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Published
in Gulf News, January 2, 2007
Seeing into
the future
I've
often
seen people standing outside the local cinema with a sign saying,
"Free movie". I've wondered what the catch is: for if
there's no free lunch, there's hardly likely to be a free movie.
But apart from having to stand in a queue and fill in a few forms,
there is no catch. On offer are seats to test screenings - a chance
to be a part of the first public audience in the world to see a
Hollywood movie. So recently, I attended the very first screening
of an upcoming sci-fi thriller.
The
Last Mimzy (if its name survives the test process) will have
its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in November 2007.
I am, of course, not supposed to give anything away, but I can quote
the publicity material already on the web: "Based on the acclaimed
sci-fi short story by Lewis Padgett, The Last Mimzy centres
on two children who discover a mysterious box containing some strange
devices they think are toys. As the children play with these "toys",
they begin to display higher intelligence levels, prompting their
parents and the community to search for answers."
Sounds
intriguing doesn't it? Clearly many people thought so, and lines
formed long before the appointed hour. Forms were handed out, asking
for demographic information, as well as reactions to the title and
concept of the movie. Everybody was scanned for recording devices
- even cell phones with cameras weren't allowed in. Inside, a video
camera was pointed ominously at the audience; presumably to record
reactions to the film. The screenings are taken very seriously by
the numerous staff milling about. The noisy group at the back was
allowed ten minutes of hoots and laughs before the bouncers escorted
it out - long before the movie had begun.
The
crowd was an excited mix: around me were academics discussing PhD
programs, veteran test-screenee couples talking about all the movies
they'd seen, and a group of happy friends wondering why someone
would make a prequel to The Lord of the Rings. The atmosphere was
even more lively than at the first show of a summer bockbuster.
Everybody was clearly enjoying the sense of entitlement of seeing
a movie long before anybody else. When it was announced that the
film was still a work in progress and that the colours in some scenes
weren't exactly as they were supposed to be, the mood was just heightened.
Before
entering, attendees were asked whether they or their immediate family
were in any way involved with the media. The small print said that
journalists and movie reviewers weren't allowed in. (I answered
"Yes" but nobody detained me.) These days it's laughable
to even try to make this distinction. Any non-journalist can go
back after a screening and spill its secrets to a million people
via email, or by posting on blogs and forums. In fact, it is the
journalists who are far less likely to ignore the "off the
record" injunction, knowing that the short-term gain leads
quickly to long-term career suicide.
The
form at the end of the screening is much longer. It asks for reactions
to the plot, the pacing, the characters and the acting. Many questions
are open-ended, for example, asking if the ending was satisfactory,
and if not, how it could have been better. People who disliked the
movie name were even asked to suggest alternatives - so who knows,
maybe my title will be up there in November.
And
when it's all over, everybody can exchange their ticket for a free
movie voucher. So right now, the only thing I need to do is find
that free lunch.
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