Art House reading

I really liked this article, and I felt like I could relate to the message a lot. I definitely agree that there is a different feeling, a different connection to a film and to those around you when you see a film in a microcinema or any unconventional setting than in a big theater. Cassandra and I went to Luna Fest last year at Browncoat, and we absolutely loved that there were just little uncomfortable wooden chairs set up next to the bar, and that the dvd player worked...most of the time. I was reminded of that when the article talked about how the unpredictability of this type of cinema viewing adds to the experience. Also that the most unconventional of locations can also add a thrill to the experience that a theater simply cannot accomplish. When I read that I thought of taking 6x1, and Andre having us all bring in blankets and sheets and taping them together with gaffer tape and projecting our video race projects under a precarious tent that we made. Having the projection sheet slightly crumpled and blowing in the projector fan made each project look a lot more hand made and raw.

Every summer my town hosts a summer film series where they play movies at the beach at Ontario Lake for free. Families, friends, senior citizens, and little kids all crowd in for the free entertainment. I would always get there late, and be stuck halfway behind a tree or on a weird rock. But it was fun, it was exciting to rush to get a seat in a different area each time, and hearing the waves lapping in the background added almost another layer to the soundtrack that obviously wouldn't otherwise be there.

I also really related to the relationship between people at screenings such as this. In traditional movie theaters, it is rude to talk during a movie, and it is not normal to stay around and talk to strangers about a movie afterwards. But in small settings full of people that love to talk about film, there is much more of a participatory feeling created among viewers and the film. There have been plenty of times that I have come out of a film totally pissed off, and have had no one to talk to about it that cares. I love going to microcinemas because everyone cares, and everyone would be pissed off together.