Realtionships Between Audiences and Films

For this post I shall be exploring the movie Inception by looking at the relationship that this movie establishes with its audience. Every movie uses similar methods of creating this connection; however these views can be shaped depending on genre, cultural differences and personal experience of the individual member watching the film. It is these areas that I shall be discussing when applied to Inception.

Before we watch a movie we have obviously heard about it or been targeted by the extensive advertising campaigns which the producers distribute to the audience, usually to draw attention and generate interest towards the subject. This content is what develops the early stages of active spectatorship between the audience and the movie. When a viewer is exposed to the advertising which accompanies a newly released movie the viewer will develop a level of expectation based on the content they have been show. Such as Adverts, posters and trailers. If a viewer is shown something comical in a trailer for example they'll expect the film to be a comedy. The trailers which accompanied Inception would have left the viewer’s asking questions and wondering what the film was actually about, this plays into the films "mystery" genre. The viewer would have also noticed that DeCaprio is the lead star in this film. All these factors would cause the viewer to experience active spectatorship upon viewing the film in the cinema. A large percentage of cinema goers would know who DeCaprio is and would base their assumptions of this film based on his past performances.

Inception was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, inception was released in 2010, by which time Nolan was already a well-established director with the likes of “Batman” and “Memento” under his belt. Having had this past success Christopher Nolan would definitely be under the watchful eye of fans. This is also another form of active spectatorship as the people attending the cinema to watch inception will be arriving with a preconceived idea of what Nolan is capable of.

Once the audience begin watching inception they are immediately taken on a complex emotional ride, the very nature of inception is quite mind bending and requires the viewer to pay attention to very fine details constantly throughout the film. A preferred reading is how the media producer wants you to/expects you to respond to the media. However failure to follow the story precisely may warrant an oppositional stance towards the films message. This is especially prevalent in the final scene when we see the spinning top begin to tip over; this small detail could affect the viewer’s entire “reading” of the film. This leads us into the “post viewing” area. I personally myself will search the internet after watching a film to corroborate my ideas with other peoples “readings”. Inception is definitely a film in which many members of the audience would do the same. Often time’s people will look to see what the directors themselves have said about the film, furthering the post viewing experience.

Inception also did the rounds on social networking websites with many advertising campaigns taking place on facebook using targeted marketing depending on what those people had already “liked” on facebook. This is probably why many people around my age would have heard of inception before it appeared in cinemas, simply for the fact we had engaged with other online content which Christopher Nolan had created.  It’s common to see teaser trailers being shared by your friends which in turn may make you share the video to your “friend base”. Most people develop their “pre viewing” experience upon watching one of these trailers online. This is usually followed up by browsing websites such as “IMDB.com” to look for even more information such as Cast & Crew.

Conditions of reception are also a big part of inception, you need to completely blank your mind and not expect anything. Save all the thinking for the very end of the film when you try to piece together a fragmented idea. Most fans would of watched inception in the cinema which is probably the best viewing conditions for this film. It’s stunning visually and matches that in complexity that only a quiet cinema room would do it any justice. If someone was to watch this film in say a family environment, it may cause a distraction which will negatively affect the viewer’s perception of the film.

Inception is quite a strange mysterious story which requires the audience to constantly be thinking on their feet especially as the nature of “inception” is incredibly convoluted. This delivers interactivity between the film and the audience. There’s certain variables that the audience must constantly be considering when dealing with the world of “inception” which is why this is one of my favourite films. Depending on how you perceive the events within Inception ultimately changes your interpretation of the films ending.