Comments on: Spoonfeeding the audience http://olivebarrel.com/blog/2007/02/01/spoonfeeding-the-audience/ Films about life Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:55:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: emre http://olivebarrel.com/blog/2007/02/01/spoonfeeding-the-audience/#comment-2213 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:39:50 +0000 http://olivebarrel.com/blog/2007/02/01/spoonfeeding-the-audience/#comment-2213 It is not always true that "television is passive, reading is active" (compare a documentary with an airport novel), but your contention has a substance of truth. For some reason, television has devolved into what it is. Overly intellectual content is generally avoided; Sam Goldwyn (the G in MGM) said "If you want to send a message, call Western Union." Before television existed, people in developed countries used to read books to pass time. Then television came along and offered people an alternative. One which did not require as much mental exertion. You can just sit back and let it entertain you. Who could resist? I don't know where you live but the situation in Boston is pretty good, to be honest. Whenever I take the public transportation, I always see people reading something, no matter how crowded it is, or whether they are standing up or sitting down. If anything, today's problem is one of information overload. People need to be able to access information as efficiently as possible. This is one of the virtues of film; it is very good at presenting a summary of a subject. If you want to go into the details, you can read a book. It is not always true that “television is passive, reading is active” (compare a documentary with an airport novel), but your contention has a substance of truth.

For some reason, television has devolved into what it is. Overly intellectual content is generally avoided; Sam Goldwyn (the G in MGM) said “If you want to send a message, call Western Union.”

Before television existed, people in developed countries used to read books to pass time. Then television came along and offered people an alternative. One which did not require as much mental exertion. You can just sit back and let it entertain you. Who could resist?

I don’t know where you live but the situation in Boston is pretty good, to be honest. Whenever I take the public transportation, I always see people reading something, no matter how crowded it is, or whether they are standing up or sitting down.

If anything, today’s problem is one of information overload. People need to be able to access information as efficiently as possible. This is one of the virtues of film; it is very good at presenting a summary of a subject. If you want to go into the details, you can read a book.

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]]> by: Djon http://olivebarrel.com/blog/2007/02/01/spoonfeeding-the-audience/#comment-2212 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:14:58 +0000 http://olivebarrel.com/blog/2007/02/01/spoonfeeding-the-audience/#comment-2212 French films have continued to develop along their own paths, frequently lexhaustive explorations of the most tiny subjects, working like poetry. This has little to do with the medium.. it has mostly to do with the viewer. A viewer watching an hour of daily television becomes an intellectual eunoch, incapable of bringing as much to film as one who reads something of substance for that daily hour. Television is passive, reading is active. One builds fat, the other muscle. French films have continued to develop along their own paths, frequently lexhaustive explorations of the most tiny subjects, working like poetry.

This has little to do with the medium.. it has mostly to do with the viewer. A viewer watching an hour of daily television becomes an intellectual eunoch, incapable of bringing as much to film as one who reads something of substance for that daily hour.

Television is passive, reading is active. One builds fat, the other muscle.

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]]> by: Djon http://olivebarrel.com/blog/2007/02/01/spoonfeeding-the-audience/#comment-2211 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:12:57 +0000 http://olivebarrel.com/blog/2007/02/01/spoonfeeding-the-audience/#comment-2211 French films have continued to develop along their own paths, frequently literary or exhaustive explorations of the most tiny subjects, working like poetry. This has little to do with the medium, much to do with the writer/director. Even more, it has to do with the viewer. A viewer watching an hour of daily television quickly becomes incapable of bringing as much to film as one who reads something of substance, daily, for that hour. Television is passive, reading is active. One builds fat, the other muscle. French films have continued to develop along their own paths, frequently literary or exhaustive explorations of the most tiny subjects, working like poetry.

This has little to do with the medium, much to do with the writer/director. Even more, it has to do with the viewer. A viewer watching an hour of daily television quickly becomes incapable of bringing as much to film as one who reads something of substance, daily, for that hour. Television is passive, reading is active. One builds fat, the other muscle.

Comment history

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