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Just Spare the Movies
The curtains peel off, and a blank screen reveals itself to the
anxious audience. As the screen begins to light up, confused whispers are
heard. As an experienced moviegoer I was prepared for previews, but never
this. The guy next to me remarks annoyingly to his date, " What the hell
is this?" I can't deny that I am also a little flabbergasted by some
office executives sitting around discussing a slug marketing campaign. The
scene ends and the culprit is identified. The screen reads, " Image is
nothing, obey your thirst…. DRINK SPRITE." Moments later another
advertisement appears on screen. Bouncing letters spell out HOLLYWOOD.COM.
This one even comes complete with a jingle. Finally the movie previews begin,
with everyone in the audience a little baffled.
Personally I felt a little violated. First of all, I didn't
pay nearly ten dollars to watch commercials. Second of all, there was no
escape. When you are at home you have the option to change the channel.
Inside a theatre, there is nowhere to run, and no way to escape. There are no
lights on, and one sits confined within her seat, surrounded by others.
Anyway, commercials are annoying. I don't want to listen to some company
tell me why I need their products. Movies are supposed to be entertaining,
not intrusive.
Maybe this is just another sign that capitalism has gone too far.
Individuals are trying to make money anyway that they can, even tastelessly
if they have to. The sad part is that these tycoons are not advancing their
products. If anything, I doubt that the people in that theatre will buy
sprite because their advertising techniques were so uncouth.
Also, aren't there any limits as to where and how companies can
advertise? I know that there are limits in size for signs, and an entire
movie screen definitely violated that. There must be limits or else we will
lose what little culture we have. This is not to say that I am
anti-progressive. With so much changing technologically in the 1990's, there
is little to hold on to. San Franciscans are living in an explosive economy,
as is obvious from the new 20 screen theatres, and housing developments on
every spare inch of land. Now, we can't even enjoy a movie without being
commanded to further expand the economy. What I'm trying to say is that some
things are better left untouched. Movies are one of them.
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