Who doesn’t love a bit of escapism? Movies, TV shows, they help us to block out the real world while we dissolve into a new - flashier, and far more dramatic existence.
Unfortunately nothing breaks the illusion faster than seeing something wholly unrealistic crop up. As someone who’s working, and personal life pretty much revolves around phones nothing disrupts my escape more than a stupid mobile mistake.
In no particular order, these are the five most frustrating mobile phone mistakes that filmmakers constantly make.
#1. Starting every text conversation as a blank slate
Every. Single. Text. Conversation. Is. The. First. One.
You know how it looks, the big blank space at the top of the phone and just three perfect (and comically large) speech bubbles down the bottom.
Why do filmmakers do this? Even when they explicitly say that the two characters have been messaging previously these messages just do not exist. Are we meant to believe that these psychopaths delete every message they send to each other?
Please stop.
#2. Phones changing between seasons
This one is pretty niche, but once you start seeing it it is difficult to ignore it. Characters seemingly change phones every season, which would be passable I guess if they were constantly upgrading their handsets. But they’re not.
A lot of the time characters are downgrading phones, or even changing between Apple and Android between seasons. Look, we review phones and sure there is a lot of switching going on, but come on. Who in their right mind is chopping and changing between operating systems and handsets that often?
Literally no one.
It's even worse when a new season brings an upgraded model, but starts on the same day the previous season ended.
#3. Everyone having each others numbers somehow, even if they’ve never met
Teen dramas are a fiend for this one. Every one in a town happens to just have each other’s numbers, conveniently. Sure back in the day you could grab a phone book, but retro TV shows and films actually showed characters taking this step! Tracking down numbers, asking people for it. Not anymore.
Now it seems like every small town (I’m looking at you Riverdale) has some cloud based mobile directory where simply entering the bubble will just give you everyone’s phone number. Conveniently saved to your phone.
Thanks, I hate it.
#4. Never actually saying hello or goodbye on the phone
*Ring ring* Who’s that calling? Oh it’s your manners you left them when you entered this TV universe. Characters seem to forget basic phone etiquette as soon as they’re on the screen.
A phone call comes in, they answer and just launch directly into conversation. When the important plot points have been conveyed the phone call just ends. No awkward back and forth saying goodbye, no “okay bye", yeah bye", "Talk soon!" "Okay, I’m hanging up now”.
Very unrealistic, which actually brings me to my next point.
#5. Not tapping the screen to answer or hang up a call
Not only are our characters just being rude, they’re also not answering their phone calls (or hanging them up). While old school phones - the ones with cords - used to answer immediately when you picked them up to your ear, this doesn’t work anymore.
Nowadays if you want to answer a call you actually have to tap the button to accept it. AND, to hang up you also need to tap the button again. I know, it’s wild and clearly not something anyone has bothered pointing out to filmmakers.
Anula Wiwatowska
Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram
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