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A cutting remark.
by Gianpiero Cognoli
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The other day, I was tuned to some MTV-like channel (maybe it WAS MTV... Hard to be sure nowadays, isn't it?) and, mostly due to the lack of general excitement in my life, started counting the number of cuts. This in no way increased the general excitement in my life but it did teach me one important thing: Humanity is doomed.
Well, most of us, anyway. Basically, I was extremely appalled at the amount of times the shot changed each second. That's right, EACH SECOND. Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut; worse than a cheap slasher movie. And it wasn't even a music video! (romantic comedy, actually)
Before running off to find the producer/director/editor responsible for this crazy distortion of the space-time continuum, I figured I might as well try first to figure out how this could've happened at all. How could anybody put so much energy into making sure the same image doesn't appear on the screen for longer than a nanosecond (giving the boob at the other end of the tube a chance to actually absorb it)? It wasn't long before I found an answer.
The culprit? Technology.
The cure? Cinema.
(a no-brainer for us here at Filmart)
Yep, I believe that only the movies can heal our attention span woes.
Let me explain. Most media content is now geared to hypnotizing consumers, rather than enlightening them by giving them time to view, elaborate and live with the material they see. I'm talking about the ads, the mini-features, the information bubbles over music videos, the running baseline text, and the millions of other little tools and tricks that all help keep your eyes glued to the screen.
Why the glue, you ask? Money, I answer. It's always about money.
The more you stick with my channel, the more you stay in my room, the more time you spend tuned in to ME ME ME - the more money for ME ME ME. (Yes, you're authorized to close this browser window if I've managed to inspire you, but please finish reading my article before you do).
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Photo by Gianpiero Cognoli |
Now, as a spectator, your time is worth money. No surprise there. But what is surprising, and surprisingly difficult for content providers to manage, is the fact that you now have more choice than ever before. You have power! You can push eject, change the channel, turn on your iPod, hit YouTube, browse your iPhone, etc., etc. Therefore, I, content provider, must make sure you, consumer, stay with me, PEOPLE!!! Uh... what I mean is, I have to win your commitment on a moment-to-moment basis. I have to keep changing up my content to re-attract your quickly waning attention.
With me so far?
Or do I have to bring in the dancing bears?
Ok, great. So, now, where do movies come in? Well, put simply, watching a movie takes commitment, a REAL commitment (not like your promise on prom night).
That's right, folks. It may seem strange, but in today's topsy turvy "time's tight" world, two hours of your time is a real commitment (most dinner dates don't last that long... at least mine don't). Once you're in that theatre, unless you happened upon a 1980s Italian slapstick comedy by mistake, you don't come out. Which means, I, filmmaker, automatically have your complete attention (after all, I'm coming at you at least 30-feet wide) for about 90 minutes. No cellphones, no mp3s, no satellite TV (well, for most of us anyway).
In the movie theatre, time is drawn out. Time rules, just like in real life. It is the only place where you can't hit pause, stop or eject. And this opens up a world of true emotional experiences. Your imagination has time to work, your brain has the time it needs to get everything down to your heart. And you'll most probably remember most of what you've felt and seen. And your two hours won't be a complete loss.
Movies can save us from ourselves and our technology. If you're not convinced, just ask yourself:
How often has an ad made you cry?
How often has your cellphone made you feel that life is really worthwhile?
What have you learnt from your mp3 player?
Thanks for reading, I appreciate your time.
And so should you.
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