Our mission at SAW is to foster conversations about this thing we all love (or love to hate): film/TV. Many of our features are designed with you in mind. Your opinions, to be more to the point. You have ’em. We want to hear ’em.
Question of the Day (QOTD) is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a film/TV-related question that we put to you, the reader. The comments section below is like the feedback box at work; except, in this example, we actually read what you write and care about what you have to say.
Watching movies as a kid, there were two choices: the big screen or TV. TV’s weren’t that big back in the day, but by the time VHS came along, we were all just happy to have a few more choices than whatever was on TBS at the moment. Now we have the ability to stream brand new movies on smart phones, tablets, laptops, computers, and big screen TVs with state of the art audio set ups, and, if you’re into watching movies outside, you can buy enormous inflatable screens for a couple hundred bucks and do your own movies-in-the-park type thing.
With all of these different ways to watch our favorite content, though, the way we watch has changed. Smart phones and the social media that inevitably comes with them haven’t turned us all into Pavlov’s dogs just yet, but most of us are at least marginally more distracted than we were before the iPhone came along.
So my question today is twofold: How do you watch movies and TV? Are you a big screen TV type person? Tablet? Phone? Or are you that rare creature that actually goes to the cinema to see movies? Once you are engaged, how focused on the movie or show are you? Do you typically devote all of your attention to what you’re watching or are you distracted by kids, phone, life? Does it depend on what you’re watching?
I know people who watch a movie or TV show and probably end up only actually seeing half of it because they’re dicking around on their phones the whole time. I have to admit I’m not immune to being distracted by my phone or tablet, but I actually find it difficult to turn my attention away from a movie or TV show I am engaged with to something else. I’m much more inclined to pause the show or movie if I feel the need to divert my attention, and this can sometimes stretch whatever I’m watching significantly.
For instance, on the rare occasion that I actually like a movie shown on Monsoon Vision, I actually find it somewhat uncomfortable trying to keep up with commenting and reading the comments of others while keeping track of what’s going on in the film. I don’t like missing stuff. I’m the guy that will rewind something and throw subtitles on if I can’t understand a line of dialogue. But I might be the exception.
What about you Wastelanders? How do you watch movies?
Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll see you in the trenches.
