Ramanujan Redux

There is so much content on the Internet. It makes me wonder how the current industries will succeed.

I don’t think movies are going to completely fall off and die (that’d be absurd), but there’s going to be a dramatic shift in attention and interest in an economy where time is the factor. Not enough workers can set aside the time to hit the theaters anymore because it’s essentially a two-three hour distraction.

Smaller clips may be the key for industry. Break it up. Say you have a niche that’s only interested in action scenes. Well, break up the action scenes in your movie and sell them at a portion of the retail price online (highest quality, HD version if you’d like). Take the sexual trysts of Mr. X and Ms. Y and sell the clips on I-Tunes with adult disclaimers. It’s a start for an industry that doesn’t seem to realize that the summer Hollywood blockbuster will soon be a relic of the past.

But perhaps the bigger idea is that movie shorts might be a coming wave. Shorts are only five-ten minutes long, shorter than the quarter of a basketball game. Producers who are able to simplify their material and make it interesting and valuable to their audience. Think about doing a ten minute action scene and putting it on a web site for free. Then market your movie around that action scene. Or create two versions of your movie–a theatrical version that you release for free online, and a longer director’s cut that you have to buy–the people who enjoyed the first cut will almost be certain to check out the second cut.

Because that’s essentially what the Internet has done so far; it’s broken down big things and allowed us to view the small treasures that exist within each and every film. That’s how YouTube appeals to us–it gives us the best in a short amount of time. Pareto efficiency for diversions.

Groundhog Day is one of those beautiful films with the all-around package. It’s lighthearted yet serious, contemplative without being preachy, developed without being self-indulgent. There is humor and darkness and redemption, all with Bill Murray at the center. What more could you ask for?

The film itself is very smart. As soon as the meteorologist realizes he’s stuck in the same day and the same place indefinitely, he starts to learn to take advantage of it. The character follows a classic OODA loop. He orients himself to his boundaries by breaking them (he ends up in jail, kills himself multiple times, steals a groundhog), he observes the people and gets to know each and every one of them (he uses it for a great pickup tool that most dudes wish they had), he decides whether to repeat an act over and over again (like trying to seduce his cute as a button producer night after night after night) and then acts on it (he spends one day robbing a security bank truck after observing the scene for weeks).

However, this product soon grows stale as the times pass, and he soon despairs that he will never realize the joy of love or despair, doomed to the same one-night stands and random hijinxes. Even suicide cannot save him. It is endearing to watch Murray transform from a self-absorbed blowhard to a self-pitying soul to a redeeming character. He starts thinking of how best he can make use of the time, learning all sorts of different things, helping people when he knows they might need help, as he slowly gains an understanding of what makes him happy.

Now, you might think after watching Groundhog Day, “Gee, I wish I could be given that time to learn who I am!” But you ARE given that time. Every day. Every day you can learn how to be a better person. How to be comfortable around people. How to be confident around others. How to follow your passions and dream to do what you’ve always wanted to do.

The lesson is that every day is precious. Every day might feel the same and be the same, but you can learn who you are by embracing that motto rather than running away from the situation. The situation is there. Accept it or go another day dreading waking up. Slowly and surely, you’ll realize what it is you want.

And while you might not get the chance to relive the same day over and over again, doesn’t every day kind of feel the same now?