No Lightbulb in the Lamp

We went to see Dr. Sleep in Birkdale yesterday. The "movie" would have been a lot better if it had been offered as a three parter on Netflix.....too long and too loud in the theater.....what is it again about sound and fury? Oh, nothing.

The absolute best part of the afternoon was the trailers for upcoming features especially the trailer for Fantasy Island, especially when the trailer said in big letters WRITTEN BY CHRIS ROACH. When Chris was in high school, he was my student in eighth grade, twelfth grade, Cinematic Literacy and Creative Writing. I'm proud of Chris and gratified that someone who had basically majored in Ice Rivers had succeeded in Hollywood. Along with being a screenwriter, Chris is also a televison producer.

After the trailer and before Dr. Sleep started, I wondered if I had ever imagined the scenario that I was experiencing.....sitting in a theatre in North Carolina...watching a trailer for the movie version of Fantasy Island and seeing the name Chris Roach up in lights. Probably not, at least not the North Carolina part but I tend to see all my previous students names in light even when I'm just imagining. 

Fifteen tears earlier, I attended the premiere screening of a feature length film written and directed by the unknown Chris Roach upon his graduation from film school. The film was called "Laugh, Stop, Repeat" and was a mocumentary aimed at the travails of an improvisational comedy team trying to make a name for themselves in Chicago. I enjoyed the film. I laughed out loud several times and I rarely do that.

A particular scene caught my attention. In that scene, one of the characters visits another character's apartment. The character whose apartment is being visited makes a point of his poverty/irresposibility/artistic integrity by pointing out that although he has a lamp in his apartment, he has no lightbulb in the lamp.

For some reason the whole no lightbulb in the lamp metaphor stuck me as rigorous characterization.

After the screening during Q and A, I mentioned that scene to Chris.

He was glad that I noticed it.

Chris told me that the reason he included that scene was to intentionally violate one of the cardinal rules of cinematographic composition.

I had no idea what cardinal rule of composition the bulbless lamp violated.

Chris explained that his professor had made an ad nauseum point of saying that anytime a lamp is included in a scene, unless it's a clue or a weapon, the lamp should always be turned on. If a lamp is neither a clue nor a weapon nor a source of light, why should it be included in composition? Not only was the lamp off in his character's apartment but Chris emphasized the fact that the non-shining light didn't even have a bulb.

From that point forward, I have paid waaayyy too much attention to the lights/lamps in movies to check and see whether they are turned on or off and if off will they become a clue or a weapon.

This attention surplus syndrome (ASS) has grown unchecked over the years  and has become just another way to aggravate and annoy my wife when we are at the movies, which now as gray hairs we are every Tuesday afternoon.

Stay tuned.