# Weird moviewatching habits. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060 "2004-09-04T02:01:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/1 "2004-09-04T02:01:37Z")
I count things. Every time someone goes up the stairs, I involuntarily count their steps. There are usually fourteen. There are 26 stars arched over the Paramount mountain. That was a hard one, cuz theys in motion. And only on the screen for a few seconds. So my solution? Started at the stop and counted on side of the arch: 13. When someone is pounding a hammer or swinging an axe, I have to concentrate not to count the blows. My usual technique is to count “3,6,2,7 . . .” until I have no hope of keeping an accurate count, then I can let it go. I often miss leading actor moments, because I obsessively scan every shot for details: what’re the books on the shelves behind him; are those plants real or fake; what does that plant’s species tell me about where this was filmed? This is weird because I’m OCD IRL; only when watching movies. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/2 "2004-09-04T03:17:40Z")
My senior year of college I took a scriptwriting class. Since that semester, every now and then when I’m watching a movie I think in terms of how the script describes the scene. Like “EXTERIOR DAY - High school, students on the lawn.” That kind of thing…although I’m sure I butchered the format right there. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/3 "2004-09-04T03:58:51Z")
I like listening to movie scores, so sometimes when watching a movie and hearing music, I’ll wonder if that particular bit of music will make it onto the soundtrack CD and what the track title will be called and how long it will be. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/4 "2004-09-04T05:43:23Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > This is weird because \*\*\*[NOT] \*\*\*I’m OCD IRL; only when watching movies. > > Anyone else? See? If I were OCD I’d’ve noticed that tyop, right? ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/5 "2004-09-04T06:46:27Z")
Being a certifiable Apple fanboy, if I see a computer in a movie I always check the enclosure/screen to see if it’s a Mac. If people used as many Macs in life as they do in the movies, I could buy software at Best Buy instead of having to schlep to the Apple store. If a scene takes place in a young person’s room, I make sure to check the posters on the wall as closely as possible. I like to see what set designers thought the kids were into back then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/6 "2004-09-04T06:55:19Z")
I sometimes concentrate on what what the background actors are doing. Also I like to see the commercials and previews before the film and always feel like I missed something if I don’t get to see all of them. ---
**Author:** ![aegypt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@aegypt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aegypt)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/7 "2004-09-04T07:02:22Z")
My little brother, scientist, PhD and the smartest guy I know, always falls asleep when he watches a movie. Always. I don’t see how you could fall asleep at a movie theatre, but he does it, without fail. He often falls asleep when watching movies on the TV at home, but at the theatre, it happens every time. I don’t know if it’s some sort of undiagnosed medical condition or just that he finds movies boring. It’s not that it’s really a problem to anyone, just weird. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/8 "2004-09-04T07:20:04Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I often miss leading actor moments, because I obsessively scan every shot for details: what’re the books on the shelves behind him; are those plants real or fake; what does that plant’s species tell me about where this was filmed? I am soooo there. I will instinctively look at the book titles in the background shots. Product brands are distracting to me. I don’t think I should _notice_ if a character is drinking a Pepsi instead of a Coke. However, I don’t remember details in movies. Mr. Ruby and RubySon both have a knack for remembering character names, dialog, miniscule details that I don’t even have a clue about. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/9 "2004-09-04T07:53:31Z")
I think about the camera cranes they used for crane shots, or how the camer operator is suspended when they’re following an actor/stuntman as they climb a cliff. I also look for continuity, and reflections of the crew in windows etc. These days with digital fixes in post-production, almost all of the above isn’t so easy to spot, including cranes (there are many shots that are digitally turned into a 3D camera move when it originally was still). ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/10 "2004-09-04T08:03:05Z")
yeah; there’s a shot in [_ **Sunrise** _](http://imdb.com/title/tt0018455/combined) that I couldn’t imagine how they accomplished it, with the technology of the time. Then I watched it with commentary, which was SO cool. ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/11 "2004-09-04T11:58:30Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I count things. May you are [the Count](http://pbskids.org/sesame/number/) ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/12 "2004-09-04T16:08:35Z")
My weird and sometimes embarassing movie watching habit is I plug my ears during scary scenes. It’s not what is shown that scares me, it’s the music. Am I a freak? My boyfriend, family and friends all think so! ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/13 "2004-09-04T16:24:57Z")
Half the time I listen to movies instead of watching them. I’ll turn off the TV, and just let the dialogue play off the DVD/Reciever. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/14 "2004-09-04T20:17:16Z")
Not really a habit, but every single time - EVERY time - I go to a movie theater, my left knee will start to just KILL me. Almost ruined my ability to enjoy _Kill Bill 2_. I also have an eye for continuity, but that’s just my experience as a student filmmaker… once you get into a mindset of the movie-making process, you start analyzing the finished product to see how OTHER guys did it, too. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/15 "2004-09-04T22:09:21Z")
Whenever the hero has to go underwater without a SCUBA, I hold my breath to see if I can last as long as the character does. Most of the time I don’t. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/16 "2004-09-04T22:22:41Z")
That reminds me: I started noticing a long time ago that almost every movie ever made–well, at least in the modern era–includes a scene that requires an underwater camera. Not just movies like Jaws or Titanic; almost every movie. There’s usually a scene from under the water in a sink, a toilet, a bath, a moment in a stream, or something. So I’m always on the lookout for that scene. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/17 "2004-09-04T22:39:48Z")
My weird moviewatching habits are: I have to see the movie from beginning to end. Uncut. Interruptions are fine, but I need to be able to pick up exactly where I left off. I will not start watching a movie halfway through and hope to pick up the parts I missed some other time. If a movie is part of a series, even a lame one, I have to watch the movies in order. I passed on an invitation to see Shrek II this summer (not that I think it would be lame) because I haven’t seen Shrek yet. ---
**Author:** ![J.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@J.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J.Me)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/18 "2004-09-04T22:49:39Z")
Anytime there’s a scene where one character walks into the bedroom and sees his/her SO packing a suitcase, I say “What are you doing?” to be in sync with his/her next line. It never misses, and I am always amused. Every single time! ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/19 "2004-09-04T22:56:34Z")
I tend to do a mental running commentary on what other movies I’ve seen certain character actors in before, particularly if they’re up-and-coming young actors. I do this aloud when I’m watching movies at home… annoys the hell out my friends. I obsess over location shots in movies, TV shows and music videos set in metropolitan Atlanta to see if I know where that place is, and had I ever been there before. (I enjoyed _Driving Miss Daisy_ and all of **Ludacris** ’ videoes for this reason) When watching science fiction and horror movies I always peg the non-marquee black actors “Sacrificial Negroes”… you know these people have no chance in hell of making it out of a movie alive, (Like **Kelly Rowland \*\* in _Freddy Vs. Jason_) so I watch to see if I guessed right. [spoiler]The last time I got it wrong was missing Samuel L. Jackson’s death in Deep Blue Sea… and I’d have never guessed** LL Cool J\*\* would survive. I correctly predicted that \*\*Sanaa Lathan \*\* would make it out of **Alien Versus Predator**.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![EsotericEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e274bd/32.png) [@EsotericEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EsotericEnigma)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060/20 "2004-09-05T00:49:37Z")
Upon reading this thread, I have come to the conclusion that you all are the worst audience I have ever seen, and I am glad I chose not to go inot the movie making industry! 🙂 I get so into movies that I can’t imagine any of this stuff ever happening to me. I probably wouldn’t even notice if the main character went from white to black. And here I was thinking I was weird for always having to have a cherry soda when im watching a movie. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-moviewatching-habits/263060.md?page=2)