Film is one of the great passions in my life, and has been for as long as I can remember, and it wasn’t until recently, with the reissue of the Star Wars Trilogy in 1997, that I began to wonder if one's perception, and enjoyment of a film could be altered according to the format that a film is seen in. Therefore, in this essay I hope to compare and contrast the different ways that films can be viewed on, whether it be at the cinema, in some form of home entertainment, or on television broadcast, and how greatly these different forms of viewing a film alter one’s experience of it.
It seems in the past few years people of a younger generation have realised that seeing a film at the cinema was the ultimate way of seeing a film, the reason for this could be due to the reissue of Star Wars in 1997, whereby, the film wasn’t simply re-released in order to make more money, but also to make people who had only seen it on video experience it as the film’s creator and director intended it to be seen, and also for people who would have seen it at the cinema when it first came out to see it in a newer and improved way, with added effects, a restored film print, and first class "THX" sound. So, what are the main reasons for seeing a film in a projected, celluloid format over all others?
To begin with the quality of a film is far superior at the cinema, with the colours being more vivid, and black actually looking black on the screen, instead of a very dark grey, as it may appear on television. The sound in a cinema is also more superior, with the sound being projected all around the auditorium. When one goes to see a film at the cinema the screen ratio is usually 2.35:1, this is how most filmmakers intend for their work to be seen, so seeing the film at the cinema is the closest one can get to seeing the film in the way that it was meant to be seen. Of course, one can argue that surround sound, wide screen, and superb picture quality are all things that can be replicated in ones own home, especially with new digital technology. However, the scale of an actual cinema cannot be replicated in one’s home. Even if someone sees a film on a small screen at the cinema, it is usually a lot bigger than some of the largest televisions that can be brought. Speaking from personnel experience, I saw Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West at the cinema, and one of the main things that struck me was the intensity of the close ups on a large screen, and how everything seems to be framed right up the edges of the screen, something that would not have come across on a television screen. Soon after seeing Once Upon a Time in the West at the cinema I bought it on video, and even in a widescreen format, the film’s impact wasn’t as great as I remembered it being when I saw it at the cinema.
It could be said that a person is more likely to enjoy a film at the cinema, and remember the experience of seeing it more vividly because going to the cinema is more of an event. Watching a film takes very little effort, it entails simply going to the local video store, rummaging through one’s own video collection, or in the case of films being broadcast on television, just turning on a television set. However, going to the cinema involves a large number of factors, finding out what films are currently on, what times they are on, getting ready to go out, making the journey to the cinema, buying the ticket, and making your way to the correct screen. Therefore, because of these activities a person has a greater chance of being in a positive frame of mind to see a film. In his book Visible Fiction John Ellis says "cinema is enjoyed even if the film is or not, and often people go to the cinema regardless of what film is showing." I don’t agree with this statement one hundred percent, but I think it highlights that when going to the cinema we are not just going for the film, we are also going for a social event.
Ellis mentions Christian Metz in Visible Fiction and his theory that seeing a film at the cinema is like being in a dream. We are in a darkened room, there is very little to distract us, and one has this strange sensation of being in a room full of people, yet everything is feeling quite isolated and the majority of people are inwardly thinking. This dream like feeling that is created in a cinema could be said to increase one’s enjoyment of a film, this is because there are no distractions once the film begins (which can intimidate some people, because they do not feel that they can concentrate for such a lengthy period of time) and at the same time as it is a very personnel experience, it is also a social experience, because you know that for the duration of the film you are having the same experience as everyone else in the theatre.
Going to the cinema normally has quite a contemporary feel to it, this is because most of the time when one goes to the movies they will be seeing a film that has only just been released, there the person will be more aware of the film because it is more of a current affair.
For most people the majority of films that they will see will be on video, simply because it is a more accessible way of seeing films once they are taken off cinemas. One of the great things about seeing a film on video is that the experience is more individually tailored to the people watching the video, allowing the film to be paused, rewound, fast-forwarded, and stopped, if need be. This is a good thing because it allows the audience to understand the film more vividly and revisit it, which one cannot do at the cinema. However, one could argue that seeing a film on video is giving the audience the opportunity to take a step away from seeing the film in the way that it was intended to be seen, this is because its flow can be stopped and then restarted later, as where, one could argue that films are meant to be seen in on continual stream, like at the cinema. Most of the time when we watch films on video the framing is disrupted so that the 2.35:1 film ratio is squashed up so that is fits onto a standard television screen. Personally I always try and see a film in wide-screen format if possible, because if I do not I become very paranoid and feel like I am losing a part of the atmosphere of the film. However, most people seem to prefer to watch videos without the wide-screen option because they find the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen distracting.
It is fairly obvious to say, but the quality of a video is far from the standards of seeing a film at the cinema. One of the most noticeable differences between the quality of a film at the cinema and on video is that the blacks are not technically black on video, and are slightly lighter. Most people will not consciously notice this difference, however, it could be said that due to the distortion of black on video, the tone of the film could be altered. For example, David Fincher’s 1995 film Se7en is a film that is very dark in it’s visual style which is important in creating the atmosphere of a dark and corrupt world that the story is set in. Of course, we still understand through the visuals that the setting for the film is evil, even when on video, however, it could be said that the video audience doesn’t perceive the world of Se7en quite as sinisterly as the cinema audience, due to the fact that the blackness of the film isn’t truly black.
Another factor that may increase a person’s enjoyment of a film on video rather than at the cinema is that a video can be watched with by a small group of friends who can talk whilst the film is on, which cannot be done at the cinema because there are other people present, and also because the seats are regimented in a strict order making it difficult to communicate, as where in one’s own home, the seats can be arranged in the fashion that one desires. Some people enjoy being able to communicate during a film because it makes the experience more shared and unified.
Seeing a film on video can also be a pleasurable experience if the viewer saw the film originally at the cinema. This is because there is a nostalgic factor involved when one can think back to the first time that they saw the film, and the event and enjoyment of seeing it at the cinema. Speaking personally there are a number of films which I saw at the cinema and adored, and still do, and think back to when I first saw them whilst seeing them on video.
Digital Video Disks are one of the newest formats for watching films. To a degree watching a film on DVD is much like watching a film on video, due to the fact it can be stopped and fast forwarded and watched with a select group who can have a conversation whilst the film is on, yet a DVD has some of the disadvantages that a video does, in that there are more distractions created through watching a film at home. However, I feel that watching a film on DVD is one of the most unique formats for watching a film.
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about DVD is that it is much more of a technical way at looking at film and the way that the film is constructed. The reason for this is that a DVD normally has more than just the film on the disk, with many also contain deleted scenes, outtakes, alternate takes and camera angles, and in some cases a commentary from the filmmakers and actors of the film. These added features give the DVD audience more technical look at the film because instead of just being able to see the film in the way it was intended to be constructed, the audience is also able to see how the film could have been constructed with the additions of scenes that were cut from the film and alternate camera angles that were considered for some shoots that are in the final version of the film. The audience of a DVD is also allowed to see the thought process of the filmmakers through the inclusion of commentaries, storyboards, and "making of" documentaries. Having this knowledge of how the film was made can be a good thing because it builds up more of a connection between the audience and the film, and for someone like me, whose love for film goes beyond simply watching them but also the process of making them, it can also increase the enjoyment of watching the film. However, this added technical insight can have a negative effect on someone people, because it takes away part of their ignorance towards the film, and because they know how certain aspects of the film were done, or why they were done, the magic and spectacle for the film is taken away.
Unlike video, DVD is fairly high quality, yet is not at the same standard as a film being shown at the cinema. DVD gives more of a crispness to the picture quality, thus the enjoyment is enhanced compared to watching a film on video because the image stands out more. Some people who I have spoken to have also said that they find that they get more of a sense of depth in the image when watching a DVD, this again will increase the enjoyment of watching a film on DVD because of the increased picture quality and the action looks more real.
It could also be said that because the DVD format is new and a bit more exclusive than video this will have an effect on the viewers enjoyment of a film. What I mean by this is that someone is more likely to enjoy watching a film on a DVD formant than watching a film in any other format because they will feel special and unique, this is because, at present, DVD is a fairly unique way of watching films.
Out of the four different ways of seeing films (at the cinema, on video, on DVD, and on television broadcast) I enjoy watching films on television broadcast the least, this is for a number of reasons.
To begin with I am always sceptical of watching films on T.V in fear that the film has had major cuts to it in order for it to be broadcast at the time the television channel wish it to be broadcast at, and in order for it to fit into their designated duration period. Therefore, bearing this point in mind, it could be said that the audience watching a film on broadcast television will enjoy the film less than any other format because a third party has hampered with the film, and some scenes that some may find pivotal to the film could be cut out or altered.
As I have already mentioned in this essay, the chances of being distracted from a film are increased if the audience is not in a cinema, however, the chances of distraction are made even more probable when an audience is watching a film on broadcast television. These distractions will come in the form of advertisements and news broadcasts on commercial television, and even on public broadcast distractions can still occur through news broadcasts and bad television reception.
John Ellis says in his book Visible Fiction that "the entertainment film can be broadcast on TV, hence, it seems as though there is little difference between the two media." If we take Ellis’s point in mind, we realise that there are two different frames of mind needed for watching films and television, despite the fact that the two media borrow idea from one another and share similar characteristics. It is possible to say that there is a danger with watching a film on television because the viewer’s mind will be in a mode for watching television, which Ellis says means that "the spectator glances" as where, when watching a film normally the viewer "gazes at the screen," and that attention is "sustained."
In conclusion I have come to believe that there are a large number of differences between seeing a film at the cinema, on video, on DVD and on broadcast television, such as different levels of concentration, quality, and social experience. However, in the final analysis, I believe that if a film is good enough, its beauty and magic will shine through regardless of the format it is seen in.
April 2001