Close encounters with the third screen

This piece cost me many hours of sleep, but was a ton of fun to work on. In this week’s Current, Ashley Lindstrom takes a look at how the “third screen” (i.e., iPhones and other portable media devices) will impact movie theaters and how we watch films in general. (The “second screen” is TV.)

My editor suggested tying the story in with this summer’s movie season, so I rounded up some of the more recognizable characters so far (sorry, Iron Man), stuck them in a movie theater, but gave them all iPhones (except for Maxwell Smart back there on a shoe phone, and Sex and the City’s Samantha, with a cocktail). Even though Harrison Ford looks more like Mel Gibson (or Ed O’Neill), I actually really like this piece, particularly WALL•E — is it possible to love a character before you’ve seen the movie he’s in? (Too late, I want one.)

Finished cover after the jump. The new issue is on newstands today and online at sacurrent.com!