If you are a regular consumer of streaming services, you may have noticed certain TV shows or films describing the plot to you as it moves along. In films where the point is to drive the plot to its climax, we are now being talked into it. Our attention span may be the reason for this happening. That’s right: if you’ve ever pulled out your phone within the first five minutes of a film, Netflix has already designed its filmmaking process with you in mind.
During a press interview with Joe Rogan for his film The Rip, Matt Damon reveals that Netflix asks filmmakers to over-explain the plot to keep viewers’ attention.
“The standard way to make an action movie that we learned was you usually have three set pieces. One in the first act, one in the second, and one in the third. You spend most of your money in the third act, that’s your finale,” Damon says. “Now, they’re like, ‘Can we get a big one in the first five minutes? ‘ We want people to stay tuned in. And it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones.’”
The decrease in attention spans is a cause for concern, but the solution cannot be to strip content of its nuance. Over-simplifying a media form to make it less intricate hurts the artist, but also audiences who engage with art. The allure of a good film comes from having the opportunity to think critically. With the option of critical thinking taken away, what will happen to the industry? It will make it less interesting, yes, but it will also create a more thoughtless culture.
In an interview on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Jameela Jamil talked about how simplifying films will affect society. She uses a directive called second-screen viewing as an example.
“You have to simplify the plot so they’ll be able to follow along while they’re browsing on their phones. You’ll notice now in TV shows–even with really good actors–they’re saying really obvious things about what is happening. Nothing can be too complex, nothing can be too high end. We are purposefully dumbing down content and that is leading to a less nuanced, less interesting, less thoughtful society.”
While our attention span is partly responsible, streaming services and studio execs share the bulk of the blame. Coming from someone who is occasionally a perpetrator of scrolling while viewing, we can always practice putting our phones down. However, a system that is built by artists can only be killed by those capitalizing on it.
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