I think I’ll start a new series called “Explain that to me.”
On most blocks, and in most neighborhoods, and in most cities, there are no public places to sit outside and have community. Places that are either not privately owned, or not serving some other purpose like a street or sidewalk. Explain that to me. How does that honor the integrity of what humans need?
I wrote this sitting on the ground, on a concrete sidewalk.
I had the most horrible experience at the movies last night. We saw this new film called “A Dangerous Method.” We sat in the second row, far off to the right side. I spent the whole time looking far up and to the left, at gigantic distorted faces (due to the severe angle from my seat). The movie was sold out so we couldn’t move to better seats.
NO ONE should EVER be seated that close to the screen. Well, and have to pay for it. Maybe if they paid me to sit there, that would’ve been different. It was such a strange, uncomfortable experience that it was hard to pay attention to the film. They should not even have seats installed that close to the screen!
I’m not sure if it was the movie theater designers, or the business owners, but people were not thinking when they designed that theater. We were at the Landmark Theatre at 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.
The theater owners and designers both had poor ProxAwareness, as far as being aware of what sitting there is actually like.
Their ProxSet for this situation included the elements of money, and the customer’s experience, and of course other elements. It seems they honored the integrity of the element of money more than the element of the customer’s experience! This strategy can often work in the short term, and often not work in the long term.
Of course it didn’t help that “A Dangerous Method” is so far out of the ordinary experience of most people, that it might as well be a science fiction film. It didn’t honor the integrity of what being a human being is like, to any great degree.
So many films these days depend on some gimmick or contrived situation. I had hoped that “A Dangerous Method” would be different, but somehow it really wasn’t.
I suggest that David Cronenberg take some time off from moviemaking, and spend more time with regular people. Ordinary life is far more interesting and full of possibilities.
Of course I’m not saying there isn’t a market for David Cronenberg’s films. And of course I might have liked the film more, and been less cranky, if I hadn’t had such horrible movie seats!
Landmark Theatres may have other blind spots. I’d be glad to help them do some proximity thinking via seminars, collaboration or idea sessions.
ProxThink River 