How To Watch A Film Free Online
Movie-watching can feel like a chore sometimes. The options have never been greater, and it’s easy to feel jaded by the constant onslaught of new releases. But if you approach it as an exercise, and apply the Pomodoro Technique to your two-hour commitment, it might be worth your while.
1. Take Notes
Before ดูหนัง, make a plan for how you will take notes. This will help you stay organized and make sure that you are not missing out on any important information. Use an outline format, with each key topic getting its own heading and subheading with bullet-pointed details below. This will help you keep your notes organized and concise, which will improve memory retention.
During the video or lecture, write down your initial reaction, including any lingering feelings or questions. Also, note any prominent themes and messages in the movie. Finally, make sure your notes are legible and that you include time stamps on each page. This will allow you to go back and reference any specific scenes or images from the movie in your analysis.
2. Talk About It
Movies provide entertainment, catharsis, and inspiration. They can create laughter and happiness, as well as stimulate your brain to produce dopamine, a feel-good hormone. They can also help you relax by redirecting your attention towards an activity, decreasing anxiety and stress levels. Talking about movies is a great way to get to know someone or to bond with a friend. But, it is important to avoid spoilers. For example, don’t tell your conversation partner what happens at the end of a film!
Instead, talk about the overall feeling of a film. For instance, you could say “the acting was amazing,” or “the director did a great job.” You can also discuss the plot and whether it makes sense or not. Moreover, you can talk about the themes and moral of the film.
3. Watch It With Friends
If you’re away at college, dealing with a global pandemic, or living in the middle of nowhere (or just not close to family), having a movie night can feel a bit lonely. Thankfully, most streaming services and online video chat apps have ways for you to watch movies together even when you’re separated by distance. Syncplay, for example, allows you to schedule a watch party with your friends and then share a link to a virtual room where everyone can view the same video at the same time. You can even chat with one another in a chat window at the edge of the screen, which could make for some hilarious running commentary. Hulu also has its own in-house option called the “Hulu Watch Party”. It only works with Hulu Plus and Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV accounts.
4. Watch It At The Right Time
Filmmakers understand that they don’t have their audience’s undivided attention at all times. Hence characters’ names might be repeated to ensure that the audience listens; and significant plot points are highlighted with incidental music.
At home, viewers can pause a film to take a call, scroll through their phones, or even turn it off. Some film students say this makes it easier to watch a film critically and attentively, while others believe it robs a movie of its full experience. Devika Girish, the co-deputy editor of Film Comment, says that it’s worth trying to watch a film in the way it was intended by the filmmaker. And she says you can do that by reading film criticism, following your interests, and exploring curated collections of films on streaming services.
5. Watch It In The Right Environment
When watching a film, it helps to be in the right environment. A big screen, good sightlines and quality sound are essential to appreciating a movie’s visual and audio subtleties. It’s also a good idea to turn off distractions like laptops and phones, which can interfere with your ability to focus.
Watching a film is best done in a cinema with a large screen, preferably one that’s not too noisy or full of chatter. But if you can’t get to the movies, try to at least watch on a TV or computer with a large screen. You can still be in control of the screen and can pause if necessary. You can even check out curated collections on streaming services like Mubi and BFI Player, or look for DVDs and Blu-rays that include bonus features that enhance the experience.
Conclusion
Take advantage of the free resources that many streaming services offer. Explore curated collections to discover films that you might not have otherwise seen. Focus on the connection between form and function. For example, what does a watery cut or a low or dramatic or weird camera angle communicate?
