The best stories take you to a galaxy far, far away. That’s why we asked John Boyega (yes, Actual John Boyega), to star in our film, which celebrates the kind of story that cries out to be seen on an epic screen – without any pings or alerts bringing you out of the moment, back down to earth.
TO LOSE YOURSELF IN A STORY, YOU HAVE TO DO IT PROPERLY.
It???s not often we get to just kick back and give our attention to something for two whole hours. IRL there???s always that final level of Candy Crush to complete, or that next cat vid to watch.
These sound familiar?
Nomophobia (Noun): The fear of being without your phone
Text neck (Noun): Injury to the neck caused by excessive phone use
Behind the Scenes:
Watch John Boyega on set with director Jake Scott who talks about what the big screen experience means to him.
Is the big screen experience as good for us as it feels? SPOILER: YES
What actually happens to our minds and bodies when we watch a film on the big screen? We enlisted the brains at University College London to find out. Read on to see the results...
GET LOST TO BURN CALORIES
When our 52 participants watched a film on the big screen, for 40 minutes of the full two hours their heart rates were in the healthy heart zone (40-80% of your maximum heart rate, according to the British Heart Foundation).Don’t go rushing to cancel your gym membership just yet - being in the healthy heart zone does not a workout make. It can burn fat and build fitness (seriously), and we are all about celebrating the small wins ????
GET LOST TO FEEL LESS STRESSED
It’d be weird if actual entertainment didn’t make us feel good. But it’s nice to have it confirmed, isn’t it? Our participants told us they felt less stressed after being fully absorbed in a film, with more than half saying it was therapeutic. 45% went as far as calling it "transcendent".
-
55% of viewers believed that the experience was therapeutic
-
75% felt fully absorbed
GET LOST TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE
Beyond literally bringing people together in one room, our study found that peoples’ heart rates became more closely aligned when they watched the same film on the big screen. Science tells us this kind of synchronised activity could lead to stronger bonds.So just physically being near each other, getting lost in the same film, brings our heartbeats together. We’re always picking up on cues from people around us - a giggle that ends up with the whole audience in stitches. That’s something you only really get in a cinema screen. Plus there’s the popcorn. Never tastes as good at home, does it?
