This page intentionally left blank 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