Sometimes I sit with my four years old son to watch TV with him. One of his favourite cartoons is Tom and Jerry. I noticed a great difference between the old episodes from the 80’s and 90’s to the new episodes they have produced now.
Among other things, the difference is also in the level of detail. In the old versions, if you notice the interiors of the homes Tom and Jerry rampage through, you will see beautifully conceptualized and extremely aesthetic furnishing, wall tapestries and colour schemes. The detail of Jerry’s humble little place are a delight to watch. It’s like there is so much to see in a single frame.
Conversely, the newer versions seem almost ugly in their lack of sensitive detail. They rely on the frames moving fast and erratic, the characters relying on faster machines and gadgets and a largely lackluster scene. Perhaps the difference is owing to the new versions being produced via digital graphics whereas the old versions were hand painted painstakingly, frame by frame.
Lately, I have also started noticing this lack of detail in contemporary music and even drama. The most reknowned Pakistani songs from the 60’s and 70’s have enormous depth and variation in the notes. Today, only a very few compositions match that level. No wonder, of late, a Pakistani program called Coke Studio has become an international hit because each performance has been composed with a lot of effort and contains wide variety of compositional variation.
This lack of detail in electronic footage is reflective of our fast paced mindset. We want quick results, more programmes to fill the gargantuan voids of airtime with numerous 24 hr channels. With more live channels and an immense pressure to keep ahead of competitors with the same set of artistes, there are few profound scripts, almost no rehearsals, very few great ideas and a lot of mediocrity and borrowed concepts; executed clumsily.
Worse is the state of the news channels which ironically have a greater viewership in Pakistan, than entertainment channels. In a bid to break news first and keep the maximum number of viewers glued to their screens, many news channels compromise on the integrity and authenticity of the information reported… and then, even fail to apologize for erroneous reporting.
I find these missing details in media as important as the life we’re missing out on… on a daily basis. The bus trip for an office commuter engrossed in listening to music on his phone is not the same bus trip for another commuter with his attention to the detail around him. The light falling on the trees, the clouds in the sky, the fascinating expression of fellow passengers, the sights, sounds and smells… these make up our daily experience of LIFE… if we are giving attention that is.
Maybe we ought to learn a lesson or two from Nature itself. It has breathtaking beauty, minute detail and is in absolutely no hurry!