Smell o vision just bad idea for movies

[lambert]

BBC had an article recently on someone coming up with a wearable device around neck dispensing smells during films. What could go wrong? Various schemes have happened over the years with mostly dismal results. Many more folks have extreme sensitivity to strong scents. It may be appropriate for some virtual reality experiences like they have in Orlando at the Star Wars experience ( sorry don’t remember exact name). That used heat and fans at various points.

[paulears]

I remember a brief fad with this in maybe 1994/5? I had been involved in a themed attraction where people walked through a graveyard, swamp and other scary settings where there were real performers who scared the sh*t out of them. In the crypt was a 'dead body', with scent machines of rotting flesh, that would power up and as the grave opened, blow the disgusting smell at people. The marsh had the smell of sulphur and the other areas had equally unpleasant smells. The cast got very used to them and didn't notice, but quite a few people threw up with the smell, so disinfectant was even more unpleasant.

The one thing was that people could not agree on what the smells were. some people smelt death and decay, others thought it was toffee, the musty smell of the crypt smelled like old socks to some. I don't think it lasted two years before they moved on.

[morgan_moore]

..
The one thing was that people could not agree on what the smells were. some people smelt death and decay, others thought it was toffee, the musty smell of the crypt smelled like old socks to some. I don't think it lasted two years before they moved on.

THe idea should not be writtend off just because the 'smellomatographer' was bad (early cinematographers were bad too). Probably one reason we are reasonably cool watching tv/film about serial killers and other horrors is that we cant smell.

One could think with appropriate smell such scenes would be as unpalletable as they should be and it would probably put us off seriel killer 'porn' (and rightly so??)

Of course there is a world of cakes and spice markets not to mention perfume to be 'recorded' which could be very pleasant.

[Greg_E]

This would probably drive me away from theaters completely, they would need to have dedicated areas in the front for movies without smell. Almost all perfumes cause me problems.

Doesn't Disney run smell systems on many of their rides? Never been to one, but I thought I'd read of this being used to "enhance" the ride.

[Jim Feeley]

I totally agree about Smell-O-Vision. But Oderama is another matter entirely. Some time in it's first/extended release I saw the John Waters film Polyester. Ya, well it was the early 1980s, man. The theater I saw it at charged a bit extra if you wanted a scratch-and-sniff Oderama card. I wisely/foolishly decided not to get one. But the concept was great. Or terrible... those two terms get pretty smooshed together in Waters' films.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyester_(film)

[Batutta]

Some people are trying to float that idea for virtual reality now, which is equally dumb. Maybe when we've gotten to the jack your entire nervous system into the matrix level VR, smell can be a useful creative tool but until then, no.

[mcbob]

Since when have bad ideas ever stopped a filmmaker?