Although it may be a surprise to some, there are individuals who say they don’t enjoy movies.
Here's how to try and get into watching movies for those who just haven't been able to find that enjoyment.
Randy Caspersen, associate professor of media studies at NIU, considers himself to be a movie lover and has been making films since he was 19.
“I am a movie lover and a movie lover more than I am anything else … I never stopped, you know, watching lots of movies and watching old movies again, watching new movies again,” Caspersen said.
EXPLORE A GENRE
Caspersen said that in order to really get into watching movies, one can start with something they like and go from there.
“Maybe it’s a film that they really like, or a kind of film, and I always think like if they like a horror film, they should explore that genre, right? If they are really invited by a certain film, they should find out what’s special about them, about that film,” Caspersen said.
If there isn’t a certain film that comes to mind, it might be worth looking for films within that genre online.
“Increasingly there are lots of web blog kind of things where people list the 10 best horror films from the 1990s … like that, I think is the best way to go about sort of tackling a craving or need,” Caspersen said.
Laura Vazquez is an undergraduate program director of media studies at NIU and is the director of the annual NIU student film festival Reality Bytes.
“I teach a critical analysis course about films (at NIU) … I think I discovered I was a lover of movies really when I got to graduate school,” Vazquez said.
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Vazquez said she pushes back when it comes to the idea of there being a standard that all films should be organized by, such as saying “films every college student should watch.”
“What they (movies) create is culture. They tell us stories about ourselves. Well, if I keep picking the same movies, I don’t get the new stories,” Vazquez said.
Watching movies can also help when it comes to one’s emotional intelligence and social connections.
According to California State University, Northridge, “Studies suggest that watching movies can increase our emotional intelligence and also help in improving social connectivity.”
Comments