MOVIE NIGHTS
Friday Film Fest: Circuit Movie Nights during the Pandemic
For a college student, there may be no greater feeling in the world than that which a Friday gives. Every time a new week starts, Friday serves as a beacon of hope and excitement. It’s a day of opportunity: making plans to go out and have fun with friends or simply kick back and stay at home to relax with your favorite show or video game. Fridays are also, moreover, always awaited for UP Circuit’s Movie Nights, a gathering of the organization’s members in a makeshift theater for film screenings and bonding between members. What was once a space engulfed with the smell of popcorn and filled with shared laughter and memories is now reduced to an online watchparty of dozens of individuals alone in their rooms, separated by great distances apart.
The usual patrons and those already familiar with the Movie Night setup before the pandemic can vividly remember the general structure and atmosphere of the event. Held either in Circuit’s tambayan or a reserved room in the institute, the film would always be playing from a projector. Moviegoers would organize to find food to bring to the movie — sometimes opting for delivery, oftentimes opting for the more budget-friendly option of a green kiosk’s sulit meals. Ever since the lockdown and the subsequent shift to remote learning, however, perhaps it’s necessary to ask: can the magic of this event really be translated online?
“We do movie nights because I believe it can serve as an avenue for the members to bond and to create a common ground between members [to talk about afterwards]” said Internal Affairs Vice President Jake Ko in an interview. Behind the curtains of any Movie Night is the Internal Affairs division, who see to the movie catalogues and logistical setup of the event every week. “We implement it weekly rin for the members to atleast have something to look forward to after a long week of doing acads”, he added. Currently, the online setup for movie nights may be found in UP Circuit’s official Discord server. With two dedicated channels for both audiovisual and text communication, the movies are streamed by the two hosts and are viewed by members in the same channel, where they are free to make comments in real time by using said text channels.
Going to the theaters before the pandemic was always pretty much the same process: you buy a ticket, find a seat, quietly watch the same movie with other patrons, leave, and talk about the movie afterwards with your peers. Granted that the online setup follows these same steps (without the entrance fees), how different can it really be? Freshman Ken Wu was first introduced to Circuit’s online Movie Nights as an applicant. From his first one watching John Wick, Ken has risen up to join Internal Affairs and become one of Movie Night’s organizers. He has since helped stream weekly films with relevant themes, sometimes to the current situation, and at other times relevant to the values and humor that resonate with the organization. Although he is still just a freshman, never having experienced the physical setup of a Movie Night, Ken admits he feels the night and day difference between the two.
“I was still adapting to Discord. I really found it amazing that the shared graphics and audio was well executed” said Wu when interviewed. Although he finds that the setup is convenient and easily accessible to the members, he still feels like there are unavoidable inconveniences and factors inherent to the online platform. “Some inconveniences that I’ve experienced were due to weak network connectivity or insufficient knowledge on how Discord works, for example. The result usually ends with minor issues of disconnection or lower video quality.” Since his induction, Ken has hosted over 10 films on the server. Moreover, he states that this is not so much of a problem for many of the moviegoers each week. Many of them are able to enjoy the movie without much inconvenience, and are having lively and dynamic exchanges in the text channels. In spite of the liveliness and convenience, he admits there’s definitely something missing. “I think I’d much prefer the physical setup. Mas immersive talaga siya in many ways.”
At the end of the day, it’s all about hoping to end a hectic week on a good note: movies, friends, and laughter. “I think it’s important to hold movie nights on Fridays because it gives a sense of reward for making it through the week despite the unending academic workload. I think it’s good kasi to end the week bonding with your friends”, Jake elaborated. Though the distances between its audience proves to be a great challenge, it does little to suppress the efforts of its supportive patrons and organizers in maintaining such a tradition. At the end of the week, pandemic or not, Circuit still provides a place for its members to look forward to. In the end, maybe the magic isn’t too difficult to translate; all that is needed is the excitement to join the next one and enjoy the show.
