Ok, I know I've not blogged in a while, I've kept meaning to but just not had the time really tbh and I forgot my login details on here :O
But I just heard a story on news round (cbbc) that I refuse to believe, or at least that I hope would never ever be true, yet probably inevitable with how technology is progressing I suppose.
Something about some box you can buy and watch any film the day of its release rather than going to the cinema??
I have several points to make for and against this,
for: yes its more comfortable at home to watch something with your feet up and a nice warm blanket and cheap bag of popcorn you didn't have to pay through the roof for, when your at home some people may be more open to watching new films.
HOWEVER personally I think if people are at home watching films they will be less likely to see these new releases, why watch something new when theres an old favourite sitting up there on the shelf? or other films you've bought but not watched yet? Plus then you miss out on the trailers at the cinema and the posters so you are less likely to know about all of the new films coming out so make less effort to even find them on ur posh new box meaning you don't get to see as many new films, but this isn't just about the individual but people as a whole some people will make the effort, on the whole no people wont which has several downsides,
1. less of a knowledge of films in general which is a same as its a beautiful industry which should be appreciated x, 2. less money spent on film which is bad for the industry as a whole
Other downsides to if this box thing are many:
less box office competition, part of the fun of filmmaking and marketing is the box office challenge, will your film beat the next etc, with the box will it be possible to analyse properly how many people have seen the film? it takes away from the audiences buzz about a film to see how many people will see which film particularly on the V day and Halloween releases Saw vs Paranormal Activity etc,
part of this point though on its own a separate point is the money issue, do they pay for the box per year? month? week? or film? if not per film then how is it ensured the appropriate companies etc get the money they are due? x And even if it is per film at the cinema people pay for themselves to go in per person, if its on a box thing then how can you tell how many people are watching the film, one you don't get accurate figures for box office figures (IF they can work it out by the box thing they cant count how many people there are in the room)
and also then its glorified piracy, isn't it? Sharing files when you've only paid for one viewing to show to many people? Whats to stop me from say paying a tenner for the latest film out to watch and just having 10 people over paying a £1 each? good in a way yes if people did this it means more people see the film so its good for the industry in a way as in more people watching it, HOWEVER for the film companies themselves its a terrible terrible idea, though good for the customer film companies majorly loose out on money like this, has this not been considered how bad it could be for filmmakers? x meaning less money to make films which means our industry just spirals and spirals x Not only this but it makes it easier for people to record the film at home and upload online to make money from it or to just share the file which again takes money from film companies, and the quality at home recording would be better than when people manage to smuggle in a camera to the cinema which means even less people paying to watch a film as the quality difference isn't as worth it to the general public. HOW is piracy on this extreme level a good thing, personally I don't think piracy is ALWAYS the worst thing for the industry, if I see a clip from a film released online and think it will be a good film for that often i'll pay at the cinema to watch it in proper sound and visual quality, its been a deciding factor sometimes, say like when the first 10 mins of Piranha 3D got leaked on a horror site, from the trailer it was a miss it film for me, but out of curiosity I watched them 10 mins purely as they were right in-front of me, and judging by them I did end up going and paying to see it in the end, not a bad film :) x
Going to the cinema is a shared experience, from a psychological point of view its a very good thing to have these shared experiences, some people lets face it are lonely, they like to go out and feel included in a group and they may do this by joining like minded people in watching a film at the cinema ok its not sitting down having a conversation with some one but its still social even though you don't know the people in the row in-front of you its still strange to think your similar to them in some way in that you both choose the same film, ok a silly argument you may think but for some people this is the reality, and sometimes you can very easily meet new people at the cinema in line to get tickets or cueing to go into the latest blockbuster its easy to get chatting to new people and make new friends x
On a v related point but one that applies to a lot more people, (the people who do have friends who will accompany them to the cinema) going to the cinema with friends is always a good idea, you share in watching a film you both/all choose and get to chat about it afterwards the shared experience brings you closer together, ok it may seem odd but its true think about how many random discussions about films you've had with friends discussing diff opinions, even if on a simple level, I'm sure simpler than I usually discuss with people (ahh i love films too much), and as for the whole cinema date idea, well I've spoken to someone recently who hated this idea of a first date, it was just a random discussion about film and he said how much he hated going to the cinema though liked watching films. (strange boy), anyway I think its the best first date, you can see what sort of films they like (for me film tells me a lot about a person), it means that your both concentrating on something for a while so theres no awkward silences during the time your in there and if there is when your out hmm what to chat about what to chat about, surely then its easy to talk about the film that you've just watched to break them silences and to see if you get on and agree on things, ok film seems to be a pretty basic thing to be talking about to see if you get on but if you cant have a decent conversation about a normal every day thing then how are you going to get on in the long run? x so its a good way to get an idea if you like the person and their opinions on whatever, a lot of issues are bought up in film sometimes ethical, political, choices that you'd choose to make or not make in different situations, when you really look at film it can tell you a lot about a person, with the whole box thingy yes u can still get that sort of discussion going, but how often are you going to randomly invite someone over to watch a film at yours unless your already close with them so then its not a first date thing for e.g or if it was, awkwardness having someone you may not know well in your house and oh dear when your mum walks through the door with the shopping and starts chatting and then pulling out the baby pics :/ i think not.
Also cinema is a cheap day or night out, you dont want to be stuck indoors all the time, however its a few hours of amusement which leads to a lot of discussion and more amusement and though prices have risen and its cheaper to get a dvd at home at least its a cheap time out of the house as you get sick of being indoors all of the time sometimes, everyone does.
Also when watching a film at home its a very mixed bag with the family or friends, some like to chat while watching others like to sit and concentrate which can mean a lot of arguments at home, where as at the cinema you stay quiet out of respect for everyone else in the screen even if your a talker, which means less arguments and more appreciation of the film your watching.
My final point is jobs, people are paid to serve popcorn (and other snacks), sell tickets, check tickets, clean, ok simple jobs but employment non the less, good honest employment people working to make their money, and with unemployment allready v high in this economic climate getting rid of these jobs, ok it may only be 20 in every town for e.g but you multiply that by however many cinemas there are across the country, thats a lot of jobs gone and a lot more unemployment and a lot more people fighting to get a job -and with costs of education rising a lot more people with lesser qualifications fighting for jobs as well as the qualified people fighting for jobs, is this a good thing?? errr NO, and then so more people on benefits so higher taxes and/or less money to go round on benefits and lets face it its difficult enough to get by sometimes with a job let alone on crappy benefits that you can hardly afford to live on :/ x and if raised in a home with a family on benefits your more likely to end up on them also yada yada yada, blah blah blah.
In conclusion is watching films at home a good idea, yes on dvd or once its out then paying to watch on demand fine, but if you get rid of the cinema experience in this way there are many negative effects for individuals, the film industry and even society as a whole!! Whats your views? x
