Art, Wine, and Whimsy

It is no shockingly new revelation to anyone that obtrusively texting during inappropriate situations is becoming a global social pandemic. It’s such a problem that media reports about it have become redundant and uninformative. I felt that way as I started to read the following article from the Chicago Tribune entitled, “The lure of the LED screen.” My mind quickly changed when I realized the depth of this article, as it touches on not only the poor, disruptive manners of it, but also the physiological consequences of the “addiction” (the quotes are to credit the article, although I certainly am not at all opposed to using that word in reference to the phenomenon).

“The lure of the LED screen,” by Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune

Thematically, this article fits with a short film I co-wrote and art directed last summer for the 48 Hour Film Festival in Chicago, where it was actually the runner up for the Audience Choice Award. It is a slightly satirical social commentary on the same issue, although outside the confines of darkened theaters. Enjoy!

UnSociable Media

A number of Broadway stars have been reprimanded by critics for stopping shows mid-performance to scold audience members for texting in the theater. Patti LuPone stopping “Rose’s Turn” and holding the show until the patron was escorted out by an usher? That’s ballsy.  It may be a bit dramatic too, but it is theater after all. I have two simple words that have gotten me through scores of performances of varying degrees of quality, for those who are endlessly seduced by the subtle vibration of a text message: Airplane Mode. You don’t have to be 10,000 feet in the air for it to work properly.