talkback and prose

A couple of weeks ago I talked about how great it was watching Lord of the Rings.  One thing I mentioned specifically was Peter Jackson's intro to the movie and how he felt really welcoming and appreciative of my (our) patronage.


Well this week I went to go see Return of the King and Jackson described something particularly interesting, at least to me.


He described how when he was a boy he read a lot about the Battle of Waterloo and the French Calvary charge on English foot soldiers.  He said that he was amazed by the size of Napoleon's Calvary, 6,000 men strong.  Jackson wished he could see what 6,000 men charging on horses looked like, but since the advent of technology- tanks, cars, planes, and the like- there was no need for countries to keep training Calvary.  Jackson would have to make due with artist images, which look like this...

1. No Ads. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I go to a movie. I pay an entrance fee. Then when the clock rolls around and the thing I paid for is supposed to begin...I get bombarded with marketing. Do you want to go back out and get some overpriced food, drinks, and candy?  No I passed it when I came in.  Are you sure?  You'll have plenty of time, this honestly isn't going to start for awhile.  No thank you.  Do you want to watch trailers for new movies? No, I have youtube. I came to see LOTR. I don't care about the upcoming Transformers.

This practice would be akin to you going to a Subway and before they let you begin they spent 5 minutes talking about other companies, products and promotions. I have no problem with the theater running things before the show. After all, that's their screen and I'm not paying to have their screen. What I am paying for is a movie that is supposed to start at a certain time. NOTHING ELSE.

The worst part is that companies keep pushing the limits. Average amount of time on ads, trailers, promotions is now close to 15 minutes for every movie. I've sat through ones that were 25 mins. I honestly have watched an episode of TV on my phone.  It's like they keep pushing more and more to see how much crap we'll take. Stop it.

For the record, LOTR had no ads. At 7pm (the time my ticket said) the movie began, with only a reminder to turn off your cell phones. Classy. Intelligent. Thank you.

2. Director intros. Peter Jackson (on location while filming The Hobbit) gave a nice introduction to the movie, and will for the next two as well. He seemed genuine, happy, and, most importantly, grateful. He knows the Blu-Ray is coming soon. He knows that the DVD's are already out. He knows movie theaters can be a hassle. And he thanked us, as an audience, for coming out and watching the movie as he intended it to be seen. Uncut and on a big screen.

Outside of L.A. or film festivals people are not used to this. Trust me, it is one of the nicest things to feel that your patronage is appreciated. It also gives creators a chance to share a moment with their audience. Something, I feel, is missing too much from society today.

3. Attentive Audiences. Ever had someone ruin a movie for you? A crying baby, a loud teenager, an avid texter. The stereotypes are numerous for a reason. Other people can ruin a movie.

Not here. These people knew what they were coming for. I'm guessing 98% had seen the movies before. The 2% were those people's children who were too young or not alive when the originals were released. Either way, everyone was lovely.

In a three and half hour movie, guess what? People will move around. Bathroom breaks. Shifting to get comfy. Standing to get some blood flow. And that's ok. If you remember where you are. Everyone was respectful and quiet. Not a single cell phone went off for almost 4 hours. Let me know what the last movie was when a cell phone didn't go off.

Even the cute, completely unnecessary, ducking while you pass in the front row was a testament to the generosity of the audience. They didn't want to ruin anyone's experience because they wanted their own.