how’s everybody doing today good this is
weird to be up here I’m used to being
back there and I’ll be back there in a
little bit but I get to be up here for
the next little bit anyway so let me
start off a talking take you back to
1975 I was about three three four years
old somewhere in there and I remember a
very vivid memory going to see Snow
White in the Seven Dwarfs at the Carroll
Catawba mall theater where the Catawba
furniture mall is now there was a
theater inside that mall I remember my
mom taking me it’s the first memory I
have of going to a movie theater and I
thought it was amazing this idea that
here we are in this room all of us are
sitting together watching the same thing
up on the big screen it’s a bigger image
than I’ve ever seen and it was a film
I’d never seen before either so the
images the music that everything was
just working and it was so cool to think
we’re all in this together we’re
watching this as a group
I remember feeling that way even as a
little kid and it made me think maybe
this is the way film started back in
1895 the Lumiere brothers conducted the
first like theater screening of a film
taking moving pictures putting them up
on a big screen and getting an audience
together to watch them how amazing must
that experience have been people who are
not used to seeing moving photographs up
on a big screen in front of them and
here they are surrounded by other people
and everybody’s gasping at the same time
and laughing at the same time and
enjoying things together in concert it
really helps us remember that movies are
works of art they are just as critical
to our arts and cultural environment as
music as theater as anything else they
are true works of art as movies and if
you don’t believe me think about this
all these names of people at the end of
the credits a huge majority of them are
artists creating for months and years
something that we’re experiencing
together on the big screen that’s pretty
crazy to think about how many people how
many artists we have working on a single
work of art so it really does remind us
that movies are art and in such movie
theaters are like art museums they’re
our place to see these works of art but
what’s happened to the movie theater
business it’s been in business you know
almost 100 years now
and it’s a little different than it was
back in the day we’re seeing the number
of tickets being sold on the decline
less people are going to the movie
theaters than they have in past years
now ticket prices are going up so the
revenue is still going up the movie
studios are still pretty happy but the
actual number of individual tickets sold
are on the decline in most concerning is
the fact that they’re sharpest decline
is in the 14 to 24 age group that’s our
future audience and those people are not
going to the movies at all in to the
same extent that we did as we were
growing up why is that some people say
it’s the customer experience the fact
that you go and because the the margins
are so tight for theaters they have to
cut the number of staff you know the
people that they have maybe aren’t
always as trained to have it really be a
good experience for us so a lot of
people grumble about the customer
experience when you go to the movie
theater now advertising I went to the
movies the other night
25 minutes of advertising and
commercials and trailers before we
actually saw the film we were there to
see you go yeah we’re used to a society
where if we go online and we’re gonna
watch an ad we don’t have to pay for
that content by us watching the ads
that’s our payment but the movie theater
business has gone the opposite way
ticket prices keep going up and we still
have to see even more advertising
probably most notably is the fact that
home theater systems are so explosive
right now I’ve got a nice home theater
system at home I love watching movies on
it I’m sure many of you do as well so
you start doing that cost-benefit
analysis if it is still worth going to
the movie theater for the possibly less
than stellar experience for the cost for
the fact that I’m going to be there half
an hour longer than what the movie
actually is if I can watch it at home on
my own system but the biggest reason
we’ve seen the movie theater industry
change thanks to the Internet the
Internet has been a huge disruptor for
many many industries but it really has
taken its toll on the movie theater
business there’s a thing called release
windows this is the idea that when a new
film comes out it goes to the movie
theater there is a window of time from
when that movie is shown in the movie
theater before it comes available online
or on DVD or VHS or whatever it may have
been at the time
the internet that released Windows
shrinking so that exclusive content that
movie theaters had that was really their
bread and butter is starting to
dissipate we’re seeing them having the
food the films less time so more people
are now asking the question why not just
wait 2 or 3 months and wait and see it
on at home when it’s available online
the fact that we have so many more
entertainment options because of the
internet it’s pretty critical as well
you know Netflix YouTube all these other
things again it’s other options people
are now weighing in their brain is that
worth is still going to the movie
theater or not but one thing I think we
don’t realize is that movies are a huge
target for online criticism and because
of the internet everybody has an opinion
in movies are a very easy target for
that criticism we know miss many times
that the actors that are involved in a
film we know how much money they may be
making we know all their personal life
gossip from publications so people start
to get preconceived notions of that film
and maybe a desire to kind of want to
knock it down a peg before it even comes
out or sometimes you know we look at
situations where films are meant to be
adaptations of a book and you’ve got
fans of the book and they just say nope
I don’t want that film to be made or I
don’t want that person to be cast in
that role so you automatically start
this negative criticism campaign around
the movies and it’s pretty crazy when
you do that because the movies do take
their toll on that first man a film that
right now I think is going to play at
the Carolina theater it played at the
AMC for a while this is a culprit this
is the brand-new movie but it actually
was impacted box-office by online
criticism in the weeks leading up to its
release this is the story of Neil
Armstrong and there was some concern by
people online that they had heard before
the movie even came out that there was
not a shot of Neil Armstrong planting
the American flag on the moon in the
film that made the news I got online
chatter all these people upset and it
hurt the box-office for this film this
film underperformed pretty dramatically
that would not have been possible
without the internet so the Internet has
been a huge factor on why theater
business I think has been suffering the
big thing is with all that criticism the
common phrase we hear before a film even
comes out is I heard that movies bad
that doesn’t happen in an art museum
you don’t hear there’s an art
installation coming and people are like
oh I heard that art installations are
really bad
don’t go see it we just don’t do that
but with movies are such easy targets we
do so with all that going on all the
criticism all the fact that we’re losing
ticket sales people have great ways of
watching this stuff online why not just
let movie theaters die why not let them
go the way of the video arcade and just
be a relic of nostalgia that people
remember from time to time the fact that
matter is movies are designed for a
large group experience they have been
since day one back in 1895 that was not
designed to show a screen to have one
person sitting there watching it it was
meant to be a group experience for
people to go see a movie mainly because
we have a sense of focus that we don’t
normally have in other art forms think
about it there’s no remote control
there’s no way to control the experience
around us when we’re watching a movie we
are in a room contained watching a big
movie on the screen if we don’t like
what we’re seeing chances are we’re
still not going to get up and leave
we’re still gonna stay with it we
experience it together regardless of how
we feel about the content we’re watching
the lack of control is part of that
emotional experience the fact we can’t
control it is a designed experience by
the filmmaker there’s also a sense of
energy that you get from a movie theater
experience you don’t get from being at
home watching something on your own it’s
this idea that when something scary on
the screen you can almost feel the rest
of the people in the room kind of
gripping their armchair along with you
when there’s something really funny on
the screen at home we may not feel the
need to laugh out loud but when you’re
in a theater and you’re hearing other
people laugh out loud you have a little
more permission to say okay it’s alright
I can laugh so you get a lot more laugh
you get a lot more energy you get a lot
more excitement from the film Jordan
Peele is a director he directed the film
get out about a year and a half ago
nominated for Best Picture it’s been
considered by many like one of the best
horror films done in the last few years
he put out a Twitter post why after the
film was released and said hey look get
out is not a Redbox video on-demand
iTunes movie if you don’t see it with
the theater energy you’re missing the
full intended experience there’s also
something if I want to get a little
scientific with it there’s some
called mirror neurons that when we are
actually watching a movie something’s
happening in our brain the
neuroscientist Vittorio gillece calls it
an embodied simulation it’s this idea
that we are neurons are mirroring what
we see on the screen above us
so if we see something sad it causes
those neurons to go into a sad mode it’s
a sense of empathy we have but I
actually don’t think those mirror
neurons just start and stop with what we
see on the screen I think it happens
with the audience around us too how many
places can we go to now where we can all
sit together and have a shared common
emotional experience you think about the
plays you think about music concerts
theaters were certainly one of those
options and we are losing that
experience but this idea of we actually
can be in sync with our brains for about
a 90 minute period of time overall films
are meant to be a true communal
experience they are meant to be shared
as a community that’s not to say I don’t
watch movies at home by myself because I
do but given a choice I’d much rather
watch it with an audience because I feel
like you experience more and you get
more gratification from you from the
experience as well so this is a film
called macGruber theme by seeing this
film yeah we got one okay I actually
will move the film macGruber into a TED
talk this is going to be a first I don’t
think this has ever happened this is the
comedy release maybe six seven years ago
didn’t do a lot of great box office it’s
based on this harriet at live skit I’m a
big fan of Serie net live so I wanted to
see it so I went with one of my best
friends to go see it on a Tuesday night
kind of a small crowd but I will say to
this day it’s still one of the best film
experiences I’ve ever had because I
laughed the entire time would I laugh
that much if I watch it at home right
now probably not but it was fun because
for an hour and a half we were able to
have kind of a shared experience with an
audience people I didn’t know in the
audience we’re all laughing together at
the same dumb jokes and it was great but
the biggest thing for me with movies is
not this shared experience I mean that
happens inside the theater and I think
that’s really important but I think what
happens afterwards is really really
important too
we got to talk about movies we talked
about art we talked about music and
people talk about films but you know
it’s not always as in-depth or not as
really meaningful discussions we really
like to have talking about movies is
really critically important though
because what we’re trying to get away
from is the phrase I didn’t get it think
about it you’ve gone to see films didn’t
make much sense to you or maybe it was a
really unique independent film that just
didn’t work and you have that phrase I
didn’t get it the fact that matter is
we’ve seen in our studies that we’ve
done with our own film festivals we’ve
screened over a hundred and twenty films
at a film festival over the last four
years and after every film we have the
audience fill out a rating sheet to give
us a feedback on what they thought about
the film without exception the average
score is higher for films where there
was a discussion immediately afterwards
if the director was there if an actor
was there and they talked about the film
and they told us kind of what the
purpose of the film was and why we did
it
what our driving inspirations were for
the film all those things lead to higher
scores from the audience so the
audiences are appreciating the film’s
more if we have a chance to talk about
it afterwards so take this film the Fitz
this is a family showed in the second
year of our film festival it’s a really
challenging film okay it’s not just an
easy processing film that you can walk
out of and say oh yeah that was that was
great entertainment
you really gotta think through this film
so we showed it on a Saturday night and
afterwards I led the discussion I said
okay what everybody think about the film
who’s got some questions or thoughts and
one gentleman raises him and I said
called on him and he said I in like it
so I said okay he said I didn’t get it
didn’t get the film at all
that’s great do you have anything else
to elaborate nope I just didn’t like it
okay so we moved on to the rest of the
conversation everybody else got some
input to talk about what they thought
what they saw what they what they liked
didn’t like about the film the very next
night were at our dinner for our closing
ceremony that same gentleman walked up
to me Sault me up in in the the buffet
line he said Alan I’m the guy last night
that said I didn’t like that film I said
oh I remember
he said I wanted to let you know I
thought about it all night last night
you now listen to everybody else talking
about the film after the film he’s like
I’m here to tell you I still don’t like
the film but I at least understand what
they were trying to do with it
I’m like you know what I will take that
as a win any day of the week that’s what
we were able to do with that film
experience for that one person that’s a
win right now in our society we’re
losing the opportunities for real
discussion
I feel like think about everything we
could be talking about that we all have
a shared interest in and the chance for
really good meaningful discussion is
going away online discussion is not real
discussion that’s observations and
pointing out flaws and other people’s
motivations I’m talking about real
discussion so can the movie theater
experience be saved you have been
everything I just showed with you about
it I think you can I think we’ve got to
have more encourage discussions
afterwards I think movie theaters can
play a role in that I think they ought
to be the kind of source where
discussion and thought-provoking idea
sharing is happening after a movie this
is the music box theater in Chicago
wonderful theater if you ever have a
chance to go in that area it’s a classic
theater it’s beautiful but the thing I
like the most about this theater is
their lounge that they encourage
everybody to go to after the film to go
have a drink you have some refreshments
sit down and talk about the film how
great is that instead of being ushered
out the door and say no sorry films done
credits are over we’ll see you next week
when you come back for the next film
there actually when you stick around
they want you to talk about it they want
that to be encouraged with the audience
I also think there’s huge opportunities
for film education too the more we know
about something the more impassionate we
can be or the more informed we can be in
deciding how that piece of work works
for us so this is the Alamo Drafthouse
cinema there’s a chain of those
nationwide they became really popular
and well-known for having dinner that
they serve during their the film which
is really cool but what I like about
them is the fact that before the film
especially on their bigger films you’re
actually seeing content on the screen
little short documentary slideshows and
such about the film you’re getting ready
to see talked to you about the art form
talk to you about the director I took my
family to go see
Isle of Dogs the stop-motion animation
film at Alamo Drafthouse early this year
and the 30 minutes before the film we
learned about stop-motion animation we
learned the history of stop-motion
animation we learned about the director
and their style so my kids were able to
come out of the theatre afterwards and
say I totally saw where that director
did this and what that meant and why he
did it this way that was so cool not
something we would have had if we didn’t
have that information beforehand I also
think theatres could work on focusing
more on smaller more intimate film
experiences the days of just going and
seeing the big blockbuster are going to
go away because we’re gonna have those
piped into our home the day of release
it’s already talks are already happening
to do that the next Star Wars movie
comes out in a few years you could have
an option of paying 30 40 bucks and
watching it at home on night 1 with all
your family so if the theaters know that
how can we focus on still group
experiences build a little more smaller
a little more intimate I like to think
our Film Society does a part of that
will you bring the films here every
month we encourage discussion about him
it’s films that are not coming to the
multiplex on their own we’re bringing
them here and we encourage people to
talk about them so what can you do as
individuals walking out of this room
today to help us save the movie theater
experience first off go see a film in a
theater that you know nothing about
don’t read any reviews don’t watch the
trailer don’t look online to see what
people are saying about it just go check
it out
maybe it’s a Fitz challenging film that
you want to talk about afterwards maybe
it’s the first man where you’re just
going ignore any of that negative
feedback you heard online and go see it
for the film it is maybe it’s a
macGruber that’s okay to go see it
midnight screening and just let your
mind go out the door and just enjoy it
you know whatever it may be let’s go see
these films take some friends okay make
it a true group experience don’t go on
your own you can I do that but I mean
really get some friends to go with you
and then go grab a drink afterwards to
talk about what you just saw just like
you would if you were at an art museum
just like you would after a concert with
a band you like make it a true group
experience and I think overall total we
can put the art back into the movie
theater experience thank you very much
[Applause] [Music]
weird to be up here I’m used to being
back there and I’ll be back there in a
little bit but I get to be up here for
the next little bit anyway so let me
start off a talking take you back to
1975 I was about three three four years
old somewhere in there and I remember a
very vivid memory going to see Snow
White in the Seven Dwarfs at the Carroll
Catawba mall theater where the Catawba
furniture mall is now there was a
theater inside that mall I remember my
mom taking me it’s the first memory I
have of going to a movie theater and I
thought it was amazing this idea that
here we are in this room all of us are
sitting together watching the same thing
up on the big screen it’s a bigger image
than I’ve ever seen and it was a film
I’d never seen before either so the
images the music that everything was
just working and it was so cool to think
we’re all in this together we’re
watching this as a group
I remember feeling that way even as a
little kid and it made me think maybe
this is the way film started back in
1895 the Lumiere brothers conducted the
first like theater screening of a film
taking moving pictures putting them up
on a big screen and getting an audience
together to watch them how amazing must
that experience have been people who are
not used to seeing moving photographs up
on a big screen in front of them and
here they are surrounded by other people
and everybody’s gasping at the same time
and laughing at the same time and
enjoying things together in concert it
really helps us remember that movies are
works of art they are just as critical
to our arts and cultural environment as
music as theater as anything else they
are true works of art as movies and if
you don’t believe me think about this
all these names of people at the end of
the credits a huge majority of them are
artists creating for months and years
something that we’re experiencing
together on the big screen that’s pretty
crazy to think about how many people how
many artists we have working on a single
work of art so it really does remind us
that movies are art and in such movie
theaters are like art museums they’re
our place to see these works of art but
what’s happened to the movie theater
business it’s been in business you know
almost 100 years now
and it’s a little different than it was
back in the day we’re seeing the number
of tickets being sold on the decline
less people are going to the movie
theaters than they have in past years
now ticket prices are going up so the
revenue is still going up the movie
studios are still pretty happy but the
actual number of individual tickets sold
are on the decline in most concerning is
the fact that they’re sharpest decline
is in the 14 to 24 age group that’s our
future audience and those people are not
going to the movies at all in to the
same extent that we did as we were
growing up why is that some people say
it’s the customer experience the fact
that you go and because the the margins
are so tight for theaters they have to
cut the number of staff you know the
people that they have maybe aren’t
always as trained to have it really be a
good experience for us so a lot of
people grumble about the customer
experience when you go to the movie
theater now advertising I went to the
movies the other night
25 minutes of advertising and
commercials and trailers before we
actually saw the film we were there to
see you go yeah we’re used to a society
where if we go online and we’re gonna
watch an ad we don’t have to pay for
that content by us watching the ads
that’s our payment but the movie theater
business has gone the opposite way
ticket prices keep going up and we still
have to see even more advertising
probably most notably is the fact that
home theater systems are so explosive
right now I’ve got a nice home theater
system at home I love watching movies on
it I’m sure many of you do as well so
you start doing that cost-benefit
analysis if it is still worth going to
the movie theater for the possibly less
than stellar experience for the cost for
the fact that I’m going to be there half
an hour longer than what the movie
actually is if I can watch it at home on
my own system but the biggest reason
we’ve seen the movie theater industry
change thanks to the Internet the
Internet has been a huge disruptor for
many many industries but it really has
taken its toll on the movie theater
business there’s a thing called release
windows this is the idea that when a new
film comes out it goes to the movie
theater there is a window of time from
when that movie is shown in the movie
theater before it comes available online
or on DVD or VHS or whatever it may have
been at the time
the internet that released Windows
shrinking so that exclusive content that
movie theaters had that was really their
bread and butter is starting to
dissipate we’re seeing them having the
food the films less time so more people
are now asking the question why not just
wait 2 or 3 months and wait and see it
on at home when it’s available online
the fact that we have so many more
entertainment options because of the
internet it’s pretty critical as well
you know Netflix YouTube all these other
things again it’s other options people
are now weighing in their brain is that
worth is still going to the movie
theater or not but one thing I think we
don’t realize is that movies are a huge
target for online criticism and because
of the internet everybody has an opinion
in movies are a very easy target for
that criticism we know miss many times
that the actors that are involved in a
film we know how much money they may be
making we know all their personal life
gossip from publications so people start
to get preconceived notions of that film
and maybe a desire to kind of want to
knock it down a peg before it even comes
out or sometimes you know we look at
situations where films are meant to be
adaptations of a book and you’ve got
fans of the book and they just say nope
I don’t want that film to be made or I
don’t want that person to be cast in
that role so you automatically start
this negative criticism campaign around
the movies and it’s pretty crazy when
you do that because the movies do take
their toll on that first man a film that
right now I think is going to play at
the Carolina theater it played at the
AMC for a while this is a culprit this
is the brand-new movie but it actually
was impacted box-office by online
criticism in the weeks leading up to its
release this is the story of Neil
Armstrong and there was some concern by
people online that they had heard before
the movie even came out that there was
not a shot of Neil Armstrong planting
the American flag on the moon in the
film that made the news I got online
chatter all these people upset and it
hurt the box-office for this film this
film underperformed pretty dramatically
that would not have been possible
without the internet so the Internet has
been a huge factor on why theater
business I think has been suffering the
big thing is with all that criticism the
common phrase we hear before a film even
comes out is I heard that movies bad
that doesn’t happen in an art museum
you don’t hear there’s an art
installation coming and people are like
oh I heard that art installations are
really bad
don’t go see it we just don’t do that
but with movies are such easy targets we
do so with all that going on all the
criticism all the fact that we’re losing
ticket sales people have great ways of
watching this stuff online why not just
let movie theaters die why not let them
go the way of the video arcade and just
be a relic of nostalgia that people
remember from time to time the fact that
matter is movies are designed for a
large group experience they have been
since day one back in 1895 that was not
designed to show a screen to have one
person sitting there watching it it was
meant to be a group experience for
people to go see a movie mainly because
we have a sense of focus that we don’t
normally have in other art forms think
about it there’s no remote control
there’s no way to control the experience
around us when we’re watching a movie we
are in a room contained watching a big
movie on the screen if we don’t like
what we’re seeing chances are we’re
still not going to get up and leave
we’re still gonna stay with it we
experience it together regardless of how
we feel about the content we’re watching
the lack of control is part of that
emotional experience the fact we can’t
control it is a designed experience by
the filmmaker there’s also a sense of
energy that you get from a movie theater
experience you don’t get from being at
home watching something on your own it’s
this idea that when something scary on
the screen you can almost feel the rest
of the people in the room kind of
gripping their armchair along with you
when there’s something really funny on
the screen at home we may not feel the
need to laugh out loud but when you’re
in a theater and you’re hearing other
people laugh out loud you have a little
more permission to say okay it’s alright
I can laugh so you get a lot more laugh
you get a lot more energy you get a lot
more excitement from the film Jordan
Peele is a director he directed the film
get out about a year and a half ago
nominated for Best Picture it’s been
considered by many like one of the best
horror films done in the last few years
he put out a Twitter post why after the
film was released and said hey look get
out is not a Redbox video on-demand
iTunes movie if you don’t see it with
the theater energy you’re missing the
full intended experience there’s also
something if I want to get a little
scientific with it there’s some
called mirror neurons that when we are
actually watching a movie something’s
happening in our brain the
neuroscientist Vittorio gillece calls it
an embodied simulation it’s this idea
that we are neurons are mirroring what
we see on the screen above us
so if we see something sad it causes
those neurons to go into a sad mode it’s
a sense of empathy we have but I
actually don’t think those mirror
neurons just start and stop with what we
see on the screen I think it happens
with the audience around us too how many
places can we go to now where we can all
sit together and have a shared common
emotional experience you think about the
plays you think about music concerts
theaters were certainly one of those
options and we are losing that
experience but this idea of we actually
can be in sync with our brains for about
a 90 minute period of time overall films
are meant to be a true communal
experience they are meant to be shared
as a community that’s not to say I don’t
watch movies at home by myself because I
do but given a choice I’d much rather
watch it with an audience because I feel
like you experience more and you get
more gratification from you from the
experience as well so this is a film
called macGruber theme by seeing this
film yeah we got one okay I actually
will move the film macGruber into a TED
talk this is going to be a first I don’t
think this has ever happened this is the
comedy release maybe six seven years ago
didn’t do a lot of great box office it’s
based on this harriet at live skit I’m a
big fan of Serie net live so I wanted to
see it so I went with one of my best
friends to go see it on a Tuesday night
kind of a small crowd but I will say to
this day it’s still one of the best film
experiences I’ve ever had because I
laughed the entire time would I laugh
that much if I watch it at home right
now probably not but it was fun because
for an hour and a half we were able to
have kind of a shared experience with an
audience people I didn’t know in the
audience we’re all laughing together at
the same dumb jokes and it was great but
the biggest thing for me with movies is
not this shared experience I mean that
happens inside the theater and I think
that’s really important but I think what
happens afterwards is really really
important too
we got to talk about movies we talked
about art we talked about music and
people talk about films but you know
it’s not always as in-depth or not as
really meaningful discussions we really
like to have talking about movies is
really critically important though
because what we’re trying to get away
from is the phrase I didn’t get it think
about it you’ve gone to see films didn’t
make much sense to you or maybe it was a
really unique independent film that just
didn’t work and you have that phrase I
didn’t get it the fact that matter is
we’ve seen in our studies that we’ve
done with our own film festivals we’ve
screened over a hundred and twenty films
at a film festival over the last four
years and after every film we have the
audience fill out a rating sheet to give
us a feedback on what they thought about
the film without exception the average
score is higher for films where there
was a discussion immediately afterwards
if the director was there if an actor
was there and they talked about the film
and they told us kind of what the
purpose of the film was and why we did
it
what our driving inspirations were for
the film all those things lead to higher
scores from the audience so the
audiences are appreciating the film’s
more if we have a chance to talk about
it afterwards so take this film the Fitz
this is a family showed in the second
year of our film festival it’s a really
challenging film okay it’s not just an
easy processing film that you can walk
out of and say oh yeah that was that was
great entertainment
you really gotta think through this film
so we showed it on a Saturday night and
afterwards I led the discussion I said
okay what everybody think about the film
who’s got some questions or thoughts and
one gentleman raises him and I said
called on him and he said I in like it
so I said okay he said I didn’t get it
didn’t get the film at all
that’s great do you have anything else
to elaborate nope I just didn’t like it
okay so we moved on to the rest of the
conversation everybody else got some
input to talk about what they thought
what they saw what they what they liked
didn’t like about the film the very next
night were at our dinner for our closing
ceremony that same gentleman walked up
to me Sault me up in in the the buffet
line he said Alan I’m the guy last night
that said I didn’t like that film I said
oh I remember
he said I wanted to let you know I
thought about it all night last night
you now listen to everybody else talking
about the film after the film he’s like
I’m here to tell you I still don’t like
the film but I at least understand what
they were trying to do with it
I’m like you know what I will take that
as a win any day of the week that’s what
we were able to do with that film
experience for that one person that’s a
win right now in our society we’re
losing the opportunities for real
discussion
I feel like think about everything we
could be talking about that we all have
a shared interest in and the chance for
really good meaningful discussion is
going away online discussion is not real
discussion that’s observations and
pointing out flaws and other people’s
motivations I’m talking about real
discussion so can the movie theater
experience be saved you have been
everything I just showed with you about
it I think you can I think we’ve got to
have more encourage discussions
afterwards I think movie theaters can
play a role in that I think they ought
to be the kind of source where
discussion and thought-provoking idea
sharing is happening after a movie this
is the music box theater in Chicago
wonderful theater if you ever have a
chance to go in that area it’s a classic
theater it’s beautiful but the thing I
like the most about this theater is
their lounge that they encourage
everybody to go to after the film to go
have a drink you have some refreshments
sit down and talk about the film how
great is that instead of being ushered
out the door and say no sorry films done
credits are over we’ll see you next week
when you come back for the next film
there actually when you stick around
they want you to talk about it they want
that to be encouraged with the audience
I also think there’s huge opportunities
for film education too the more we know
about something the more impassionate we
can be or the more informed we can be in
deciding how that piece of work works
for us so this is the Alamo Drafthouse
cinema there’s a chain of those
nationwide they became really popular
and well-known for having dinner that
they serve during their the film which
is really cool but what I like about
them is the fact that before the film
especially on their bigger films you’re
actually seeing content on the screen
little short documentary slideshows and
such about the film you’re getting ready
to see talked to you about the art form
talk to you about the director I took my
family to go see
Isle of Dogs the stop-motion animation
film at Alamo Drafthouse early this year
and the 30 minutes before the film we
learned about stop-motion animation we
learned the history of stop-motion
animation we learned about the director
and their style so my kids were able to
come out of the theatre afterwards and
say I totally saw where that director
did this and what that meant and why he
did it this way that was so cool not
something we would have had if we didn’t
have that information beforehand I also
think theatres could work on focusing
more on smaller more intimate film
experiences the days of just going and
seeing the big blockbuster are going to
go away because we’re gonna have those
piped into our home the day of release
it’s already talks are already happening
to do that the next Star Wars movie
comes out in a few years you could have
an option of paying 30 40 bucks and
watching it at home on night 1 with all
your family so if the theaters know that
how can we focus on still group
experiences build a little more smaller
a little more intimate I like to think
our Film Society does a part of that
will you bring the films here every
month we encourage discussion about him
it’s films that are not coming to the
multiplex on their own we’re bringing
them here and we encourage people to
talk about them so what can you do as
individuals walking out of this room
today to help us save the movie theater
experience first off go see a film in a
theater that you know nothing about
don’t read any reviews don’t watch the
trailer don’t look online to see what
people are saying about it just go check
it out
maybe it’s a Fitz challenging film that
you want to talk about afterwards maybe
it’s the first man where you’re just
going ignore any of that negative
feedback you heard online and go see it
for the film it is maybe it’s a
macGruber that’s okay to go see it
midnight screening and just let your
mind go out the door and just enjoy it
you know whatever it may be let’s go see
these films take some friends okay make
it a true group experience don’t go on
your own you can I do that but I mean
really get some friends to go with you
and then go grab a drink afterwards to
talk about what you just saw just like
you would if you were at an art museum
just like you would after a concert with
a band you like make it a true group
experience and I think overall total we
can put the art back into the movie
theater experience thank you very much
[Applause] [Music]
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