David Lynch Says Cellphone Movie Viewers Are Being "Cheated"

Filmmaker David Lynch bashes the idea of watching a movie on your cellphone in this segment from the Inland Empire limited edition DVD. Someone took the footage and added the music from Apple's iPhone commercial in the background.

I once heard someone say the following theory (sorry, I don't know who to attribute this to). The length of content can usually be determined by the space between the screen and the audiences. People sit 50 feet from the big screen in movie theaters, to watch 2-3 hour long films. Families sit 10 feet from the television to watch a half-hour to one-hour long television program. I sit two feet away from my computer screen to watch a short film or video podcast. And I hold my iPhone less than a foot from my eyes to watch small youtube clips.

There are many exceptions to this theory, but for the most part this is how mainstream people consume content. I've watched hour long television shows on my iPod when I had no other means, but I usually prefer listening to podcasts, music, or radio programs instead. So in that sense, I agree with Lynch. You can't experience a film on an iPhone.