Suspension of Disbelief

It really amazes me how easily and repeatedly people are emotionally vulnerable to movies and TV. I really get into some movies and TV shows, so I'm as guilty as anyone. But not as bad as most. When they make movies, there are some tried and true devices that get people every time. Hollywood knows this, of course, and uses these devices regularly - and has been for close to 100 years!

- Time Bomb. For some reason, a timer on a bomb really gets to people. Even if it's in the first 5 minutes of a movie and the main characters are trying to dismantle the bomb, people still get anxiety and wonder if they're going to stop the timer in time. Example: Lethal Weapon 3. Whenever a movie needs some suspense, but doesn't have time to develop the scenario, a time bomb is used.

- To pull the emotional heart strings of an audience during, say, a natural disaster, dogs are used. For some reason, it's harder for the average audience member to see a dog in a meteor storm, than a human. This notion has even been tested and proven in reality. When Oprah went to visit New Orleans, it was the abandoned dog footage that jacked so many people up. Celebrity heroes are the ones who helped the dogs, not the ones who silently gave millions, like Steven Spielberg.


Here are some things you can know, and hopefully keep yourself from getting worked up when watching a movie or TV show:

1. The lead doesn't die. Unless it's like the end of the movie and it's part 5 or 6 - and it's clear it was in the actor's contract to die.

2. The good guys win. Their luck may be down and the bad guy may be laughing with his Euro-trash cronies, but the good guys always win. Don't worry.

3. That single girl who lives alone and comes home to a dark house...she's going to get attacked. If she isn't the lead, she might even get killed. But that's okay because that's usually when the scene changes and we're introduced to our hero.

4. If there are several close-up shots of someone getting in their car (key going in, etc.), there's a really good chance the car will blow up. Or if there's no music at all. There is almost always silence before an explosion in movies. Almost 100% of the time - check it out.

5. When someone jumps in their car because someone is after them, the car won't start right away. But it will eventually start.

6. If the hero is cornered by the villain and the villain has a gun pointed at him; don't worry because the gun will jam. The gun will always jam.

7. When someone walks in someone's house or office and the person in the house is silently sitting with their back to the camera, that person is dead. For some reason, their chair will slowly turn, revealing their face.

8. If there's a serial rapist or murderer who's been targeting random women for the whole movie, and there's a female lead, she WILL get attacked by him, but he WILL NOT rape or kill her. Somehow, she will manage to do what no other woman has done and get away. Rule 1.

9. The night that all of the crap is going down, there will be a bad storm and the power might go out. But don't worry: Rule 1, 2, and maybe 6 and 8.

10. If the female lead is taken prisoner by the villain, and frees herself, she will have to slowly walk passed him as he sleeps. He will snore and toss and turn, but she'll get away. Rule 1 and 8.

Of course, all of these rules are subject to being broken, as a means of messing with the audience.



"I am fearful when I see people substituting fear for reason."
- Klaatu