BY JOSEPHINE
CAFA PUBLICATION CHENNAI
BY JOSEPHINE
COPYRIGHT @CAFA PUBLICATION 2014 www.filmpsychology.blogspot.in joseinchrist@gmail.com Ph; + 91 9003081442, 9543171958 CHENNAI
How to understand a movie? Is more significant than how we understand a movie? Because each movie has its own significant purpose for understanding. Mind always welcomes cinema, even though it has equal merits and demerits related to one’s self and the environment in the view of society because cinema fulfills the basic need of human mind nature by different state of mind transition during watch for the benefit of mental healing and refreshment after watch. During every information process, the mind encodes and decodes it. Encoding is made by mind understanding languages i.e.) numeric encoding by informative understanding through visually identifiable messages from film, sensory encoding by energy understanding like positive, negative, neutral. Decoding is the retrieval of stored information by mind language into physical expressive medium verbal or non-verbal communication. According to Sigmund Freud, in the state of subconscious mind reading for meaning, decoding will be unrelated and do not interact on a continued basis to encoded information because subconscious mind is the mass reader which gives single meaning in compressed
form from multi-perspective view in relation to reality existence during every film watch. Each elements, properties and performing characters in film takes up individuality in relation to story to give mass understanding under conscious state of mind through film analysis for the benefit of different perspective understanding in which we won’t get during selective perception act. Now-a-days film watch becomes an entertainment due to conscious mind act of selective perception which makes us to perceive only the eye attractive components from film even though human nature has the capacity to have collaborative maximal visual and mind readings. Maximal visual reading is horizontally less than 208 degree, vertically less than 120 degree forming rectangle shaped readings from theatre screen. Maximal mind reading from visual perception is horizontally more than 208 degree (differs in each individual based on self involvement not more than 120 degree), vertically more than 120 degree forming infinite readings. Every film become useful learning based on reality when there is presence of mass understanding. In order to attain this status of mind, analysis by questionnaire method using
sense full thinking paves the gateway for mass understanding. The tools for questionnaire method are place, time, character, colors, properties, space, lighting and visual angles. Perception about these tools elicits both informative and energy understandings. While thinking about recent commercial release movie “DIVERGENT�, our mind raises many questions about the tools used in it. Why most of the locations are closed surface and tightly packed? Why a trainer uses particularly injection form for mind transition to trainees? Why there is deadly job test for trainees? When these job trainings are occurring? No clues What for these job trainings are? Without revealing its purpose to trainees How heroine mom appears in contact after job selection? Why vanishes soon? For what reason to less space allotment during every job test?
Answering to all these questions leads to the single compressed subconscious meaning “Philosophy of mechanical real life”. Whereas conscious state of mind obstructs the attempting act, but gives conscious meaning out of own perception directed by visual attraction as “Imaginary Adventurous women act”. TOOL 1; LOCATION Every location in film is not only for people orientation, also carries relevant information’s and inner meanings related to story. Location are two types based on surface comprises namely; open surface and closed surface. A place with both unequally more natural and less artificial elements is called open surface whereas with only artificial elements is closed surface. An excessive natural component like seashore, forest, agricultural fields, expresses the understanding about power of nature. Open location is for freedom of thought to flow, positive feel for oneself or others, high self esteem, increased social skills like helping, sharing, word of motivation, making friendship, emotional support to others, showing empathy ,co-operating, comforting others, and so on. Closed location for lack of freedom of choice, false self- concept, negative thoughts, time overruling, possessed by
evil things or thoughts, false belief, fixed thoughts without analyzing right or wrong, betrayal for self welfare and so on. In movie “Divergent” closed locations are highlighted more because heroine has no freedom for choice more than 5 options for selection of job inside auditorium (closed surface with nil natural elements) and also in freedom for job withdrawal. TOOL 2; TIME Under normal psychology, time is needed for conscious state of mind understanding among both technician and viewers about film structure as follows; In which situation character introduction is? When the problem arises? What kind of psychological changes takes place in hero’s journey related to particular time? How problem inference is made through making style?
In every film, time is expressed in both natural and artificial form. Naturally with the help of sunlight an artificially with technical lighting tool handling by cinematographers in order to have informative understanding (with the aim of eliciting real feel during watch) as follows;
Front lighting – 0 to 45 degree for early morning and 45 to less than 90 degree for late morning. Head top lighting – around 90 degree to 135 degree for afternoon. Back lightings - >135 degree to 180 degree for evening and night.
The means for expressing time is to give orientation to viewers and also about psychological changes that occurs normally and abnormally during every second which gives the performing characters psychological transformation under gradual progress in order to have energy understanding i.e. night time gives meaning as stimulating time for memory about past, morning time as stimulation for planning and setting goals and working towards it, afternoon time as stimulation for inviting evil things inside ones thought like tired, lethargic, energy less, increased
tension, irritation, and unpleasant thoughts, round the clock time as tightly engaged with certain activity without relaxation, feel of caged, overruling, and suppressed. In movie “DIVERGENT” presence of no clue about time gives meaning as heroines mind is totally overtaken by job achieving thoughts without freedom for relaxation. In other words, it is the effect of capitalism upon heroine. TOOL 3; CHARACTER Every film communicates its goal directed purpose through character transformation, shape shifting & filmic attitude. Character transformation gives permanent change voluntarily in real characters of performer e.g. in movie “AVATAR” a real soft natured protagonist character voluntarily changes to violent permanently against humans after becoming avatar due to humans negative act . Filmic attitude gives real feel & acceptance towards imaginative stories e.g. in movie “HERCULES” most of the close-ups & OSS shots comprises contracted biceps & triceps of protagonist which gives informative understanding about his bravery & ready for the task.
One more example in movie “DIVERGENT” gives informative understanding about how real feel elicited to imaginary adventurous physical act? The presented protagonist (filmic attitude) physical clues are less tight muscle movements, relaxed & air free body movements by acting found to be unrelated to the adventurous role performed in movie, symbolizing protagonist mind strength for adventure. This unrelated filmic attitude of protagonist makes spectators not to withdraw the spirit of watching movie to learn about women’s strength in adventure. Shape shifting gives temporary change involuntarily in real characters of performer e.g. in movie “BEAUTY & THE BEAST” consciously the beast shows its own character i.e. hunting & eating the other animals, living in its own den of palace. Unconsciously the
beast shows human character (filmic attitude) when ever comes close to the lady love.
The unconscious act of beast builds a strong emotional acceptance & recognition for beast love in audience subconscious mind. The audience consciously makes the beast as a human logically when the past happenings reveals, also creates anticipation for beast into human form. TOOL 4; COLORS The general color tone of every frame highly influences the spectator’s physical & mental activity. The Yellow color toned frame stimulates increased mind activity due to characters increased physical activity during film watch, by which spectator changes his attitude voluntarily in real life time. The Green & Blue color toned frame stimulates highly physical activity due to characters
increased mind activity during film watch, by which spectator changes his attitude involuntarily in real life time. The Red color toned frame stimulates increased both physical & mind activity due to proactive characters during film watch, by which spectator seems to have changes in both voluntarily & involuntarily after watch. The Brown color toned frame creates neutral stimulation, by which there will be a presence or absence of changes in spectator’s attitude. The specific color in every frame gives its own meaning related to characters psychological journey.
TOOL 5; SPACE Information about physical space, social space & personal space on screen activates mind mapping subconsciously with hypothetical factors such as time, causality, character, personality and motive, the efficacy of action, exposition, enigmas, plausibility, ethics, metaphors, rhythm, and point of view which makes audience involuntarily to get
involved with the screen. More over reading frame space gives the complete understanding about the meaning for space related to scene i.e. high character space with low environment space in frame gives positive core meaning as “Character is ruling the environment & being independent” where as low character space with high environment space in frame gives negative core meaning as “Environment is ruling the character & making dependant on it”. A spectator’s experience of film is much more than what is seen and heard on the screen. Watching a film requires a spectator to make judgments moment by moment and to actively construct models of locale and agency using folk knowledge, expectations, wishes, inferences, heuristics, scripts, metaphors, social schemata, and numerous forms of memory. Because film plays within the mind and not simply on the screen, the analyst must attend to the way a spectator uses language to encode his or her responses. TOOL 6; VISUAL ANGLES Information from visual angles takes up different functions in both conscious and subconscious mind. Conscious mind brings visual
energies in both positive (visual pleasure, interest, thirst‌.) & negative (anger, irritation, strain‌) aspects which end with nil memory. Subconscious mind extracts meaning from angles for memory. Angles manipulate the size of the character in every frame for the benefit of meaning extraction for memory and visual judgment. Visual angles works as a main tool to stimulate visual judgment in audience. When the character is placed in the right side, the subject seems to be occupied more space than composed in left side which creates mythical understanding as the character will be good enough in both personal & societal point of view before the character proves goodness by actions.
Movie”8 ½” by Dir.FEDERICO FELLINI In Top angle, the subject size occupancy will be extremely too small than other angles, creating negative understanding as poor, recessive, defeated & antisocial.
In Low angle, the subject size occupancy will be extremely too large than other angles, giving meaning positively as rich, dominant, success & prosocial. During every scene opening, a Visual angle stimulates parallel thinking in spectators for the adaptation of characters personality with internal &
external conflicts which leads to the stimulation for lateral thinking. At the end of every scene, lateral thinking gives rise to personal, societal, & the characters aspects of judgment. The conflict between these 3 aspects of judgment at the climax of the movie leads to Kohlberg’s moral judgment pre-conventional, conventional, post-conventional judgment. TOOL 7; LIGHT & DARKNESS Light is the stimulus for vision and the eye is the organ which responds to light energy. An alternative function of light & dark information’s on screen gives perceptual motion. Two contemporary developments from the heritage of perception are actively being pursued. One concerns advances in our understanding of the nature of the stimulus—visual optics. The other is about how the visual system responds to light visual neurophysiology. Every pattern of lighting is processed by visual optics for measuring perceptual values. Certain maladjustment takes place during the presence of physiological transformation from rod cells to cone cells or vice versa, modifying the electrical potentials of the receptor cells causing visual psychophysics & involuntary emotions such as bright light raises sense of hope, joy, achievement, relief, peace, enlightened, low light or darkness
gives sense of isolation, sadness, guilty, depression, possession, fear& anxiety. Such irrational emotional responses are due to activity of single or more visual nerve cells disturbances influencing perception and their characteristics can be inferred from perception. E.g. In movie “THE RING FINGER”, a Mythological & philosophical movie by Diane Bertrand, Iris (Olga kurylenko) walks into bright room without awareness at the climax by the sense of hope for her post traumatic stress memory healing.
TECHNOLOGY MANIPULATION Certain techniques manipulates subconscious mind act of spectator which voluntarily or involuntarily never known to conscious mind. In movie “SAVE THE DATE” by Dir. Michael Mohan, A rare focusing technique becomes a manipulative tool for spectators visual judgment i.e. A single shot having simultaneous zooming with focus shift from subject to the
background & vice versa (ending with subject focus). The time space between focus shift from subject to background stimulate spectators to have conventional judgment based on environmental factors – societal norms, values, practices, customs, & traditions . Time space between focus shift from background to subject stimulate spectator to have post-conventional judgment based on individual factors- learning, experiences, sensitivity‌ such stimulus makes spectators to accept the closed judgmental movie climax.