Thursday, January 27, 2011

I don't own a television. I live among a hundred people, and there are probably only 3 televisions in common areas. In one way I am decidedly off the grid. I miss out on certain types of advertisements, especially movie ads. I really don't like to be leashed to a show, and series that necessitate sequential watching don't appeal to me (i.e Lost).

My distaste for attaching myself to media contributes to the reason I dislike transmedia storytelling. I am not dedicated enough to one plot to invest my time. It seems trite and ignorant for me to discuss television shows in a social atmosphere, similar to discussing facebook. I simply don't buy that "viewers get even more out of the experience if they compare notes and share resources than if they try to go it alone" (97). I engage in conversation with the people I saw a movie with, immediately after the showing, but I don't understand the drive to research a movie.

I once got sucked into the hype of Cloverfield, and waited hours in line to be the first to see it. I was supremely disappointed. I don't think that the multimedia experience is meant to provide a greater scope for the movie, and feel that it is intended to serve the purpose of marketing. It is tragic to me as a viewer that "cult has become the normal way of enjoying movies" (100), because I would prefer to enjoy a self-contained masterpiece. I think Casablanca did it better than the Matrix, and as an avid movie consumer I detest sequels. I do not play video games, so yet another aspect of the Matrix movie experience is lost on me as a viewer.  Simply, I believe that writers draw out a storyline too far, and in doing so lose some of the quality.

5 comments:

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  2. Thats weird, I also commented on another blog about the hype of Cloverfield and what not, but we seem to have different experiences. With all the knowledge I gained before and after the movie, it went from maybe a B as a standalone, to an A+ with all the conversations it sparked. I do however, agree that "writers draw out a storyline too far, and in doing so lose some quality", but thats still a risk I'm willing to take more often than not to produce some movies and books like The Matrix and Harry Potter.

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  3. Even though I agree that it's hard to dedicate time, I don't necessarily dislike transmedia stories. If anything, I like them but feel disappointed that I can't get more invested in the story and the deep meanings it creates. (After finishing our reading, I've had a huge craving to re-watch the Matrix films in hopes of gleaning significant information from them.) I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to the Lost series. My friends who love Lost, though, boast about how philosophical the show is and how it touches on serious issues of mortality, extremes of human emotion, paradise and perdition, and more. Maybe it would be worth it to invest the time if it results in contemplation and a stronger cultural community.

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  4. I don't own a TV either, but I actually liked watching Lost from time to time. I often watch shows online, but I can't bring myself to loyally watch every episode of most sitcoms. I think television and films (whether they are transmedia stories or not) are very important, because they are a reflection of society. For instance, I really love "Trailer Park Boys," the set up is nothing new but the genius of the show lies in it's stark minimalism and microscopic inspection of each character and the force that drives them to do what they feel is ultimately moral and just, though more times than not these decisions greatly contrast at with mainstream society's views on morality. It shows a different side to a particular class of recreational drug users consumed with problems in their own environment that are very much universal concerns.

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  5. Be sure to title your posts. :)

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