Viewing

Oddly, I’ve noticed that during this pandemic my film and television viewing has greatly changed. I’ve barely watched any new film releases or keep up with television series unless I make a concerted effort to do so.

I say, “oddly,” because I normally watch programmes and films for pleasure, without effort. I own a large collection of films and television series; I subscribe to a video on demand channel (and have considered subscribing to more); in years gone by, I’d measure my viewing in films per day rather than days per film. So what has changed?

An old haunt: BFI Southbank cinema one

I’d like to think that I’m more particular in what I watch. I’m currently analysing some classic releases, shot by shot and the practice is greatly helpful to my own filmmaking. But I wonder where the pleasure has gone.

In the months leading up to the pandemic, I had dropped the habit of regular film going because of a debilitating illness, but also because the journey to, waiting at and journey from the cinema had become onerous, especially for a film that may disappoint.

Sometimes I think it’s down to the sheer volume of productions out there. Films and series are released, in some cases continuations of other films and series, themselves years old. Where to start? Right now or with the back catalogue? Is there a correct sequence to watch? Will I be missing out some huge details (or missing a neat in-joke) if I miss what came before?

I consider books. When I visited bookstores and even when I worked in a bookshop, I was also overwhelmed at the amount of titles available. No way could I read them all. So I just read what I wanted and worked my way through them happily. I enjoy reading greatly and don’t stress out about what titles I may have missed.

One or two titles to catch up with

Maybe this is the attitude to bring to viewing. There will be time to catch up on a particular series, because if I enjoy the programme, I will find myself making time to do so. I will see the good movies eventually; I don’t have to see everything on the first day of release and they will still affect me in the same way.

As tentative moves are made to lift restrictions, I may find myself in the cinema again. I hope that when that time comes, I can relax and enjoy the experience of the particular film I’m watching rather than thinking about the voracious consumption of everything that’s on offer.