As reported by the New York Times, ushers at China’s National Center use laser pointers to gently dissuade audience members from using their phones during performances.

“It’s usually only a small fraction of the audience that we have to deal with,” said Wang Chen, an employee of the Shanghai Grand Theater. “They can’t help themselves. So we try to give them a gentle reminder, so they know what they’re doing.”

Major Chinese performance theaters such as the National Center, the Shanghai Grand Theater, and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center have taken further steps to make sure their performances are phone-free. Some big name venues have gone so far as to employ phone-jamming technology so that audience members are unable to receive phone calls or texts, a controversial policy that is illegal in countries like the United States.

However, breaking the rules may not be such a big deal in China, especially when there aren’t any. Although the performing arts centers have issued guidelines to its employees on the use of laser pointers, the devices are largely unregulated in China compared to the rigid laws of the USA.

The use of laser pointers can be so distracting to performers that some would rather let audience members use their phones. Last month, the Royal Shakespeare Company asked performance halls to refrain from using laser pointers during its China tour, preferring to brave the slings and arrows that a phone disturbance can bring.

Not all theaters are discouraging audiences from using their phones. In fact, some movie theaters are openly encouraging it. Called “bullet screen“, movie audiences can use their phones to send text messages that appear onscreen for the whole audience to see. Whether bullet screen will find its way into live theater however remains to be seen.

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“Bullet screen” is a feature where viewers can comment on the movie they’re watching by scanning a QR code and then writing a text on their phones. The comments appear on the screen in real-time, scrolling from right to left.

The bullet screen is wildly popular among the younger tech-savy demographic. The feature debuted in Beijing and Shanghai theaters last August in films like Tiny Times 3 (above) and The Legend of Qin, which allowed viewers to voice their personal opinions to everyone else watching the film.

Bilibili and Wanda, which run the bullet screens, have now collaborated to bring the interactive experience to Guangzhou audiences.

What’s it like to watch a bullet screen movie? Well, for one thing, virtually everyone in the movie theater is using a phone, like this:

Here’s an example of a bullet screen to experience for yourself. This is the music video Together for the movie Temporary Roommates. If you’re wondering what these messages are saying, they include things like “this is boring”, “this is stupid”, bad words written in numerical code, and wondering what’s going on in the video or movie that they don’t understand.

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Many like to think of the cinema as a place that lets their mind wander; something that takes them to different worlds and lets their imagination run wild. In order to do that, you need peace and quiet — which is why cinemas provide advertisements reminding guests to turn off their phones and avoid taking during the film.

Some cinemas in China, however, are going in the complete opposite direction. Chinese audiences aren’t only encouraged to complain about the movie they are watching, but share their comments with the rest of the audience—by having them projected on the movie screen.

Theaters in Beijing and Shanghai have begun experimenting with a live commenting system through which audiences can share a comment by sending a text message from their phone, reports Sohu Entertainment. Messages are then projected directly on the screen over the film, or onto an adjacent screen.

The Legend of Qin is an animated film that has tried the new feature in 50 theaters in Beijing and Shanghai since it was released on August 8. Shen Leping, the film’s director, is very enthusiastic about it, saying:

We are exploring how the response from the audience can affect the movie itself… We are, in fact, putting the director and viewer on equal terms and I think many of the opinions of the viewers are very helpful for film makers.

The screenings that feature live commenting predominantly feature young audiences, 80% of whom are 24 years old or younger. This demographic is more familiar with live commenting, which is already used online. Called danmu, or “bullet screen” for the way words scroll from right to left like bullets, live commenting on videos puts user content on equal terms with the video content. Originating from Japan, two Chinese websites that have popularized the danmu are ACFun and Bilibala.

To give you a taste of what this experience is like, here’s a video (below) with live commenting enabled. The video shows a video-taped confession of Taiwanese actor Kai Ko, who was arrested on drug charges along with Jaycee Chan. Screenshots are first provided, and then with a video clip below.

Having moved from the internet and onto the silver screen, audiences can use the live commenting system to bring their own snark and sarcasm as they enjoy watching a movie through the interface of their own phone.

Photos: Sohu Entertainment, CCTV English

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