Understanding Cinema: A Psychological Theory of Moving Imagery

296 Pages·2003·10.91 MB·english

by  Per Persson

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UNDERSTANDINGCINEMA
APsychologicalTheoryofMovingImagery
Understanding Cinema analyzes the moving imagery of film and television
fromapsychologicalperspective.PerPerssonarguesthatspectatorsperceive,
think,applyknowledge,infer,interpret,feel,andmakeuseofknowledge,as-
sumptions,expectations,andprejudiceswhenviewingandmakingsenseof
film.Drawingonthemethodsofpsychologyandanthropology,heexplains
howclose-ups,editingconventions,characterpsychologyandothercinematic
techniqueswork,andhowandwhytheyaffectthespectator.Thisstudyin-
tegratespsychologicalandculturalistapproachestomeaningandreception
innewways,anchoringthediscussioninconcreteexamplesfromearlyand
contemporarycinemaUnderstandingCinemaalsoexaminesthedesignofcin-
emaconventionsandtheirstylistictransformationsthroughtheevolutionof
film.
PerPerssoniscurrentlyresearcherattheNokiaResearchCenter,Helsinki.

Understanding Cinema
A Psychological Theory of Moving Imagery
Per Persson
  
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge  , United Kingdom
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambrid ge.org/9780521813280
© Per Persson 2003
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2003
- 
isbn-13 978-0-511-06474-6 eBook (NetLibrary)
- 
isbn-10 0-511-06474-8 eBook (NetLibrary)
- 
isbn-13 978-0-521-81328-0 hardback
- 
isbn-10 0-521-81328-X hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of
s for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents
ListofIllustrations pageix
PrefaceandAcknowledgments xi
1 UnderstandingandDispositions 1
Psychology:UnderstandingandDispositions 6
ParametersofDispositions 13
APsychologicalModelofReception 19
DiscourseandMeaning 21
Level0 26
Level1 28
Level2 29
Level3 30
Level4 32
Level5 33
SomeSpecificationsoftheModel 34
Conclusions 43
2 UnderstandingPoint-of-ViewEditing 46
HistoricalContextofPoint-of-ViewEditing 48
EarlyPoint-of-ViewasAttraction–Notas
SpatialArticulation 50
SpatialImmersionBegins 52
EditingbetweenAdjacentPlaces:Movement 54
EditingbetweenAdjacentPlaces:Gazing 56
FunctionsofPoint-of-ViewEditing 63
DeicticGaze 66
TheStructureofDeictic-GazeBehavior 67
Development 68
v
vi Contents
Functions 70
UniversalityandtheQuestionofOrigin 72
HowDoesPoint-of-ViewEditingWork? 74
EightHypotheses 75
Conclusions 92
ExplainingthePresenceofthePoint-of-ViewConvention
inMainstreamCinema 97
3 VariableFramingandPersonalSpace 101
PersonalSpace 102
Personal-SpaceInvasions 105
Personal-SpaceBehavior:AVehicleforCommunication 108
Conclusions 108
VisualMediaandPersonalSpace 109
PersonalSpaceandVariableFraming 110
EarlyCinema 110
ThreateningImageryofEarlyCinema 113
EmblematicShots:MarksofIntimacyand
EmotionalRepose 118
VariableFraminginMainstreamNarrativeCinema 121
“Closer-ups” 121
AnalyticalEditing:ExploitingPersonal-SpaceIntimacy 127
TheImportantForeground 130
ThreatRevisited 131
Voyeurism 138
Conclusions 141
4 CharacterPsychologyandMentalAttribution 143
Introduction 143
TextualTheoriesofCharacters 144
Reception-BasedTheoriesofCharacters 146
ThePsychologyofRecognitionandAlignment 149
LevelsofMeaning 150
Level0 152
Level1 152
Level2 152
Level3 152
Level4 153
Level5 153
Level6 154
WhyMentalStates? 158
“SubjectiveAccess”versus“MentalAttribution” 158
Contents vii
MentalAttributioninEverydayLife 159
AbilitywithBodyandGestureCues 159
FolkPsychology:ReasoningaboutMentalStates 161
TheMindandItsParts 163
EmotionsandTheirCauses 169
DeepPsychology 173
AdditionalRemarks 173
FolkPsychologyisaCulturalUnderstanding 174
PeoplewithDifferentFolkPsychologies 176
RelativismversusUniversality 177
Anthropomorphism:IntentionalStanceand
PsychologicalCausality 178
InstrumentalValueofFolkPsychology 181
FolkPsychology=Normality 181
MentalAttributionProcessesinReceptionofCinema 182
SomeGeneralPrinciples 183
TheMindsofCinematicCharacters 186
GoalsBringCoherencetoEvents 186
EmotionsareImportantMotivatorsforGoals
andActions 192
PerceptionsInformBeliefsthatConstrainGoals
andActions 193
TheEmotionsofCinematicCharacters 201
Positive/NegativeEmotions 202
Surprise 204
EventsCausedbyCircumstance,Other,orSelf 206
Appetitive/AversiveEmotions 209
Certain/UncertainEvents 210
Low/HighControlPotential 211
AdditionalRemarks 211
IntradiegeticAttributions 211
MentalAttributionsandTime 213
WhatisaRound/FlatCharacter? 216
NarrativeCausalityisPrimarilyaPsychological
Causality 217
TextandMentalAttribution 220
TextualTechniques 220
ActingversusSituation 221
CreatingPsychologicallyRichSituations 222
NonarbitraryConventions 231
Good/BadConventions 232
viii Contents
TheNarrativizationandPsychologizationofEarlyCinema 232
PsychologyasComplement? 236
ConcludingComments 242
5 TheCaseforaPsychologicalTheoryofCinema 247
Notes 251
References 261
Index 277