If Cinema is dying, the first suspect is certainly Covid, while the second is Streaming, which is now seen as "the new form of representation of the Cinema of the future". Let's see together all the pros and cons about it.
“The cinema will never die, it was born and cannot die: perhaps the cinema will die, but I don't care about that."
Mario Monicelli
Since Covid started, the habits of watching films on the big screen have also changed. Whereas people used to go specifically to the cinema to see new releases, it is now possible to watch them directly from the living room via streaming. Undisputed protagonists, the platforms of streaming sites in this long year are gaining a real fortune (just think of the last Oscars 2021).
Between suspended films such as James Bond and films designed to be streamed immediately such as Borat2, what place does the big screen deserve? As Roberto Benigni recalls, "Cinema is made up of two things: a screen and chairs. The secret lies in filling them both".
So, if a film is of quality, is the sofa at home also good? We could answer with a Ni, since there are some films that necessarily need the big screen to be enhanced, such as the so-called Blockbusters; in this regard, it is worth mentioning the forthcoming "Jurassic World: Dominion", still being filmed, which is the perfect example of the show with great visual effects and which we hope to see in cinemas in 2022.
Emotions on the Big Screen
The family atmosphere of the living room therefore prevails at the cinema, just like dinner at home, at the restaurant. But let's remember that the experience is totally different: it is the context that makes the event (of a dinner or a film) special. As Nino Motta, owner of the historic Aurora Cinema in Syracuse, who intends not to close his dream, tells Qds.it: "The sensations given by the sound and colour of the images are still unique, but above all the sensations of contact between people are unique; this is what is missing the most now".
Then there are the prophetic words of those who knew the cinema well, as in the case of the eminent director Mario Monicelli, who died in 2010, who said in unsuspected times: "The cinema will never die, it was born and cannot die: the cinema will die, perhaps, but I don't give a damn about that". His ability to see beyond the present moment gives us a clear picture of the "Future of Home Cinema", which can already be enjoyed today with:
Smart TV screen + Home theatre with integrated system;
Streaming platforms with a wealth of content on TV series and films, with annual and monthly subscriptions at medium-low costs;
Unlimited, ultra-fast internet with 5G technology;
No risk of contact with unknown people, as in public cinemas.
In spite of those who think it is better to stay at home, safe and in complete privacy, or not, it is necessary to underline an important aspect and that is that a plurality of choice is necessary in order to freely opt for one's own "preferred Cinema Experience", which unfortunately is currently lacking with Covid.
Pros and cons of Streaming
In short, the production companies of the streaming platforms are taking the huge slice that always belonged to Cinema, before Covid, increasing their numbers out of all proportion. But what are the other elements that go in favour of streaming in this phase of the possible "restructuring of the New Cinema of the Future"?
Here are some food for thought:
Total comfort of use for users: subscribers to streaming sites can in fact choose how many programs to watch, when and review them in complete freedom from home;
Earnings from the subscriptions on offer: video streaming platforms with their wide range of content on offer rely on monthly subscriptions, which are the real big earner, because they focus on the number of consecutive hours spent in front of the screen;
Earnings from the simultaneous distribution of several products and from advertising: unlike the cinema, which offers advertising only before theatrical viewing and does not distribute two films at the same time by the same film company, the streaming world is free to move as it sees fit, earning money even in a relatively short time.
"What is most surprising is that the sense of relaxation ends when the television is turned off, but the feelings of passivity and decreased alertness continue. Survey participants commonly reflect that the television has somehow absorbed or sucked up their energy, leaving them exhausted. They say they have more difficulty concentrating after watching than before. In contrast, they rarely report such difficulty after reading. After doing sports or engaging in hobbies, people report improvements in mood. After watching TV, people's mood is about the same or worse than before."
Kubey e Csikszentmihalyi (2004)
The convenience and rich choice for the user together with the fast and important earnings for streaming platforms are already a reality in our homes. But not many people know that there are some dangerous forms of health, such as Binge Watching, which should be kept an eye on and which concern all those people who spend many hours "binge watching" the various TV series/movies in real "TV marathons".
The risk of addiction (which also applies to PCs) is very high in practice; for years, specific studies have been published in the journal Scientific American, which monitor the mood and the neuro-cognitive and psychological aspects in a worsening sense, expressed by a passive and inattentive behaviour after watching TV for many hours. So, a problem that should not be underestimated in the context of the Covid19 pandemic.
Is it good to talk about Covid19 Streaming?
“Songbird is a Hollywood project that uses quarantine as inspiration and attempts entertainment from collective trauma...with a late-stage version of 'Covid-23', which mutates to infect even people's brains".
THE GUARDIAN
In a Cinema that is changing in favour of Smart TV (in the home), there is another delicate issue that links to the crisis of the big screen and that concerns the "Lockdown-themed scripts" and the still ongoing pandemic, which are obviously a double-edged sword. While it might be constructive to get to know the (endless) stories of people and their perspective on life before and after Covid, at the same time, it would be like inflicting further injury where the wound is still fresh, which would certainly not help future healing.
A further cause for controversy concerns those films about Covid which, by the time they are released in cinemas, will already be considered old compared to the current evolving situation.
The irreverence of talking about certain topics such as Covid while people continue to die all over the world, is in OUTSIDER POST's opinion a gesture of bad taste if not downright disrespectful. But there are a few Films that still intend to tell their side of the story or are pushed by Hollywood executives for the sake of pure entertainment and profit.
“The idea for the short film was born one night in March, in the middle of the lockdown. Fear of the future and the desire to make a contribution prompted me to tell the story of Covid-19 from my own point of view. The fundamental aim of the project is to make a contribution that will remain in the archives, as a warning to future generations, so that all this will never be forgotten. It will be a 360° choral tale."
Director DAVIDE BONGIOVANNI of "(Re)Esisti"
First and foremost, 'Songbird', a dystopian pandemic horror film, produced by Catastrophic director Michael Bay, scheduled for release in late 2021 and shot before the actual quarantine in Los Angeles. As The Guardian suggests, the film in question 'is a Hollywood project that uses the quarantine as inspiration and attempts entertainment from collective trauma...with a late-stage version of "Covid-23" mutating to even infect people's brains'.
And it is not the only case, The Guardian also points out, as other films such as Freeform's Love in the Time of Corona, NBC's Connecting, and Netflix's Social Distance, have all taken the pandemic as a prerequisite, but have received mixed reviews
Among the big American majors, (among which we also mention Disney, Universal and Warner Media that travel both to the cinema and streaming) there is a modest and short documentary that is worth mentioning, with the title of "(Re)Esisti", which recounts the fifty days that changed the Aosta Valley, as well as the whole world. Director Davide Bongiovanni explained that: "the idea for the short film was born on a night in March, in the middle of the lockdown. The fear of the future and the desire to make a contribution pushed me to tell the story of Covid-19 from my point of view. The fundamental aim of the project is to make a contribution that will remain in the archives, as a warning to future generations, so that all this will never be forgotten. It will be an all-round choral story".
(Re)Esisti, unlike the others mentioned above, appeals to us because it recounts the drama and tragedy of Covid through the eyes of solidarity, courage and hope. It is a journey into the emotions of the soul, through suffering, truth and above all love for others. Absolutely must see.
Among the many pros and cons argued about the future of the big screen, there is one aspect above all that should certainly be highlighted: namely that the Covid19 emergency has in fact established new parameters and habits of pseudo normality, such as staying at home to avoid contagion, diverting people to a forced choice towards streaming instead of the cinema.
But the involuntary acquisition of new states of mind such as fear, uncertainty and distrust arising from the risk of falling ill, supplants those feelings of sociability and discovery of the world, which are well represented by places such as restaurants, gyms and cinemas. It is therefore time to restore confidence in such places, to get out of that pandemic cognitive limbo and look at the world with eyes of hope and openness (above all) towards the other. And to rediscover that desire for escape and adventure lost in the rooms of the home, and that only the big screen can give us. So let's go back to dreaming in the cinemas (now open again).