The Cinema Experience: Yay or Nay? Part 1

The ‘Cinema Experience’ has long split cinephiles down the middle as this, the first in a series of articles will demonstrate.

For me the work ‘Cinema’ itself implies an audience activity, but the main factor you have to take into account and what is the surrounding ideal around this subject is does said audience take away from the experience that you have at the Cinema?  In effect can an audience lessen the enjoyment of a film?

The answer is simple, yes, definitely 100% and I have no qualm with people who avoid the cinema for this reason but and this is a big BUT does this audience tarnish the experience of the cinema on a whole? No, well not in my opinion anyway so let me tell you why.

I like every film goer has had horrible experiences whilst in the cinema, from kids screaming to groups of teenagers talking at full volume throughout the entirety of the screening.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not naïve enough to say that this doesn’t bother me, it does and I agree completely that these sorts of incidents take away from the quality of the experience but not from the quality of the film.  I think if I am getting taken out of a movie from the audience it means that the film itself isn’t doing the best job it could at keeping my attention, in my past experiences it is only when you get a little bored with the film that you start to notice how irritating the people around you are.

Also, an aspect I have to bring to the table is that no matter how many bad experiences I have whilst watching a film in a theatre, I know that I will have had and will have more better experiences where the audience compliment the movie.  For every chatty teen fiddling with his iPhone through The Crazies you get an audience howling with laughter and jumping in fright to Drag Me To Hell.  The fact that I am more patient than most may play a part but I believe that you have to take the rough with the smooth and have the understanding that unfortunately not everyone who goes to the cinema is as passionate about it as me and yes, they should show more respect when they are in that sort of environment but what can you do?  I’d rather put up with it then not go at all.

It really doesn’t matter how many terrible experiences I have in screenings because I will always choose to watch a film in the theatre, there is something completely encompassing about sitting in a darkened room and watching a film on a big screen.  Most of the time there are no distractions and every ounce of your attention is set on the story unfolding in front of you.  For me, it is the way films were meant to be seen, that statement is clichéd I know but that doesn’t make it any less true, films are made for cinema viewing.

Another fact that I feel may be unique to me compared to the other people writing for the EatSleepLiveFilm and that is my location.  You have to take into account that I living in a rural area which has a small population will have an effect on the cinema industry.  For example, I very rarely sit in a packed cinema; normally the audiences in my screenings are at most less than half full.  Therefore you get to have your space, you’re able to stretch, settle and get comfortable.  You in effect are able to isolate yourself from certain parts of the audience that you may seem could have the potential to spoil the experience.

I believe in cinema experience and I believe to get the most out of your favourite movies you need to see them in a cinema, I remember seeing such films as Die Hard, Alien and The Goonies projected on the big screen and falling in love with them all over again, actually due to most part by the audience I saw it with.

So yes I concede that the audience can affect ones enjoyment of a film, but even with this fact I will always choose if possible to see a film in a theatre than any other format.  So it’s a Yay from me.