Thick viewing : empirical examples of condensed moments of narrative impact in fiction film developing theoretical concepts for intensified engagements

Abstract  In a case study about viewing habits in a Swedish audience I sampled 309 questionnaires; interviews with five focus group were conducted together with ten in-depth individual interviews discussing altogether fifteen favorite films exploring specific scenes of idiosyncratic relevance.  The outcome supports claims about viewers as active and playful (cf. Höijer 1998, Frampton 2006, Hoover 2006, Plantinga 2009). In line with mediatization theory I also argue that spiritual meaning making takes place through mediated experiences and I support theories about fiction films as important sources for moral and spiritual reflection (Partridge 2004, Zillman 2005, Lynch 2007, Plantinga 2009). What Hjarvard calls the soft side of mediatization processes (2008) is illustrated showing adults experiencing enchantment through favorite films (Jerslev 2006, Partridge 2008, Klinger 2008, Oliver & Hartmann 2010).  Vernacular meaning making embedded in everyday life and spectators dealing with fiction narratives such as Gladiator, Amelie from Montmartre or Avatar highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of elevated cinematic experiences. The reported impact of specific movies is analyzed through theories where cognition and affect are central aspects of spectators’ engagements with a film (Tan 1996, Caroll 1999, Grodal 2009). Crucially important are theories of meaning-making where viewers’ detailed interpretation of specific scenes are embedded in high-level meaning-making where world view issues and spectators’ moral frameworks are activated (Zillman 2005, Andersson & Andersson 2005, Frampton 2006, Lynch 2007, Avila 2007, Axelson 2008, Plantinga 2009).  Also results from a growing body of empirical oriented research in film studies are relevant with an interest in what happens with the flesh and blood spectator exposed to filmic narratives (Jerslev 2006, Klinger 2008, Barker 2009, Suckfüll 2010, Oliver & Hartmann 2010). Analyzing the qualitative results of my case study, I want to challenge the claim that the viewer has to suspend higher order reflective cognitive structures in order to experience suture (Butler & Palesh 2004). What I find in my empirical examples is responses related to spectators’ highest levels of mental activity, all anchored in the sensual-emotional apparatus (Grodal 2009). My outcome is in line with a growing number of empirical case studies which support conclusions that both thinking and behavior are affected by film watching (Marsh 2007, Sückfull 2010, Oliver & Hartmann 2010, Axelson forthcoming). The presentation contributes to a development of concepts which combines aesthetic, affective and cognitive components in an investigation of spectator’s moves from emotional evaluation of intra-text narration to extra-textual assessments, testing the narrative for larger significance in idiosyncratic ways (Bordwell & Thompson 1997, Marsh 2007, Johnston 2007, Bruun Vaage 2009, Axelson 2011). There are a several profitable concepts suggested to embrace the complex interplay between affects, cognition and emotions when individuals respond to fictional narratives. Robert K. Johnston label it “deepening gaze” (2007: 307) and “transformative viewing” (2007: 305). Philosopher Mitch Avila proposes “high cognition” (2007: 228) and Casper Thybjerg ”higher meaning” (2008: 60). Torben Grodal talks about “feelings of deep meaning” (Grodal 2009: 149). With a nod to Clifford Geertz, Craig Detweiler adopts “thick description” (2007: 47) as do Kutter Callaway altering it to ”thick interpretations” (Callaway 2013: 203).  Frampton states it in a paradox; ”affective intelligence” (Frampton 2006: 166). As a result of the empirical investigation, inspired by Geertz, Detweiler & Callaway, I advocate thick viewing for capturing the viewing process of these specific moments of film experience when profound and intensified emotional interpretations take place. The author As a sociologist of religion, Tomas Axelsons research deals with people’s use of mediated narratives to make sense of reality in a society characterized by individualization, mediatization and pluralized world views.  He explores uses of fiction film as a resource in every day life and he is currently finishing his three year project funded by the Swedish Research Council: Spectator engagement in film and utopian self-reflexivity. Moving Images and Moved Minds. http://www.du.se/sv/AVM/Personal/Tomas-Axelson Bibliography Axelson, T. (Forthcoming 2014). Den rörliga bildens förmåga att beröra.[1] Stockholm: Liber Axelson, T. (In peer review). Vernacular Meaning Making. Examples of narrative impact in fiction film questioning the ’banal’ notion in mediatization theory. Nordicom Review. Nordicom Göteborg. Axelson, T. (2011). Människans behov av fiktion. Den rörliga bildens förmåga att beröra människan på djupet.[2]Kulturella perspektiv. Volume 2. Article retrieved from www.kultmed.umu.se/digitalAssets/74/74304_axelson-22011.pdf Axelson, Tomas (2010) “Narration, Visualization and Mind. Movies in everyday life as a resource for utopian self-reflection.” Paper presentation at CMRC, 7th Conference of Media, Religion & Culture in Toronto, Canada 9 – 13th August 2010. Axelson, Tomas (2008) Movies and Meaning. Studying Audience, Favourite Films and Existential Matters. Particip@tions : Journal of Audience and Reception Studies. Volume 5, (1). Doctoral dissertation summary. ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS. Article retrieved from http://www.participations.org/Volume%205/Issue%201%20-%20special/5_01_axelson.htm  [1] English translation: Moving Images and Moved Minds. [2] English translation: Our need for fiction. Deeply Moved by Moving Images. Cultural Perspectives.

Rosenthal, Bob, interviewed by Becky Muller on January 17, 2009: Audio

Some of the themes discussed are: • Civic engagement (2) • The Levine family (2) • High school—private (3) • Colby (4) • Colby—student interaction with Waterville Jews (5) • Dating (6, 7, 18-20) • Life in Waterville (8, 10) • Life in Waterville—movies (12-13) • Colby—Greek life (9) • Colby—administration (9-10) • Occupation—real estate development (10-12, 13, 17) • Camp—Arcadia (13-14) • Military service (16) • Civic engagement (22) • Jewish education (23) • Holidays (23-24)

Rosenthal, Bob, interviewed by Becky Muller on January 17, 2009: Audio Part Two

Some of the themes discussed are: • Civic engagement (2) • The Levine family (2) • High school—private (3) • Colby (4) • Colby—student interaction with Waterville Jews (5) • Dating (6, 7, 18-20) • Life in Waterville (8, 10) • Life in Waterville—movies (12-13) • Colby—Greek life (9) • Colby—administration (9-10) • Occupation—real estate development (10-12, 13, 17) • Camp—Arcadia (13-14) • Military service (16) • Civic engagement (22) • Jewish education (23) • Holidays (23-24)

Rosenthal, Bob, interviewed by Becky Muller on January 17, 2009: Transcript

Some of the themes discussed are: • Civic engagement (2) • The Levine family (2) • High school—private (3) • Colby (4) • Colby—student interaction with Waterville Jews (5) • Dating (6, 7, 18-20) • Life in Waterville (8, 10) • Life in Waterville—movies (12-13) • Colby—Greek life (9) • Colby—administration (9-10) • Occupation—real estate development (10-12, 13, 17) • Camp—Arcadia (13-14) • Military service (16) • Civic engagement (22) • Jewish education (23) • Holidays (23-24)

You know how I know you're gay? : masculinity and homophobia in mainstream comedy

You Know How I Know You're Gay?: Masculinity and Homophobia in Contemporary Mainstream Comedy is a three-part senior scholars project that consists of a critical analysis of homophobic humor in contemporary mainstream comedy, an original feature-length comedy script entitled Don 't Be that Freshman, and a DVD of selected scenes from Don't Be that Freshman. The critical analysis first establishes the existence of homophobic humor in mainstream comedy and then links this homophobia to masculine anxiety, applying the ideas set forth in Michael Kimmel's essay, "Masculinity as Homophobia," to contemporary, mainstream, homosocial comedies. The paper goes on to examine audience reactions to this homophobic humor, focusing on audience members who enjoy these movies, yet consider themselves to be accepting of homosexuality and against homophobia. I discuss ways of resistance and the importance of opposing homophobic humor, and finally, I look at comedy as a potentially transgressive medium that could be used to fight homophobia and social inequality. The critical analysis, therefore, leads into Don't Be that Freshman, a film that uses progressive humor to oppose homophobia and expose the potential dangers and pitfalls of conforming to social constructions of gender. Don't Be that Freshman is a film about three pairs of college roommates in their first semester at college who become each other's first friends on campus. It is a character-driven comedy that attempts to normalize non-heterosexual sexual orientation and gender non-conformity, to advocate a type of living that does not conform to problematic social constructions and cultural ideologies, and at the same time to appeal to a mainstream audience. The film version is twenty-five minutes long and consists of ten scenes from the script.

Pedagogia crítica e o uso de filmes de longa metragem em sala de aula

A utilização de filmes de longa metragem no ensino de Administração vem recebendo crescente atenção de professores e pesquisadores. Diversos trabalhos científicos apontam tal uso como recurso pedagógico complementar ao uso de textos didáticos, estudos de casos e outros recursos. Entretanto, a literatura disponível parece adotar uma postura conservadora e conformista: em geral, os textos científicos registram e recomendam o uso de filmes comerciais norte-americanos para ilustrar conceitos da literatura gerencialista. Este trabalho toma como ponto de partida a discussão da crise no ensino de gestão e trata da questão do uso de filmes de longa metragem a partir de uma perspectiva crítica sobre a pedagogia e os conteúdos. Como ilustração, é discutida a utilização de Cidadão Kane , filme de Orson Welles, e Terra em Transe , filme de Glauber Rocha, em aulas de pós-graduação em Administração. O artigo trata das principais questões envolvendo o uso de filmes e traz pontos de reflexão para professores interessados em aperfeiçoar o uso desse recurso em sala de aula.

O cinema brasileiro ainda queima o filme? Re-estudando atitudes relativas a filmes nacionais

This text has the objective to compare attitudes and opinions of undergraduation students about Brazilian movies, evaluated in 1991 and 2003. The research was motivated by the author's perceptions that the changes occurred in the public cultural stimulus policy, at the end of 80's and beginning of 90's drove the national productions to a significant quality improvement, allowing them to work in conditions to compete in the Brazilian market without needing to take any advantage of law or policy for minimum projection share to national movies. The results attested a significant enhancement in the evaluation by the respondents of Brazilian movie production.

Aplicação de metodologia de preços hedônicos ao mercado brasileiro de serviços de comunicação e mídia

O Brasil possui um dos mercados de serviços de comunicação e mídia que mais cresce no mundo. Grande parte deste crescimento pode ser atribuída à evolução tecnológica e às recentes alterações no ambiente competitivo, os quais favoreceram a convergência de serviços antes vendidos separadamente - voz, dados e TV. Isto elevou a atratividade destes serviços, contribuindo também para a redução de seu preço, por meio, principalmente, dos ganhos de escala, impulsionando seu crescimento. Este crescimento atraiu mais competidores ao mercado, o que, intensificado por mudanças regulatórias, eleva a importância da correta precificação dos pacotes de serviços. Portanto, um entendimento apropriado dos atributos mais valorizados pelos consumidores no processo decisório de compra destes serviços é de fundamental importância para melhorar a alocação dos recursos e maximizar o retorno, sem perda de participação de mercado. Este trabalho aplica a Metodologia de Preços Hedônicos como ferramenta para auxiliar na identificação dos atributos relevantes dos pacotes de serviços multimídia comercializados no mercado da cidade de São Paulo e seus respectivos preços implícitos. São 371 pacotes distintos contendo de um a três tipos diferentes de serviços analisados com base nos preços praticados em março de 2009. Como resultado, foram identificados intensos prêmios de preço associados aos canais do grupo Telecine, aos canais esportivos, infantis e de filmes e séries, bem como às variáveis ligadas às velocidades de download e upload.

Entre grãos e pixels, os dilemas éticos na restauração de filmes: o caso de Terra em Transe

A restauração de filmes no Brasil se tornou uma atividade mais sistemática a partir dos anos 1990, com a introdução das ferramentas digitais. Ao mesmo tempo em que trouxeram uma possibilidade quase ilimitada de intervenção nos filmes, as ferramentas digitais introduziram também um debate acerca da natureza ética envolvendo a restauração de filmes. Nesse contexto, se destacam os projetos de restauração dedicados aos filmes do Cinema Novo. Este trabalho pretende verificar em que medida a restauração digital vem a afetar os elementos de linguagem de Terra em Transe, de Glauber Rocha, filme marcado por uma grande inventividade formal. A análise da restauração do filme foi pautada por alguns dos conceitos de Cesare Brandi, autor que procurou trabalhar com a questão da ética no campo das artes plásticas. Algumas questões relacionadas à ética e à conceituação de restauração, bem como à trajetória histórica da restauração de filmes no Brasil, também são debatidas no texto.

A construção de uma memória do regime militar: uma análise do filme "O que é isso companheiro?"

O trabalho tem por objetivo analisar como o filme O que é isso, companheiro? construiu uma memória do regime militar, tendo como foco a ação de jovens grupos armados contra o governo ditatorial. Baseado no livro homônimo do militante Fernando Gabeira publicado no final dos anos 1970, momento marcado por uma intensa produção memorialística sobre aquele período histórico em meio à abertura política, o filme foi lançado quase 20 anos depois, em 1997, em meio a um movimento de retomada de produções cinematográficas brasileiras, num formato adequado ao cinema industrial. Pretende-se nesse trabalho conjugar a análise da construção ficcional baseada numa estrutura narrativa de matriz melodramática com as variáveis externas ligadas não só a produção, mas também ao contexto histórico e social no qual o filme foi produzido.

Cinema attendance during crises is there a relationship between cinema attendance and the state of the economy in France in the period 1992-2012?

O presente estudo teve como objetivo testar se a situação econômica teve um impacto sobre os hábitos de consumo de cinema na França, no período contemporâneo (1992-2012). O estudo aborda a relação entre indicadores econômicos e consumo de cinema em um nível agregado e, em seguida, analisa se os vários tipos de filmes, tipos de cinemas e categorias de cinéfilos foram mais ou menos foram afetados pelo estado da economia. No nível agregado, estudos semelhantes já foram realizados em outros países. Este estudo confirma os resultados para a França: como em outros países desenvolvidos, a situação da economia tem pouca influência no consumo de cinema e o setor é resiliente. Este trabalho também traz novas análises detalhadas sobre o comportamento de vários sub-tipos de filmes, segmentos de locais e categorias de consumidores. Ele demonstra que para a maior parte dessas sub-categorias, drivers do mercado são oferta e preço, e que a situação da economia tem pouca influência. Quanto ao tipo de cinema, o estudo argumenta que, comparativamente, cinemas grandes conseguem crescer durante o período de crise.

Luz e sombra: uma interpretação de suas significações imaginárias nas imagens do cinema expressionista alemão e do cinema noir americano

The present investigation proposes an approach of light and shadow and their imaginary significations in the images of both German expressionist movie and the American noir movie, whose aesthetic experience is expressed through a contrasting bright/dark photography, loaded with symbolism. The interpretation of the imaginary significations of this imagistic material is based on Gilbert Durand´s imaginary anthropological theories that deal with a myriad of symbols gathered according to their semantic isomorphism and linked to more general structures named as Daily and nightly Image Regime . There come to gravitate, around such regimes, symbols attached to division and purification, ascensional and spectacular, with imaginary significations homological to Light and Good, and symbols associated to night, fall and animalism, isomorphic of Shadow and Evil

Cinematografando o consumo :as narrativas e práticas culturais dos clientes de videolocadoras de Natal (RN)

The present work is an exercise of analysis of cultural practices related to movie consume by the clients of video rental stores in Natal city (Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil). With sociology of practice as support, especially that one which develops from the seminal works of Anthony Giddens and Pierre Bourdieu, we have searched, from the apprehension of the narratives build up by these actors from the movies they attend, to point the way they build exercises of reflexivity and creativity in the reception of works commonly identified as products of the so called mass culture . This path allows us, in the steps of Nestor Garcia Canclini, researcher in reception within Latin-American context, create and, somehow confirm the hypothesis that consume is also useful for thinking . In order to get to this result, we have carried out a camp research that used instruments and techniques both quantitative and qualitative. After the data analysis we came to the conclusion that consume of movies taken as commercial type and as not very noble in the environment of cultural production, also impels exercises of creativity and social reflexivity

Esporte como experiência estética e educativaEsporte educativa: uma abordagem fenomenológica

This paper deals with sport as a possibility of disclosing the sensible, and defends the idea that being a sportsperson equals living an aesthetic and educative experience in which one can interacts with the sensible by the athletic body s reverberation of sensations in the dimension of the experienced. We try to answer, in our work, basically three questions: what moves the athlete when practicing a sport? Which are the meanings and motivations for the practice of sports? At what measure the athlete s experience gains an educational character? Sport is debated in this work as an extension of the living, as long as it tries to understand the meanings inherent to sport itself as well as to the sportive experience as a kind of education. In support of our argument, we give a theoretic and philosophical approach to our thesis, based on thinkers like Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Walter Benjamin, Marcel Mauss and Friedrich Schiller. For this purpose, we get support on the phenomenology of the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Our reference is the living world of the athlete and his experience as a field of the sensible. Our point of departure is the analysis of the narratives of sport experiences, including five aesthetic elements; time and space of the body in the sports courts; the look on the sportive context; the contact with the adversary; victory and defeat; the technical gesture. Besides it, we worked out an aesthetic evaluation of the movies Olympia and Invictus , what let us discuss three thematic categories: sensibility, emotions and the play paradox. Subsequently, we point sport as an optimizer of the sensible education, present on the body s processes, like the body in movement. It was also made clear along this paper that we tried to accomplish an analysis on sports centered in the athlete s body as an outfit of the senses to things related to the sensible, whose aesthetic experience overpasses any deterministic conception that should sum up the sportive world to mercantilization, discipline practices and mechanicism. This approach franchises gateways to a Physical Education which, containing sports as one of its support, let pupils enjoy the pleasure of constructing common objectives, incorporating the capacity of replicating, re-making and playing as a field of possibilities offered by an education characterized as being moving, sensible and fitful to a body in movement

O futuro do presente: a mídia audiovisual e a sociedade contemporânea na ficção científica do cinema de animação

This research presents a study that seeks to analyze the images of the future in science fiction movies, specifically those made through animation techniques, exploring particularly the representation of audiovisual communication medias in its dialogue with the approached societies in the movies chosen to be analyzed. The proposed discussion seeks approximations in order to answer to the question that initiated this research: how are we thinking the future nowadays? It also seeks to, according to Morin (1997), comprehend aspects of the contemporary society by using the cinema, and at the same time, to understand the cinema, aided by a social analysis