LOS ANGELES—To keep Twin Peaks audiences in suspense, David Lynch incorporated a loading screen in Season 3, Episode 8 of the cult TV series.
“I’m bucking the conventional cliffhanger and using this cinematographic device I invented at the dawn of the internet. Loading, or “buffering”, screens are an effective way to make your audience want more,” said Lynch.
At about the twenty-minute mark of the episode, a nuclear bomb explodes in slow motion in White Sands, New Mexico. Soon after, the loading screen appears, and sporadically interrupts the mushroom cloud.
“Using loading screens isn’t easy,” said Lynch. “You want audiences to feel the suspense, frustration, and anger that the characters feel. You want your audience to participate vicariously, to feel just as frustrated as, say, Dale Cooper. You can’t put loading screens too early on because your audience has to be emotionally invested in the film first.
“Then, bam, it comes out of nowhere. The loading screen should be there for about 5 seconds, and then the mushroom cloud interrupts the loading screen, and then after 2 minutes, the loading screen appears again. See?
“This way, while you watch the mushroom cloud, you also never know when the loading screen will reappear. And when the loading screen does appear, you never know when the mushroom cloud will reappear. Double suspense!”
Unique and daring, Lynch has long been a trendsetter in the world of cinema. As of this morning, many other directors have begun to emulate Lynch by incorporating loading screens in their films.
Categories: Entertainment
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