The most glorious time of my life, film wise, was the 80s.
Let me guide you thru a typical cinema going experience for me. 1980. Empire Strikes Back. Logan Valley Mall Cinema IV. Screen 3. The best screen in Altoona, PA, tho not in the closer region. Matinees were $1.50. I would buy my ticket, I saw most movies alone, and head to concession. I would purchase a Sno-Caps and a pina Colada froth thing drink. A kind of middle ground between a smoothie and an icee. I would then head in and sit in the front row.
I would be on the seat so far forward my ass would be completely off. One sits like normal then slides down until it is your back on the seat and your chin is almost to your chest. If I snuck candy in I would open all the packaging as to not make noise during the film. There were no cup holders so you had to work around how you would easily access your beverage without needing to see it and it would not get knocked over by others. I would think about story ideas, what I should pay attention to this time, count holes in the screen, listen to other people’s conversations until the trailers.
I was silent in trailers. This was the best way to learn what was coming out. Magazines may hint at future releases. Commercials were no more than 3 weeks before a premiere. Trailers could give you info months before release. Trailers were not as sophisticated as they are now. They sold the movie by way of short scenes or narration over still images. A poorly made trailers showed you the end of a film. A great trailer showed special effects shots and had whole jokes. Some fan magazines and fan clubs had earlier and better information, but they were not easily had.
The film starts. I direct the opening fox music. Opening crawl. I tried to memorize these but I am terrible at it so I only know parts. Story starts. What am I paying attention to this time? Let us say this is viewing 42. Options I had were thus:
- Watch a corner for the majority of the film
- Pay attention to how the music works with the visual
- Pay attention to make up
- Pay attention to only the background
- Pay attention to only characters living on the edges of the screen
- Try to figure out what the cigar burns were for
- Try to understand what editing is
- Try to understand how they are telling the story visually
Next time, what it all means.
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