I was watching
the behind the scenes of the making of
“Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.” A crew out in the outback just completely
focused on the movie. Guess what you DON’T see? Cell phones.
Yep. They are in
no-man’s land without that type of access. You know…it just occurred to me, years ago, as
I was out in the desert, a small border town called El Centro south of San
Diego, and close enough to Mexico, you can smell the beans and rice. I remember
doing a grueling shoot out there. This is when we really had brass balls to
shoot out in harms way. I just remember we were all holed up in the local
motel. No internet. No cell phones. Just us…making a movie. That’s the way it
should be. We bonded that way. And am still friends with those I spent time
with out in the desert. I love we were it. We HAD to be interesting people. Tell
stories. Build fires. Drink beers, and talk about what the next days shoot was
going to bring us. It’s amazing. The process. I miss it the most. When we could
look across from the other person and realize we’re all in the same boat.
With internet, Facebook, Instagram, Vine vids and whatever
other social media there is, I really believe we’ve set ourselves back in terms
of our humanity. So much easier to watch other people live. But…I personally
believe we’ve reached the limits of how removed we are with each other. I want
to change that. I need to change that. For my own benefit.
Recently, I spoke to a former co-worker who is in the
process of making his own movie. Without giving away plot, it entails a girl
who’s entire life was on the internet. Made friends from other countries,
traveled to different lands via Skype, shared music, and so forth. I told him
how sad that must be. He meant it to be a positive thing. That was alarming. I
couldn’t believe he thought a virtual life is acceptable. In essence, he believes
the new internet life is better than interpersonal ones. I find that incredibly
sad. But maybe he has a point. We can barely hold onto a conversation without
the other party wondering what’s on their phone. I’ve been mocked for not
having the newest smart phone. I don’t want it. I don’t need it.
And before you grill me over using the internet to vent or
blog, realize that I’m writing this at home now, no internet, on Word, for
which I later transfer onto the web at work. I’m not in that much of hurry to
post my thoughts. There’s no urgency to race to the next big thing. I just
enjoy a nice cigar while typing. Not bad.
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