A Visual Study of Computer GUI in Cinema

Even when the UI is complex, it's to advance along a certain plot point -- that the actor is interfacing with or observing some hugely complicated computer system. And even then, whatever you need to know clearly stands out from the background UI art

Contrast that to the way people actually interface with computers -- all the information that is not necessary, the searching and ferreting out of little bits of data here and there that you then need to assemble, or the waste of time absorbing information that advances nothing at all (lolcats, anyone?)

At first, back when they thought a cool UI was simple text, nobody noticed. But now as computers become more immersive, it's clearer and clearer that the idea of a computer advancing along an external story is becoming tougher to dramatize -- because life isn't external to the system like it was before. The good guy doesn't do a bunch of outside, physical stuff and then type a question or two into a simple terminal and then get a simple answer. Instead stories are more about how technology melds with the person. Because of the change to immersive versus interactive relationships with technology, I think these stories are going to be much more difficult for writers and directors to master. For instance (trying to make up some example) little 10-year-old Joey may spend all his free time playing his favorite game, until he meets a killer online and over the period of several months the killer worms his way into the household, setting off a conflict between all of Joey's family. There could be a hell of a lot of drama and tension if hat happened in the real world, but trying to put that in a video format in a 2-hour slot looks really, really tough.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj6wytUwrf1qd...

The other thing I always enjoy checking out is the "code" being edited on screen - I remember spotting some great code in the movie Antitrust, but I cant remember what it was unfortunately.

EDIT: Request sent.