Curation in the Age of Streaming and DVDs | Hacker News Reader

Curation in the Age of Streaming and DVDs

4 pointsxtiansimon5 comments

In the 'old days' of broadcast & cable TV you'd turn on the television and watch _what is on_. This list of media was curated by the networks--what they can get and what's available. You'd sit down and go through the listing and once in a while be surprised and find joy when an old favorite was scheduled.

For example, during the holiday season I watch old Christmas movies to get into the holiday spirit. I will certainly find the usual suspects: _It's a Wonderful Life_ (1946), _Bishop's Wife_ (1947), _White Christmas_ (1954). Then, once in a blue moon I'll see _Christmas Eve_[[1]] (1947) with George Raft and Randolph Scott [[2]]--a quirky movie with an eccentric mother who runs a train set on her dining table to serve tea to guests [[3]] (It's the best trope in the film, and every reason to rewatch it).

Today there is so much new content.

I'm trying to clear up my thoughts on this idea of *what compells us to rewatch an old favorite*. I'm fixated on the fact that in the 'ol days you didn't have much choice. This made watching classics fun, like a rediscovery. You watched what was on (and there's a bit of convincing yourself you were happy to watch something you hadn't seen in a while), and it was a mini-event. To find Christmas Eve scheduled, you would realize this showing might be the only chance to see it until next year.

Now with streaming and DVDs, you can watch whatever you want when you want to watch it. But this has taken away the fun of re-watching old classics. Now, it feels like it's just a playlist. Where's the joy?

In the social media age you can find curated lists of what's _good_, or what's _popular_, and then stick into your list a surprise classic.

What other forms of curation have you run into or can you imagine that compel us to rewatch classics?

[1]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039266/ [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVGFGmoltDs&t=33s [3]: https://youtu.be/YUH5sRfjYmQ?t=315

Less is More?

IMO What you are after is not curation per se (Personally, I use this list [0] to curate good old movies myself)

What you are seeking is different: (very) limiting choice (=rewatch classics / compel us) and the whole experience ("just a playlist. Where's the joy?")

IMO there is no tech solution to this. The digital is about abundance. artificially creating scarcity seems esthetical to me.

Maybe you should make it more of a social experience? invite friends/family/community for a special night on a home cinema ? or in some Revival house [1] ?

[0] https://www.theyshootpictures.com/notes.htm

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revival_house

I’m interested in the mechanics, I guess, ‘mechanism’ of engagement for rewatching. Yes, scarcity in the ‘ol days. Today, social media distributed lists. And, as suggested a social experience/event.

I’m not looking for a technological solution, but trying to understand the psychological mechanics of rewatching for entertainment, nostalgia, joy, etc.

Maybe in the ‘ol days the magic of rewatching was forced by scarcity. How does one come to multiple, annual, rewatching without this mechanism?

(Meta question—was I supposed to add ‘Ask HN’ to the title?)

> psychological mechanics of rewatching

When it gets to the psychological, it gets hard. Everyone is different.

In my case, I browse my personal library and just feel like rewatching that movie. For me, that's for enough as a mechanism. I don’t need further “artificial” rituals.

> How does one come to multiple, annual, rewatching

Again, IMO you will have to create for yourself the experience that is “magical” to you specifically. It can be difficult to do it on your own (you may feel like cheating yourself). That’s why I suggested the social aspect that can makes it feel more "genuine".

Ok. Your reply essentailly says the simplest solution answers the question, why make it more complicated? That's a valid point. Let me offer more details.

This question is my attempt at a generalization of a problem, wrapped in an idea of how I came to be a person who likes (or used to like) rewatching movies.

Today, I own exactly 12 movies which I enjoy rewatching. Twelve movies I would rewatch virtually anytime I'm bored. Don't get me wrong. I'm not watching only these twelve movies. I watch any one of them a few times per year.

The rest of the time I like borrowing DVDs from my local Library--new movies, serial programs, and movies/films I want to rewatch. And like you say, "I browse... [the] library and just feel like rewatching that movie." AND, there are some movies at my local library which I enjoy rewatching, but don't yet care to own.

The problem. Recently, my local library deacquisitioned one of my rewatch movies, Wes Anderson's _The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou_ (2004), Criterion no less. If you ask why this was removed from the collection, they give the canned answer, not enough people are checking it out. But I think there is some bias in the decision. We also have a copy of Gunga Din (1939) "Adventure story of three English soldier comrades battling the savage punjabs in India..." Ah. Ok.

What compells us to rewatch movies? What can a library do to increase circulation of old movies? How can a library deacquisition more intelligently and in alignment with the community of patron's preferences?

> increase circulation of old movies

> compells us to rewatch movies

Yeah, I always wonder why people have to always watch the latest (and not greatest), while 100 years of cinema have produced great wealth. IMO people have so much easy media to consume these days, it is almost impossible to convince them if they are not already fans.

Also, it is not just libraries that are deacquisitioning back catalogues. Majors streaming services have less and less of these old movies. It is mostly a financial decision (in both cases)

So, these are the dynamics in play IMO. I don't have any solutions for the public in general.

However, if you are already always "compelled to rewatch", there are "official" options like the criterion subscription [1]. Otherwise, You can always find it somewhere online.. (To try before you buy...)

[1] https://www.criterionchannel.com/

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