or simply a beautiful or unique shot – all of it adds to the quality of the experience. Albeit, some movies are better than others and every-so-often there’s one that’s a complete waste of your time. But most movies put effort into their production and, ultimately, want to affect the audience in some type of way. Passive watching negates this, effectively and instantly cheapening the film. Active watching also gives you headspace to build suspense. Especially key for mysteries and complex adventures, the only way we can get good payoff is to pay attention early.
The forementioned points are just the consequences of the moment. Really, there are much larger impacts of consuming media in a lackluster way. When people watch films without really watching, they can be quick to make assumptions. Like reading only the book cover and then drawing conclusions, watchers miss the full value of movie. If enough of this goes on, people can lose touch with the little things in life. It may seem like an over exaggeration, but if viewers can’t stop to appreciate a good film, what else are they missing out on? It can be healthy to take a step out of your daily life and into another world, provided by movies or books. Passive watching, over time, can also lessen attention spans. By not putting in the time or effort, passivity perpetuates the immediate reward system that is so popular in society and social media. Active watching forces the audience to wait – as we sometimes must do in life – for the pay off, strengthening our patience and appreciation for other things life has to offer us.
I believe, at least every now and then, people should consciously intend on watching a film actively. It may be one you haven’t seen before, or an old favourite you love to re-watch. It reminds us to stop here and there, exit our own headspace, and simply be present for the moment. This can do a world of good for many other aspects of a person’s life.