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The following conversation took place between Fraser Orr and Lazlo Planifax on May 26th, 2009. Feel free to comment!

Fraser: Film, or any art, is about trying to express something, right? I mean, if it’s an artist’s job to do anything, it’s that. Otherwise we’re just paying him $15 to keep us distracted while we eat our popcorn.

Lazlo: Sure, I agree.

Fraser: So let’s just go over the simple ways an artist can express himself. Assuming the writer and director is the same person, what can they do? They decide what the characters will say, where the characters will stand in a room, how they’ll act towards each other, the way they’ll be framed in a shot, the way each shot is cut between others, maybe some music they’d like to add, or other kinds of visual effects. These aspects of the film are crafted in a certain way, and that’s how the artist expresses himself.

That is the absolute limit of the abilities of the language of cinema. If we’re really paying attention to a film, we’re paying attention to this.

Lazlo: That’s all mind-numbingly obvious, you just explained to me what I know I’d get from watching any movie ever made.

Fraser: Actually, that’s not what we’re getting from most films. What we really want when going into a cinema, and what most films provide us, is JUST to be distracted, to not pay attention to what is actually happening. This is done by “taking us on a journey” or by “transporting us into another world”. These sound like things we should want from cinema, but they’re just distractions from letting us pay attention.

Lazlo: But I AM paying attention when I watch a movie. If I’m being taken on a journey, then I’m paying attention to the journey.

Fraser: Not really., you’re actually pretending to be somewhere else. Let’s just watch your brain while you’re watching a movie:

“Oh, wow! It’s journey time, sweet! Look at those explosions! Holy crap! Man, the bad guy is a real arsehole, I can’t wait for the hero to kill him! Hey, this hero is a really nice guy, just like me! I could totally be the hero of this movie! Damn, that chick is hot, I wanna fuck her! Oh, dude, the hero just totally killed the bad guy! He can do anything and he’s just like me, so that means I can do anything! Hey look, now the hero is fucking the chick, it’s kind of like I’m fucking her right now!!! SWEET!!!” then all of a sudden, the credits are rolling and you’re left sitting with an empty box of popcorn, right where you started.

If we were actually paying attention to the way the creators of these films were expressing themselves, we’d realize that the actual style being used is the same every time. That is, they give us a hero we can identify with (this is why movie stars are as attractively bland as possible) give him a few goals, then have him be happy when he achieves them. Rather than express something worth paying attention to, this style is just all distraction.

Lazlo: Okay, so I get entertained for two hours by going to the movies. Is there something wrong with that? Would it be better if we just all watched boring art movies about how depressing and dull life is?

Fraser: That wouldn’t be better at all. Just getting depressed has nothing to do with art. But there’s nothing depressing about watching artists express themselves, no matter what the subject of the film is. What would be depressing about just paying attention? Great films are entertaining, but the entertainment lies in watching the way the director frames the characters, cuts the scene, etc. Isn’t it more depressing to watch a film just to be distracted from your own life?

Lazlo: But my life is boring. Watching a movie lets me take part in a world we’re people are having fun, and so when I pay attention to a film, I’ll be having fun too.

Fraser: Good point, and there really isn’t anything wrong with just enjoying a movie, no matter what it is. If watching any kind of movie makes you happy, you should absolutely watch it.

But why do you think your life is somehow less fun than the people in the movies? If rich, famous people were actually happy with themselves then the botox, plastic surgery and cocaine industries would all go under.

And what’s wrong with your life, really? If you weren’t busy trying to escape somewhere else, you’d be able to just be satisfied in the present moment.

Most films are really just advertisements to make you think, “If only I was somewhere else, living in this fantasy land, then I’d be happy” And of course that’s bullshit. The people who are happiest are usually the ones satisfied being right where they are, aren’t they?

Lazlo: I guess.

Fraser: But watching a movie telling you how great somewhere else is, is that going to make you satisfied with where you are?

Lazlo: Hmmm. But if I’m paying complete attention to a great movie, what’s the artist expressing if it’s not something for me to aspire to?

Fraser: Himself.

Lazlo: I’m getting angry now. If he’s expressing himself, he’s expressing something that’s separate from me, so that makes it a distraction.

Fraser: Hmmm. But when he’s expressing himself, he’s not taking you away, he’s giving something to you. He’s showing you the way he feels about life, his truth. Then you can take that, weigh it up against your own perspective, and see what you think. He’s giving you a way to experience the world which, if you’re paying complete attention to the film, you can take on into your life. They’re expressing themselves through the style of the film, and the style is right there on the screen. So there’s nowhere else you need to be, you just have to pay attention. Know what I mean?

Lazlo: Sort of. I think it would be easier if we stopped talking in the abstract and you actually talked about one of these non-distracting films.

Fraser: Well, I’m tired now so it’ll have to wait. But go see Samson and Delilah, the new Australian film. It’s probably the only thing at the cinemas right now that does what I’m talking about.

Lazlo: Oh, man. An Australian film?

Fraser: I know what you mean, but it’s better than most Australian films, trust me.