The Culture of Moviegoers

Going to the movies is probably one of the most enjoyable pastimes throughout the world. From western society to the Asian countries, watching movies is pleasant for nearly anybody. I currently work at the local cinema. Therefore I have decided to study the culture of moviegoers. I looked at many different aspects within the past months. I took time for myself in small, little, breaks to study and document the actions of the people. From their attitudes entering and leaving the cinemas, to the way they behaved and even the way they clothed themselves. I will be going into the field with a general question in mind of what I wish to learn. “How do individuals respond to each other in a moving going experience?” I will also look into how families communicate to each other compared to how a group of friends interact. In contrast to that outsider or etic outlook at our moviegoers, I will take an insider or emic perspective of the site and actually go out on my days off work and watch a movie portraying an actual moviegoer while no one in this culture within Stars will suspect a thing.

I looked at common shared behaviors and peoples’ adaptation coming into the theatres from the outside culture. My main objective in this assignment was to understand their cultural norms and behaviors with both an emic and etic outlooks.

By being the only manager on duty most days I work, I can make time for myself to actually sit down and take a break, while observing our customers. I did not let anyone be aware of this ethnography I was working on, let alone the moviegoers I was observing. If I did then the people would not act natural towards me. It was for the best interest for no one to recognize me examining them. I was positive I ...

... middle of paper ...

...ssignment has showed me the different views I have towards the culture of moviegoers. It made me understand their major purpose for coming to the movies with an outside view and made me look deep in to their purpose as a moviegoer myself in an insider perspective. It was a fun experience for me to go in to this particular subculture as I can relate to it. Many of us, if not all, are moviegoers ourselves. Seeing why they come and watch a movie with not just the purpose of watching moving pictures dumbfounds me. Seeing them escape the harsh realities of life simply by stepping foot through the front doors. That’s what makes this group truly interesting; the fact that we can escape from ourselves by entering the culture of moviegoers. This tells us that people in general have this inner ability deep within them guiding them through a stairway of happiness.