How to Process a Movie Pt. 3

Movie Watching Opportunity #2

2. A good movie is an opportunity to discover effective methods of communication.

Whether we agree or disagree with the methods, movie creators are able to communicate on a deep level. Christians should be vitally concerned with communication. With a little discernment and awareness a movie can give us insight into the methods of some of the most skilled communicators of our day . When we ask ourselves “how does this presentation speak to people?” we are a step closer to being a better communicator.

For example, in the 70s Stephen Spielberg made Jaws. Because of technical problems he was forced to keep the viewer from seeing the shark until late in the movie. Luckily for him (and us as viewers) this omission of the “monster” in his monster movie greatly heightened the suspense of the film. By the time the shark is revealed our curiosity has increased exponentially compared to what would have happened if Spielberg had immediately showed us his movie villain.

What good does this knowledge do for us? It can remind us that sometimes it’s good to save the heart of our message until the end. Instead of immediately stating the big idea, it is sometimes acceptable to raise the anticipation. Perhaps we can see a little of this in the parables or in Proverbs. If you don’t give all the immediate answers it forces people to think about what you’ve said.

A second example…MTV. Pick almost any MTV movie and/or the television channel. Three second clips. Then, on to something new. Flashy. Restless. Impatient. And, yet it communicates.

Observing MTV allows us to study another communication tool. I’d argue that this flashy style is useful occasionally, but continued use of this method (or any method) will have negative consequences. There’s a point in using two examples here. Even though we’ve taken one step further in discernment (in that we have examined a communication technique), we still aren’t able to take our discernment antennas down. Some styles of communication are appropriate in different situations. You don’t see MTV producing Schindler’s List and you don’t see PBS creating music videos.

Christians are people who should be very concerned about their message and how to deliver it. This could be the most overlooked / under-rated benefit of movie watching that there is.