Watching movies, especially those made in the 40s and 50s, can be a lesson in what you don’t see that adds to every screen. What am I talking about?

Let’s start with the MUSIC written to fit all the emotions of the picture you are watching. Example: When the picture opens, the music leans toward a theme that quietly (except in the James Bond movies) leads you into the first sounds of the score. The melody is then present throughout the picture as the actors move the story toward the plot’s development. It can change to emotions of sound that can feel romantic, sad, or scary. Music definitely does not get enough attention except in the Best Movie Songs category awarded in the Academy Awards shows on TV.

Going forward, most viewers also don’t appreciate how important each scene is “cut,” which moves the location or actors forward as the story unfolds. As one who writes screenplays, I have learned to pay attention to how the director views each scene and then applies the forward movement of advancing the story. It is like a “cut and paste” option from the director’s viewpoint. Poor editing can hurt the storytelling, leaving the viewer lost in following the plot.

Another aspect that is probably the most important element in a movie is the dialogue. It is one of the most important parts for each actor. On TV, when I tune into older movies, the one thing that stands out to me is how corny the dialogue was written in those days—even the best of good actors couldn’t improve it. Time advanced and so did the writing, toning down how loud the lines were read. Blame this on the technical side of what the industry had to work with back then. As I was one of the kids who went to the movies often, I had no idea what the movie industry would become today. But to be honest, I still love the stories told and the actors who gave such wonderful performances. John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Roy Rogers, Gene Evans, and all the others made it a wonderful day where a quarter could buy you a box of popcorn and a drink to boost the fun of being in a movie house with your girlfriends on a Saturday afternoon.

In our modern movie theaters today, we also have big visual selections to pick from with standard, extra-large, and three-dimensional screens, as well as the kind of seats we want to sit in. Recliners and cuddle seats with heat or cooling are now possible in the selection process that comes with the tickets we buy. In the extra-large theaters, I can actually feel the bass sounds hitting in my chest. This is just my opinion, so I usually skip the extra-large or 3-D option, settling for the standard ticket, which is visually better for my eyes and loud enough for me to jump each time before something scary happens.

All in all, you might say noticing all these things takes away from the joy of just seeing a movie without watching the technical aspects on the screen. But I have found such wonder in all the things a good movie can be in the hands of those who have the talent to tell a story that can make you cry or laugh or just out-and-out scare the bejeepers out of you (think JAWS). I also love the fact I can tape movies on my TV and, at any time of the day, enter the world of make-believe. How lucky we all are in this time of 24-hour entertainment available. It sure beats the news that, like movies, can scare us in ways we never thought possible.