After reading Roland Barthes articles, I authentically believe that watching a movie in a theater can provide a better experience than other places. Nowadays, there are uncountable online platform provides movies to their member. For example, HBO, Netflix,iTunes. It means that you can watch a movie anywhere and the membership fee of those platforms are much cheaper than a movie ticket. Therefore, there is an increasing trend that peoples would rather join the membership of those online platforms than watching a movie in the cinema, especially during the pandemic. However, watching a movie in a cinema can provide a better experience than those online platforms. As Roland Barthes mentioned in this article, the lighting, sound, and atmosphere inside the theater are not comparable to other places and I think that watching a movie in cinema can help the audiences become more concentrated on the movie. Hence, I believe that watching a movie in the cinema is the best choice.
I can relate to Barthes’ argument because I, too, enjoy the immersive experience of a cinema. It is rather difficult to replicate “the cinematographic hypnosis” (p.347) elsewhere. Referring to Barthes, what does the darkness do to the audience? You mentioned something about the incomparability of watching films in a cinema and elsewhere. What makes it so different to watching films at home, or on the phone? And why does it matter?