Lights, camera, action...

Do you ever watch a movie or TV show and think that the lives of the people on the screen or the events happening in that world are vastly more interesting than your reality? I'm not talking SciFi or fantasy or intense action thrillers, but the regular lives of people in a movie always seem so much more interesting and important than my own life. However, for me it is the little things that happen that make me wish my life was a movie; for example, the sounds and attention that is paid to small actions like opening a door or getting into bed. These acts are seemingly trivial, but often are done with great intention in a movie, either because it has something to do with the plot or because it causes a desired effect on the watcher. Now these are things that most people do on a daily basis, but no one is paying attention to them or alots them any special degree of importance because they are so normal. So why are they so effective in the movies? Why does the creaking of a wood floor during a night scene in a romance movie give the audience a sense of nostalgia for old homes, but when the floors creak at our own houses we get mad at the ratty architecture? When a character in a film rides a bus or goes to a movie, why does it seem like those are such intriguing and desirable things to do, but when we ride the T or sit in a movie we hardly pay attention to what we are doing?

From now on I am going to experiment with this and try and change my own perception of the world around me. I am going to pretend I am in a movie and that everything I do is done intentionally and has a degree of importance to it. While I sit at this cafe typing on my laptop, I am imagining that there is an audience out there watching and they are feeling a sense of curiosity for coffee shops, wishing they were sitting at a street-side table right now just like I am, doing something so incredibly important like it seems I am doing writing this post. When I ride my bike home I am going to ride with an air of quaintness, because that is what a person riding a bike looks like in the movies and I am going to watch my surroundings like they are something brand new to me, that I am not used to, because the audience will have never seen it before; thus giving me a novel experience in a place that I am quite accustomed to. I am very excited for this little experiment and I hope I keep it up, however it may not work all the time. We shall see!