Keep the movie theater experience

Thanks to streaming services, movie theaters are somewhat of a dying trend. This was especially the case around COVID, and for good reason. People didn’t want to leave their house and go sit in a room filled with other people. So companies began releasing their movies either exclusively to streaming or, a bit later on, same -day theater and streaming releases.

Now though, COVID seems like a distant memory, yet some companies continue to release their films to streaming at the same time as their theater release.

With the recent Regal bankruptcy closing a number of theaters across the US, it has some worrying that movie theaters might be coming to an end, but there’s something special about the theater experience that we lose when we watch a movie alone at home on our television screen.

If you’ve read some of my past reviews, you might have seen that I’ve reviewed a number of old movies, particularly “Godzilla” movies, when they get theater releases. These are movies I have seen countless times; I own them on old Blockbuster DVDs, so why the heck am I going out of my way to watch them on the big screen? It’s because there’s something lost while watching a film at home.

First of all, is the screen size. There’s a reason why the IMAX exists. Watching a film on the biggest screen possible is awesome, especially when you’re watching big action movies like I am. Heck, even a pretty slow and boring movie like “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” is greatly enhanced by a massive screen. The monster movies that I enjoy usually use lots of low camera angles and when you have to physically look up at the screen, it makes you really appreciate the cinematography all the more. The booming surround sound of a good theater is also really awesome, especially when watching the big new movies.

Another thing that would seem small but I find really important is the no phones policy, but truly it doesn’t end there. Theaters lack distraction, it’s very easy when you’re sitting on your couch to glance at your phone for a moment and end up missing a chunk of the movie or show you’re watching, and it especially sucks for people like me who watch a lot of foreign films so you can’t just passively listen, you glance at your phone and that’s an entire dialogue exchange you just missed. There are also plenty of other distractions in your own home, but not in the theater. I find that I pay attention and notice more when in that big dark room where my focus is totally on the film before me.

Another thing that can be hit and miss is the audience around you. Sometimes they can be unbearable. Screaming children, people talking, folks whipping out their phones on full brightness, or that big smelly guy sitting behind you, it can suck. However, sometimes the audience reaction can be great. I’ll never forget the time when I went to see “Jurassic World” in theaters, and when the Mosasaur jumped up and ate the Indominus Rex, everyone started clapping and cheering. Was it cheesy? Yes, but it was fun. It may be rare, but sometimes the audience around you can enhance a film. Too many comments can be annoying, but when someone blurts out something funny once … it’s pretty hilarious.

There are many movies I have grown to dislike after really enjoying them in the theater, so there’s definitely something special about the movie theater. No matter how big your home TV is, it’ll probably never be as great as watching a great movie on the big screen in a dark room filled with strangers, and an overpriced bucket of popcorn in your hand. It shouldn’t be great, but it is.

Smooshing the competition

Emporia State student

Sam Bailey (left), a former Collegian Editor In Chief, was the 2023 Kansas Collegiate Media’s four-year college journalist of the year. Bailey is pictured with The Collegian’s Ainsley Trunkhill, the twoyear college journalist of the year.

Courtesy photo

Alumna makes impact at ESU

By Laci Sutton Staff Writer

For many students, their time in college provides them with a general, basic knowledge to prepare them for a future in their chosen career. Some students even make their way out of the classroom as they get more in-depth experience under the direct guidance of a professional in the field.

For Hutchinson Community College alumna and current Emporia State University student Sam Bailey, the lessons being taught at a desk quickly came to life as she found herself consumed with real-world experience as a student journalist for The Bulletin, the student newspaper at Emporia State.

Bailey chose journalism as a major at HutchCC before her freshman year and soon fell in love with the career. In 2020-2021, Bailey was The Collegian’s Editor in Chief.

“I knew journalism was what I was meant to do when I realized that the long days everyone hated were my favorite,” Bailey said. “I was perfectly happy spending long hours in the newsroom during the stressful days full of problem solving and hard work.”

Following her time at HutchCC, Bailey continued to pursue studying journalism at ESU. A place that initially felt like a safe space to step into her future, now a major milestone that has impacted far more than her education.

One of the most important jobs for journalists is to get the information to their audiences as quickly as possible. Bailey, alongside Bulletin editor-in-chief Cameron Burnett, did just that as they sat outside Earl Carl Center for hours on Sept. 15, 2022, keeping a running count of departments and professors being fired without warning.

“The devastation and panic on their faces changed my reality in one moment,” Bailey said.

“It was a long day of balancing being as humane as possible to those who lost their jobs and also trying to get the word out about what was happening to them.”

In addition to updating locals about the Hornet 33 (a term used for the 33 individuals fired from ESU), Bailey continued to put out story after story The Bulletin throughout the semester.

The stories brought a variety of feedback from the community and professors around campus.

“For the most part, a lot of people seem to appreciate what I have done this year,” Bailey said. “I have gotten negative feedback on my work, from phone calls telling me how I should have written a lede to comments being made insulting my integrity and work, but I don’t dwell on them too much.”

Aside from facing exhaustion and burnout, Bailey has never regretted anything she has written and continues to push through to pursue journalism.

Her hardwork and dedication were honored at this year’s Kansas Collegiate Media Conference and Convention, as Bailey was presented with Journalist of the Year among four-year colleges in Kansas. Bailey was also the KCM two-year college journalist of the year in 2021.

While the recognition is appreciated, Bailey is more grateful knowing her articles have reached audiences and informed others of what is going on at ESU.

“Journalism is my way of having an impact on the world,” Bailey said. “No matter what I am covering, I am affecting someone, whether by telling their story, holding them accountable or some other form of reporting.”

The last few years have brought heartache and struggle, but Bailey remains strong and has gained more confidence than she had before.