The lights dim, the movie projector kicks on and ads showcasing trailers of upcoming movies and telling people to silence their cell phones greet the audience.This may sounds like a traditional Friday night at the movie theater, but it was anything but traditional.More than 100 people packed HopKins Theatre for the debut of the film “South of Lost,” a cinematic experiment directed by communication studies graduate student Joey Watson.Complete with a  preview for “Ten Things I Hate About Commandments,” a mash-up of “The Ten Commandments” and “10 Things I Hate About You,” the film strives to entertain and explore how the film medium has changed and the varying ways audience perceive cinema.”‘South of Lost’ is not just about what we are seeing, but more about how we are seeing it,” Watson said. “As Robert Altman once said, ‘I’m not creating the event, the event creates itself.'”Using the film’s plot about the lives of a group of filmmakers and their relationships as a basis, Watson spends nearly two hours experimenting with diverse types of film and techniques to deliver the movie.Watson uses film formats ranging from 8-mm film to a camera on a cell phone to add visual depth to the story, such as the use of grainy film to depict the deteriorating perspective of a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.To add another layer to the  storytelling, the film incorlive performance, projection of additional video onto another wall, and even the use of other media such as a toy viewfinder passed around the audience.In one scene, two of the story’s characters are going to the Voodoo Music Experience in a stolen car when they are pulled over by the police. To depict the police, another video of the police car with flashing lights is displayed onto another wall. Suddenly the main screen goes black at a crucial moment and the scene ends with a live performer puts a portable video player on a stool in front of the audience.”Normal movie viewing isn’t the dominant form anymore,” Watson said. “I wanted to experiment on how we watch a film.”For many viewers, Watson’s experiment was successful.”It was really interesting and funny,” said Bryant Dixon, construction management junior. “The way the movie was shown was really unique and worked pretty well.”Ronald Rogers, business sophomore, said he liked the techniques.”Showing the different perspectives at the same time let me understand the movie better,” Rogers said. “It added more to the story.”But some weren’t as fond of  the techniques.”The plot was incoherent,” said Amber McKeena, biological sciences freshman. “It didn’t flow well, and I was confused with a few parts.”Watson wanted to test the way film can be seen, and for him, his experiences were worth it.”I wanted to show how the modern generation views things differently,” Watson said. “Working with the different ways,content can be delivered has been utterly liberating.”——Contact Jake Clapp at [email protected]