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rewatch value
- Thread starter WhiteOpus
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I can't speak from a producer's point of view, but I think rewatch value is very important, especially in this day and age, when audiences consume movies much more, and have lower attention spans compared to in the past. For me a rewatchable movie is one you just want to watch again cause you got so caught up in it emotionally. Some movies I also rewatch cause they take a lot of digestion before you know what to think of it. For example, Schindler's List (1993), I have watched quite a few times, just to gather all the information. JFK (1991), I watch over and over, just because I find it very entertaining.
But usually a movie is rewatchable for me, if it is just really really well structured and very cinematically done in my opinion. I watch M (1931), over and over again, just to study Fritz Lang's style, even though it may not be as good of a movie as say, The Skin I Live In (2011), for example. The story is not as good but on a pure cinematic level, it's more rewatchable.
I dunno if this is going anywhere lol. But I think rewatchability is important with today's audience. When I ask my friends if they want to see a movie, they rarely ever want to watch anything on DVD. They always want to go to the theater. They are almost always interested in what's new, and almost never give a thought to watching a movie from the previous year, so people seem to forget movies pretty fast nowadays, but that is just my take on it.
But usually a movie is rewatchable for me, if it is just really really well structured and very cinematically done in my opinion. I watch M (1931), over and over again, just to study Fritz Lang's style, even though it may not be as good of a movie as say, The Skin I Live In (2011), for example. The story is not as good but on a pure cinematic level, it's more rewatchable.
I dunno if this is going anywhere lol. But I think rewatchability is important with today's audience. When I ask my friends if they want to see a movie, they rarely ever want to watch anything on DVD. They always want to go to the theater. They are almost always interested in what's new, and almost never give a thought to watching a movie from the previous year, so people seem to forget movies pretty fast nowadays, but that is just my take on it.
Rewatchability is another way that movies can be good. Movies like X-Men: Days of Future Past and Interstellar are both ones that I love; perhaps some of my favourites. But they are just so dense that I'm unsure when I will watch either again.
Movies like Pacific Rim or X-Men: First Class, or The Incredibles, or Zombieland are all movies I can watch again and again. I don't know what it is about these movies. They're not simple, but maybe they're more fun?
What movies are you able to watch again and again, WhiteOpus, and what did you really enjoy but never saw again? And harmonica44, are there any you thought were really well made but never felt the urge to watch again?
Movies like Pacific Rim or X-Men: First Class, or The Incredibles, or Zombieland are all movies I can watch again and again. I don't know what it is about these movies. They're not simple, but maybe they're more fun?
What movies are you able to watch again and again, WhiteOpus, and what did you really enjoy but never saw again? And harmonica44, are there any you thought were really well made but never felt the urge to watch again?
Hmm off the top of my head, Pulp Fiction I haven't rewatched yet since I first saw it. It's a good movie, nothing wrong with it. Just never felt the need to rewatch it again. Chinatown as well.
It is interesting, the idea that enjoyment of a movie is tied to being able to repeat the joy. I think the truth in that comes from the resonance a movie might have.
Chinatown is an interesting point. I've only seen it once, and yet I hold it up as one of the best movies of that genre. The writing, the characters, the intrigue. I wonder - do movies which weave such masterful suspense lose something in the rewatch? Does Usual Suspects suffer from this, or from popular culture absorbing it's plot time and time again?
But I digress. WhiteOpus asked how to ensure that a film is rewatchable.
I would argue that a key point is to be engaging without being taxing. Things I rewatch are things I put on when I am tired or doing something else that is boring me. I want the emotional kick of these personally resonate movies, but I can't give them my full attention right now.
Structure could be key - it is (in part) short hand to help the audience understand the pacing. It could be archetypes that the audience feels.
I think the reason why I have never been interested in watching Pulp Fiction again so far, is the structure. It has an unconventional structure for sure, where as I am perhaps more of a fan of more tradional structures. Chinatown is very good, it's just one of the those movies, where I felt that once was enough and that was good. I don't know if it stands the tests of time compared to today, I would have to watch it again. The Usual Suspects is an overrated movie for and I felt cheated by the ending, for reasons I will not spoil for anyone.
The movie with the most rewatch value for me is probably For A Few Dollars More, and that may be my favorite movie of all time. I love how Sergio Leone directs it, and it has a perfect style I can absorb over and over again. The musical score is one of the best as well.
The movie with the most rewatch value for me is probably For A Few Dollars More, and that may be my favorite movie of all time. I love how Sergio Leone directs it, and it has a perfect style I can absorb over and over again. The musical score is one of the best as well.
The 'coolness' factor help raises a film's rewatch value. As does a short length (for feature films).
When watching films, rewatch value only affects one thing: whether I rewatch it. I loved The Grandmaster, but I probably won't rewatch it. I can watch Once Upon a Time in the West again and again and enjoy it every time, but I don't think that really affects how much I enjoyed the film.
I find that in general two kinds of films are rewatchable: comedies, and super-complex stories. I can watch the Blues Brothers once a month and love it, and I definitely need to see Godard films twice. I'm a huge fan of the Dark Knight and Shutter Island but they got boring after 2 viewings.
I find that in general two kinds of films are rewatchable: comedies, and super-complex stories. I can watch the Blues Brothers once a month and love it, and I definitely need to see Godard films twice. I'm a huge fan of the Dark Knight and Shutter Island but they got boring after 2 viewings.
It does affect my movie buying behavior.
(I'm not interested in buying movies in the cloud; although it's nice when Amazon gives you a copy of a movie in the cloud when you buy a hard copy of it. I don't know if they do that much or rarely. But they apparently did that with at least one film I bought. Renting in the cloud is another story.)
If I had money to burn, I would buy blu-rays left and right, whether I knew I would rewatch them, or not. But I don't. So I usually want to know that I'm going to be rewatching a movie.
Alternatively, I might buy a movie which I'm not sure that I'll be rewatching much, but it's still a film that's important to me or I feel is important to collect for whatever reason or reasons. But I have to be careful with my dollars; I try to consider bought movies for what they are: a luxury I don't actually need. Maybe when I win the lottery...
You didn't specifically ask about buying habits; but as far as my buying habits go, yes, rewatchability matters significantly. Before I buy, I usually ask myself, "Now, how much are you really going to watch this? Do you really need this now?"
(I'm not interested in buying movies in the cloud; although it's nice when Amazon gives you a copy of a movie in the cloud when you buy a hard copy of it. I don't know if they do that much or rarely. But they apparently did that with at least one film I bought. Renting in the cloud is another story.)
If I had money to burn, I would buy blu-rays left and right, whether I knew I would rewatch them, or not. But I don't. So I usually want to know that I'm going to be rewatching a movie.
Alternatively, I might buy a movie which I'm not sure that I'll be rewatching much, but it's still a film that's important to me or I feel is important to collect for whatever reason or reasons. But I have to be careful with my dollars; I try to consider bought movies for what they are: a luxury I don't actually need. Maybe when I win the lottery...
You didn't specifically ask about buying habits; but as far as my buying habits go, yes, rewatchability matters significantly. Before I buy, I usually ask myself, "Now, how much are you really going to watch this? Do you really need this now?"
The films with the greatest re-watch value for me are the films that I enjoy watching the most. This is not science.
I don't think you should worry about your audience. I think you should write a movie that you, yourself, would want to watch. Hopefully, other people will share your same taste in movies.
I don't think you should worry about your audience. I think you should write a movie that you, yourself, would want to watch. Hopefully, other people will share your same taste in movies.
Rewatchabilty is a key factor in how I rate films, separate from whether I judge it to be a "good" film or not.
There are many "good" one-and-done films.
Hi nutrient, lo calorie.
There are many hi-rewatch films that are entertaining - but not exactly hi-caliber entertainment.
Medium nutrient, hi calorie.
Personally, I prefer the latter, often the selections being med-hi nutrient + hi calorie.
I want to be entertained more than I want good stories.
I want cheezeburgers, not kale salad.
'Schindler's List' is a good film - but I don't wanna watch it more than once every couple of decades.
'The Fifth Element' is hardly a good film - but it entertains me immensely, so I'll watch it repeatedly.
Now, Richy brings up an excellent point: the distinction between rewatchability vs. purchase.
The conundrum I run across is that if a film is good and I enjoy it I'll likely remember all of it so there's little point in actually purchasing it.
Why buy a copy of it if I can remember every scene, line, and movement of the story?
Also, on a related tangent, I've never seen an "Americanized" remake of a foreign film that I enjoyed watching more than the foreign original.
I have a strong preference for the foreign originals.
There are many "good" one-and-done films.
Hi nutrient, lo calorie.
There are many hi-rewatch films that are entertaining - but not exactly hi-caliber entertainment.
Medium nutrient, hi calorie.
Personally, I prefer the latter, often the selections being med-hi nutrient + hi calorie.
I want to be entertained more than I want good stories.
I want cheezeburgers, not kale salad.
'Schindler's List' is a good film - but I don't wanna watch it more than once every couple of decades.
'The Fifth Element' is hardly a good film - but it entertains me immensely, so I'll watch it repeatedly.
Now, Richy brings up an excellent point: the distinction between rewatchability vs. purchase.
The conundrum I run across is that if a film is good and I enjoy it I'll likely remember all of it so there's little point in actually purchasing it.
Why buy a copy of it if I can remember every scene, line, and movement of the story?
Also, on a related tangent, I've never seen an "Americanized" remake of a foreign film that I enjoyed watching more than the foreign original.
I have a strong preference for the foreign originals.
For the first time, not at all. The first time I watch a movie, I have no idea whether this is a good movie or not, even less if it's rewatchable.
Yes, very much so.
There's no magic formula as far as I can tell. For me, most rewatchable films have multiple levels where you can get more out of them the more times you watch them. They also tend to have great pacing/timing. Most parts of the production is stellar. Great characters, performances, something different and so on. It's hard to also take into account personal interest and experiences. It can really alter a persons perspective on this topic.
The Usual Suspects, Empire Strikes Back, The Negotiator, A Few Good Men, As Good as It Gets, Die Hard, Oceans 11, Phone Booth, The Matrix. Of course there are others that fall into the more personal (and obscure) list.
Just make your film to be as good as you can and hope people find it rewatchable. What I find rewatchable isn't someone elses cup of tea.
I would definitely agree! I think as a relatively new filmmaker, I can benefit the most from just doing what I want to do (regardless of audience), getting experience with writing, lighting, cinematography, sound, set design, directing, and pretty much every other hat you can wear on a set. Once I get the basic tools I need to just make something look decent, then I can start thinking about the content I want to portray using that experience.
On the film I'm finishing up right now, I pretty much just wrote whatever I would want to see (which is generally very strange, fringe type stuff) in a short film. I think that the passion behind it will make it well worth watching, even if the subject matter is unpleasant or strange to some people.
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I think re-watching depends on the individual. I have way too many films that I want to watch that I just am not very interested in re-watching films a lot, and yet I always have a list of films that I say I definitely want to re-watch. I generally don't re-watch very much, but there are three kinds of films I put on a re-watch list.
1. Light films
- These are films that usually aren't very good but entertain me a lot usually for personal reasons and don't have anything really complex in terms of content or style. I would say some good films fall in this category but most of the ones in my list are decent films at best, bad films at worst.
2. Complex films
- This usually applies to arthouse films that intrigued me a lot which makes me want to re-watch them to understand them better, or to films that I just plain didn't get (for a variety of reasons).
3. Films I Didn't Get (in terms of getting why it's good or actually understanding the film)
- There are just some films that I am not impressed with upon first viewing, usually it is due to me not knowing enough about a style or genre and this is my first try. I usually don't end up falling in love with films I didn't originally like, but when it happens I feel extra happy.
Now this is just me personally, I rarely re-watch films because I have too many films I want to see. Most of my friends re-watch movies all the time, so I think it is a big deal for some people. I think the re-watchability factor of a film is different for different kinds of films.
1. Light films
- These are films that usually aren't very good but entertain me a lot usually for personal reasons and don't have anything really complex in terms of content or style. I would say some good films fall in this category but most of the ones in my list are decent films at best, bad films at worst.
2. Complex films
- This usually applies to arthouse films that intrigued me a lot which makes me want to re-watch them to understand them better, or to films that I just plain didn't get (for a variety of reasons).
3. Films I Didn't Get (in terms of getting why it's good or actually understanding the film)
- There are just some films that I am not impressed with upon first viewing, usually it is due to me not knowing enough about a style or genre and this is my first try. I usually don't end up falling in love with films I didn't originally like, but when it happens I feel extra happy.
Now this is just me personally, I rarely re-watch films because I have too many films I want to see. Most of my friends re-watch movies all the time, so I think it is a big deal for some people. I think the re-watchability factor of a film is different for different kinds of films.
My favourite films aren't usually the ones I want to rewatch. I tend to like quite heavy films, the kind that are quite hard to get through, which doesn't make for a fun rewatching experience.
In fact, I don't really rewatch films, but when I do, I tend to go for films that entertain me. I've found this is typically comedy films - most specifically 'smart' comedies. The ones that are complex, unique or make good social commentary seem to be my favourite rewatches. Films like Seven Psychopaths, The Graduate, Hot Fuzz, etc.
They nail the balance between being zone-out fun, whilst still offering something new to gain from each viewing. experience. I can put in minimal effort without feeling like I'm watching a 'dumb' film.
In fact, I don't really rewatch films, but when I do, I tend to go for films that entertain me. I've found this is typically comedy films - most specifically 'smart' comedies. The ones that are complex, unique or make good social commentary seem to be my favourite rewatches. Films like Seven Psychopaths, The Graduate, Hot Fuzz, etc.
They nail the balance between being zone-out fun, whilst still offering something new to gain from each viewing. experience. I can put in minimal effort without feeling like I'm watching a 'dumb' film.
