the same. but different.

Yes. The format more is for all intents and purposes over. No. I haven't gloated as much as as my asshole-ish attitude towards Albert and his failed format in the past has dictated I would. But, all in due time. (Plus I'll be slowly rubbing it in for the next few years or you know... until the next format upgrade)

We talk about the HD platform so often as an amazing experience and how it redefines much of the media we've enjoyed. But rarely do we talk about the content and how it affects us. Today I had a sort of profound thought in the shower, where all my profound thoughts come to me, about the convergence of how we experience stories in movies and television.

I've been re-watching season 3 of LOST (Blu-ray exclusive) and been struck by how satisfying it has been for me, and I mean besides how incredible it looks. I think really, with the start of 24, and so on with shows heavily involved with plot have outdone movies in their ability to get people attached. And it actually makes a lot of sense why.

Really, at the core of any story are characters and how we relate to them, how that relation moves us, and what that says about ourselves. Those are the elements that makes a story memorable. The relationships we build with characters in a story work much the same way as relationships we build with people in our own lives. In a movie or show we will deem the characters flat and unrelateable in which case we reject the story or we find the characters intriguing and become invested in their journey or actions. Attachment to a movie or show centers around the investment we make, emotionally, monetarily, and most importantly with our time. The last piece of personal capital is what I think determines our attachment to a character. In the way a long time friend brings feelings of comfort and mutual support, characters and stories we are familiar with illicit these same emotions. Television shows by the nature of their storytelling creates these long-term relationships.

Take for instance 24 and Die Hard. Both are high action stories with improbable plots and even more improbable heroes. However, whereas Jack Bauer saves the world on a weekly basis for six years. John McClean shows up 4 times in fifteen years, hardly a consistent and reliable friend. (Lets just say for the sake of the analogy 24 and its audience had big fights during the first half of season 3 and most of season 6) Again the key here is quality of the relationship as well as time invested. As another example, take the dry, shallow, and just plain boring Heroes and match it against either of the first two X-men films and the movie would still outweigh. My point is, when a connection is made to a movie or TV show the duration of that connection is a strong determinant of the emotional enjoyment derived from that story. Which is why its so difficult to match the emotions generated from a film to that of a TV show. As a final example: Remember Lord of the Rings? Remember how your introduction to Frodo, Gandalf, et al. began around September 2001 with the marketing blitz, remember the near constant relationship you had with a theatrical release or a DVD release every six months for 3 years? Had the film been a one-off film, even 4 hours of cinematic perfection, would the same sort of cathartic climax have been possible?

(I reckon not.)