The Cinematic Dream

A Night at the Movies (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         In previous posts I've looked at the topics of dreams as they relate to movies.  My two most recent posts explored the topics of dreams that remake movies that we've recently watched and dreams that are presented in a "movie" format.  This current post will discuss the dreams that are cinematic by nature, but don't come across as what we define as a movie.

         A cinematic dream is one that is one that we watch but do not act as a participant.  The dream appears as though we are watching a film or at times even directing the action.   Sometimes there may be a specific story that we watch unravel and in certain cases we may know what is going to happen almost as though we have authored the story.   Since the dream is coming from our mind I think it might be accurate to say that we are indeed the authors of these dreams.

        The dreams that are not specifically presented as movies, we might "watch" them as such and think in movie terms as though we are an audience.  We might sense that we are in an audience or we might perceive that we are alone watching the dream.  The dream can appear on some unidentifiable medium or it can be specifically seem to be on television or on a movie screen.   The dream is a passive event much like watching a film.

         These are dreams that seem conducive to dream recording.  I would like to be able to record all of my dreams in order to replay them later so I could understand them better.  The dreams that seem cinematic might be the easiest ones to watch since we would be replicating the dream experience that we had already had.  Would seeing the dreams while we were awake and of waking mind drive us mad?  Dreams are often incomprehensible enough when we  think about them.  Perhaps seeing them could be dangerous to our mental state.  If it were possible to watch our dreams I think I would want to watch them by myself.   I would definitely want to screen all my dreams before allowing anyone else to watch them.  Sometimes dreams can be mighty peculiar.

        Do you sometimes "watch" dreams rather than participate in them?   Do you think artists dream in the mediums in which they work?   Perhaps did Shakespeare dream in plays?   Verdi in operas?  Salvador Dali in surrealistic imagery?     Have you ever created something based on a dream?  Would you like to be able to record your dreams so that you could watch them while awake?

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Movies in our Dreams: What's Playing in Your Head?

I'll See You in My Dreams (1951 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        In the previous post we discussed how specific movies might affect our dreams.  Sometimes my dreams take on a cinematic format.  The dream becomes my own movie in my mind.  There seems to be greater continuity than many typical dreams I have.  I feel as though I am part of an audience watching the dream movie in my internalized dream theater.

        Have you experienced any of these?

Movies with stories and actors --The dream seems to have a running storyline with a clearly identifiable plot.  There are dream actors whom you perceive to be actual actors in the dream movie.  Sometimes these actors may be actual actors whom you know from the entertainment media or they might be unidentifiable actors.   In some instances you may even find yourself in certain dream roles that you are able to watch as you simultaneously experience the action.

Special Effects--Your dream seems to have a special effects team creating disasters, fantastic creatures, or other unusual visuals that you sense to be fabricated and not something that is real.   Often if this happens you don't feel any sense of fear in situations where fear should be the normal reaction because you know that this is only a dream movie and the things you are seeing are not real.

Settings--The dream setting is obviously fake.  Buildings appear to be empty shells or merely false fronts. Backdrop scenery lacks complete dimension and seems to be a static representation rather than an actual place.   Rather than a geographically identifiable location the dream seems to occur in an artificial environment.

Previews and Advertisements--At some point during the dream you may see previews for other "movies" or even the current dream movie.   There might also be commercials or advertisements for products that are real or imagined.

Credits--Prior to or at the end of the dream you might recall seeing titles and credits

Commentary--As you "watch" your dream movie you might offer comments or hear a commentary in the background from someone else who is describing the story or certain aspects about what is happening.

        Do you ever watch movies in your dreams?   Which of the above situations have you had occur in a dream?    Do you think you actually dream the "movie" or  organize the memory after waking up as a movie in order to relate to the dream experience more easily?

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