This is going to be more of a goofy one guys. This problem isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Ever since I started taking media classes I don’t watch movies the same way anymore. Since learning about the production process, decisions that directors make have started to make me irrationally angry. This new lens through which I now consume media has been both a good thing and a bad thing.
When directors use certain shots to hide something or try and trick the audience members’ brains, I now pick up on it more easily. It has allowed me to gain a newfound respect for some directors when they accomplish something visually stunning. But more often, I become infuriated with why directors make certain decisions. Before when a shot in a movie was disorienting and it was hard to tell what was going on I would be annoyed but not think much into it. Now I know there were better choices directors or editors could have made to make the story of a movie flow more easily.
The way I have been trying to handle this problem is by trying to tune out the media student thought and shut off the part of my brain that tries to analyze every frame of a movie. If you look at every movie trying to find plot holes and continuity changes, it makes the film-watching experience much less enjoyable. I love the Marvel franchise. It’s probably the nerdiest thing about me, but I’ll admit it, it is a world I have found myself sucked into. The movies and shows have stunning audio and visuals and are just fun to watch. When my brain started trying to get too analytical with the Marvel franchise I knew something had to change.
Watching movies where Asgardian gods and talking raccoons battle aliens is a scenario that makes it easy to suspend your belief. So why was I looking for camera tricks and weird cuts in these movies? Because I was working on productions for school every day. What I decided to do was stop working on my own projects for a day to get out of the mindset of production. I’d go see a movie and then come back and work after. When you get your brain out of the space of editing and audio mixing, it is easier to enjoy movies for the fun experience they are instead of picking them apart.
So take a break. Go enjoy a movie. Get back out and bring the theaters back from the dead. If you are one of the people who watch movies just looking for things to nitpick, just try for once to not do that. A movie is a lot more fun when you shut off your brain, suspend your belief and allow yourself to enjoy it. I have two questions for this post.
- Do you know where the title of this blog came from? If so, respect.
- What’s your favorite movie to turn your brain off and just enjoy?
Comment your answers and share the blog with your friends so we can go on our media journey together.