Keeping us in the dark.

I’ve ranted in the past about the soundtrack on movies when watching them on TV.

You know what I mean … When you can’t hear what the actors are saying because of the traffic noise or the thumping music in the background.

Well now I have another gripe, and so I have to ask the question … Why are so many scenes in films today shot in the dark ? …

I’ve tried to watch a couple of movies recently where it was impossible to follow the action because the screen was ‘as black as a coal miner’s arse at midnight’, while in another I was unable to tell one character from another, because the gloomy sets seemed only to be lit by light coming from windows directly behind the actors.

I’m sure that some directors of such films want things to look as natural as possible, while others are trying to create some effect that will win them an ‘arty-farty’ Oscar. Well, good for them, but I just want to see what is going on.

I’ve watched plenty of old movies where scenes were shot at night or in candle lit rooms, but the directors were clever enough to employ subtle lighting to good effect; a technique that seems unknown to some of today’s film makers.

Perhaps modern movies all look a lot better on the ‘big screen’, but I wouldn’t know because I have not set foot in a cinema since they became places for eating, drinking and talking to your friends.

Perhaps I should give it a try once again, and if I can’t tell what is happening on the silver darkened screen, I can at least listen to the geezer two rows away as he chats …

…   on his bloody mobile phone !