Melissa Trezza
ENG40524
Debby Mitchell
Process Essay
Going to the Movies Will Never Be the Same
Years ago, I came to the conclusion that going to the movies requires several steps. I do not know about you, but when I spend almost ten dollars to see a movie, I want to enjoy the experience. I am willing to bet that I am a bit of an oddity in that I actually have a “strategy”. To me, going to the movies is a process which requires specific steps in order to be a successful experience. (Yes, I am a Type A freak.)
Prior to actually leaving your house to go to the cinema, there are many decisions that must be made. Of course, the first “step” is to pick a movie. While there is no real method required in the movie selection, the day and time that you go will rely heavily upon your movie selection. You must keep in mind the newness and popularity of the movie (a Matrix or Harry Potter movie would fit into the “Very Popular”). Do you want good seats? Do you want to sit together? Typically, the answer to both is “yes.” In this case, if the movie is new and/or popular, a Friday or Saturday night may not be the ideal time. The best time to go see a popular or new movie is during the day on a weekday; if this is not possible, the next best choice is a weekday evening. If you must go to such a film on a Friday or Saturday night, depending on the extent of the popularity, you should plan to be at the theater approximately one hour prior to show time. If you think you can show up to the newest Harry Potter movie fifteen minutes before the trailers start, you are in for a surprise. You probably will not be able to find a seat. If you are, by some miracle, able to locate a place to park your posterior, you had better make an appointment with your chiropractor pronto, after craning your neck back at a 45-degree angle for three hours. Another thing to consider is which theater. Things to think about here are location (of course), food selection, cleanliness, and, most importantly, popularity. If you are going to see a “big” movie, you may be better off going to a less popular theater. One more piece of advice that will save you some time: purchase tickets ahead of time, either online or at the theater the day prior. If you follow this advice, you will not miss a second of the show, nor will you require chiropractic work – guaranteed.
Once inside the theater, there are missions to accomplish – get tickets (if you have not already done so), get good seats, get food, and entertain yourselves while in line and/or in your seats. Mission 1: Purchase tickets. If the lines are long, the best strategy here is to split up. Each person available (and of age) should get into a different line. WARNING: In this case, you must, I repeat, must, keep an eye on each other to ensure that you do not end up buying more tickets than needed. To save confusion, it is best to keep the number of lines your party is in down to two or three and make sure you are not too far away from each other for proper monitoring. Mission 2: Good seats and food. This is another instance where the divide and conquer tactic is necessary. One person must get provisions, while the other gets seats. If there are more than two people in your party, it is best for at least one extra person to stay with the food-getter to help carry everything. If there are four or more people, it is a smart idea for two people to get seats, making it easier to fend off potential seat-stealers. While we all understand the importance of the food-getter, it is also important to appreciate the necessity of a competent seat-getter. The seat-getter must know what the best seats are in a movie theater. The best seats are in the rows approximately three to five rows from the top (depending on the size of the theater, of course), dead center. The only time where this would not be ideal is if someone in your group is one of those annoying people who gets up in the middle of the movie to use the restroom. (This is a good time to interject my thoughts on drink size. Think ahead, people! Do not get a large drink because you are going to have to either miss part of the movie or remain in misery holding it for two to three hours. Take heed!) If you have had to get to the theater an hour before show time, you are going to have to entertain yourselves – whether you are in your seats or you have to stand in one of those roped off cattle shoots. People-watching is always fun, but you have to be careful that others do not hear your gossiping – that would be embarrassing (even if we all do it)! Most people nowadays have games on their cell phone, a less inconsiderate option. A book is always good, but it can be a struggle bringing it to the theater. Finally, you could always talk to the people (or person) you are with, but I urge you to use this only as a last resort! One more bit of sound advice – go to the bathroom about ten minutes before start time. It does not matter if you don’t “have to go”. Take your mother’s advice and go anyway! You will thank me later, I promise. By the time the trailers start rolling, you will have food and drink, an empty bladder, great seats, and be ready to fully enjoy the show.
If you have never used any kind of strategy in your movie-going before, I encourage you to try mine. It has been proven to work time and again. I have personally used these methods for almost ten years and have never had a crummy seat or been late for a movie in that time. Some of you may think I’m crazy. You love big crowds, sitting in the front row and apart from your companion(s), and/or trying to find a seat in a packed theater in the dark, annoying everyone around you. It is you, in particular, who I challenge to try my system and up the level of your movie-going experiences.
