As someone without epilepsy and zero experience (no friends or relatives afflicted), do you know if a situation is coming on? If you were watching TROS and some flashing or whatever started, do you have time to avert your gaze or close your eyes or whatever, or is the response immediate? In other words, if you see Palpatine raise his hands and some flashing lightning (I'm assuming this is the sort of stuff those warnings are about?) start coming out, is there time to protect yourself from any flashing type effects/stimuli if you do it quick enough? Or is it "once it starts, too late"?
Sorry for a stupid question, but I have no background in this.
I remember a notice posted on the box office window for
Cloverfield back in 2008, warning about possible motion sickness/nausea from all the handheld, "amateur" camera footage capturing the event. I think that was the first time I'd ever seen such a notice posted at a movie theater. I kinda went into it a little edgy only because I get car sick like nobody's business (if I'm not driving, I have to sit in the passenger seat and concentrate 100% on the road, otherwise...
). To my surprise, the movie didn't bother me (I actually saw it twice in the theater, with no negative effects). But I do know people who get
very queasy/puke-prone at shaky, quick-cut footage in some movies and they always take those warnings seriously (my Dad got sick as a dog during one of those Bourne movies years ago, during some chase/fight sequence; he wasn't right for an hour or two afterwards).