Lesson 5 Spectatorship Lesson 1

FM4 – Popular Film & Emotional Responses

A2 FILM STUDIES

You will learn by the numbers I will teach you!

Learning Objectives

Identify Key Terms:

Reception Theory

Analyse the factors that influence how we choose a film to view

Analyse how filmmakers create response and communicate with their audience

Evaluate the use of Central & A-Central Imagining in Full Metal Jacket

http://www.wallpapergate.com/data/media/286/Full_Metal_Jacket_002.jpg


Reception Theory

Reception theory hoped to be a more sophisticated approach to studying audiences concentrating more on those who consume a text than the text itself.

When the text is encoded certain ideologies are in dominance. The audience decodes

the message in multiple ways and this is dependant on the cultural background of the person.


Reception Theory

Reception Theory states that an audience may respond in one of three ways based on their reading of a film and how they ‘decode’ the meanings / ideologies placed in to the text by the filmmaker

Preferred Reading – taking an intended reading of the film identifying and agreeing with all messages encoded in to

the text

Oppositional Reading – the viewer does not identify the meanings encoded in to the text and their own personal ideologies / experiences form an alternate

meaning within the text

Negotiated Reading – the viewer identifies most of the meanings encoded in to the text but does not agree with, or take the full meaning


Reception Theory

Reception Theory dictates that a film does not have any meaning without the spectator

Meaning is only generated when the spectator views the text and ‘decodes’ it

Meaning deals with themes and specific scenarios

Response is an all-encompassing interaction with the film as a whole

What is the difference between ‘Meaning’ and ‘Response’?

Platoon’s meaning is clear – War is bad and we must learn from it or face the

same consequences

Response to Platoon would be varied and dependent on many factors, including life

experiences, age, social/political factor

etc…


Making sense of film...

The question ‘How do individuals make sense of feature film?’ has been asked many times over the years and has elicited many different answersThere are many different approaches to film criticism but most agree on this:

Film spectatorship – or at least the most interesting aspects of it – is a conscious activity

Joseph Anderson claims:

Joseph AndersonAuthor of:

‘An Ecologica

l approach

to Cognitive

Film Theory’

“Making sense of film is significantly the same as making sense of the real world” He went on to say that the “spectator uses the same conceptual and perceptual systems when interacting with a real life 3D object, to make sense of 2D cinematic objects “



Spectatorship theorists see desire as central to our understanding of spectatorship

This desire not only relates to our response to a film but also to the types of film we choose to watch If we are presented with a choice of:1. an intellectually demanding film2. one which is provocative3. one which is throw away spectacular

fun

we will decide which best matches your desire at that

given point



If we choose the ‘spectacular fun’ (aka James Bond) option we will most likely take a preferred reading as the experience demands a suspension of disbelief and an acceptance if it is to be spectacular and fun

Even though, in another state of mind we would find the sexism, militarism, and violence as something we would not endorse at other times.

In other words we are freely choosing to become aligned with the characters and scenarios

The Bond movies require a

suspension of disbelief and

acceptance of its encoded meanings if we are to enjoy

them



“In other words we are freely choosing to become aligned with the

characters and scenarios”

The Bond movies require a

suspension of disbelief and

acceptance of its encoded meanings if we are to enjoy

them

What impact can this have on the emotional response to take from a

film?

Can you say we are restraining our critical faculties in favour of a

desired response?

If yes, then can we say that our emotional response can be determined by our desires?

Can you think of a film that you over-hyped, thought you liked it but later

admitted it was rubbish?


Textual & Extra Textual

Interaction between director and spectator can be achieved through the manipulation of the following information:

Textual – information provided by the text itself

Extra-textual – information existing in the mind of the spectator


Influencing your response

From our study so far we have identified FOUR factors that can influence our response to a film:

Personal Experience – life experiences and personal ideologies

Desires – what we desire/want at the moment we chose a film to watch

Textual – information provided by the text itself

Extra-textual – information existing in the mind of the spectatorCan you think of four films were your response has been dependant on each

of these factors?



Most films are constructed in a way that enable us to suspend our disbelief and emerge ourselves within the narrative

Through the use of slick cinematography and invisible editing we cease thinking of the film as a ‘film’ Instead we buy in to the ‘reality’ of the film

However other films draw attention to the film as a ‘textual construct’ –

Wayne’s World (1992)

frequently reminds the

audience that they are

watching a constructed reality – a

textual construct

Directors can invite the spectator to take pleasure in acknowledging that the film is in fact, a film – a construct – and meaning is created between the filmmaker and the spectator, not through the film itself


Central Imagining

Arguably the central function of spectatorship is:Central Imagining

This refers to an immersion in the film There are certain times when a spectator experiences ‘central-imagining’ – when a film recreates physical sensations such as falling over or walking in a daze

In theory Central-Imagining is the merging of the spectator with the film – when the cinematic experience is felt physically

Central Imagining is often expressed as ‘I feel...’Imax and other technologies provide more opportunity for ‘central-imagining’

This effect was first felt in the Lumiere Brothers’ film:“Entrée d'un train en gare de la Ciotat“

(1897)


Central Imagining

The following clips encourage spectators to experience ‘Central Imagining’ – a response that can be felt physically

Watch them and make notes on HOW these response are generated

This effect was first felt in the Lumiere Brothers’ film:“Entrée d'un train en gare de la Ciotat“

(1897)

Central Imagining means we link personal experiences to the scenes in the film. We understand emotion in film the same way we do in real life.

However, film also has music, cinematograph, mise-en-scene, editing etc to enhance and guide our emotional responses


Central Imagining

‘Alien’ extract – can generate a physical scare in audiences. The film restricts information through lighting and the tight space connotes entrapment and claustrophobia

The quick sharp reveal of the Alien, its hideous design and the sound effects/music are designed to shock audience – and it usually works.

Alien is connecting the film with REALITY – fear of the dark and fear of the unknown are universal fears and the film taps in to these fears to generate a response

Would you define this extract from ‘Alien’ as ‘A CENTRAL’ or ‘CENTRAL’?

Support your point with analysis!

“Making sense of film is significantly the same as making sense of the real world”He went on to say that the “spectator uses the same conceptual and perceptual systems when interacting with a real life 3D object, to make sense of 2D cinematic objects “


A-Central Imagining

Most of the time film spectators operate in the ‘I imagine that...’ mode – meaning they do not feel the physical effects but can imagine how a certain sensation may feel

‘A Central’ imaging mostly relies on our ‘EXTRA TEXTUAL’ information to generate a response

A-Central imagining is often expressed as “I imagine that...”

“I imagine that being in a fire-fight must be terrifying and a self preservation survival instinct would cut in”


A -Central Imagining

The following clips encourage spectators to experience ‘A-Central Imagining’ – a response that cannot be felt physically – rather it is a psychological response

Watch them and make notes on HOW these response are generated

Now write at least one paragraph analysing HOW an A CENTRAL response was

generated by the film



Another way of defining our responses can be to use the phrases

EMPATHY

SYMPATHYUnderstanding what others

are feeling because you

have experienced it

yourself or can put

yourself in their shoes.

Recognising what others are feeling

and the feeing of pity or

sorrow FOR someone

else’s misfortune

We can either FEEL FOR Pyle (sympathy) or KNOW what he is

feeling (empathy).

Our response it either ‘A CENTRAL’

(Sympathetic) or ’Central’ (empathetic)


Empathy Vs. Sympathy



Another way of defining our responses can be to use the phrases

EMPATHYUnderstandin

g what others are feeling

because you have

experienced it yourself or

can put yourself in

their shoes.

Drive a connection between the person

and the object/person being empathised with.

This connection has massive ramifications

for the types of response we experience

from film


Allegiance

Allegiance pertains to the moral evaluation of the characters by the spectator

Allegiance is another form of ‘identification’ with a character based on a wide range of external factors such as attitudes towards:

•Class•Race•Nation•Age•Ethnicity•Gender etc

Some people may identify or experience ‘allegiance’ to Pvt. Pyle having experienced bullying / intense hostility themselves


(A) Central Imagining

Using your handout from our ‘Alignment’ lesson, go through the scenes you have identified and note down whether you consider them to be ‘Cental-Imagining’ or ‘A-Central-imagining’

Watch the following extracts from ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and answer the following questions:

How does each scene align us with the characters?

Are these scenes examples of ‘Central Imagining’ or ‘A-Central Imagining’?(use ‘I feel’ & I imagine that...’)

Justify your answers!


Summary

Essentially when we view films we have a combination of responses ranging from preferred to oppositional to individual emotional responses

We as spectators can have our physical responses manipulated via Central imagining and our emotional responses manipulated by A-Central imagining

The A-Central Imagining depends on our extra-textual reading of a film whilst the central imagining depends on how the director uses the camera to elicit physical responses (shock, tears...)


Exam practice

Our emotional response to a film is determined by how we are made to

connect with characters.

How far has this been true for Full Metal Jacket?



We begin with an overall assessment of coherence – expectations are formed in our minds -

As a film spectator we begin a film with specific goals formed by a given background of knowledge and experience

We look for familiar narrative, genre conventions, and common cinematic techniques

We do this by bringing our knowledge of previous films and cinematic experiences to bear in responding to a new film experience


Key Terms

Cognitive

Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty

Aesthetic

Coherencelogical interconnection; overall sense or Understand-ability.

pertaining to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning, as contrastedwith emotional processes

Disparitylack of similarity or equality; inequality; difference

Education

Lesson 5 Spectatorship Lesson 1