Streaming Screen Struggles
Increasingly, directors and viewers are raising concerns about the darkened aesthetic of modern cinema and television shows. As a result, many feel that the content’s visual appeal can hamper comprehensibility and viewer enjoyment.
Recent Problems with Dim Streamed Content
The horror movie, Immaculate, fell victim to this issue. Its director, Michael Mohan, shared his concerns about the movie’s exceptional darkness during streaming. The darkened visuals led the film into significant criticism, as it was deemed ‘humorously dark.’ Mohan conceded that the streaming resulted in unintended darkening and expressed regret over his lack of control over the distinct compression specifications that different platforms deploy.
Mohan was not alone in his disappointment. The director of Orphan: First Kill, William Brent Bell, communicated similar difficulties with his film’s dark release.
The Hollywood Darkness Trend
Meanwhile, the broader Hollywood community exhibits an obvious trend toward darker movie and television show aesthetics. Productions are being shot with inherently low light, which can be a barrier for viewers without peripherals like well-calibrated 4K TVs.
Though the underpinning darkness creates a unique cinematic vibe, it often eclipses the story, resulting in a suboptimal viewer experience. This fact was evident in Solo: A Star Wars Movie, where the thoroughly dark scenes made the plot challenging to follow, even with the right theater exhibition.
This fascination for darkness is not confined to films, with popular TV series like House of the Dragon also joining the trend, to the chagrin of many viewers.
The Fight Against Streaming Darkness
TV plays an integral part in introducing series and films to the public. Given the volume of content consumed via streaming platforms, it’s imperative to cater to viewers’ diverse conditions. Thus, leading streaming platforms should consider the numerous brightness levels inherent in filming and optimize them for average home viewers.
Lightening the Viewing Experience
On the one hand, users can address this problem by ensuring correct screen calibration. With appropriate settings like Dolby Vision Bright and a gamma around 1.8, they can remarkably improve their viewing experiences. However, the onus to provide top-grade streaming quality falls predominantly on the platforms.
To Summarize
The aesthetic choice to shoot in low light can be visually appealing, but it can also alienate a large part of the audience without ideal viewing conditions. Striking a balance is necessary to accommodate artistic ambition and viewer satisfaction.
The dark trend in films and TV shows is growing, but what do you think about it? Have any 4K settings tips to share? Let us know in the comments.
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