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174 Film Research Paper Topics To Inspire Your Writing

Also known as a moving picture or movie, the film uses moving images to communicate or convey everything from feelings and ideas to atmosphere and experiences. The making of movies, as well as the art form, is known as cinematography (or cinema, in short). The film is considered a work of art. The first motion pictures were created in the late 1880s and were shown to only one person at a time using peep show devices. By 1985, movies were being projected on large screens for large audiences.

Film has a rich and interesting history, as well as a bright future given the current technological advancements. This is why many professors will really appreciate it if you write a research paper on movies. However, to write a great paper, you need a great topic.

In this blog post, we will give you our latest list of 174 film research paper topics. They should be excellent for 2023 and should get you some bonus points for originality and creativity. As always, our topics are 100% free to use as you see fit. You can reword them in any way you like and you are not required to give us any credit.

Writing Good Film Research Paper

Before we get to the film topics for research papers in our list, you need to learn how you can write the best possible film research paper. It’s not overly complicated, don’t worry. Here are some pointers to get you started:

Start as early as possible Start your project with an outline that will keep you focused on what’s important Spend some time to find a great topic (or just use one of ours) Research every angle of the topic Spend some time composing the thesis statement Always use information from reliable sources Make sure you cite and reference properly Edit and proofread your work to make it perfect. Alternatively, you can rely on our editors and proofreaders to help you with this.

Now it’s time to pick your topic. We’ve made things easy for you, so all you have to do is go through our neatly organized list and select the topic you like the most. If you already know something about the topic, writing the paper shouldn’t take you more than 1 or 2 days, however if you have no desire to spend a lot of time on your assignment, thesis writing help from our professionals is on its way. Pick your topic now:

Easy Film Research Topics

We know most students are not too happy about spending days working on their research papers. This is why we have compiled a list of easy film research topics just for our readers:

What was the Electrotachyscope?
Research the history of film
Describe the first films ever made
Talk about the Kinetoscope
Who were Auguste and Louis Lumière?
An in-depth look at film during World War I
Talk about the evolution of sound in motion pictures
Most popular movie actors of all time
The life and works of Charles Chaplin
The life and works of Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein
Discuss the Mutoscope device
Talk about the introduction of natural color in films

Film Topics To Write About In High School

If you are a high school student, you probably want some topics that are not overly complicated. Well, the good news is that we have plenty of film topics to write about in high school. Check them out below:

An in-depth analysis of sound film
Research the shooting of Le Voyage dans la Lune
Talk about the Technicolor process
Research the film industry in India
The growing popularity of television
Discuss the most important aspects of film theory
The drawbacks of silent movies
Cameras used in 1950s movies
The most important cinema movie of the 1900s
Research the montage of movies in the 1970s
The inception of film criticism
Discuss the film industry in the United States

Interesting Film Paper Topics

Are you looking for the most interesting film paper topics so that you can impress your professor and your fellow students? We are happy to say that you have arrived at just the right place. Here are our latest ideas:

Are digital movies much different from films?
Research the evolution of cinematography
Research the role of movies in Indian culture
The principles of a cinema camera
Technological advancements in the film industry
The use of augmented reality in movies
Talk about the role of film in American culture
An in-depth look at the production cycle of a film
The role of the filming crew on the set
Latest cameras for cinematography
An in-depth look at the distribution of films
How are animated movies made?

Controversial Movie Topics

Why would you be afraid to write your paper on a controversial topic? Perhaps you didn’t know that most professors really appreciate the effort and the innovative ideas. Below, you can find a whole list of controversial movie topics for students:

An in-depth look at Cannibal Holocaust
Controversies behind Fifty Shades of Gray
A Clockwork Orange: the banned movie
All Quiet on the Western Front: a controversial war movie
Discuss The Texas Chain Saw Massacre movie
Apocalypse Now: one of the most banned movies
Brokeback Mountain and the controversies surrounding it
Talk about The Last Temptation of Christ
The Birth of a Nation: the movie that was banned in America

Movie Topics Ideas For College

As you probably know already, college students should choose topics that are a bit more complex than those picked by high school students. The good news is that we have compiled a list of the best movie topics ideas for college students below:

Methods to bring your sketches to life
Discuss problems with documentary filming
War movies and their impact on society
What does a director actually do on the set?
Talk about state-sanctioned movies in China
Research cinematography in North Korea
Talk about psychological reactions to films
Research the good versus evil theme
African Americans in the 1900s cinematography in the US
Discuss the creation of sound for films

Hottest Film Topics To Date

Our writers and editors did their best to compile a list of the hottest film topics to date. You can safely pick any of the topics below and write your essay or research paper on it. You should be able to find plenty of information online about each and every topic:

The life and works of Alfred Hitchcock
Talk about racial discrimination in war movies
The psychology behind vampire movies
The life and works of Samuel L. Jackson
Classic opera versus modern movie soundtracks
Hollywood versus Bollywood
The life and works of tom Hanks
Research the Frankenstein character
Major contributions by women in cinematography
The life and works of Harrison Ford
The 3 most popular topics for a moving picture

Good Movie Topics For 2023

We know, you probably want some topics that relevant today. You want to talk about something new and exciting. Well, we’ve got a surprise for you. This list of good movie topics for 2023 has just been added to the blog post, and you can use it for free:

The life and works of Will Smith
Why do people love movie monsters?
Talk about the popularity of fan movies
The life and works of Morgan Freeman
Gender inequality in UK films
Research movies that were produced because of video games
The life and works of Anthony Hopkins
The importance of the Golden Raspberry Award
Outer space: the future of cinematography
Compare today’s filming techniques to those in the 1950s
The importance of winning a Golden Globe Award

Fascinating Film Topics

Are you looking for some of the most fascinating film topics one can ever find online? Our experts have outdone themselves this time. Check out our list of ideas below and choose the topic you like the most:

Talk about the development of Star Wars
Talk about spaghetti western movies
Discuss the filming of Pride and Prejudice
Research fantasy films
The most popular movie genre in 2023
What makes a movie a blockbuster?
Filming for the Interstellar movie
Peculiarities of Bollywood cinema
Talk about the era of Hitchcock
Discuss the role of motion pictures in society
Talk about Neo-realism in Italian movies
Research the filming of A Fistful of Dollars

The History Of Film Topics

Writing about the history of film and cinematography can be a good way to earn some bonus points from your professor. However, it’s not an easy thing to do. Fortunately, we have a list of the history of film topics right here for you, so you don’t have to waste any time searching:

Research the first ever motion picture
Discuss the idea behind moving images
Research the Pioneer Era
Talk about the introduction of sound in movies
Talk about the Silent Era
Who created the first ever movie?
Discuss the Golden Era of cinematography
The era of changes in 2023
The rise of Hollywood cinematography
Discuss the first color movie
Research the first horror movie
Discuss the phrase “No one person invented cinema”

Famous Cinematographers Topics

You can, of course, write your next research paper on the life and works of a famous or popular cinematographer. You have plenty to choose from. However, we’ve already selected the best famous cinematographers topics for you right here:

The life and works of Sir Roger Deakins
Research the cinematographer Vittorio Storaro
An in-depth look at Bill Pope
Research the cinematographer Gordon Willis
The life and works of Wally Pfister
An in-depth look at Robert Burks
Research the cinematographer Stanley Cortez
The life and works of Conrad Hall
An in-depth look at Rodrigo Prieto
The life and works of Claudio Miranda
Emmanuel Lubezki
An in-depth look at Jack Cardiff
Research the cinematographer Michael Ballhaus
The life and works of Kazuo Miyagawa

Famous Films Topic Ideas

The easiest and fastest way to write an essay or research paper about movies is to write about a famous movie. Take a look at these famous films topic ideas and start writing your paper today:

Research A Space Odyssey
Research the movie Seven Samurai
Cinematography techniques in There Will Be Blood
Discuss the film The Godfather
An in-depth look at La Dolce Vita
Research the movie Citizen Kane
Cinematography techniques in Goodfellas
An in-depth look at the Aliens series
Cinematography techniques in Singin’ in the Rain
Research the movie Mulholland Drive
An in-depth look at In The Mood For Love
Research the movie City Lights

The Future Of Movies Topic Ideas

Did you ever wonder what the movies of the future will look like? We can guarantee that your professor has thought about it. Surprise him by writing your paper on one of these the future of movies topic ideas:

The future of digital films
Discuss animation techniques of the future
The future of cinematography cameras
How do you view the actors of the future?
Will digital releases eliminate the need for DVDs?
The role of streaming services in the future
Talk about the direct-to-consumer distribution concept
Is cinematography a good career for the future?
Will movie theaters disappear?
Virtual reality in future films
The rise of Pixar Studios

Awesome Cinema Topic Ideas

Our experts have just finished completing this section of the topics list. Here, you will find some of the most awesome cinema topic ideas. These should all work great in 2023, so give them a try today:

The concept of the Road Movie
Review the film “Donnie Brasco”
The popularity of musical movies
A comprehensive history of cinematography
Discuss the A Beautiful Mind movie
Compare watching movies now and in the 1990s
Talk about film narrative
The importance of the main characters in a movie
The process of selecting the right actor for the role
Well-known produces in the United States
The most popular actors in 2023
Research Nazi propaganda films

Simple Cinema Essay Ideas

If you want to write about cinematography but don’t want to spend too much time researching the topic, you could always choose one of our simple cinema essay ideas. New ideas are added to this list periodically:

Discuss the concept of limited animation
War movies during World War II
The importance of James Bond for Americans
What is docufiction?
The traits of a filmophile
The success of early crime movies
An in-depth look at Hanna-Barbera
The transition from VHS tape to DVD
Best comedy movies ever made
Discuss the Film Noir genre
What is a Blaxploitation?
The best samurai film ever produced

Movies And The Internet Topics

How does piracy affect the movie industry?
An in-depth look at Netflix
Research the top 3 movie streaming websites
Compare and contrast Netflix and Amazon Prime
Should movies be shared for free online?
The effects of online streaming on piracy
Is pirating movies illegal everywhere?
Illegal downloads of movies in North Korea
Piracy: a form of film preservation
The most pirated movies of the 21st century
Research the best ways to stop film piracy
The economic impact of movie piracy in the United States

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217 Film Research Paper Topics & Ideas

Icon Calendar 18 May 2024
Icon Page 2137 words
Icon Clock 10 min read

Film research paper topics provide a rich, multifaceted canvas for critical analysis. One can explore genre theory and its evolution, scrutinizing the symbiotic relationship between society and film genres, such as sci-fi, horror, or romance. Another fruitful area lies in auteur theory, assessing the unique stylistic fingerprints of directors, like Kubrick, Hitchcock, or Miyazaki. Delving into film adaptations provides an opportunity to study narrative transformation across different media. Studying representation in film, be it racial, gender, or cultural, opens a lens into societal norms and biases. In turn, there is the exploration of film technologies and their influence on the cinematic experience. Film criticism and its role in shaping public perception can also be an intriguing topic. With every cinematic element providing a potential research topic, film studies truly cater to diverse academic interests.

Best Film Research Paper Topics

Impacts of Technological Advancements on the Animation Film Industry
Portrayal of Mental Health in Contemporary Cinema
Cultural Stereotypes in Global Film Industry
Feminist Theory Analysis in Alfred Hitchcock’s Films
Violence and its Effect on Teenagers in Action Films
Representation of History in Steven Spielberg’s Movies
Examination of Homosexuality in Bollywood Cinema
Depiction of Science and Technology in Science Fiction Films
Philosophical Themes Explored in the Matrix Trilogy
Influence of Film Noir on Modern Thrillers
Comic Book Adaptations: Success and Failure Factors
Cinema’s Role in Promoting Environmental Awareness
Portrayal of AI and Robotics in Films: A Comparative Study
Evolution of Special Effects in the Film Industry
Relationship Between Music and Narrative in Film
Examination of Sociopolitical Contexts in Iranian Cinema
Impacts of Hollywood on Global Film Cultures
Aesthetic Evolution in French New Wave Cinema
Exploring Symbolism in Stanley Kubrick’s Films
Influence of the Silent Era on Modern Film Techniques
Alien Depictions: Reflection of Societal Fears in Film
Use of Dreams and Subconscious in David Lynch’s Films
Examination of Masculinity in Clint Eastwood’s Westerns
Evolution of Animation: From Disney to Studio Ghibli
Exploring Religion and Spirituality in Indian Cinema

Easy Film Research Paper Topics

Interpreting Magic Realism in Guillermo del Toro’s Films
Analysis of Adaptation Theory in Book-to-Film Transitions
Modern Film Criticism: Influence of Online Review Platforms
Exploration of Absurdism in Coen Brothers’ Films
Social Media Portrayal in Contemporary Film
Influence of Film on Public Perception of Historical Events
Analysis of Horror Tropes in Japanese Cinema
Portrayal of Childhood and Growing Up in Animated Films
Impacts of Censorship Policies on Film Creativity
Narrative Techniques in Quentin Tarantino’s Films
The Role of Fashion and Costume in Period Films
Ethical Considerations in Documentary Filmmaking
Representation of Post-Apocalyptic Themes in Cinema
Exploring Cultural Identity in African Cinema
Analysis of Musical Scores in Film Noir
Examination of Adaptation of Video Games Into Films
Portrayal of Space Travel in Science Fiction Films
Evolution of Stop Motion Techniques in Cinema
Cultural Interpretations of Love and Romance in Films
Examination of Dystopian Themes in Animated Films
Analyzing the Concept of Anti-Heroes in Film
Exploring Satire and Parody in Comedy Films
Portrayal of Race and Ethnicity in Hollywood Cinema

Interesting Film Research Paper Topics

Depiction of Cybercrime in Contemporary Cinema
Influence of German Expressionism on Tim Burton’s Aesthetic
Use of Color and Lighting in Guillermo del Toro’s Films
Examination of LGBTQ+ Representation in Hollywood Cinema
Roles of Politics in the Cuban Film Industry
Portrayal of Disability in Modern Films
Treatment of Time Travel in Science Fiction Films
Analyzing the Evolution of Cinematography Techniques
Cultural Influences in South Korean Cinema
Roles of Nostalgia in Recreating Period Pieces
Importance of Film Score in Creating Atmosphere
Analysis of Propaganda Techniques in North Korean Cinema
Representation of Women in Action Films
Ethical Implications of Animal Use in Film Production
Impacts of Streaming Platforms on Film Distribution
Evolution of Film Censorship: A Comparative Study
Examination of Familial Relationships in Animated Films
Interpretation of Surrealism in Luis Buñuel’s Films
Examination of Biopics: Historical Accuracy vs. Dramatic License
Impacts of Film Festivals on Independent Cinema
Exploring Existentialism in Ingmar Bergman’s Films

Film Research Paper Topics About Students

Influence of Silent Cinema on Modern Filmmaking Techniques
Portrayal of Social Media’s Impact on Adolescents in Contemporary Movies
Bollywood vs. Hollywood: A Comparative Study of Storytelling Styles
Representation of Mental Health in Animation Movies
Foreign Language Films: Enhancing Global Cultural Understanding among Students
The Role of Women in Classic Film Noir: A Critical Analysis
Analysis of Auteur Theory in Modern Independent Cinema
Evaluating the Accuracy of Historical Dramas: A Fact vs. Fiction Study
Roles of Music in Creating Emotional Impact: A Study on Film Scores
Racial Stereotyping in Blockbuster Movies: A Comprehensive Study
Interpreting Symbolism and Metaphor in Fantasy Genre Films
Exploring Subliminal Messages in Advertising and Product Placement in Films
Understanding the Social Impact of LGBTQ+ Representation in Cinema
Examining the Evolution of Special Effects in the Film Industry
Influence of Japanese Anime on Western Animation Styles
Significance of Set Design in Creating Realistic Period Films
Ethics in Documentary Filmmaking: Truth vs. Storytelling
Roles of Cinematography in Enhancing Narratives in Films
Impacts of Sci-Fi Films on Popular Science Understanding Among Students
Subtext and Satire: The Power of Political Commentary in Movies
Narrative Techniques in Autobiographical and Biographical Films
Artistic Censorship: Its Impact on Creative Freedom in International Cinema

Film Research Paper Topics Made by Students

Transformation of Comic Books to Silver Screen: A Historical Analysis
Gender Representation in Oscar-Winning Films Over the Decades
The Evolution of Horror Films: From Psycho to Paranormal
Motion Capture Technology: Changing the Landscape of Animation Films
Examination of Propaganda in World War II Era Cinema
Unpacking the Influence of Music Scores in Emotional Storytelling
Analyzing Film Noir: The Aesthetics of Grit and Shadows
Impacts of Streaming Platforms on Traditional Movie Theatres
Silent Era to Talkies: How Did Sound Revolutionize Cinema?
Special Effects Techniques: The Making of Modern Sci-Fi Movies
The Hero’s Journey: Exploring Mythological Themes in Films
Ethical Dilemmas in Documentaries: A Study on Bias and Objectivity
Dissecting the Psychological Depth of Christopher Nolan’s Films
Censorship in Films: A Comparative Study Between Countries
The Role of the Auteur in Independent Filmmaking
How Disney Reinvents Fairy Tales: A Feminist Perspective
Bollywood vs. Hollywood: Contrasting Storytelling Techniques
Exploration of Coming-of-Age Themes in Teenage Films
Stereotyping in Movies: Assessing the Consequences on Society
Roles of Cinematography in Creating a Film’s Atmosphere

Film Research Paper Topics About Popular Movies

Influences of Classic Literature on “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy
Propaganda and War-Time Politics in “Casablanca”
Exploring Social Alienation in “Taxi Driver”
Cinematography Techniques Used in “Citizen Kane”
Implicit Racism Portrayed in “Gone with the Wind”
Animation Evolution: A Study on the “Toy Story” Series
Gender Stereotypes in Disney Princess Films
Symbolism and Surrealism in “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Cult Status and Cultural Impact of “Pulp Fiction”
Examination of Crime and Morality in “The Godfather”
“Fight Club” and the Commentary on Consumerism
Psychological Analysis of the Protagonist in “A Clockwork Orange”
Role of Music in the Narrative of the “Star Wars” Saga
Concept of Love in Richard Linklater’s “Before” Trilogy
“The Shining” and Its Divergence From the Original Novel
“Inception” and the Philosophy of Dream Interpretation
The Relevance of “1984” in the Age of Mass Surveillance
Science and Fiction: A Study on “Interstellar”
Decoding the Metaphor of “The Matrix”
“The Dark Knight”: A Modern Take on Heroism and Villainy
Biblical Themes in Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah”
Investigating Historical Accuracy in “Schindler’s List”

Film Research Paper Topics on History

The Impact of World War II on Hollywood: Propaganda and Patriotism
The Rise of Film Noir: Exploring the Dark Side of Post-War America
Cultural Significance of Epic Historical Films: From “Gone with the Wind” to “Gladiator”
Uncovering Hidden Histories: Films That Shed Light on Forgotten Events
The Representation of Ancient Civilizations in Hollywood: Myths and Realities
The Birth of Cinema: Exploring the Early Pioneers and Their Historical Films
Propaganda in Film During the Cold War: From East to West
The Role of Women in Historical Films: Portrayals and Progressions
Depicting the Civil Rights Movement on the Silver Screen: From “Selma” to “The Help”
The Historical Accuracy of Biographical Films: Balancing Fact and Fiction
The Representation of Colonialism in Film: Perspectives and Power Dynamics
The Cinematic Portrayal of World War I: From “All Quiet on the Western Front” to “1917”
Political Upheaval and Film: Exploring Revolutionary Movements on Screen
The Historical Evolution of War Films: From Silent Era to Modern Blockbusters
The Representation of Indigenous Peoples in Historical Films: Stereotypes and Subversions
Holocaust’s Theme in Movies: Documenting Trauma and Commemorating History
The Role of Historical Films in Shaping Collective Memory: Remembering the Past
Film and the Civil Rights Movement: Documenting Activism and Progress
The Portrayal of Historical Figures: Heroes, Villains, and Complex Characters

Research Paper Topics on Music in Films

Musical Transformations: Exploring the Evolution of Film Scores
Melodic Narrative: The Role of Music in Conveying Storytelling Elements in Films
Harmonic Innovations: Examining the Impact of Experimental Music in Cinematic Soundtracks
Rhythm and Emotion: Analyzing the Connection Between Beat and Mood in Film Music
Melancholic Melodies: Investigating the Use of Music to Evoke Sadness in Movies
Orchestral Powerhouses: Unveiling the Influence of Symphonic Scores in Epic Films
Sonic Identity: The Significance of Musical Themes in Establishing Character Presence in Movies
Vocal Expressions: Exploring the Role of Singing in Enhancing Cinematic Narratives
Cinematic Soundscapes: Investigating the Use of Ambient Music in Establishing Atmosphere
Cultural Harmonies: Examining the Representation of Different Music Genres in Film Scores
Experimental Soundtracks: Analyzing the Use of Avant-Garde Music in Artistic Films
Jazzy Tones: Unveiling the Influence of Jazz Music in Enhancing the Cinematic Experience
Musical Archetypes: Exploring the Portrayal of Heroes and Villains through Music in Films
Electronic Ambience: Investigating the Role of Techno and Electronic Music in Movie Soundtracks
Musical Narrative Arcs: Analyzing the Structure and Development of Musical Scores in Films
Emotional Resonance: Examining the Connection Between Music and Audience Response in Movies
Historical Harmonies: Unveiling the Role of Period Music in Depicting Different Eras in Film
Musical Cues: Exploring the Use of Leitmotifs in Creating Musical Associations in Cinema
Cross-Cultural Fusion: Investigating the Incorporation of World Music in Film Scores
Genre-Bending Soundtracks: Analyzing the Influence of Non-Traditional Music in Different Film Genres

Horror Film Research Paper Topics

Evolution of Horror Cinema: From Silent Movies to CGI Monsters
The Role of Sound Design and Score in Creating Horror Atmosphere
Psychoanalysis and Fear: The Hidden Messages in Classic Horror Films
Ghost Stories in Film: Cultural Differences in Horror Narratives
Horror Tropes and Their Social Commentary: A Deep Dive
Relevance of Classic Monsters in Modern Horror Films
The Impact of Globalization on Horror Film Narratives
Found Footage Films: The Realism in Fear and Dread
Women in Horror: Representation and Character Development
Dissecting Cinematic Techniques in Iconic Horror Scenes
Psychological Horror vs. Slasher Films: A Comparative Study
Portrayal of Mental Illness in Horror Movies: Is It Responsible?
Exorcism and Religion: The Unholy Alliance in Horror Films
Horror Comedy: The Unique Balance of Scares and Laughs
Adaptation of Horror Literature into Film: Successes and Failures
Body Horror: Physical Mutation as a Symbol of Inner Turmoil
Dark Tourism in Horror Films: Spooky Locations and Their Histories
Post-Apocalyptic Horror Films: Reflecting Societal Anxieties
Creature Features: The Significance of Non-Human Antagonists
Examining the Unsettling Nature of Uncanny Valley in Horror Movies
Interplay of Light and Darkness in Horror Cinematography
Reception Studies: How Do Different Cultures Respond to Horror Films?
Queer Representation in the Horror Genre: Progress and Challenges

Film Research Paper Topics About Monster Movies

Evolution of Monster Depictions in Cinema: A Historical Analysis
Cultural Implications of Monster Symbols in Japanese Kaiju Films
Transcending Fear: Psychoanalytic Theory in Monster Movies
Dissecting the Female Monster: Gender Dynamics in Horror Films
Monsters as Metaphors: Environmental Themes in Monster Cinema
The Gaze of the Other: Racial and Ethnic Subtexts in Monster Films
Unveiling Monstrosity: The Role of Cinematography in Monster Reveals
CGI vs. Practical Effects: Creating Convincing Monsters in Modern Cinema
How Do Score and Sound Design Enhance the Fright Factor in Monster Movies?
Parallels Between Classical Mythology and Contemporary Monster Films
The Lure of the Lovecraftian: Cosmic Horror in Monster Movies
Alien Invaders: The Intersection of Monster and Science Fiction Genres
Transformation and Fear: The Role of Werewolves in Cinema
Gothic Influence on the Evolution of Vampire Movies
The Horror of the Familiar: Domesticity as a Setting in Monster Films
Monstrosity Reimagined: Postmodern Approaches in Monster Cinema
Archetypes and Stereotypes: Monster Character Analysis in Film
Sequels and Series: Examining the Longevity of Monster Movie Franchises
Deconstructing Zombie Cinema: Metaphors of Disease and Decay
Audience Reactions and Expectations: A Study on Monster Movie Reception
Silent Era to Sound: The Influence on Early Monster Movies
Comedy in the Midst of Horror: Analyzing Humor in Monster Films

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Film Research Topics: 140+ Interesting Ideas

The film industry includes a variety of fields that you can explore in your research paper. These include producing, directing, art direction, documentary films, screenwriting, cinematography, digital cinema, and more. Throughout their academic years, students get to learn and understand an array of such aspects. However, because of this extensive range of varieties, students often need help choosing the correct film research topic for their papers.

Think about something that would most effectively showcase your critical thinking and expertise. However, aside from the interest factor, there are numerous other things that you should always pay attention to. That is why, to guide you on this daunting journey, we have compiled a comprehensive list of film topics to write about. Furthermore, to help students, we have also shared some essential tips to help you pick the right topic. So, without any further delay, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Choosing the Best Film Topic for Writing

Do you want to find the perfect topic? Don’t worry! We’ve got your back! We have enumerated a few tips you can use for selecting the right topic that perfectly fits your requirements:

Think about your favorite films, filmmakers, or genres: You can quickly narrow down the best options when you chase after the movies or filmmakers you’re passionate about. A positive attitude would give you an advantage.
Consider picking a topic from a historical era: You can choose a specific chronological age of the film industry to analyze themes, movies, techniques, etc., used in that period. Historical eras shed light on hidden or contradictory histories that either contradict or support established narratives. Thus, choosing a film topic from a significant historical era will help you frame an out-of-the-box research paper.
Choose a film genre: Choosing your favorite film genre will help you narrow down a few research topics of your interest.
Research previous scholarly articles: Research previous academic essays and papers would help you gain a significant perspective on the topic you want to use in your research paper and how you want to take it further. You can use credible sources such as published research papers, literature, media platforms, etc.
Brainstorm the ideal topics: Armed with credible sources, you can come up with the most intriguing film research topics that pique your interest. Ensure that the topic is narrow enough and establish relevant values.
Narrow down the most relevant topics. Narrowing down your good topics would make the selection process easier for you. This way, you can eliminate unnecessary topics and can analyze and select the best topic among them. Students must do an in-depth study on various film research topics. In this case, your objective is to comprehensively analyze multiple film industry aspects. Furthermore, understand the abovementioned tips before jumping on the topic selection process.

140+ Film Research Paper Topics

Movie-making is the ideal form of art that requires the correct combination of creativity and techniques. Much effort is needed to shoot the scenes and turn the big picture into reality. It is why film studies can be both interesting as well as complex at the same time. One must combine extensive research with creativity to frame their research paper. Here are some original and exciting film research topics for your academic papers to lessen your difficulties. Let’s get started!

Most Promising Film Research Topics

The most exciting film paper topics are included in the following list. When choosing a topic for your research, make sure you choose the one that will pique your interest the most. These film research topics will help you put your most professional foot forward.

You can also look at our research topics; you might get something that can correlate with your film research. So, why give it a try?

The role of censorship in the film industry
Gender Stereotypes in Hollywood Movies
The American film industry
The Life Struggle Of Hazel And August In The Fault In Our Stars Movie: An Individual Psychological Approach
Bringing Ideas into Life Through Animation
A detailed study of the cultural impact of war movies
Comics and Superheroes in Cinematography
Films Seen Through the Directors’ Eyes
The vitality of color in the film industry
Animals in Movies and on TV: Cruelty Behind the Scenes
Video editing: the vitality of visual effects in movies
Daily Soap is the New Film Franchise
The Psychosocial Implications of Walt Disney Movies
Books vs screenplays
Documentary movies: The Power to Change the World
Indie Movies: A Genre or an Attitude?
Analyzing the art and science of crafting screenplays
A detailed study of ethical issues in documentary filmmaking
The role of film directors in bringing stories to life
The impact of movie genres on different audiences
Personality Traits of the Best Film Directors
Digital Storytelling: Narrative Elements from Hollywood
The social, psychological, and cultural influence of movies
The psychological impact of masculinity and violence on youth
Exposure and Ethnocentrism in Foreign Cinematography
The Notion of Mainstream Film in Contemporary Cinema
The cultural phenomenon of drama in movies
Freudian practice in cinematography
A detailed study of the technical evaluation of the film industry

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Music and Sound Research Topics in the Film Industry

Music in films can stir emotions and develop an excellent experience for viewers long after watching any movie. Musicians, especially those working in cinema, experiment extensively with the film’s background score, sound design, and songs to give the whole thing a unique experience. Occasionally, a movie scene is elevated and supported by nothing but music. If you enjoy listening to music, you can research any of the film music research topics listed below.

Contemporary opera and classical crossover
The Works of Sam Raimi and John Carpenter: A Comparative Analysis
The evolution of the music industry
A detailed study of the essential aspects of film theory
Understanding the psychological impact of music on audiences
The art of sound design in movies
The effect of music on contemporary cinema
Musicals: from stage to screen
An introduction to music therapy: theory and practice
The evolution of film music: using a theme for storytelling
Movies Based on Broadway Shows
The influence of music on movie perceptions
Musical development and performance: the 20th century and beyond
Classical opera versus modern music on screen
Ambient sound in film and media production
Constructing music: an art beyond words
The structure of the popular music industry
Innovation and diversity in the popular music industry, 1969–1990
The impact of brand sponsorship on music festivals
A comprehensive study on the art of film music

Riveting Horror Film Research Paper to Consider

Horror is one of the most intriguing film genres for most of us. Some horror and thrilling movies linger for a long time for various viewers. These horror films can keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Here are some enticing horror film research paper topics to consider:

The psychology of horror movies
Use of mythology in horror movies
The life and works of Alfred Hitchcock: the master of suspense
Horror movies reflect cultural fears: a critical review
The Place of Horror Movies in Today’s Cinematography
The aesthetics and psychology behind horror movies
The concept of suspense behind the making of horror movies
Racial discrimination in horror movies
US vs European horror movies: a comparative analysis
Evaluation of Horror Cinematography Through the Centuries
A detailed study of the elements of fear in horror movies
Religion and mythology in horror movies
Use of special effects and cinematography in horror movies
Horror-comedy: the chaotic spectrum and cinematic synthesis
The chaotic fusion of horror and comedy: why do we love it?
The perception of youth toward horror movies
A Brief History of Gothic Horror
The dark side and comparative mythology in screenwriting
How Horror Reflects Societal Fears
The Holocaust as horror in American film

Film History Research Paper Topics

The history of cinema is so vast that using this as your research topic would open a world of opportunities for students. Using the history of cinema as your research paper topic would be an excellent way to earn bonus points from your committee members.

So, let’s look at the below-listed film history research topics.

Music and Multimedia: Theory and History
Globalization of popular culture: from Hollywood to Bollywood
Evolution of the film industry over centuries
The technological evolution of the film industry
The history of motion pictures
The depression years, as depicted by the American theatre
Filmmaking and its history in the United States
A detailed study of early cinema
A Brief History of Special Effects in Film
A detailed history of science fiction movies
The globalization of popular film industries
The Golden Era of Cinematography: A Complete Historical Guide
Charlie Chaplin and the Silent Film Era
Representation of African-Americans in American Movies
The contribution of women to the film industry
War justification in American cinema
Pioneers of the Moving Picture
Hollywood’s dominance of the movie industry
Movies Transformation From B&W to Color
History of the horror film genre

Brilliant Film Research Topics for Monster Movies

Just like horror movies, audiences also like watching monster movies. Compared to fictional characters such as vampires, werewolves, monsters, or zombies, those with human characteristics provide audiences a terrifying experience. Thus, if monster movies intrigue you, this would be a worthwhile research topic for your upcoming project. Familiarization with these research topics would give you a significant perspective on what research topic you want to pursue. Check them out below:

A detailed analysis of a monster culture in the 21st century
Why do we still love Universal movies about monsters?
The science behind bringing monsters to life through cinematic effects
The psychological appeal of movie monsters
The mythology of monster movies
A brief history of monsters in movies
In the true meaning of Frankenstein, who was the monster?
Aspects of horror in the films
The Monsters Within Gothic Monstrosities in Dracula
Exploring Humanity Through Monster Movies
Monsters in Our Midst: An Examination of Human Monstrosities in Fiction
Zombies in Film: The Evolution of the Zombie in Contemporary Cinema
Vampires in Hollywood: The Undead’s Evolution
Exploration of movie monsters through the years
The psychological impact of monster movies on children
The culture of fictional monsters in the 21st century
Zombies and vampires in the contemporary film industry
Understanding the relationship between myth and anomalies in the film industry
Discomforting Creatures: Monstrous Natures in Recent Film
The Monster Movies of Universal Studios

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Animation Research Paper Topic Ideas

Are you still struggling with your decision? We understand choosing the correct film research topic can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to worry anymore. We can help. In this section, we have prepared a list of the best film paper topics related to animation.

Advanced narrative illustration: an overview
Mapping the evolution and development of 3D in printing
A thematic analysis of digital illustration
Organizational creativity in heterarchies: The case of VFX production
Analyzing the new developments in the area of illustrations
The role of ethics, culture, and artistry in scientific illustration
Analyzing Hidden Elements in Disney Movies and Effects on Children
Exploring the progress in animation films in the past ten years
Exploring the effects of Kinematics methods on animation
Animation Character Detection Algorithm Based on Clustering and Cascaded SSD
History of the Japanese Animation Industry and New Technology
Scotland’s History of Animation: An Exploratory Account of the Key Figures and Influential Events
The history and developments of 2D animation
Analysis Of Finding Nemo Through Mythological, Theological, And Ideological Criticisms
Bringing a story to life: For programmers, animators, VFX artists, and interactive designers
Design and Realization of Animation Composition and Tone Space Conversion Algorithm
Scotland’s History of Animation
Anime: A Style of Japanese Film and Television
A comparative analysis between Kinematics and Dynamic Animation
Animated vs Static graphics in a video game
Analyzing the use of texting art in animated games.
The idea of Digital illustration and its impact on an appealing visual element
An Analysis of Animation in the Movies Frozen and Zootopia
Aesthetics and design in the three-dimensional animation process
The uses and abuses of cartoon style in animation

Read Also – A List of 100+ Research Topics in Education

Movies Research Paper Topics About Production Houses

If you are still looking for the best film topics to write about, we suggest you look at the topics below about production houses. This list includes essential research topics about film production houses and their roles in the film industry. Let’s have a look!

The risk environment of filmmaking: Warner Bros in the inter-war years
Stardom and the profitability of filmmaking: Warner Bros. in the 1930s
A Comparison in the Movie Studios Sector
Bankruptcy and Restructuring at Marvel Entertainment Group
Disney’s Marvel acquisition: a strategic financial analysis
A research study on the 20th Century Studios
Marvel, DC, and sport: Investigating rivalry in the sport and comic settings
Walt Disney Animation Studios: a detailed analysis
Historical and Mythical Time in the Marvel and DC Series
Hollywood’s attempt to appropriate television: The case of Paramount Pictures
TSG Entertainment Production Company Box Office History
A measurement study of Netflix, Hulu, and a tale of three CDNs
The Powerful Influence of Netflix and Amazon Studios
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures: a research analysis
Can Netflix Take Over Hollywood

Final Words

Film studies generally examine the film industry’s historical, critical, and theoretical aspects. You can easily select the perfect research topic that matches your interests from the above-provided lists of film research topics. However, there’s still an option if you need help with these. You can contact our writing services and get quick assistance. At Edumagnate.com , we provide brilliant research papers and research proposal writing services to students from all domains. You can contact us and share your requirements to get a high-quality, plagiarism-free research paper quickly.

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120 Most Interesting Film Research Paper Topics and Ideas

Are you a student with a major in Film? Are you looking for exciting film research topics for writing your research paper? We know how challenging it is to find the right topic for your research paper. One of the most difficult things in the process of research paper writing is finding the best research topic.

However, when one talks about film studies, one can find a huge list of topics in a film dissertation, but choosing the best and the most interesting one out of the lot, is what matters the most. To help you in selecting the film essay topic for your research paper, we have shared some vital tips on choosing the right film research topic and have also made a list of 100 film research topics.

How can one select the appropriate Film Research Topic?

If you do not know how to choose the right research topic for your film research paper, this is what you can do to choose the film dissertation topic that will fit you well.

Make a list of all your favorite films, genres, and filmmakers. This is because writing about a specific film category that is of your interest is easier.
If not your favorite films or filmmakers, you can also select a specific period in the history of films and then examine the theme that has been used in that time period.
For finding the right topic, deep-ended research is important. You can create more and more ideas when you do extensive research and go through different authentic sources. It can be literature, media, books, websites, research papers from the previous years, etc.
With the important information that you have compiled, you can fix a specific topic that will match your interest. Make sure to choose a topic that is not very broad.
Shorten down your selected topic and pick a few ideas for writing a research paper that is of high quality. Narrowing it down can help you explore the depth and will also add value to the topic. This will also keep the readers engaged.

Film Research Paper Topic Ideas that have been popular throughout

Creating a film is quite a difficult task to do. It is the best form of art and it requires a lot of effort from various departments of creativity and techniques. A lot of work goes into shooting a scene or making the whole film. A film study is a huge subject, and if you are passionate about films, then you will find utmost interest in doing film research papers. To lessen your difficulties, we have here provided a list of the best film research topic for writing your academic paper, go through the following list:

Film History Research Paper Topics

Life Before CGI: The history of special effects
African-Americans in cinematography.
Contribution of Fellini to cinematography.
Sacred power of Hitchcock.
American Cinema’s War Justification in
Charlie Chaplin and the Silent Movie Era
The technological evolution of filmmaking
The history of science-fiction movies
The importance of representation in films.
Changes in Hollywood; and its dominance of the cinematography
The globalization of popular culture: Hollywood vs Bollywood
The role and contributions of women in the film industry
Movies about the history of religions.
The impact of the film industry on different generations.
Evolution of animation in movie production.
Fiction films as a historical source for the study of cultural memory.
Historical semantics of cinema.
Visualization of history: a new turn in the development of historical knowledge.

Research Topics on Music in Films

To touch the emotions of your audience and tell your story in an interesting way in films, music plays an important role. In the film industries all over the world, musicians who are working the films, do a lot of experimentation with the film background score, uniqueness of the sound design, and elevate the experience of the entire film. If you are a music fanatic, you can choose a research paper on any of the research topics on film music for your research paper:

The psychological impact of music in movies
The art of sound design in movies
The use of music in contemporary cinema
History of film music: Storytelling with sound
The evolution of music in films
The effects of music on movie perceptions
The development and cultural influence of musicals in the 20th century
Classical Opera versus Modern Music on Screen
The power of recorded nature sounds.
Broadway musicals made into movies.
Cradle of future pop stars
Bollywood-made musicals.
Picture versus sound.
Christina Aguilera’s career in musicals.
Analyze the soundtrack and music in films.
The Evolution of Music in Film.
The Psychological Impact of Music in Movies.
Musicals: From Broadway to Screen.
The Effects of Music on Movie Perceptions.
Classical Opera
The Development and Cultural Influence of Musicals in the 20th century.

Horror Film Research Paper Topics

One of the best and the most exciting genres of films in the genre of a horror movie. There is a list of horror films that has an intense effect on the audience. To excite the readers who will go through your paper, in-depth research can be conducted on horror films and also on the techniques used in the famous horror films of all times. We have provided here some of the best research topics on horror movies:

The concept of suspense in horror films.
Racial discrimination in horror films.
Alfred Hitchcock: The Master of Suspense
The use of religion in horror movies
Special effects in horror films
The fusion of comedy and horror
Folklore elements in the screenplay.
Psychological and behavioral responses to horror films
Popular fear elements used in the horror genre
The youngsters’ perception of horror films

Film Research Topic Ideas on Monster Movies

Just the way, a group of people enjoys watching horror films, they also like monster movies. Some movies show the character of fictional monsters and create fear amongst the audience with the help of different film techniques. The scary characters such as the monsters, zombies, werewolves, or zombies help in holding the attention of the audience. A lot of monster movies can be considered for film dissertations ideas. Below given is a list of engaging film research topics on monster movies, have a look:

Monster movie culture in the 21st century
The history of monster movies
The science behind Hollywood’s movie monsters
Zombies in contemporary cinema
Mythology in monster cinema
The psychological appeal of movie monsters
The Monster vs. Frankenstein: Who Is More Human?
The aspects of human monstrosity in films
An exploration of fear in monster movies
Vampires through history: The evolution of the undead cinema

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Most Interesting Film Research Paper Topic Ideas

For writing a film research paper that will interest the readers, you can select any one of the interesting film research topics given below.

Animals on Movies: The Ethics of Animal Training
Comics and Superheroes in films
Animation: Giving life to sketches
Walt Disney and the psychosocial implications of his characters
Movies through the eyes of their directors
TV shows: A new film franchise
Masculinity and violence in films
Different forms of narrative structures
The role of colors in movies
The effects of Hollywood stereotypes
The impact of film critics and reviews on box office performances
Documentary movies and their power to change the world
The ethical issues involved in documentary filmmaking
The art of crafting stories using video editing
The importance of visual effects and transitions in movie editing
The effects of censorship on films
The social and cultural impact of cinema
The role of film directors in giving life to stories
The cultural impact of war movies.
The essential traits of a successful movie director

Unique Film Research Paper Topics

Captivating Film Dissertation Topics
Analyze the popular cinema genres in the world
Difference between commercial cinema and non-commercial cinema
The influence of the digital revolution on the film industry?
The importance of a character in a film
The diverse film elements needed for creative writing
The usage of irony in films
The evolution of urban filmmaking
The relationship between literature and film
Analyze the localization efforts of Hollywood films.
Drama as a cultural phenomenon
Engaging Film Research Topics
The art of storytelling in modern movies
The influence of movie genres on different audiences
Multiple actors playing a single role

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Amazing Film Research Paper Topics

Indie Movies: An attitude or a genre?
The cinema of shortcuts
Success factors of the American film industry
The art of cinematography
The role of fashion design in the film industry
Humanity versus technology in modern films
Good versus Evil concept in movies
The influence of social media on movie outcomes
The effects of streaming platforms on cinematography
What makes a great film director?
The persuasive effectiveness of shortcuts
Freudian Practice in Cinematography
Film Noir: A style expanding through genres
The concept of drama in movies
Comics in the film industry.
The psychological aspects of filmmaking
Video streaming platforms and the future of cinema

Latest Film Research Paper Topics

The effect of movie reviews and critics on box office results
The ability of documentaries to impact the world
The moral dilemmas associated with filming documentaries
The craft of utilizing video editing to tell tales
The significance of transitions and visual effects in film editing
The repercussions of film censorship
The effects of film on culture and society
The function of cinema directors in bringing tales to life
the influence of war films on culture.
The characteristics of a successful film director

The Concluding Words

In a generic way, film studies include a lot of approaches based on history, critics, and theories of films. From the above-mentioned list of popular and interesting film research topics mentioned in this blog, you can select the topic that best suits your choice and interest to write an excellent Film research paper. If you are confused on how to choose a film research topic or if you are finding it difficult to write a good film research paper, then contact our expert team of academic writers and get genuine research paper writer assistance.

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Cinema Scope: 70 Film Research Paper Topics

Table of contents

1 What Is the Good Film Research Paper Topic?
2.1 Film History Research Paper Topics
2.2 Research Paper Topics on Specific Film Genres
2.3 Cinematic Movements
2.4 Film Directors
2.5 Research Paper Topics on Film Theories
2.6 Censorship and Film Controversy Research Topics
2.7 Global Cinema Research Paper Topics

Exploring the world of cinema through academic lenses offers a rich and diverse field of study. From the evolution of movie genres to the impact of legendary directors, these topics invite a deep dive into the art and history of filmmaking. Whether it’s analyzing cinematic movements that have changed the course of history or exploring theories that unlock new ways of viewing, there’s a rich tapestry to explore.

Additionally, exploring contentious aspects like censorship and controversy adds a layer of societal context to the study. For those with a global perspective, investigating it worldwide offers insights into diverse narratives and styles. This guide is a gateway to understanding the multifaceted nature of cinema, providing a solid foundation for any film research paper.

What Is the Good Film Research Paper Topic?

Choosing good movies to write an essay on requires a balance between personal interest and academic value. Start by considering what aspects of cinema fascinate you the most. Are you intrigued by classic noir or the evolution of computer-generated imagery in modern movies? Once you identify your area of interest, narrow it down to a specific theme or question. For example, instead of broad movie topics ideas like ‘The History of Hollywood,’ focus on ‘The Influence of Hollywood on Global Cinema.’

You should also think about film research paper topics with many primary sources . Libraries and online databases can offer many resources on various subjects. Look for a topic that sparks debate or offers a fresh perspective . For instance, examining the role of women filmmakers in shaping modern cinema can provide insightful discussions.

Lastly, align your topic with the scope of your research paper . If you have a word limit or a specific research method in mind, make sure your topic fits these requirements. A well-chosen topic makes the research process enjoyable and enriches your understanding of the industry.

Need help with writing a research paper? Get your paper written by a professional writer Get Help Reviews.io 4.9/5

Interesting Filmmaking Research Paper Topics

Diving into the world of cinema, there are numerous good movies to analyze for a paper and intriguing filmmaking topics to explore. From analyzing landmark movies to unraveling film research topics, each area offers a unique perspective. Whether it’s crafting movie research papers or dissecting film paper topics, the possibilities for insightful essays are endless.

Film History Research Paper Topics

The Evolution of Silent Films to Talkies.
Impact of World Wars on Early 20th Century Industry.
Technicolor’s Revolution in Film Aesthetics.
Hollywood’s Golden Age: An Era of Innovation.
New Wave: Breaking Traditional Boundaries.
The Rise and Influence of Independent Films.
Blockbusters’ Era: Shaping Modern Cinema.
Digital Age Transformations in Filmmaking.
Cult Classics: Defining and Impacting Genres.
The Role of Festivals in History.

Research Paper Topics on Specific Film Genres

Horrors: Evolution of Fear through Decades.
Comedy in the Industry: More Than Just Laughter.
The Journey of Sci-Fi: From Fiction to Reality.
Romance Films: Reflecting Societal Changes in Love.
Documentary: Truth Telling or Narrative Crafting?
Westerns: The American Frontier in Cinema.
Film Noir: Style, Themes, and Influence.
Musicals: Synchronization of Sound and Story.
Animations: Technological Advances and Storytelling.
Actions: The Development of Hero Archetypes.

Cinematic Movements

French New Wave: Redefining Cinematic Rules.
Italian Neorealism: Post-War Reality.
German Expressionism: Visual Style and Emotion.
Soviet Montage: Revolutionizing Film Editing.
Dogme 95: Challenging Hollywood Norms.
British Kitchen Sink Realism: Post-War England Stories.
The Hollywood Renaissance in the Late 20th Century.
Bollywood’s Rise: India’s Cinematic Identity.
Latin American: Voices of the Marginalized.
The Impact of Scandinavian Cinema.

Film Directors

Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense.
Akira Kurosawa: Bridging East and West.
Stanley Kubrick: Visionary and Controversial.
Sofia Coppola: Feminine Perspectives.
Steven Spielberg: Redefining Blockbuster Cinema.
Quentin Tarantino: A Stylized Violence Approach.
Martin Scorsese: Depicting American Urban Life.
Guillermo del Toro: Fantasy and Reality Blend.
Ava DuVernay: Pioneering Diverse Storytelling.
Christopher Nolan: Complex Narratives.

Research Paper Topics on Film Theories

Auteur Theory: Director as the Creative Force.
Feminist Theory: Representation and Identity.
Structuralist Theory: Unpacking Cinematic Language.
Psychoanalytic Theory: Cinema and the Mind.
Queer Theory: Breaking Norms.
Marxist Theory: Cinema as a Cultural Product.
Postmodernism: Breaking Conventional Narratives.
Ecocriticism: Nature and Environment.
Reception Theory: Audience’s Role in Interpretation.
Realism: Truth versus Artifice.

Censorship and Film Controversy Research Topics

The Hays Code: Censorship and American Cinema.
Propaganda Films: Influence and Ethics.
Banned Films: Cultural Contexts and Reasons.
The MPAA Ratings System: Impact and Controversy.
Sexuality in Cinema: Taboos and Acceptance.
Political Censorship in the Industry.
Violence in Films: Societal Impact and Debate.
Religious Sensitivities and Censorship.
Race and Stereotyping in Hollywood Films.
Freedom of Speech vs. Film Censorship

Global Cinema Research Paper Topics

Nollywood: Nigeria’s Booming Film Industry.
South Korean Cinema: A Global Impact.
Iranian Cinema: Artistic Expression Under Restrictions.
French Cinema: Romance, Realism, and Revolution.
The Rise of Chinese Blockbusters.
Brazilian Cinema: Social Issues and Narratives.
Australian Cinema: Landscape and Identity.
Japanese Anime: Cultural Export and Influence.
Ukrainian Cinema: Cultural Renaissance and Evolution Post-Independence.
Canadian Cinema: Emerging Voices and Stories.

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The History of Film

One of the most fundamental topics in film studies is the history of the industry itself. Studying the evolution of film can help you understand how movies have changed over time, from the earliest silent films to the modern blockbusters we see today. You can explore the impact of major technological advancements, such as the introduction of sound and color, as well as the social and cultural context in which films were made.

Genre Studies

Another important area of film research is genre studies. This involves examining the conventions and themes of different types of films, such as horror, romance, or science fiction. By studying the characteristics of different genres, you can gain a better understanding of how filmmakers use storytelling techniques and visual elements to create a particular mood or tone.

Film Theory

Film theory is a broad field that encompasses a range of different approaches to understanding movies. From auteur theory to feminist film theory, there are many different lenses through which you can analyze films and gain a deeper appreciation for their meaning and impact. You can explore the ways in which films reflect and shape our cultural values, and how they can be used to communicate complex ideas and emotions.

Film Production

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the film industry, it’s important to have a solid understanding of the production process. Researching topics such as screenwriting, cinematography, and editing can help you develop the technical skills you need to succeed in your chosen field. You can also explore the business side of film production, including marketing and distribution, to gain a better understanding of how the industry operates.

Film Criticism

Finally, studying film criticism can help you develop your critical thinking skills and learn how to evaluate movies in a thoughtful and nuanced way. By reading reviews and essays by film critics, you can gain insights into the ways in which different audiences and cultural contexts can shape our perceptions of movies. You can also learn how to write compelling and persuasive film reviews yourself, which can be a valuable skill for aspiring filmmakers and critics alike.

Film studies research topics can help you gain a deeper understanding of the industry and prepare for a successful career. Some of the top film studies research topics include the history of film, genre studies, film theory, film production, and film criticism. Consider taking the NYU Film and TV Industry Essentials online course and certificate program to gain a comprehensive understanding of the film industry and develop the skills you need to succeed.

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How to Pick the Topic?

When we are going about trying to find some film topics, we are probably starting to think about movies we’ve seen, filming techniques we’ve browsed through, and so on. Yet, is this the best way to go? Well, sometimes it is. If you hardly have any time to craft your next paper, you might be better off going with something completely familiar. This would give you a better foundation on which to build. After all, if you’ve, say, seen a particular movie a dozen times, you’d have a much easier time writing about it. Sure, this is the most basic example but it’s a perfect illustration of what we mean.

On the other hand, if you have some more time at your disposal and you’re looking for a higher grade, you’d wish to come up with something much more creative and unique. This means taking some time to browse through and find connections, relations, and those out-of-the-box details that can make your next grade an A+. This would need more consideration because you may delve into a relatively new sea of information. But it’s worth it given that it’s going to boost your education. So, sometimes it might be better to go with film paper topics that are a bit different and with which we aren’t that familiar.

Now Comes Our List of Top 100!

Make sure to check out those research movie topics (put in no specific order).

1. The Era of the Silent Movies

2. How Science-fiction Movies Came to Be

3. The Emergence of Hollywood and How it Become Such a Major Player in the Film Industry

4. How Did Film Industry Influence the Millennial Generation

5. Contributions of Women Figures in the Industry of Filmmaking

6. Technology and Filmmaking – Relations, Problems, Future

7. The Development of Suspense in Movies

8. Special Effects and Their Influence on the Film Industry

9. The Psychology of Horror Movies

10. Mythology in Horror Movies

11. The Ethics of Using Animals in Movies

12. Walt Disney – History and Influence

13. Violence in Movies

14. Narrative Structures and Their Usage in Filmmaking

15. Hollywood Stereotypes and Their Effects on the Audience

16. Documentaries and Their Effect on the World

17. Ethical Issues in Filmmaking

18. Video Editing – History and Influence

19. Usage of Irony in Movies

20. Making a Movie Based on a Book – Theoretical and Practical Aspects

21. The Art of Animation

22. Should Censorship Exist in Movies

23. The Cultural Aspect of Movies

24. Problems of Contemporary Cinematography

25. The Classical Problem of Good and Evil in Filmmaking

26. Depiction of Enemy Countries in Historical Movies

27. Historical Cinema and Its Role in Education

28. Analysis of the Psychological Aspects Behind Jurassic Park

29. Sociological analysis of The Godfather

30. Cultural analysis of Pulp Fiction

31. Theoretical analysis of The Social Network

32. Methodological analysis of Citizen Kane

33. Film Drama – Basis, Major Aspects, Problems

34. Personalities in Movies – an Overview

35. Analysis of Movie Genres

36. Analysis of the Usage of Colors in Filmmaking

37. Sociology and Movies – the Interconnection

38. Culture and Movies – the Interconnection

39. Class and Movies – the Interconnection

40. Education and Movies – the Interconnection

41. Humanities and Film Studies

42. Cinema Research – Basis and Problems

43. The Emergence and Influence of Bollywood

44. Mass Movie Production

45. The Future of the Film Industry

46. Contemporary Problems in Filmmaking

47. Filmmaking and COVID-19 – What Changed?

48. Filmmaking and COVID-19 – What Needs to Change?

49. Controversies in the Movie Industry

50. Novel Aspects of the Movie Industry

51. Should the Filmmaking Industry Change?

52. Analysis of the Movies of David Fincher

53. The Globalization of American Movies

54. Issues in Movie Direction

55. Contemporary Cliches in Movies

56. Stereotypes in Movies

57. The Role of Design in Movies

58. The Effects of Music on the Viewer

59. Gender Expectations in Movies

60. The Portrayal of Mental Health Problems in Movies

61. The Portrayal of Socioeconomic Problems in Movies

62. Transgender Issues in Contemporary Cinema

63. The Effect of Nazi Propaganda Movies

64. Should There Be Propaganda Movies

65. Religious Symbols in Filmmaking

66. Issues of Science-Fiction Filmmaking

67. Issues of Horror Movies Filmmaking

68. Issues of Romance Movies Filmmaking

69. Issues of Action Movies Filmmaking

70. Issues of War Movies Filmmaking

71. Issues of Fantasy Movies Filmmaking

72. Ideology in Films

73. Racial Discrimination in Movies

74. Movie Character: [Pick a Character Here]

75. Portrayal of Emotions in Movies

76. Environmental Issues in Films

77. The Place of Fantasy Movies in Today’s Cinematography

78. The Place of Action Movies in Today’s Cinematography

79. The Place of Horror Movies in Today’s Cinematography

80. The Place of Comedy Movies in Today’s Cinematography

81. The Place of Romance Movies in Today’s Cinematography

82. Communication Techniques in Movies

83. Scene-setting in Contemporary Films

84. The Portrayal of Psychopaths in Contemporary Cinema

85. Violence in Contemporary Movies

86. Reasons Behind the Popularity of Movies All Over the World

87. The Role and Place of Movie Ratings

88. Freedom and Free Speech in Contemporary Movies

89. The Effect of Movies on Children

90. Child Movies – a Modern Review on the Topic

91. The Role of Team Playing in Filmmaking

92. How to Make a Movie Based on a True Story

93. Crime Movies – Modern Problems and Their Solutions

94. Crime Movies – What Do They Bring to the World of Cinema

95. Immigrant Issues in Filmmaking

96. Portrayal of Poverty in Movies

97. Portrayal of Drug Use and Addiction in Movies

98. Portrayal of Alcohol Use and Addiction in Movies

99. Portrayal of Gun Violence in Movies

100. Portrayal of Crime in Movies

Okay, those were our topics for research papers that we are certain to be quite good for any student out there. We tried to go all over the place and find something for any taste. We tried to compile a list where everyone would be able to find their next favorite research paper topic. Good luck and smooth sailing!

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Published: 03 July 2018

A psychology of the film

Ed S. Tan 1 , 2

Palgrave Communications volume 4 , Article number: 82 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

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Cultural and media studies

The cinema as a cultural institution has been studied by academic researchers in the arts and humanities. At present, cultural media studies are the home to the aesthetics and critical analysis of film, film history and other branches of film scholarship. Probably less known to most is that research psychologists working in social and life science labs have also contributed to the study of the medium. They have examined the particular experience that motion pictures provide to the film audience and the mechanisms that explain the perception and comprehension of film, and how movies move viewers and to what effects. This article reviews achievements in psychological research of the film since its earliest beginnings in the 1910s. A leading issue in the research has been whether understanding films is a bottom-up process, or a top-down one. A bottom-up explanation likens film-viewing to highly automated detection of stimulus features physically given in the supply of images; a top-down one to the construction of scenes from very incomplete information using mental schemata. Early film psychologists tried to pinpoint critical features of simple visual stimuli responsible for the perception of smooth movement. The riddle of apparent motion has not yet been solved up to now. Gestalt psychologists were the first to point at the role of mental structures in seeing smooth movement, using simple visual forms and displays. Bottom-up and top-down approaches to the comprehension of film fought for priority from the 60s onwards and became integrated at the end of the century. Gibson’s concept of direct perception led to the identification of low-level film-stylistic cues that are used in mainstream film production, and support film viewers in highly automated seamless perception of film scenes. Hochberg’s argument for the indispensability of mental schemata, too, accounted for the smooth cognitive construction of portrayed action and scenes. Since the 90s, cognitive analyses of narration in film by film scholars from the humanities have revolutionised accounts of the comprehension of movies. They informed computational content analyses that link low-level film features with meaningful units of film-story-telling. After a century of research, some perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that support our interaction with events in the real world have been uncovered. Today, the film experience at large has reappeared on the agenda. An integration of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms is sought in explaining the remarkable intensity of the film experience. Advances are now being made in grasping what it is like to enjoy movies, by describing the absorbing and moving qualities of the experience. As an example, a current account of film viewers' emotional experience is presented. Further advances in our understanding of the film experience and its underlying mechanisms can be expected if film psychologists team up with cognitive film studies, computer vision and the neurosciences. This collaboration is also expected to allow for research into mainstream and other genres as forms of art.

Testing theory of mind in large language models and humans

Principal component analysis

Dimensionality reduction beyond neural subspaces with slice tensor component analysis

An agenda for the psychology of the film.

At the time of the first kinetoscope and cinema exhibitions in 1894–1895, thanks to devices such as the Phenakistoscope, Zoetrope and Praxinoscope, moving images had been popular for decades. Just before that time, academic psychology turned to the identification of the mechanisms underlying the functioning of the mind. Perception psychologists began to study apparent movement of experimental visual stimuli under controlled conditions because they found moving stimuli interesting cases in human perception, or as part of the study of psychological aesthetics founded by Gustav Fechner and Wilhelm Wundt. The publication of The Photoplay: A Psychological Study marked the beginning of the psychology of the film. Hugo Münsterberg was trained by Wundt and recruited by William James to lead the experimental psychology lab at Harvard. Importantly, Münsterberg was also an avid cinemagoer as his analyses of theatrical films of his time may tell, and a professing cinephile at that. Münsterberg set two tasks for the study of the film: one was to describe the functioning of psychological mechanisms in the reception of film; the other to give an account of film as an artistic medium.

Münsterberg shared his contemporaries’ and even today’s spectators’ fascination for the wonder of moving images and their apparent reality. He described the film experience as a 'unique inner experience' that due to the simultaneous character of reality and pictorial representation “brings our mind into a peculiar complex state” (p. 24).

In the first part of The Photoplay , explores how film characteristically addresses the mechanisms of the basic psychological functions investigated by experimental psychology—namely perception, attention, memory and emotion. Footnote 1 In The Photoplay the imagination is the psychological faculty that theatrical movies ultimately play upon; attention, perception, memory and emotion are also directed by the film, but contribute to the film experience as building blocks for the imagination in the first place. One of the ways that films entertain the imagination is by mimicking the psychological functions. Film scenes may represent as-if perceptions, as-if thoughts, as-if streams of associations, and as-if emotions or more generally: display subjectivity. Footnote 2 Second, the film creates an imagined world that deviates from real world scenes as we perceive these in real life. Liberated from real life perceptual constraints involves the spectator’s self in 'shaping reality by the demands of our soul' (p. 41). Third, Münsterberg has a nuanced view of the automaticity of responses to film. On the one hand, it is the spectator’s choice—based on their interest—which ideas from memory and the imagination to fit to images presented on screen; they are felt as 'our subjective supplements' (p. 46). On the other, the film’s suggestions function to control associated ideas, '… not felt as our creation but as something to which we have to submit' (p. 46). And yet in Münsterberg’s view the film does not dictate psychological responses in any way. Footnote 3

Finally, The Photoplay provides abundant and compelling introspective reports of the film experience and so probes into the phenomenology of film, that is, what it is like to watch a movie. I think it is fair to say that for Münsterberg the film experience is the ultimate explanandum for a psychology of the film. In order to account for that phenomenology by mechanism of the mind proper descriptions of the film experience are needed, and introspective reports are an indispensable starting point for these.

The other task Münsterberg set himself was to propose an account of the film as a form of art. Part two of The Photoplay proposes that the film experience includes an awareness of unreality of perceived scenes. This awareness is taken as fundamental for psychological aesthetics; all forms of art are perceived to go beyond the mere imitation of nature. Footnote 4 Münsterberg showed himself a formalist in that he theorised that aesthetic satisfaction depends not on recognition of similarity with the real world or practical needs, but on the sense of an 'inner agreement and harmony [of the film’s parts]' (p. 73). Footnote 5 But in order to qualify as art, according to Münsterberg film was not to deviate too much from realistic representation that distinguishes theatrical movies from non-mainstream forms.

Münsterberg’s agenda is in retrospect quite complete. The detailed investigation of psychological mechanisms and aesthetics of film is followed by a last chapter on the social functions of the photoplay. The thoughts forwarded in it are more global than those on perception and aesthetics. The immediate effect of theatrical films on their audience is enjoyment due to their freeing the imagination, and their easy accessibility to consciousness 'which no other art can furnish us' (p. 95). Enjoyment comes with additional gratifications such as a feeling of vitality, experiencing emotions, learning and above all aesthetic emotion.

In a final section behavioral effects of successful films are discussed. Here the film psychologist vents concerns on what we now refer to as undesirable attitude changes and social learning, especially in young audiences. The agenda of today's social science research on mass media effects (e.g. Dill, 2013 ) is not all that different from Münsterberg's in the last chapter of The Photoplay.

The two tasks that Münsterberg worked on set the agenda for the psychology of film in the century after The Photoplay . It is clearly recognisable in the psychology of the film as we know it today. Footnote 6 But the promising debut made in 1916 was not followed up until the nineteen seventies, or so it seems. James Gibson lamented in his last book on visual perception that whereas the technology of the cinema had reached peak levels of applied science, its psychology had so far not developed at all (1979, p. 292). The cognitive revolution in psychology of the 60s paved the way for its upsurge in the early 80s. But some qualifications need to be made on the seeming moratorium. First, Rudolf Arnheim developed since the 1920s a psychology of artistic film form. Second, although not visible as a coherent psychology of the film, laboratory research on issues in visual perception of the moving image—in particular studies of apparent movement—continued.

Gestalt psychology and film form

Rudolf Arnheim’s essays published first in 1932 added analytic force to Münsterberg’s conviction that film is not an imitation of life. Film and Reality ( 1957 ) highlights shortcomings of film in representing scenes as we know them from natural perception. Footnote 7 In the same essay, it is pointed out that comparing a filmic representation of a scene with its natural perception is what analytic philosophers would call an error of category. In The Making of Film ( 1957 ) Arnheim presented an inventory of formative means for artistic manipulations of visual scenes, including delimitation and point of view, distance to objects and mobility of framing. It is argued that chosen manipulations often go against the most realistic options. For example, ideal viewpoints and canonical distances are often dismissed in favour of more revealing options. Footnote 8 Arnheim’s aesthetics of film gravitates towards acknowledged artistic productions more than to the 'naturalistic narrative film' (e.g., 1957 , p. 116–117) the more moderate art form that Münsterberg tended to prefer.

Arnheim was informed by such founders of Gestalt psychology as Wertheimer, Köhler and Koffka. This school held that natural perception results from the mind’s activity. It organises sensory inputs into patterns according to formal principles such as simplicity, regularity, order and symmetry. Arnheim developed into the leading Gestalt theorist of aesthetics of the 20th century. In his 1974 book he analysed a great number of pictorial, sculptural, architectural, musical and poetic works of art while only rarely referring to film. Footnote 9 The cornerstone aesthetic property of art works including film is expression, defined by Arnheim as 'modes of organic or inorganic behaviour displayed in the dynamic appearance of perceptual objects or events' ( 1974 , p. 445). Expression’s dynamic appearance is a structural creation of the mind imposing itself on sound, touch, muscular sensations and vision. Expressive qualities are in turn, the building blocks of symbolic meaning that art works including film add to the representation of objects and events as we know them in the outer world. Thus, Arnheim’s theory of expression and meaning in the arts seems to echo Münsterberg’s formalist position on the perception of 'inner harmony' as the determinant of film spectators’ aesthetic satisfaction.

Apparent motion

Münsterberg shared the amazement that moving images awakened in early film audiences. He considered the experience of movement a central issue for the psychology of the film. The experience of movement in response to a series of changing still pictures has been studied in psychology and physiology under the rubric of apparent motion . Footnote 10 In Münsterberg’s days, international psychology labs were probing the perception of movement in response to experimental stimuli that were perceived as moving images. Well-known examples include apparent motion induced by the subsequent views of single stationary lines in different positions that result in phi movement , the perception of one moving shape or line. Researchers in this area have continued to study the perception of movement in film as only one of many interesting visual stimuli, such as shapes painted on rotating disks, or dynamic computer-generated lights, shapes and objects of many kinds. Why and how we see motion has been as basic to the study of visual perception as questions of perception of colour, depth, and shape. Helmholtz proposed that what we need to explain is how retinal images that correspond one-to one, i.e., optically with a scene in the world are transformed into mental images, or percepts that we experience. In the case of apparent motion, we also need to understand how a succession of retinal images are perceived as one or more objects in motion Footnote 11 Apparent motion in film viewing needs to be smooth, Footnote 12 and depends on frame rates and masking effects. (The latter effects refer to dampening of the visual impact of one frame by a subsequently presented black frame).

Münsterberg’s conviction that the perception of movement needs a cognitive contribution from the viewer clashes with alternative explanations that rely on prewired visual mechanisms that automatically and immediately pick up the right stimulus features causing an immediate perception of motion, without the mind adding anything substantial. The inventors of nineteenth century moving image devices explained the illusion of movement by the slowness of the eye, possibly following P.M. Roget’s report on apparent motion to the Royal Society in 1824. In the early years of cinema, the persistence of vision account was meant to add precision to this explanation. It proposed that the retina, the optic nerve or the brain could not keep up with a rapid succession of projected frames, and that afterimages would bridge the intervals between subsequent frames. Anderson and Fisher ( 1978 ) and Anderson and Anderson ( 1993 ) have argued why the notion is false and misleading. It suggests that film viewers’ perceptual system sluggishly pile up retina images on top of one another. However, this would lead them to blur which obviously is not the case. The Andersons refer to the explanation as a myth because it is based on a mistaken conception of film viewing as a passive process. Even with the characteristically very small changes between subsequent frames characteristic of motion picture projection, the visual system performs an active integrative role in distinguishing what has changed from one image to another. This integrating mechanism in film viewing is exactly the same as in perceiving motion in real world scenes. Mechanistic explanations have since been founded on growing insights in the neuroscience of vision, such as single cell activity recordings in response to precisely localised stimulus features. Footnote 13 'Preprocessing' of visual input before it arrives in the cortex takes place in the retina and the lateral geniculate nucleus, which have specialised cells or trajectories for apprehending various aspects of motion. There are major interactions between perceptual modules. Footnote 14 Physiological and anatomical findings in the primate visual system, as well as clinical evidence, support the distinction of separate channels for the perception of movement on the one hand, and form, colour and depth on the other (Livingstone and Hubel, 1987 ). Research on how exactly the cortical integration systems for vision are organised has not yet come to a close. A variety of anatomical subsystems have been identified Footnote 15 , and there is room for task variables in the explanation of motion perception. Footnote 16 The operation of task variables in presumably automated processes (e.g., attentional set, induced by specific task instructions) complicates accounts of apparent motion and the perception of movement based on lowest processing levels.

Non-trivial and clear-cut contributions of the mind to smooth apparent motion have been proposed by Gestalt psychologists. Arnheim ( 1974 ) considered the perception of movement as subsidiary to that of change. The mind uses Gestalt principles such as good continuation and object consistency to perceive patterns in ongoing stimuli. Movement is the perception of developing sequences and events. Footnote 17 Gestalt psychologists have attempted to identify stimulus features that are perceived as a spatiotemporal pattern of 'good' motion, and they discovered various types of apparent motion have been distinguished as a function of stimulus features. In an overview volume, Kolers ( 1972 ) presented phi and beta motion as the major variants. Phi , the most famous, was first documented by Wertheimer in 1912 . An image of an object is presented twice in succession in different positions. Footnote 18 Pure or beta motion that is objectless motion, was the novel and amazing observation; the perception seemed to be a sum or integration by the mind beyond the stimulus parts, and asked for an explanation. It is also experienced when the objects in the subsequent presentations are different.

Wertheimer and those after him looked for mechanisms of the mind that could complement the features of the stimulus responsible for apparent motion in its various forms. Footnote 19 Other studies of apparent motion, too, indicated that simple models of stimulus features alone could not explain apparent motion. Footnote 20 One of the best examples of what the cognitive system adds to stimulus features is induced motion (Duncker, 1929 ). When we see a small target being displaced relative to a framework surrounding it, we invariably see the target moving irrespective of whether it is the target or the frame that is displaced. Ubiquitous film examples are shots of moving vehicles, with mobile or static framing.

In this summary and incomplete overview of the field, we could not make a strict distinction between mechanist and cognitive explanations for the perception of movement in film. The current state of research does not allow for it. Footnote 21 Kolers’s conclusions on the state of the field closing his 1972 volume on motion perception seem still valid. He inferred from then extant research that there must be separate mechanisms for extracting information from the visual stimulus and for selecting and supplementing the information into a visual experience of smooth object motion or motion brief. He concluded that 'The impletions of apparent motion make it clear that although the visual apparatus may select from an array [of] features to which it responds, the features themselves do not create the visual experience. Rather, that experience is generated from within, by means of supplementative mechanisms whose rules are accomodative and rationalizing rather than analytical' (p.198). But even if after Koler's analysis some perceptual (Cutting, 1986) or brain mechanisms (Zacks, 2015) have been identified today we still do not know enough about the self-supplied supplementations. Footnote 22

Perception and cognition of scenes

Mental representation and event comprehension.

Contributions of the mind can go considerably beyond apparent motion, i.e., the perception of smooth motion from one frame to another. The cognitive revolution in academic psychology that took off in the 1960s broadened the conceptualisation of contributions of the mind to the film experience beyond the narrower stimulus-response paradigms that had dominated psychological science until the 1960s. The cognitive revolution went beyond Gestalt notions of patterns applied by the mind on stimulus information. It introduced the concept of mental representation as a key to understanding the relation between sensory impressions from the environment on the one hand, and people’s responses to it. Moreover, these cognitive structures were seen functional in mental operations such as retrieval and accommodation of schemas from memory, inference and attribution. These were quite complex in comparison to perceptual and psychophysical responses. In the past 30 years, they have come to encompass event, action, person, cultural, narrative and formal-stylistic schemas. The cognitive turn in film psychology has stimulated a growing exchange with humanist film scholarship, resulting in advances in the elaboration of cognitive structural notions. Early applications of the cognitive perspective in the psychology of the film can be found in the 1940s and 50s in work by Albert Michotte ( 1946 ) and Heider and Simmel. Footnote 23

Against mental representation: direct perception of film events

The psychology of the film as a subdiscipline of academic psychology really took off in the late 1970s. Münsterberg’s broad agenda that had been scattered across isolated studies of mainly movement perception regained general acclaim. This was due first to the booming supply and consumption of moving images through media television and computer-generated imagery since the 60s. Second, the cognitive turn in experimental psychology renewed an interest in perception and cognition as it occurs in natural ecologies. This is the backdrop against which James Gibson ( 1979 ) noted the virtual absence of a psychology of the moving image, motivating his chapter on the film experience. The chapter was important in that it applied his highly influential ecological principles of perception of real world scenes to perception in the cinema. Gibson’s general theory of visual perception (e.g., Gibson, 1979 ) hinges on the notion that the visual system has evolved to extract relevant information from the world in a direct fashion. A scene presents itself to the observer as an ambient optical array that immediately and physically reflects the structure of the real world. Changes and transitions in the flow of the optical array are due to natural causes such as alternations of lighting intensity of the scene, e.g., due to clouds, or movement of objects in the scene or of the observer. These variations in the optical flow enable the automatic pick-up of invariants. Example invariants are the change in size of portions in the array, and the density of texture in that portion when the observer gets closer to, or farther away from the object. Footnote 24 The changes in these parameters are linked with depth-information in a way that is constant across different scenes, observer speeds, lighting conditions, etc. Invariants enable the direct perception of the real world in the service of adaptive action. Disturbances of the optic flow can automatically be perceived as events. The events are categorised on the basis of the nature of the disturbances, e.g., as terrestrial, animate, or chemical events. Furthermore, the direct tuning of the perceptual senses to the structures of the environment enable an immediate perception of affordances , for example the slope of a hill causes the direct perception of 'climbability'.

The experience of motion pictures according to Gibson involves a dynamic optical flow exactly like the one an observer would have when being present at the filmed scene. Footnote 25 Film represents the world to the senses that are calibrated to that world. The field of view of the camera becomes the optic array to the viewer (Gibson, 1979 , p. 298). Perception of objects, movement, events and affordances is direct and realist, based as it is on the same invariants and affordances that the scene in the real world would offer. Deviations from these as emphasised by cognitivist film psychologists from Münsterberg through Arnheim to Hochberg as we will shortly see, are largely taken as non-representative exceptions.

A major affordance offered by conventional movies is empathy with characters. Empathy presupposes that we understand what happens to characters. Scenes present their actions, reactions and feelings. However, most scenes are not continuous. How do we understand scenes presented in pieces, and what are the limits to our understanding? Gibson’s reply to the question of how continuity is perceived in scenes that is, smooth movement and unitary events across cuts would be that the perceptual system extracts the same invariants from the two shots on either side of the cut. The elegant explanation again rests upon a presumed correspondence between perception of real world scenes and film scenes.

Gibson inspired important theorising on the film experience, notably by Anderson and Cutting that we will turn to shortly. Here we emphasise that his direct perception account of the film experience stands in perpendicular opposition to the key innovation that the cognitive turn introduced in experimental psychology. Gibson denied the necessity of mental representations in the perception of objects and events, be it in real scenes or in film.

Cognitive schemas and the canonical set-up of the cinema

The role of mental representations, be they cognitive principles or schemas or other mental structures was argued over a lifetime of work in the psychology of film by Julian Hochberg. A perception psychologist with an interest in pictorial representations and their aesthetics, he devoted a large part of his work to identify what is given in film stimuli and how perception goes beyond that, in often ingenuous demonstrations and experiments. (The demonstrations are, in fact, introspective observations of film perception under exactly specified, reproducible stimulus conditions). A comprehensive overview can be found in Hochberg ( 1986 ). Footnote 26 His legacy should be referred to as the Hochberg and Brooks oeuvre, because his wife Virginia Brooks a psychologist and filmmaker, contributed such a great deal to it. Hochberg found that cognitive schemata are necessary in the perception of film for two reasons. The most profound one is that completely stimulus-driven (or 'bottom-up') accounts of the perception of movement, events, and scene continuity do not really explain the experience. For example, Hochberg and Brooks point out that neurophysiological motion detectors do not explain motion perception, that is, they 'amend but do not demolish' an account based on a mental representation of motion (Hochberg and Brooks, 1996b , p. 226). The same would go for any other direct perception account, including Gibson’s optics plus invariant extraction model. The more practical argument is that the direct perception account fails to pose limits to the scope of its application, leaving thresholds and ceiling conditions for the mechanisms out of consideration. The canonical set-up of cinematic devices for recording and displaying motion pictures has evolved to produce good impressions of depth, smooth and informative motion, emphasis on relevant objects and continuity of action, often violating the course of direct perception in comparable real world scenes. Figure 1 presents a demonstration of active disregard that viewers of mainstream movies typically display. (See also Cutting & Vishton ( 1995 ) on contextual use of depth-information).

Example of perceptual disregard in the cinema. Hochberg ( 2007 ) discusses the view of objects moving in front of a landscape. In normal film viewing flatness of studio-backgrounds and quasi-camera movement is disregarded. Traditional films can use a painted or projected landscape at the backdrop of the set, and panning camera movements instead of a really mobile camera to create a convincing impression in the viewer of following a moving object in the scene’s space. A cycling woman is followed in a pan shot moving from left to right; frames A and B constitute the beginning and the end of the panning shot. In normal perception in the real-world objects on the horizon seem to move in the direction of the moving subject, whereas nearby objects move in opposite direction. Panning involves a stationary viewpoint, causing the image to lack this 'motion parallax'. For example, the scarecrow in the middle ground of frame B should be further to the left from the ridge on the horizon than in frame A (DA < DB), but the distance between the objects has remained identical (DA = DB). However, the lack of parallax and resulting apparent flatness can be and is disregarded and viewers experience smooth self-motion parallel to the moving object. Disregard such a this is part and parcel of normal film viewing or the "ecology of the cinema".

The most immediate demonstration of apparent motion is Duncker’s induced motion referred to above, a cinematic effect because it is dependent on canonical projection within a frame. The best analytic examples are about the perception of events in filmed dance. Footnote 27 For Hochberg and Brooks an ecological approach to perception in the cinema needs to take the ecology of the cinema into account.

The necessity of cognitive schemas in film perception was pointed out most pregnantly in Hochberg’s dealing with the comprehension of shot transitions or cuts. It was argued that known sensory integration and Gibson’s extraction of invariants, fail to account for viewers’ comprehension of frequent and simple cinematic events like elision of space and time. Overlap in contents between successive shots can be hard to identify or lack at all. Hochberg and Brooks proposed a principled alternative: films play in the mind’s eye. Viewers construct an off-screen mental space from separate views, and they can link two successive views by the relation of each of these to this space. In constructing a mental space, overlap may even be overruled by other cues, that have nothing to do with any invariance. The construction must involve event schemas and cognitive principles removed from anything immediately given in the film. Schemas may indeed outperform (mathematical) invariants picked up from the optical array offered by the screen. Hochberg and Brooks ( 1996b ) show, for example how gaze direction of film characters or personae in subsequent shots may be more effective in the construction of a continuous mental scene than overlapping spatial or visual symbolic contents. Footnote 28 Mental schemas seem to be indispensable in the comprehension of sequences of completely non-overlapping cuts. A famous demonstration by Hochberg and Brooks is reproduced in Fig. 2 . The succession of shots is readily understood when it is preceded by the presentation of a cross, which provides the integrating schema. Viewers’ schema-based continuous perception of scenes is supported by the ways that traditional cinema tells its stories. The presentation of an overall view in so-called 'establishing shots' followed by a 'break-down' of its object into subsequently presented part views is a cornerstone procedure in classical continuity film style (Bordwell and Thompson, 1997 /1979).

Role of mental schemas in the comprehension of continuous space across shots as discussed in Hochberg and Brooks ( 1996 , 2007 ). a The sequence of eight static shots does not seem to make sense. b A static preview of the entire object as in A) would activate a mental schema of a cross. Subsequent shots are then recognised as consecutive camera relocations, counter-clockwise rotations offering subsequent views of corners From Hochberg and Brooks ( 2007 ). Adding a shot of the cross moving diagonally to the lower left corner of the frame would smoothen the transition between the entire object view and the view of its top right corner further and facilitate the perception of the subsequent parts. Hochberg and Brooks ( 1996 ) reported that replacing one of the shots by a blank frame does not lead to confusion. For example, if shot 7 were replaced by a blank frame, the view of the lower left angle of the cross would seem to have been skipped, and shot 8 would be recognised as to present a view of the lower left corner. That is, the trajectory of the views would remain intact in keeping with the overall view of the object. This illustrates all the more the leading role of the schema of a cross in the perception of its parts.

A smooth understanding of non-overlapping cuts may require dedicated knowledge of discursive story units and rules for their ordering that only literary analysis types of study can reveal (Hochberg, 1986 , pp. 22–50). Hochberg and Brooks ( 1996a , p. 382) pointed out that theoretical or empirical proposals as to the nature of such representations were lacking. They found Gestalt principles unsatisfactory (Hochberg, 1998 ). Current film psychologists have taken up this challenge as we shall see briefly.

As a final contribution of Hochberg and Brooks’ to the psychology of the film, we would like to highlight their view of film spectators as partners motivated to deliver their share in a communicative effort. Film viewers contribute to the canonical setup of the cinema in that they are astutely aware of the filmmaker’s communicative intentions: '… the viewer expects that the film maker has undertaken to present something in an intelligible fashion and will not provide indecipherable strings of shots' (Hochberg, 1986 , p. 22–53). Viewers must be assumed to have an associated motivation to explore the views presented to them. In a series of inventive experiments, Hochberg and Brooks gathered evidence for an impetus to gather visual information. Looking preference increased with cutting rate and with complexity of shot contents. Visual momentum , or viewer interest, (Brooks and Hochberg, 1976 ; Hochberg and Brooks, 1978 ) as they termed it is the absorbing experience typical of cinema viewing. These studies help us to understand how current cutting strategies meet the viewers’ typical motivation for cognitive enquiry. The reward of comprehension is carefully dosed by varying the time allowed to the viewer to inspect objects and scenes, dependent on their novelty and complexity.

Hochberg’s demonstrations of the involvement of mental structures in understanding portrayed events was in large part based on introspective evidence. They have been criticised for relying too heavily on top-down control of perception by too intricate mental structures, by Gibson and others. Footnote 29 Current research in the cognitive structure tradition uses more sophisticated experimental set-ups. Inspiration has been drawn from theories of discourse processing in cognitive science. In this research, the relationship of 'top-down' use of schemas in scene comprehension with 'bottom-up' processing of stimulus features has become an important question. Footnote 30 Zacks has extensively investigated how film viewers segment the ongoing stream of images and extract meaningful events and actions from it. Viewer segmentation depends on automatically detected changes in a situation (Zacks, 2004 ). Detection of the changes requires only minimal use of schemas, and triggers automated perceptual-motor simulations of events and subevents such as actions. Footnote 31 Segmentation follows the logic of events in the real world. Most importantly, multiple events can be organised in a hierarchical or linear fashion, as scenes, sets of events and subevents or actions (Zacks, 2013 ).

Theory of mind and layered meaning of events

Extracting events in understanding film scenes needs more than retrieving schemas of real world events. The fact that they are presented with an idea in mind, is reflected in their understanding. Understanding film scenes and especially characters, their actions, plans and goal has been argued to require a so-called Theory of Mind (Levin et al., 2013 ). TOM is a system of cognitive representations of what beliefs, needs, desires, intentions and feelings people have in their interaction with others and the world. It is acquired in early childhood, when children understand that others, too, have an internal life, similar to but also different from one’s own beliefs and feelings. Levin et al. explain how use of TOM, also referred to as mentalising is necessary for an elementary understanding of film character actions and feelings. For example, character gaze following that underlies our perception of what characters feel or want to do with respect to an object that they look at requires TOM. TOM underlies grasping spatial (and action-) relations in scene comprehension across cuts using gaze following. Understanding relations between more complex events require schema-controlled theorizing on what people believe, do, think, and feel. Finally, Levin et al. demonstrate through film analyses how film viewers construct multi-layered representations of a film’s action from the point of view of different characters, the viewer and even from the narrator’s or filmmaker’s. For example, viewer and character perspectives may clash as in dramatic irony , or the narrator may create false beliefs on story events in viewers.

Continuity of events and viewer attention

Hochberg’s question of what the mental schemas look like that enable us to perceive smooth progress of events across film cuts has recently been addressed by the next generation of film psychologists. They have sought answers in profound analyses of the canonical setup delivered by the founders of cognitive film theory in the humanities, such as Bordwell ( 1985 , 2008 ), and Anderson ( 1996 ). Bordwell’s extensive analyses of classical film narrative and his account of the viewer’s mental activity in the comprehension of the film’s story-world suggest a film-psychological hypothesis on the experience of continuity: Classical Hollywood film style serves smooth progress of the narrative. Continuity editing ensures fluency across shot transitions. Shot A cues cognitive schema-based or narrative expectations that are subsequently matched in shot B. Expectations can be perceptual or cognitive, i.e., requiring inferences supported by event schemas. Anderson added a Gibsonian perspective, arguing that the perception of film scenes mimics the perception of real world scenes. Continuity shooting and editing closely follow the constraints of the human perceptual systems that have evolved to 'extract' continuity from changing views of scenes in the real world. Recent research into the experience of smooth development of events and scenes across shot transitions draws on these principles of continuity narration. Footnote 32 Framing, editing and sound finetune the viewer’s top-down search to focus on candidate target stimuli. A quite complete and accurate explanation was offered by Tim Smith. His Attentional Theory of Cinematic Continuity ( 2012 ) explains the viewer’s sense of smooth progress by the continuity editing principles that mainstream filmmakers tend to adhere to. AToCC breaks away from Hochberg’s analyses to the degree that it holds that viewers do not need intricate spatial or semantic schemas to construct continuous events from separate shots. Rather it is built on the Gibsonian principle that perceiving continuity in film scenes derives from the continuity that we experience in perceiving scenes in the natural world. The ecology of the cinema renders it sufficient to follow a number of simple spatiotemporal guidelines. Continuity editing film style guides viewers’ attention in seamlessly following action across cuts. Attention, that is the focused selection of objects in a shot by the viewer, i.e., what and where the viewer directs their gaze, is led by the filmmaker. The viewers’ gaze in shot A is directed to the part of the screen where the target of interest in shot B, that is after the cut, will be. The shift of attention from one portion to another of the screen in shot A is shortly followed by the cut, and because the gaze 'lands' in the right place in shot B, the cut has become invisible. Footnote 33 The theory of continuity perception adds precise levels of analysis to the construction of mental scene spaces that Hochberg proposed. It distinguishes higher level and lower level control of attention. Higher-level ones include 'perceptual inquiries' as Hochberg and Brooks ( 1978a ) called them. The expectations or questions that guide the gaze may be minimally articulated, e.g., 'what or whom are these characters looking at' as in gaze following, but the operation of higher level cognitive schemas are not excluded. The best demonstration to date of the control of focus of attention by the narrative is given in research on suspense and its effects on film viewer gazes by Bezdek et al. ( 2015 ) and Bezdek and Gerrig ( 2017 ). Footnote 34 Their results can be taken to imply that suspense, a state of high absorption, is associated with focal attention to story-world details supervised by expectations created by the narrative (see also Doicaru, 2016 ).

The study of film viewers' attention has delivered a firm account of the role of the ubiquitous Hollywood continuity film style in the typical experience of smoothly flowing film scenes and stories that audiences allover the world have. (See for a review Smith, Levin & Cutting, 2012 ).

A lead role in perception for cinematic low-level features?

Experimental psychology has always aspired basic explanations of perceptual responses, preferably through transparent mechanistic associations with physically observable stimulus conditions. The role of high-level narrative schema-based attention in smooth film experiences discussed in the previous section, is subject to debates in which experimental data support arguments pro and con. To begin with, AToCC emphasises the role of leading expectations in following cuts, but more akin to the Gibsonian approach of visual perception than to Hochberg’s schema position as it is, it tends to stress lower level features as directing attention bottom-up, too or even more so. One lower level is given by film-stylistic devices, for instance the use of sound that can orient viewers to direct their gazes to the next shot’s portion of the screen where the sound’s origin will be shown. Another are lower level stimulus features in a narrower and technical sense, such as bright lights and movements with sudden onset that automatically attract attention due to the make-up of the senses and the brain. Especially movement was shown by Smith to be an extraordinary low level attentional cue. The power of low level feature control of attentional shifts has inspired Loschky et al. ( 2015 ) to speak of the 'tyranny of film'. They start from research findings suggesting that the use of low-level stylistic features can result in attentional synchrony across film audiences, that is individual viewers of a scene gaze at exactly the same portions of the screen at exactly the same time. Footnote 35 Remarkable degrees of inter-viewer synchronization of visual attention has also been established in studies of localisations of brain activity in film viewers (e.g., Hasson et al., 2003 ). However, Stephen Hinde’s research has recently shown that the distraction effect of inserted low-level attention triggers is quite limited (Hinde et al., 2017 ) In line with this notion of top-down attention control overriding bottom-up attention triggers, Magliano and Zacks ( 2011 ) demonstrated that the perception of cuts is suppressed by higher order processes related to the construction of complex events.

Gibson’s idea of invariants in optical arrays can now be made concrete, enabling the prediction of bottom-up controlled attention and perception from objectively identified features. Developments in computer vision, image and sound analysis have paved the way for automated extraction of features and patterns in visual and auditory stimuli in terms of multiple dimensions. For example, machine extraction of saliency as a feature predictive of bottom-up attention has been developed and applied in numerous computer vision applications. A much-cited article by Itti and Koch ( 2001 ) illustrates the idea for static images. Specialised neural network algorithms detect features such as colour, intensity, orientations, etc. in parallel over the entire visual field. Each feature is represented in a feature map, in which neurons compete for saliency. Feature maps are combined into a saliency map. A last network sequentially scans the saliency map, moving from the most salient location to the next less salient one and so on. Footnote 36 An excellent explanation of how to obtain saliency maps is given at a Matlab page. Footnote 37

Psychologists of film in their attempts to explain the extraordinary smooth and intense perceptual experience that mainstream film typically provides, currently seek to join forces with computer vision scientists. In a next step, they may seek collaboration with vision labs in the world that attempt to link their low-level film image feature analyses with film narrative structures and viewer responses. Footnote 38

Examples of computational film analyses. Number of shot transitions as a function of acts. Cutting ( 2016 ), Fig. 2 . Under Creative Commons License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). Note that ordinates are inverted; lower positions of titles mean larger number of shots and decreased shot durations. Normalised time bins refer to units of duration standardised in view of variable film length of separate titles. Left panel displays distribution of cuts over time and acts, right panel of non-cut transitions such as dissolves, fades and wipes.

The work of perception researcher James Cutting has carried the psychology of the film into the next stage of the Gibsonian ecological approach, while also linking it with insights in the structure of film narrative from humanities scholarship. Footnote 39 In an interesting essay on the perception of scenes in the real world and in film Cutting ( 2005 ) summarised the ecological perspective on perception stating that understanding how we perceive the real world helps to grasp how we perceive film and vice versa. Footnote 40 In the last decade Cutting developed powerful computational content analysis methods that reveal the patterning of low-level features in relation to dimensions of film style and technology, in representative samples of Hollywood films of well over a hundred titles. The theoretical starting point of the approach is that movies exhibit reality. The psychologist Cutting subscribes to the analytical distinctions made in literary and film theories between plot, form and style of a narrative on the one hand, and the represented story-world on the other. The Gibsonian proposal is that analyses of the fabula or story-world (i.e., the action, events, characters and so on) should lead to identification of syuzhet features (i.e., formal and stylistic features that are physically given in the film stimulus or can be perceived without substantial instruction) functional in the perception and understanding of that story-world; vice versa, variations in form and style reflect variations in the portrayed story-world. Cutting’s definition of low-level film features used in the analyses was informed by analyses of narrative, style and technology by David Bordwell, and methods for statistical style analysis by Barry Salt ( 2009 ).

Low-level features analysed by Cutting and co-workers are physically and quantitatively determinable elements or aspects occurring in moving images, regardless of the narrative. They include shot duration, temporal shot structure, colour, contrast and movement. The value of each feature can be expressed as an index for an entire film, or for some segment targeted in an analysis. Footnote 41 Inspection by an analyst complements machine vision analyses, but I would qualify the indexing approach as computational (objective) film analysis , because of intensive tallying and numerical operations developed by specialists in psychological data-processing. The features do not constitute events or scenes, but they accentuate these. A recording of their measurements for an entire film would constitute an abstract backbone to be filled with scenes and events. One possible comparison is with the rhythmic score of a song without melodies and words. In the hands of capable film-makers they are indispensable for conveying the narrative, due to their direct, predictable and automated effects on the visual system.

The primary use of the approach is in film analysis. The multi-feature configurations of indices can be used to reliably 'fingerprint' films or sections. Reliably because the indices are derived from large numbers of measurements. Computational film analysis uses a historical corpus of films and has been deployed over the past decade to corroborate and enrich historical analyses of film style. Footnote 42 The climax so far of efforts to integrate computational content analysis with film theory and analysis is Cutting’s ( 2016 ) report on narrative theory and the dynamics of popular movies. The corpus consisted of 160 English language films released between 1935 and 2010, ten for each year. As Figure 3 illustrates a typical course obtained of the number of shot transitions over film presentation time, interpretable as to mark the acts and the pace of narration, see Figure 3 . An important outcome of the analyses is that clear physical support was obtained for the four-act structure proposed by film historian Thompson ( 1999 ) across the entire period. It should be noted that Thompson’s act structure was identified largely on the basis of higher level narrative segmentation. Footnote 43 Shot scale was unrelated to the act structure. Cutting added analyses of higher order level film features that can be interpreted to co-vary with narration. Footnote 44 Cutting then ventured upon a multi-feature analysis of the entire corpus. Associations among all indices across all titles could be reduced to four dimensions: motion, framing, editing and sound. They correlated in a meaningful way. For example, shot scale was inversely related to shot duration; in classical narration close-ups tend towards briefer durations than wide shots. Each dimension represented polar opposites between features, e.g., music vs. conversation for sound and close-ups vs long shots for framing. Computational content analysis can explore the dynamics of the dimensional representations over subsequent acts of movies. Figure 4 reproduces Cuttings findings for prolog, setup, complication, development, climax, and epilog. Footnote 45 It would seem that the analysis winds up in a level of cinematic content representation that is grounded in directly given stimulus features, integrated with film-analytical features that can be readily indexed and seem relevant as production tools in regular filmmaking.

Five movie dimensions in narrational space. Reproduced from Cutting ( 2016 ) Fig. 9. under Creative Commons License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). The displayed representation is obtained from dimensional reduction of the numerous associations between film titles in terms of their feature profiles. The results of the first stage of the analysis are not displayed here, see Fig. 8 in Cutting ( 2016 ). In that stage, the number of associations between all titles regarding all features was reduced to four dimensions (see main text) using principal component analysis. In the next stage the analysis was applied to the features and films for each separate act, to result in the configurations shown here. Arrows vary in length, correspondingly to differences in the range of values on the dimensions. Black dots indicate median values of the acts on the dimensions. Considering for example the sound dimension, it can be seen that the set-up tends to have more conversation and the climax has more music. The red bars indicate the dispersion of values on the dimension and the degree it is skewed towards one or the other end

What does computational content analysis mean psychologically, that is how do indices and dimensions function in the viewer’s perceiving and comprehending events? Patterns of features trigger changes in viewers’ physiological, attention, perception and emotion systems, according to Cutting ( 2016 , p. 27). Typical low-level configurations may correlate with possible effects on the viewer’s perception and experience of events. For example, shot duration may support interpretations of pace, mood and tension, think of drama’s long takes; temporal shot structure is functional for sustaining attention or suspense (e.g., when a sequence of brief shots abruptly merges into long duration shots), e.g., in thrillers; movement (of camera and objects on screen) serves arousal in the viewer, as in action movies; low luminance signals possible threat as in horror movies, while high luminance may lend 'a sense of other worldliness' (Brunick et al., 2013 , p. 141). All low-level features can help viewers in categorising films as to genre, and changes in these will support segmentation of events and scenes, which is at the basis of smooth narrative understanding. Combinations of indices enable more interesting interpretations of possible experience effects. Footnote 46 However, because the studies that the overarching computational content analysis was based on do not involve response measurement, a direct connection between cinematic form (especially narrative procedures) and cinematic meaning that Cutting argues for is open to further elaboration. Even in the face of the richness of directly given information that has been extracted using computers, Cutting sees room for the use of cognitive schemas. The very narrative acts that are underlined by immediately given information may be schematic in nature, but he finds it more likely that their functioning is less dependent on memory-processes than the very high-level cognitive structures implied in cognitive scripts and TOM reasoning.

To conclude the sections on the cognition of film scenes, we seem to have made important progress in understanding how movies construct events in film viewers' minds an brains, as put it in his state of the art review. Movies in part "dictate" events, actions and scenes to viewers' brains using an "alphabet" of visual and auditive features; viewers in turn contribute to the construction of story-worlds by developing and matching higher-order structural anticipations using embodied cognitive event, character and narrative schemas. Since 1916, the film units that have been analysed increased from paired single stimuli (as apparent motion experiments) to whole film acts (as in computational film analysis). Analyses of narrative structure from film theory have become for the psychology of film what harmonics and counterpoint analysis signify to the psychology of music or the theories of syntax and semantics to psycholinguistics. They inform psychological notions of film structure and organization.

The awareness of narrative film

The third part of The Photoplay deals with issues other than the psychological mechanisms or the psychology of film form namely the awareness offered by the photoplay. It was only natural to Münsterberg as a child of his time to designate the special awareness that film creates as the explanandum in psychological research, the mechanisms of film stimuli impinging on attention, perception and memory being the explanans . His characterisations of this conscious awareness, what it is like to watch theatrical films, or in other words the phenomenology of the film experience remains in my view as yet unparalleled. Apart from the sense of freedom that we have already discussed, they include attentional and affective experiences.

Münsterberg described enjoyment as the immediate effect of theatrical film, explaining it from the exceptional freedom of the imagination: "The massive outer world has lost its weight, it has been freed from space, time, and causality, and it has been clothed in the form of our consciousness. The mind has triumphed over matter and the pictures roll on with the ease of musical tones. It is a superb enjoyment which no other art can furnish us" (Münsterberg, 1916 , p. 95). Light has been thrown on the remarkable fluency of the film experience noted by Münsterberg by current research in narrative procedures, and the mechanisms of continuity perception discussed in the previous section. Münsterberg also stressed that the enjoyment of photoplays depends on our experience of the film’s story as an emotionally meaningful world separate from reality: 'The photoplay shows us a significant conflict of human actions … adjusted to the free play of our mental experiences and which reach complete isolation from the practical world …' (p. 82). And finally, he singled out the role of focused attention in enjoyment. 'It is as if that outer world were woven into our mind and we were shaped not through its own laws but by the acts of our attention, …' (Münsterberg, 1916 , p. 39).

Twentieth century academic psychology did not develop much of a body of theory and research on human consciousness. Hence it is not surprising that alongside research into perception and comprehension one doesn’t find much work on the conscious experience of film. Measurements of perceptual, attentional, cognitive and affective responses in experimental psychology are extremely limited with regards to the contents of consciousness that they tap. Lab tasks enabling measurement are must be simple, e.g., identification, comparison or categorisation of visual stimuli, rather than free description or recall. Self-reports associated with such tasks must be quantifiable and take the shape of choice responses, simple intensity ratings or readily codifiable reports. Behavioural measures are farther removed from any contents of experience because these need to be inferred. Here, too, simple objective coding is a must. Descriptive and interpretative reports of the qualia and meaning of experiences afforded by film have been largely left to hermeneutic film criticism and phenomenologically oriented film philosophy in the humanities. Scholarship in these fields follows in the footsteps of Münsterberg. The present overview of the psychology of the film cannot go into it further; I refer to Sobchack’s ( 1992 ) volume on the phenomenology of the film experience. It opens with the proposition that film directly expresses perceptions, a proposition coming close to the observation in The Photoplay that the contents of the audience’s experience are perceptions, attention, thinking and emotion that are projected before them on the screen.

Absorption in film

Meanwhile, progress can be reported in understanding one aspect of the rich and complex film experience namely its intensity. Münsterberg observed that the film audience’s enjoyment is due to prolonged states of attention strongly focused on a fictional story-world, so strong in fact that the here and now escapes consciousness and it seems instead as if an 'outer world were woven into our mind'. Elsewhere we have proposed to refer to the experience of intense attention as absorption in a story-world (Tan et al., 2017 ), following Nell's ( 1988 ) groundbreaking description of "being lost in a book". Media psychologists specialised in research on media entertainment (Vorderer et al., 2004 , Bilandzic & Bussele, 2011 ) have developed a variety of measures capturing enjoyable absorption-like states afforded by narrative, television drama and video-gaming. We discuss four of these.

a. Narrative engagement (Bussele and Bilandzic, 2008 , 2009 ) is a pleasant state of being engrossed or entranced by the narrative as a whole as it is presented in a book or film, including the activity of reading or viewing it. Footnote 47 (Tele-)Presence (Schubert et al., 2001 ; Wirth et al., 2007 ; and others) refers to the embodied awareness of being in a virtual world: being there with your body, in other words absorption in a story-world. Footnote 48 The concept has its origin in research into the experience of virtual realities. Footnote 49 Attempts have been made to ground mechanisms of film-induced emotion on presence that is the audience’s basic and embodied awareness of being in the middle of the story-world as a witness to events befalling characters Anderson ( 1996 ); Tan (1994, 1996 ).

b. Green and Brock’s ( 2000 ) definition of transportation is the most frequently used conceptualisation of absorption in media-psychological research. It is considered a major gratification offered to readers of narrative and film viewers alike. It overlaps with presence in that it features a sense of being in the story-world, as well as a realistic and attentive imagery of details. The difference may be that as a metaphor transportation evokes associations with transition to or travel into the film’s story-world. Footnote 50 More than presence, the operationalisations of transportation entail personal relevance and participatory sympathetic feeling, amplifying the emotional quality of the experience.

c. Empathy is the common denominator for concepts referring to absorption in the inner life of fictional characters. Like transportation, it is seen as a major gratification in reading stories and watching drama and movies. Viewer empathy has been defined as perceiving, understanding and emotionally responding to character feeling in the seminal work on the subject by Zillmann (Zillmann, 1991 , 1996). Perceived similarity and sympathy for the character (grounded in moral attitudes) have been suggested and tested as determinants of spectator empathy in drama (e.g., Zillmann, 1996; 2000 ; 2003 ; 2006 ). Footnote 51 There is still a need to sort out possible forms of empathy specific to the canonical conditions of the cinema which may be quite different from situations in real life where we observe other persons. Footnote 52 Moreover, empathy with film characters can be less or more cognitively demanding. Footnote 53 Identification (e.g., Cohen, 2001 ) seems to stand for complete absorption of the viewer’s self by a represented character. Footnote 54 It can be argued that empathy is the rule in film viewing while identification is the exception (e.g., Zillmann, 1995; Tan, 1996 , 2013a , b ), as most mainstream film narratives are mainly geared towards provoking the former rather than the latter. According to Smith ( 1995 ) they use 'alignment' techniques that promote perspective taking and allegiance strategies that foster viewer sympathy for the character while the distinction between self and character is unaffected.

d. Finally, flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997 ) is the odd person out in the series of absorption-like experience concepts reviewed here, because it applies not only to absorption in movies, narratives or games, but to any activities that stand out for a certain intensity and intrinsic reward as well. The rather simple idea supporting the concept is that a pleasurable state is experienced when the challenges inherent in an activity just match the person’s capacities. In the canonical setup of mainstream film (and mainstream audiences) this balance is generally realised due to filmmakers’ skilful presentation of interesting story-events, and the overlap of it with attentional, perceptual and cognitive routines that film viewers have acquired in the real world. Mainstream movie continuity film style facilitates flow a great deal as it tedns to minimize challenges posed by transitions from one view or perspective to another. Smith's ( 2012 ) studies were discussed above as relevant to smooth continuity of visual attention, and I would also mention the research on comprehension of events by Schwann (2013; Garsofsky & Schwan, 2009 )

Obviously, these and other varieties of absorption are not mutually exclusive. Elsewhere we have presented qualitative empirical support for a dynamic interplay among the varieties of absorption (Bálint and Tan, 2015 ). Footnote 55

From the overview we may conclude that Münsterberg’s introspective psychology of the film experience is in large part echoed in the empirical observations gathered one century later. Viewers feel absorbed in another, exceptionally vivid reality, 'clothed in the [embodied] forms of our consciousness' (presence and transportation). Empathy is mentioned by Münsterberg as a prominent experience, and his notion of an unhampered stream of the imagination may correspond with the experience of flow. Focused attention is already in The Photoplay a major component of the film experience, that would later be investigated in research on bottom-up vs. top-down attention discussed above. Absorption, empathy and intensely focused attention can easily substantiate the enjoyability of watching films as Münsterberg already would have it. However, compared to Münsterberg’s conceptualisation of the typical film awareness, insights into how acts of imagination on the part of the spectatorcontribute to it have not advanced that much in the psychology of film. Footnote 56

A narrative simulation account of emotion in film viewing

Absorption is an affective state characteristic of the film expeirience. However, a description of the typical experience of narrative films is incomplete if more specific affective states are not considered. Watching movies has been identified with emotions. We go to the cinema to experience mirth, compassion, sadness, bittersweet emotions, thrill, horror, and soon in response to what we see and hear happening to characters and ourselves. Emotions of movie audiences have not received much attention since Münsterberg’s Photoplay . Twenty-first century film psychology has taken up where he left off, and a major step forward has been to regard the narrative structure of films as a fundamental starting point for explaining film viewer emotions. The narrative simulation account is, I think, dominant in today’s psychological approaches to the issue of why the cinema offers the intense and remarkable emotional experience that Münsterberg’s photoplays induced a century ago. Important work on emotion in media users has been done in media psychology, most on empathy with characters, but narrative induced emotion has not received much attention, as can be seen from a complete overview by Konijn ( 2013 ). Cognitive scholars in the humanities have highlighted different aspects of film narratives that induce perceptions of fictional events associated with intense emotional experiences (e.g., genre-typical film style: Grodal, 1997 , 2009 , 2017 ; Visch and Tan, 2009 ; narrative procedures, e.g., Smith, 1995 ; Plantinga, 2009 ; Berliner, 2017 ). I hope the reader will allow me to use my own work on the subject as an illustration. It is closely related to the cognitive - theoretical analyses just referred to. I have found a cognitive approach to emotion in general psychology fruitful for narrative modelling of emotion in film viewing. Footnote 57 Investigations of film-induced emotion have raisedthe issue of apparent realism : how can a clearly fictional world be taken for real to the effect of intensely moving emoting viewers? Oatley introduced a cognitive theory of narrative fiction as simulation ( 1999 , 2012 , 2013 ) that applies to film as a stimulus for possibly complex emotions. Narrative runs simulations on the embodied mind just as programs run simulations on computers. Footnote 58 I would add that filmviewers take part in a playful simulation in which the film leads them to imagine they are present in a fictional world, where they witness fictional events that film characters are involved in (Tan, 1995 , 1996 , 2008 ). Being a witness involves embodied perceptions of what happens in a fictional world, as well as in the imagination constructing and participating in events, without acting on these. In the process, events are taken for real for the sake of playful entertainment. This position is related to Walton’s ( 1990 ) well-known account of fiction as make-believe.

Frijda’s cognitive theory of the emotions (Frijda, 1986 , 2007) is the starting point for further explanation of emotional experiences in response to film. The theory posits that the emotion system has evolved for adaptive action in the first place. For example, the sight of a monster will spawn a strong urge to flee due to a basic concern for safety being jeopardised. Of course, film audiences do not run out of the auditorium. According to the cognitive theory of emotion, action responses are not fixed responses to emotional stimuli, but the result of appraisals of what they mean for a person’s concerns in light of the situational context. Playful simulation provides the contextual frame for the complex appraisal of apparent realism of film events. The appraisal has three stages: perceptual, imagination based and self-involved. Footnote 59

1. Many popular film stimuli provoke immediate and automated appraisals of concern relevance and ensuing emotional responses, due for instance to their nature of unconditioned stimuli in the real world. A snake popping out from the bush would be an example. Emotional appraisals in the cinema can be and often are empathetic. That is they include perspectives on events taken by film characters. Film technology in mainstream movies is used to emphasise emotional triggers; editing could strengthen the suddenness of the snake’s appearance, and photography could render fear releasers such as the typical movements of the snake more salient. Footnote 60 But popular films also present us with emotional stimuli that are immediately perceived as fake, for example a rubber prop snake. Due to the playful simulation frame further cognitive processing of perceptions takes place. In the first case, film viewers realise that just perceived events are not real but must be held true for the sake of a playful simulation. In the second, they realise that the fake stimulus is only a prompt, and comply with its invitation to hold the stimulus true and allow it to appeal to their concerns, also for the sake of playful simulation.

2. Once imagination takes over from perception, the reality status of stimuli is traded for believability. As part of the imagination fictional events are matched with higher order genre-specific narrative schemas, and then dealt with as possibilities in a particular world . As Frijda ( 1989 ) argued when he discussed the apparent reality of fiction: 'Seeing a fake snake approach a real person is not scary. But watching an imaginary snake approach an imaginary Jane is. The first is seen as unreal in a real word, and the second as real in an imaginary world. And this is how we appraise events in fiction. The fun of art is in the play with the duality' (p. 1546). Play with the possibility of events in the imagined world and entertaining as-if emotions can suffice for genuine emotion to arise. As I argued elsewhere (Tan, 1996 ) the appraisal of the possibility of events in a particular fictional world can and usually does lead to genuine emotion, because humans have been equipped with a capacity to have emotions in response to mental representations of counterfactual and imaginary events. Footnote 61

3. The genuine emotion can—but does not need to—open up considerations of the believability of fictional events in the real world. Moreover, it can lead to imaginations in which the viewer’s self is involved in the events or their ramifications. The appraisal of fictional film events is treated in more detail in Tan and Visch (2018). The search for film style and technology features that are conducive to particular emotional appraisals has only slowly lifted off. Cutting's computational content analyses were already mentioned There are scattered empirical studies e.g. of camera angle and editing pace by Kraft (1987) and Lang et al. 1995, respectively. Film technique manuals and critical anayles provide abundant intuitively convincing examples of how to produce emotionally appealing sequences. It is to be expected that computational film analysis will soon enable large scale studies of the use of style and technology in emoting scenes.

Back to emotion and action. As film viewers perceive film scenes to be projections on screen of a fictional world, they understand they cannot act, and their action tendencies are suppressed. Footnote 62 As importantly, one’s inability to act upon a fictional world is a strong trigger for emotional responses involving the imagination of action. Driven by sympathy, viewers desire that protagonists escape from a horrific situation. In their imagination they anticipate and hope that the protagonist is saved by someone or something and if need be by a fictional miracle. Footnote 63 Thus, they experience or exhibit a virtual form of action readiness (Frijda, 1986 ). Footnote 64 This readiness for action can be directly observed in film viewers from their "participatory responses" (Bezdek, Foy & Gerrig, 2013 ) - such as overt expressions of sympathy for a character (see also Tan, 2013b ). However, there is one thing that film-viewers as witnesses invariably do when properly emoted: eagerly watch the events on screen.

Following cognitive film theory further, I consider the emotional experience of film as the sum total of experience of the appraisal, internal and external bodily expressions and changes in action readiness integrated in consciousness in accompanying the sensory intake of units of film.

Film, interest and enjoyment

An account of `film - audience emotion is incomplete if it does not go into the question why we actually take the trouble of watching movies. Münsterberg already wondered how mature people can become so emotionally absorbed in fantasy worlds. Narrative films can be argued to address two basic emotional concerns in particular, curiosity and sympathy (Tan, 1996 ). All sorts of narrative fiction, including film provoke interest by presenting events with uncertain consequences. Thus, they address a basic curiosity , that is a need for novelty, knowing and exploration. Interest is the emotion that responds to appeals involving this concern. Interest in film viewing does have a real action readiness to it referred to above: watch eagerly. Because the response in interest includes spending and focussing attention to specific story-world events, its experience goes hand in hand with absorption. Mainstream film’s narrative is perfectly designed to support a characteristic systematic unfolding of interest as an emotion. Movies continuously present cognitive challenges that viewers know they can meet. Footnote 65 Silvia ( 2006 ) has shown in a greater number of studies that this is the condition for optimal interest. I have referred to the core appraisal of narrative interest as promise of rewarding outcomes , in terms either of desirability for a protagonist or mankind in general, or of coherence, completeness or elegance of a narrative’s structure, or both (Tan, 1996 ). In addition, the prospect of sought emotions, such as excitement, enjoyment and appreciation is as well part of the promise that ongoing film narratives constantly offer. Footnote 66 Interest is closely linked with enjoyment, the primary gratification that movies offer their audience. In the cinema interetst is pleasant because it is fun to entertain anticipations of as yet uncertain story-outcomes. Moreover, every outcome, even if it is unanticipated or unfavorable, is greeted with enjoyment because it answers one's curiosity. (In the case of sad, horrific or otherwise hedonically negative or mixed outcomes, "enjoyment" is not the proper label for the rewarding emotion. We return to the fun of unpleasant emotion in a later section).On a final note, interest in film viewing is a case of narrative interest as a broader category of emotions, but the sensory qualities of the medium are relevant for how interest feels. Curiosity to know is in part a desire for the closure of a propositional narrative structure, but in the cinema we do not only want to know but also to see and hear . The enjoyment of seeing a couple kiss or a heroine return after an odyssee of some sort is in the cinema incomplete when it is not shown. In the cinematic appraisal of interest, an anticipation of embodied completion of our narrative-led imagination is a major ingredient of the promise of reward.

Emotional responses to fiction film worlds

The second concern that movies touch upon is sympathy . That this concern is active throughout the reception of all traditional movies answers the question why film viewers care about damsels, hobbits or gorilla’s in distress. There is a fundamental human need for bonding with others and recognising whatever fictional character as someone 'like us' supposedly suffices for sympathy to arise. Footnote 67 Mainstream films activate the concern to the full as their sympathetic protagonists meet with ups and downs in on the way to their goals. Sympathy-based emotions like disappointment, regret, awe, mirth, suspense, hopes and fears, compassion and sadness occur in response to obstacles or their removal on the way to protagonists realising their projects. Footnote 68 Because these emotions arise in response to events (appraised as desirable or undesirable) in a fictional world, we refer to these emotions as responding emotions . Footnote 69 Some frequently experienced sympathetic responding emotions such as fear, sadness, compassion and being moved, can be empathetic , that is require mentalising a character’s inner life. Said more precisely, empathetic emotion requires that the viewer’s appraisal of any fictional events reflects the perspective of a character; the event is understood from a character’s imagined point of view and with her concerns, and feelings. In its most intense forms, sympathy can look and feel like self-indulgent sentiment . However, there is no point in condemning tears of sadness or joy as silly. The term sentiment is not necessarily pejorative. The appraisal of a character’s suffering or good doing can involve an acknowledgment of its superior measure, notably in relation to the self’s suffering or good doing. In my compassion with or admiration for a beloved character I can feel that her fate is really woeful compared to mine, or that her altruistic achievements make mine totally insignificant. Being moved , awe and having goose bumps are emotional responses accompanying such appraisals (Tan and Frijda, 1997 ; Tan, 2009 ; Wassiliwizky et al., 2017 ; Schubert et al., 2018 ) Footnote 70

However, not every responding emotion requires empathy or sympathy. Footnote 71 The sympathy concern does not only drive our siding with characters and responding emotionally to the ups and downs in their projects. As I proposed (Tan, 1996 ) it can make us invest affectively 'film-long' in characters, on top of going along in their hopes and fears, successes and failures. We are also witnesses of characters’ slower and more profound development into personae we would want them to be. The share of action or plot development relative to that of character differs from one genre to another. Footnote 72 Generally, action movies and especially comedies tend to allow for only minimal character development, whereas the drama genres may indulge into it. In these genres, viewer interest may depend in larger part on characterisation and character development.

Another class of emotions responding to the fictional world are 'spectacular' that is spectacle based . The spectacle of landscapes, buildings, natural objects and artifices, human or animal figures in motion, can surprise us and touch on a sense of beauty and invoke appraisals of harmony, elegance, or serenity. In some genres the spectacle of explosions, injury, cruelty disfiguration, etc. may incite disgust, fear raise emotions. Spectacle-based emotions do not rely on empathy of any depth, their stimulus being the mere view or sound of a fictional scene; they are neither dependent on sympathy. In more traditional terms, image and sound combinations of objects, events, and figures in the fictional world can be emotionally appraised as spectacular, beautiful, sublime, horrific, bizarre, absurd and so on. Amazement, enjoyment, awe (the wow-feeling), entrainment, being moved and aesthetic appreciation are apt labels for ensuing emotions. Like all emotional responses to fiction worlds, spectacle-based emotions can also arise when we read narratives, but in the cinema, they compete conspicuously with plot and character-driven interest and sympathy-based affective response. It seems like the viewer’s witness role is temporarily swapped for a spectator role. Footnote 73 The viewer can identify even further with patterns of motion or sequences of image and sound that lack reference to the film’s story-world. Viewers may contemplate lyrical associations of visuals, sounds, music and symbolic concepts in embodied consciousness as Grodal ( 1997 ) proposed. If story action imaginations give rise to emotions, lyrical associations are responded to with moods, e.g., nostalgic, tense or relaxed ones. The seemingly immediate representations on screen of emotions through camera movements and associative editing editing that Münsterberg described would be examples.

Emotion structure of narrative film

As a way to profile the dynamics of emotion across an entire film I proposed to represent these in a succinct model, the affect structure of a film (Tan, 1996 ). The model represents the course of interest and of responding emotions in time as predicted by theevents as they are subsequently presented by the film. Footnote 74 Generalising across titles, a most general hypothesis is that the level of interest during mainstream movies tends to rise globally. This is because on the way to protagonists’ goals, stakes tend to go up every novel complication. This will lead to increasing promise of reward roughly between the prologue and climax acts. Locally though, interest peaks and dips alternate over subsequent scenes, depending on genre and particular film. Figure 5 displays an example course of interest measured in viewers of the film In for treatment . In this study of emotions induced by a tragic drama on a terminally ill hospital patient, we found that an initial appraisal of the protagonist as increasingly suffering under the yoke of an oppressive hospital regime, was associated with a responding emotion of compassion. After the complication act, the protagonist’s acts of resistance against the hospital’s regime gave way to admiration due to an appraisal of the protagonist’s sense of self-determination. Both measures determined the level of interest measured continuously using a seven-point slider device (Tan and van den Boom, 1992). Affect structures can be more or less generic. That is, responding emotions are just like the plots, characters, and events that prompt these, characteristic for a certain genre. The study of genre-based emotion has been concentrated in research of undesirable effects of watching violence, sensation or horror in entertainment fare, see e.g. a volume edited by Bryant and Vorderer (2006). Psychological research into the role of viewer genre knowledge is on its way (e.g. Tan & Visch, 2009 ).

Continuous interest over the course of In for treatment; N = 21; from Tan and Van den Boom (1992). Interest was registered every second using a slider rating device. Measurement was validated by self-report interest ratings. Numbers under the abscissa represent subsequent scenes. 1–6: prolog; 7–18: complication, 19–20 development; 24: climax followed by epilog.

The appeal of unpleasant emotions

A brief glance at the success rates of films featuring sad, violent or horrific content illustrates the appeal that unpleasant emotions can have to audiences at large. Münsterberg already objected to vicious effects of violent and repulsive imagery in 1910s photoplays, contents that he observed to be worryingly attractive. The psychology of the film holds various explanations in stock, but none as yet chosen. The best documented proposal is Menninghaus et al.’s distancing-embracing model that stipulates two complmentary mechanisms. One rids painful, disgusting or otherwise unpleasant aesthetic stimuli from an impact that would prevent any enjoyment or appreciation of the stimulus. The other allows for experiences that are 'intense, more interesting, more emotionally moving, more profound, and occasionally even more beautiful' (Menninghaus et al., 2017 , p. 1). The model is meant to explain the prevalence of negative emotion in all art forms, and harbours a great many classical approaches to the issue. Media psychologists have proposed what I think are regulation accounts of the pleasures of negative emotion. An emotion such as horror results from appraisal of monsters etc. as threatening and repulsive, but the emotion itself, too, can be subject to appraisal. Likewise, your crying in the cinema may induce embarrassment upon your realising that it is only a film you are watching. Footnote 75 Serious drama, the contents of which can be appraised as poignant or thought-provoking (Oliver and Hartmann, 2010 ), and more in particular independent arthouse titles that tend to provoke appreciation and elevation rather than enjoyment seem to compensate the most painful experiences they offer by a high instruction or (self-) reflection potential (Oliver & Bartsch, 2013 ). They offer continuous promises of broadening insights or revising one’s views of the world and the self, possibly only materialising to the full long after the show. In my own work I have pointed at the modulating effects of genre schemas (Tan & Visch, 2017) and narrative interest on negative emotions. Footnote 76

In closing the sections on film-induced emotion we need to note that the account of the cognitive appraisal of emoting events given here is simplified. Even straightforward film narratives can have complexities in terms, e.g., of plot lines, or character and narrator perspective that affect the intricacies of emotional events. I refer readers to Oatley’s ( 2012 ; 2013 ) discussion of in this sense more sophisticated appraisals of fictional events. More generally, film psychological research is needed into the use of more complex TOM heuristics in the comprehension of film narrative, and in emotional appraisals of film events.

The conclusion on the psychology of film awareness must be, I think, that the gripping nature of the film experience is as astonishing today as it was to early film audiences. Media psychologists have started to measure it, and cognitive film scholars have forwarded theoretical frameworks for an account of film viewer affect and emotion. But the phenomenology of film has not been expanded by film psychologists beyond the descriptions of what it is like to watch a movie provided in The Photoplay .

The psychology of film as art

Whether or not the awareness of film entails appreciations of artistry can only be a rhetorical question, but the psychology of the film has not explicitly addressed the subject. After Münsterberg and Arnheim hardly any psychologist considered film as an art form at all. And neither have general psychological aesthetics taken film into consideration. The psychology of narrative film as it developed since the 1990’s has addressed the aesthetics of movies, but rather implicitly. We have discussed psychologists’ efforts to explain the natural fluency in the perception of story-events that Münsterberg already found characteristic for the film experience. They pointed at the conventional use of continuity film style. Mainstream cinema’s narration has been demonstrated by cognitive film theorists to be at best marginally self-conscious (Bordwell, 1985 , 2006 ). That is formal features of a film’s composition, style and use of technology are non-salient and subservient to the viewer’s reconstruction of and absorption in a fabula . The viewer’s construction of a story-world is only discretely cued by the narration, and formal or stylistic patterns that do the job tend to escape consciousness to a more than considerable degree (see Tan et al., 2017 ). We could say, I believe, that the psychological aesthetics of popular film is as it stands, first and foremost about absorption , the intense and fluent imagination of being in a fictional world. And it should be added that a psychological aesthetics of forms other than popular narrative fiction film is missing. Available knowledge suffices to propose a psychology of the thriller, the romance drama or the coming-of age film, but not for a psychology of the documentary, the expressionist, the surrealist or the postmodern film, let alone of experimental, avant-garde and other museum film art forms. After all then, at present we are not far removed from Münsterberg’s speculation on the aesthetic experience of theatrical film as intense absorption due to the inner harmony of a film’s parts and conditional on only modest deviations from realistic photo-representations of the worlds that it plays.

However, as we write, everything seems set to embark on research in the film audience’s aesthetic appraisals of movies. We can rest assured that at present 'the inner parts' of mainstream film in terms of contents, style and technology have been well-described by film theorists such as those referred to above. They can help psychologists teaming up with computer vision and hearing specialists to develop computational analyses of 'the inner harmony between the parts'. As a favourable sign of the times we also note a growing interest in the implicit knowledge that the regular film audience has of patterned uses of film style and technology in various forms and genres (see, e.g., Visch and Tan, 2009 ). Moreover, the first attempts have been made to identify the psychological dimensions that underlie film audience aesthetic tastes. Footnote 77 Dimensions of what I called the Artefact emotions , that is the affective evaluations of films as aesthetic products will soon be identifiable from reviews by critics and the film audience at large that are already available in large data repositories. Footnote 78 Large scale highly data-intensive research can be accompanied by smaller scale laboratory studies of whether and how viewers attend to aesthetically relevant patterns of formal and stylistic features. Footnote 79

Concluding remarks

The agenda that Hugo Munsterberg set for the psychology of the film, explaining the film experience through revealing psychological mechanisms underlying it, and accounting for its aesthetic functions is after a century still leading. I believe that psychologists of film have over the century not added new questions, while the ones he posed have been shown to be complex or even resilient. Nonetheless the field has gradually expanded. After the 1970's growth accelerated and today we face what in modesty may be called a surge. Two film-psychological books, Art Shimamura’s Psychocinematics (2013) and Jeffrey Zacks’ Flicker: Your brain on movies ( 2014 ), have recently filled the void left after The Photoplay .

The review of psychological studies into the film experience presented in this contribution is highly selective. It was not meant at all to cover the entire field, if only because we selected achievements from the vast research area of moving images and their perception. This is why the essay is titled 'A psychology of the film' rather than 'The etc.'. Granted its basic limitations, an overview of a century of film psychology could conclude with a comparison with research agenda that was set in Münsterberg’s Photoplay . The typical gripping experience that mainstream movies offer the audience has now come to be characterised as a sense of being absorbed by and quasi-physically present in a film scene that feels like going on as smoothly and continuously as a scene in real life. Considerable progress has been made in understanding how the basic psychological functions attention, perception and memory contribute to viewers’ comprehension of film. An understanding has developed of how attentional, perceptual and cognitive mechanisms dovetail with the solutions and norms of traditional cinemascopy. In the conventional 35 mm theatre set-up, the dark environment where high-density projections extend over the limits of the foveal acuity field, screens are big enough to allow for sufficient stimulation of the peripheral motion-sensitive visual field and the spinning projector shutter makes for smooth stroboscopic movement. Moreover, the visual system is quite resistant against perspective transformations due to less optimal viewing points, probably through extracting invariants under transformation (Cutting, 1986 ). Mainstream narrative continuity film-style ensures a fluent perception and comprehension of a film’s story-world, action, characters and their inner lives. Emotional responses can be explained from the development of the story and the progress of protagonists’ projects.

And yet, a lot less effort has been spent in theoretically elaborating further on what the film experience is. There is a general disbelief that it would involve a mere recognition of events, situations, persons etc. as we know them in the real world. But what exactly the spectator’s imagination contributes to the typical awareness of the film is still mysterious. And how filmic events, and the ways they have been staged, acted, framed, photographed and edited exactly influence and prompt acts of imagination on the part of audiences, has only in part been understood.

Meanwhile, the supply of "photoplays" has immensely multiplied and diversified since 1916, but the mainstream narrative film has by far remained the most popular form. Today’s ubiquitous access to moving images through a multiplicity of screens has made it more urgent than ever for psychologists to understand the experiences associated with extremely different cinematic devices. They range from handheld phones to giant 3-D multiplex screens and surround installations in museums. Canonical set-ups of the cinema also tend to diverge because of networked interaction technologies seeking application in the production, distribution and exhibition of motion pictures. Psychologists of the film can use their current understanding of how audiences experience mainstream cinema as a basis for differentiating what film semiologists call 'dispositives': clusters of production, exhibition and reception practices characterised by specific expectations, attitudes and competences of their end users. Footnote 80

The psychology of film is rapidly developing into an interdisciplinary field. Münsterberg’s psychological study already reflected inspiration from fields far removed from experimental psychology such as the then conventional practice of the photoplay as well as from Aristotelian poetics of the theatre play. In the same vein, current psychologists of film as we have seen, improve their understanding of the perception and cognition of film in a collaboration with experts in the analysis of narration in the fiction film. Advances in current models of film viewer attention featuring narrative cuing are profoundly informed by (historical) film analyses. Footnote 81 Scholars in cognitive film studies, such as those collaborating within the Society for the Cognitive Study of the Moving Image are steadily producing in-depth analyses of film at work conjointly with the viewer’s mind. Footnote 82 The same goes for the (more modest) advances made in psychological models of film-produced emotion. Further collaborations with specialists in machine-analysis of image and sound can be expected to add to an objective identification of formal and stylistic film structures, also beyond the domain of traditional mainstream film, 'in the wild' of cyberspace, and in experimental art cinemas.

The technology of measuring psychological responses to film structures (perception, attention, memory and affect) has also developed tremendously since Münsterberg founded the perception lab at Harvard. Gaze tracking, fMRI and TMS have been added to the psychophysical and cognitive response registrations. Integration of large scale image analysis data with behavioural measures obtained in the lab or as 'big data' is the next step in the development of film psychology. The study of integral responses to units of film extending beyond a few seconds entailing entire actions, events, scenes and acts, or even films as a whole, requires new response recording devices and data models. Perhaps it will be feasible within a decade or so to append large emotional response datasets obtained from social media and filmdatabase metadata to computational content analyses described above. We will then be able to categorise films into meaningful clusters, e.g., genres and subgenres based on relations between themes, plots, film style and emotion profiles. Small scale lab experiments can tell us more about what exactly the mind adds to the image on screen and the sound from cinema loudspeakers remains. Let me single out as the leading issue the question how bottom-up and top-down mechanisms interact in producing the film experience. Footnote 83 Diversification of the set-up of in-depth studies is also necessary following the multitude of conventional set-ups of film viewing on various screens and in on-line or 'live'(?) exhibitions.

And just as in 1916, a select but growing minority of researchers in academic, empirical psychology want to understand why and how it is we perceive and what it is like to enjoy movies. They want an understanding because first they are movie-loving psychologists and second they find film a challenging testing ground for fundamental models of attention, perception, memory, imagination, emotion and aesthetics.

A more detailed discussion of the functions in photoplay viewing can be summarised thus: As regards the perception of film scenes, Münsterberg argued that in the cinema depth is seen without spectator’s taking it for real, that movement is perceived not without the spectator’s mind adding the quality of smooth motion to merely seeing a succession of positions. For example, apparent movement of in fact stationary lines is '… superadded by the action of the mind, to motionless pictures' (1916, p. 29). Attention in the cinema concentrates the mind on details that acquire an unusual vividness and become the focus of our impulses and feelings. Close-ups objectify this weaving 'of the outer world into our minds' (p. 39). Attention is characterised by a series of subsequent shifts in its object. Shifts are provided by scene or action details made salient by spatial mise-en-scène, notably actor expression (movement and gestures), and mobile framing. Memory is used at any moment to remember events presented earlier in the film. Just as attention and perception are an instrument of the imagination, memory enables the fusing of events in our consciousness that are physically apart. Münsterberg’s view of the emotions showed similarities with James’ theory on the subject, as it stressed their embodied character; emotions cannot do without behavioural and physiological expressions. Münsterberg proposed that emotions that film audiences experience are portrayed on screen. The viewer’s imagination transforms what they see into their own felt emotion: The 'horror, pain and the joy' that spectators go through are 'really projected to the screen' (p. 53). In addition, he introduced a distinction between what we would refer to today as emotions based on empathy with characters on the one hand, and on the other emotions responding to the scenes they are in.

Münsterberg’s observation of how film expresses the basic psychological functions has been compellingly argued by Baranowski and Hecht’s ( 2017 ) in their excellent review of Münsterberg’s Photoplay .

Even if what we call today automated responses do have a place in the psychological functions, perception, attention, and memory are according to Münsterberg in the end acts of the mind, and imagination is even more so.

The aesthetic experience is grounded in a Kantian conception emphasising the completeness of the work of art in itself, and an explicit denial of the contemplant’s desires or practical needs in it.

This in turn requires that we 'enter with our own impulses into the will of every element, into the meaning of every line and colour and tone. Only if everything is full of such inner movement can we really enjoy the harmonious cooperation of the parts' (p. 73).

This probably not in the least due to the stability of the experimental and social have been on the agenda of the psychology of film ever since. The functions and mechanisms of the mind that experimental research focuses on have globally remained the same, and the interest in aesthetics has not waned.

Constancies in visual perception are disrupted due to the optical and mechanic qualities of film. Examples in point include reduced depth, absence of colour, object shape and volume distortions due to insufficient information on object size or camera’s distance.

A famous example is the ballet sequence in René Clair’s Entr’Act (1924). Filmed through a glass plate on which the dancers move, they are seen from a most unusual angle, at least compared to the canonical views that theatre audiences have, i.e., from below, and from an as unusual distance, i.e., from nearby. So close indeed that their robes fill the entire frame, and the spectator is struck by their expanding contours in the 2D plane of the screen.

To be sure, his treatment of the perception of movement, dynamics and expression in works of all arts, seem to be modelled after the organisational principles the mind uses in shaping the film experience.

Cutting has often convincingly argued that stroboscopic motion is a better label than apparent motion. His definition is 'a series of discrete static images can sometimes render the impression of motion'(Cutting, 2002 , p. 1179)

Why and how we see motion has been as basic to the study of visual perception as questions of perception of colour, depth, and shape. Helmholtz proposed that what we need to explain is how retinal images that correspond one-to one, i.e., optically with a scene in the world are transformed into mental images, or percepts that we experience. In the case of apparent motion, we need to understand in addition how a succession of retinal images are perceived as one or more objects in motion.

By smooth is meant that no transitions or flicker are seen, and no blurring of superposed images occurs. The problem of apparent motion in film has been formulated in this way by the Dutch perception psychologist and filmmaker Emile van Moerkerken in an unpublished chapter written in 1978 . The issue of why and when flickering instead of smoothly projected images are seen has been technically resolved through trial and error. Cinematic projectors need to present at least 24 frames per second if flicker is to be avoided, and higher frequencies, for instance 72 fps are even better (e.g., Anderson, 1996, pp. 54–59). These frequencies are above the human perception system’s critical fusion frequency, at least for the conventional luminance ranges in cinematic projection.

In the late nineteen sixties the organisation of the cortical cell complexes for visual perception in layered columns were identified by neurophysiologists Hubel and Wiesel ( 1959 ). Cells in Brodman areas 17 and 18 were found sensitive to different aspects of motion (e.g., orientation and spatial vs. temporal resolution), while integration into forerunners of motion perception is assumed to take place in areas V4 and MT.

Luminance and colour identification have been shown to interact with the more motion dedicated complexes in delivering impressions of motion, while the phenomenon of perceiving depth from movement has been very well documented.

For example, form-invariant apparent motion—that seems to require somewhat less elementary integration has been shown attributable to specialised MT cells for slower and faster motion (O’Keefe and Movshon, 1998 ). And as another example, Anstis (1980) discovered a system based on comparison of subsequent locations for apparent horizontal motion of a single dot, and another one for the perception of wave-form motion of an array of dots.

For example, it has been reported that test participants accurately perceive velocity of motion of a grating pattern only when they pay attention to its details (Cavanagh, 1992 ).

As another example, tension in a static work of art is perceived due to the brain’s synthesis of forces from implied movements, such as outward-directed tensions perceived in symmetrical geometric shapes. These can be observed in 'gamma movement', Arnheim, 1974 , p. 438.

The presentation times are short (flashes), say two-hundred milliseconds. The objects differ between the two presentations only in spatial position, we refer to these as A1 for object A in position 1, and A2. Depending on the interval between presentations apparent motion can be seen. With a briefest interval simultaneity of objects A1 and A2 is seen; less brief (appr. 100 Ms) makes us see 'pure motion'; that is 'objectless movement'; with still briefer intervals (appr. 60 Ms) we see 'optimal movement' of the object A1 to A2; and with briefest interval partial movement.

Wertheimer believed that perceived motion patterns reflected a short-circuiting between cells in the brain that were successively stimulated.

For example, among Korte’s laws, proposed in 1915, was a rule stating that the ratio of spatial distance between shapes and the interval between successive presentations was constant for the perception of 'good motion', clearly a Gestalt-like pattern. This coupling of the two features obtained in controlled studies, is surprising until today because purely mechanistic intuition would have it that increases in spatial distance would need 'compensation' by briefer inter-stimulus intervals to preserve smooth apparent motion. A related discovery, reported by Kolers (1972, p. 39 also militates against light-hearted use of an analogy with mechanics: Decreasing the spatial distance between successively presented shapes does not necessarily result in better movement.

First, the physiological account resting on 'prewired' neurocircuitry cannot do without integrative operations at a higher level of mental processing involving integration across separate cortical modules. Even if such operations are prewired, they represent contributions of the mind. Second, as importantly, the impact of visual stimulus features has on the perception of movement, and especially more complex forms, have been shown sensitive to control by the will within certain bounds. Third, figural processes in apparent motion appear to be extremely plastic, defying explanations by stimulus factors, as the example of induced motion illustrates.

As an illustration, even a somewhat forgotten proposal by Van der Waals and Roelofs ( 1930 ) according to Kolers, seems to go. They proposed that in apparent motion, the intervening motion is constructively interspersed in retrospect that is, only after the second presentation of the Koler object. And after Kolers' volume on apprent motion, several proposals have been forwarded on possible mechanisms. For example Kubovy and Gepshtein ( 2007 ) demonstrated in two experiments that spatial and temporal distances act either in trade-off or coupled to one another to provide for smooth apparent motion; the one at low speeds and the other at high speeds. None of the proposals have been accepted as the final solution, also because different definitions of the factors or the criterion for motion have been used.

Michotte (1946) attempted with some success to capture configurations of moving objects that would be perceived as instances of causation , a mentally represented concept. For example, block A is seen to 'push' block B forward if A approaches B (that is standing still) with an appropriate speed, and contact time. Alternatively, B will be perceived to 'depart' if some time in contact has elapsed before B moves away from A. In fact, Michotte’s experimental phenomenology was influenced by Brentano who was a major inspiration to the early Gestalt psychologists as well. Another great contribution by Michotte to the psychology of the film was that he was one of the first to analyse the problem of the apparent reality of cinematic scenes that Münsterberg and Arnheim had signalled. His diagnosis was that we see non-real objects, that is shapes projected on the screen. However, we do perceive—physiologically—real movement of these, and this is a condition presumed to be decisive for perceiving reality. Heider and Simmel are known for their demonstration of the inevitability of event, person and story-based schema-based inferences that viewers of simple animated geometric figures tend to make (Heider and Simmel, 1944).

Note that objects are not part of an optic array, as the latter refers to the metrical organisation of patterns of light.

There are certainly limits to the likeness of the dynamical optical flow offered by film images to real world ones. First, the flow is interrupted by cuts, and second the projected image in the cinema constrains the optic flow in a variety of ways. (Thanks to one the anonymous reviewers).

The discussion of Hochberg and Brooks’ psychology of the film is based on an earlier essay (Tan, 2007 ).

Hochberg and Brooks ( 1996a ) provided wonderful examples of the intricate aesthetics of camera movement when filming a human figure in motion, examples that require frequent analyses of filmed dance, or to film dance oneself, as Brooks has done indeed. Movement may be seen where there is actually none, apparent reversals of direction or apparent stasis may all occur, even in parallel. Hochberg and Brooks ( 1996b ) demonstrated that complex movements need to be ‘parsed’ by viewers into components depending on factors such as fixation point and even viewer intentions. Direct realist explanation of the film awareness would soon stumble on degrees of stimulus complexity too high to capture in optical array invariants; input from other cognitive structure-based mechanisms capable of selecting candidates for 'pick-up' would be necessary.

Hochberg ( 1986 ) stated that in some cases only the most complex cognitive efforts could explain an understanding of shot transitions, that could only be conveyed through literary analysis. Here he was probably referring to cases in artistically highest end productions.

For example, Hayhne (2007) criticised Hochberg’s stipulation that mental schemas used in understanding shot transitions cannot be spatially precise or complete. She quoted evidence of the use of self-produced body movements following a mental map with extreme precision.

According to one such theory (the so-called Event Indexing Model, Magliano, Miller & Zwaan, 2001 ) viewers of film like readers of stories generate embodied cognitive models of (story-) situations. These mental models represent sequences of events, people and their goals, plans and actions, in spatiotemporal settings. The situation model is continuously updated while the film proceeds. Updates follow upon the identification of changes in story-entities (e.g., movement of characters or objects), time, causality and intentionality.

This synthetic response by the viewer can be taken as the actual recognition and categorisation of an event or action. Neuroscience research has identified areas of the brain involved in recognising—and 'simulating' actions such as grasping an object, or exhibiting a facial expression, e.g., Hasson et al. (2004).

As an example study, Garsoffky et al. ( 2009 ) demonstrated that the recognition of events by film viewers improved when framing objects or events across shots adheres to viewpoints that are common in real world perception. Other studies tested the notion that movies adhering to this style present viewers with simplified event views that they can readily integrate in an available event schema (e.g., Schwan, 2013 ).

The cueing of attentional shifts to the target portion of screen B can assume distinct forms, such as through match on action, establishing and shot/ reverse shots, and point shot. The attentional shift has carried the conscious experience across the discontinuity in views. The theory is documented by numerous analyses of scene perception, in which analysed shot contents are overlaid with dynamic gaze maps. The model can explain how violations of continuity principles result in less efficient gaze behaviours. Artistically motivated violations are taken seriously, but dealt with as atypical for the canonical set-up.

Bezdek et al. ( 2015 ) report a study in which participants were shown a film scene at the centre of fixation while checkerboard patterns were flashed in the periphery of vision. The results of fMRI analyses showed that activity of peripheral visual processing areas in the brain was diminished with increasing narrative suspense of the scenes, whereas activity in areas associated with central vision, attention and dynamic visual processing increased.

In one experiment, viewers were presented with a sequence from Moonraker in which James Bond jumps out of a plane and can be expected to fall 'safely' onto a circus tent. This high-level event schema-based cognitive expectation was enhanced in one condition but not in another, through providing a written context before the sequence was shown. It turned out that providing context knowledge led to the critical inference and to less surprise, pointing at the functionality of high-level attention cues. However, gaze behaviour did hardly differ between the high-level cued vs. non-cued viewers. Moreover, effects predicted from a tyranny of film analysis of the sequence—that is where viewers looked and what, were much stronger than the subtle effects of high-level cognitive processes.

The computation of visual salience can easily be extended to the case of film by replacing the input image by a series of frames and the output by an array of saliency maps. Furthermore, low-level features such as colour and orientation need to be integrated over successive images into dynamic ones, e.g., changes in orientation, and into motion features.

See: http://bitsearch.blogspot.nl/2013/05/saliency-maps-and-their-computation.html#!/2013/05/saliency-maps-and-their-computation.html (accessed 31 Jan 2018).

For example, an international group from the universities of Brescia and Teesside has recently shown able to predicts movie affect curves that is, dynamic patterns of emotional responses, from low-level features such as colour, motion and sound, while taking into account the influence of film grammar (e.g., sequences of varying shot-types) and narrative elements (e.g., script or dialogue analysis classifications). The analysis of the grammatical and narrative features can be supported by the computer but are not entirely machine-executably algorithmic. The emotional responses were measured using physiological and self-report measures (Canini et al., 2010 ).

In his earlier widely acclaimed work in general visual perception, Cutting continued the Gibsonian ecological approach to the perception of real world scenes, attempting to find formal extraction and coding principles sustaining the direct pick-up of behaviourally relvant information. See, e.g., Cutting ( 1981 ), in which ecological tenets regarding the perception of events based on invariant structures in the information offer of the visual stimulus. This line of research also included cinematic perception. An example is his study on the perception of rigid shapes when viewers are seated at extreme angles vis-à-vis the centre of projection, e.g., front row side aisle (Cutting, 1987 ).

In the essay Cutting lists the cues in the optical array that sustain the perception of distance in the real world, and then elaborates on how filmmakers manipulate depth cues in order for the audience to perceive scenes exactly the way the narrative requires them to.

Following the convenient overview in Brunick et al. ( 2013 ) they are for duration average shot duration in seconds; for temporal shot structure the distribution of shot durations; for movement the degree of difference between pixels in adjacent frames (zero when frames are identical means no movement); for luminance the degree of black vs white of images; and for colour the distribution of hues and degrees of saturation of frames.

For example, in the analyses just mentioned Cutting et al. established in their Hollywood sample an increase of movement between 1905 and 1935 and could relate this finding to film-analytic accounts of stylistic changes supporting growing emotional impact of movies. As another example, consider the well-documented finding that shot duration tends to decrease across the history of popular film. Salt (2009) reported a linear decrease of average shot length. Cutting and Candan ( 2015 ) could use his data and added nuances to the general linear decrease trend that they replicated. One was that different slopes for shot classes obtained, especially in the post 1940s’ Hollywood films, another that shot scale, in particular increasing use of wide angle shots, contributed considerably to the decrease in shot duration.

The climax works towards the minimum as the narrative tends to progress here presenting focused events without disruption, while its scope is wider and shifting in the set-up and epilogue acts. Consistently, during the climax movement is more frequent while shots also tend to be darker compared to the remaining acts. The set-up and epilogue contrast most conspicuously with the climax, while complication and development exhibit steady in-between values for the low-level feature parameters.

They do not manifest physically, but their indexing is perceptually straightforward. One is time shifts, a structural feature. It decreased over the time of a film, in line with the film-narratological notion that a film’s action thickens towards a deadline. Three other higher-level features were more semantic in nature. Character appearances dropped after the set-up. Action shots were most numerous at the end of the set-up and the beginning of the climax, while conversations levelled down during the climax.

Cutting’s ( 2016 ) interpretative qualifications illuminated the stylistic distinctions among the acts. They are most informative and any summarisation would be detrimental to the value of the analyses. To give just one example For example: 'The development also has several characteristics in contrast to the complication: its shot durations are a bit longer (Study 1), it has more noncut transitions (Study 2), and it is dimmer (Study 4) so that by its end the luminance falls to the psychological and literal “darkest moment” for the protagonist' (Cutting, 2016 , p. 24). I encourage the reader interested in the stylistic comparison of the acts to reading the original article.

An example is an analysis by Cutting et al. ( 2011 ) of 150 historical films were indexed as to movement and shot duration. They observed a decrease of movement with decreasing shot durations, and reasoned that a basic perceptual mechanism could be at the basis of this correlation: people can only follow so much movement in a duration-limited view. The researchers then analysed newer films that far exceeded the maximum movement-to- shot duration ratio, and it was found from the public discourse around the titles that viewers could not cope with the overload stimulation.

Dimensions captured in the instrument include comprehension of the narrative, a sense of being in the story-world, emotional responses to story-world events and characters, and attentional focus on story-world details. The remaining experience concepts refer to experiences of entertainment or story-worlds excluding awareness of a narrative or any other constructions underlying these.

Hinde ( 2017 ) has recently presented evidence showing that self-reported presence is positively related to response latencies in a dual attention task in which participants were required to respond to a distractor signal while watching a movie. This result supports the notion of absorption and loss of awareness of the real world.

Variants of presence stress embodied apparent reality of the portrayed world, and the loss of awareness of mediation. Loss of awareness and apparent reality point to the illusion of being absorbed by the story-world. Presence seems the most immediate experiential outcome of natural or real-world scene perception and event comprehension mechanisms. It was implied in Gibson’s summary of the awareness of film: 'We are onlookers in the situation, …, we are in it and we can adopt point of observation within its space'.

In this respect, the concept of transportation builds on Gerrig’s ( 1993 ) seminal work on the experience of narrative worlds. Transportation requires a 'deictic shift' (Segal, 1995) from the real to the story-world (Segal, 1995 in Bussele and Bilandzic, 2009 ). When the narrative ends the spell is broken and the audience returns into the previously inaccessible real world.

In line with general psychological research on empathy, a distinction has been made between embodied simulation of film character feeling and a cognitively more demanding forms of empathy with characters (e.g., Tan, 2013a , b ). Complex forms of empathy that require TOM cognition presuppose that there is an awareness of the distinction between self and other. The highest degrees of absorption by characters (measured by items such as 'I became the character') seem characterised by a complete fusion of the viewers’ self with the character and are properly referred to as identification (e.g., Cohen, 2001 ). In this case, viewer emotion is identical with character emotion.

For example, cinematic techniques of selective or emphatic framing of character expression can lead to stronger mimicry or embodied simulation on the part of the viewer than observation of a person in the real world would allow (e.g., Coplan, 2006 ; Raz et al., 2013 ).

The less demanding forms are based on automated embodied simulation or mirroring, for instance mimicry. Complex forms involve mentalising, or reasoning supported by general Theory of Mind schemas and inferencing. The most demanding occur when the film’s narration withholds information about a character’s inner life in relation to story-events as in some arthouse films (Tan, 2013a , b ). Mentalizing has like cognitively less demanding forms of empathy been shown to be affected by film style. Rooney and Bálint ( 2018 ) recently demonstrated that close-ups of the face stimulate the use of TOM in the perception of characters.

Identification has been empirically observed and isolated from other forms of absorption by Cohen (2001); Tal-Or and Cohen ( 2010) ; Bálint and Tan (in press).

In an attempt to qualify what it is like to be absorbed in a film, Bálint and Tan (2015) synthesised a summarising dynamic image schema, from a study of film viewers’ reports on their own experience of absorption while watching a film. Image schemas are culturally shared embodied cognitive structures that have been identified by cognitive linguists and are hypothesised to underlie cognition and experience and are more specifically used in metaphorical thinking and use of language. The schema entails the viewer’s self-travelling into the center of the story-world. The self exerts forces to remain inside the story-world, and is taken there in some cases notably by the author. In Bálint and Tan’s study, readers of novels turned out to use the same image schemas to describe their experience as film viewers.

It is noteworthy that Münsterberg considers the activity of the basic functional mechanisms perception, attention and memory as consisting of 'acts', rather than responses as it would become common in mainstream experimental psychology, see, e.g., p. 57. 'Imagination' refers to acts resulting in 'products of the active mind' (p. 75) in particular memories, associations and emotions added to perceptions as 'subjective supplements' (p. 46).

For an overview of current cognitive emotion theories see Oatley and Laird ( 2013 ).

Through procedures such as suggestion and juxtaposition of fictional elements and perspectives, and due to strong coherence of elements, simulations are as engaging as to allow for recipients’ explorations of social situations, involving the self. This results in emotions ranging from the more basic to the social and culturally sophisticated type.

The stages correspond to Oatley’s ( 2013 ) direct, imaginative and self-related modes of appraisal in film-induced emotion.

There is some literature on the affective potential of mainstream film techniques. See for example experiments on camera angle and image composition on emotional appraisal of objects and characters such as weakness, tenseness, dominance or strength reported in Kraft ( 1991 ), and an overview of formal and presentation features of media messages in relation to their emotional effects by Detenber and Lang ( 2011 ).

This capacity has the obvious adaptive advantage of learning proper responses to critical situations before they are met in the actual world. The same point has been made by Currie ( 1995 ); see also Currie and Ravenscroft ( 2002 ). See also Tan ( 2008 ) on pretense play as exercising emotions and adaptive responses in film viewing. My position on the issue of the authenticity of emotion in response to fictional narrative is opposed to Walton (1990) who proposed that make-believe worlds can only induce 'as-if emotions'.

Neuropsychological accounts of film viewer emotions, such as those by Grodal (2009) and Zacks’ ( 2014 ) emphasise suppression of actions such as fight or flight, by prefrontal circuits following appraisals, e.g., of threats or provocations. In my related application of the cognitive theory to film viewing, viewers can experience a tendency to flee as an initial tendency, due to automated mimicry or simulation.

An attempt to measure virtual forms of emotional action readiness in response to several film genres was reported in Tan ( 2013a , b ).

In the end virtual action responses in the cinema should be understood as an example of the situatedness of emotion in general. (See Griffith & Scarantion, 2009 ). The conventional set-up of the cinema positions spectators as witnesses to fictional events and appraisals, experiences, expressions and action readiness take shape according to the cinematic situation.

In the end, viewers know on the basis of their narrative and genre schemas, the film will provide answers to extant questions they have underway.

Needs of mood management and the occurrence of emotions that help to improve moods have been shown to explain preference for entertainment products such as movies (Zilmann, 2003).

Sympathy for mainstream protagonists is probably rather immediately induced by our felt similarity and familiarity with them, and more especially in terms of moral values (Zillmann, 2000 ).

The nature of the events and their outcomes corresponding to ups and downs in the life of a protagonist vary from one genre to another. For example, the action heroine meets with assaults on her life and deals blows to her stalker; the romance protagonist with separation and reunion. See also Zillmann’s theory of the enjoyment of drama.

I have introduced these emotions earlier (Tan, 1996) under the heading of Fictional World emotions or F emotions, because they are responses to events in a fictional world. F emotions include empathetic and non-empathetic emotions. Non-empathetic emotions can either be based on sympathy, for example, when we fear that a bomb will explode to the harm of a protagonist, or not based on sympathy. Awe induced by the sight of a sublime landscape would be an example. F-emotions are defined in opposition to A emotions. The latter category consists of responses to the film as a human-made artefact instead of a fictional world produced in the viewer’s imagination.

The point has been made in Tan and Frijda ( 1997 ) and Tan ( 2009 ), and more recently underscored in psychophysiological research using film by Wassiliwizky et al. ( 2017 ). Schubert et al. ( 2018 ) refer to the emotion as kama muta a socio-relational emotion of feeling closeness when an intensification of communal sharing relations is appraised. In the study just referred to such moments had been analysed in film fragments.

An example is the fear we have when we watch a horror monster in a view not aligned with any character’s, or without a character being in the neighbourhood of the monster.

See, for example, study of interest during character vs. action development oriented films Doicaru (2016, Ch. 2).

See for empirical comparative analyses of absorbed modes of witnessing drama and detached modes of spectatorship in watching nature documentaries Tan ( 2013b ).

Films are segmented (from larger to smaller units) in acts, scenes and events. All subsequent events induce interest. Every scene offers answers or matches to anticipations induced earlier, leading to enjoyment. Enjoyment tends to reinforce interest—as it stimulates intake and rewards past efforts. Every scene, too, induces novel questions and affective anticipations, keeping interest at least alive.

Some researchers of media entertainment refer to such regulatory reappraisals as meta-emotions (Bartsch et al., 2008). Positive gratifications may be derived from such reappraisals and associated emotions. Viewers of sad drama may appreciate their own moral stance that transpires through their experience of a character’s losses and suffering from injustice. Horror lovers may like the emotion because they explicitly seek it, and younger male audiences of extremely violent films have been shown to test, and pride themselves on their coping abilities (Hill, 1997). A related act of emotion regulation is male viewers’ display of protective attitudes towards their female company during horror shows (Zillmann and Weaver, 1997).

In Tan ( 1996 ) I proposed that, in contrast to aversive situations witnessed in real life, popular fiction scenes on separation, isolation, violence, terror and horror and so on are due to their being part of a story always signal that we are in medias res ; the narrative is to be continued, we are curious to know where it is heading, and it is virtually impossible to completely abort expectancies and imaginations of a turn to the positive. Entertaining these is in itself not unpleasant, especially when viewers are open to the possibility that they can learn from the unpleasant events.

Doicaru (2016) reviewed general models of aesthetic appreciation as to their suitability for explaining aesthetic appreciation of film. She reported a validation study of a measurement instrument in which five general factors were identified that may be used to describe dimensions of aesthetic appraisal in film viewing. They were Cognitive stimulation, Negative emotionality, Self-reference and Understanding. A corpus of films from different genres and aesthetic categories (e.g., mainstream, arthouse and experimental were used, and according audiences were involved.

Movies can move us not only in our role of witnesses of events in a fictional world, but also as artefacts made by filmmakers with some formal intention in mind; appreciation of visual beauty etc. are an example. They have the construction of the artefact as their object, and need to be distinguished, as artefact emotions from emotional responses to witnessed events in fictional worlds. They are aesthetic emotions because they involve appraisals of artefact features, such as form, style, use of technology and implied meaning. Untrained audiences can recount their artefact emotions: Professional critics can add elaborations of the appraisals they made while viewing. They have as their object the complex of film form, use of style and technology and intended or unintended meanings. We can further our understanding of appraisals in Artefact emotions using such intuitions available in critical film analyses. They are massively represented in internet user groups like Youtube and Metacritics. Machine learning algorithms are now being developed to extract and categorise emotions from film forums, and differentiate both films and target audiences, see, e.g., Buitinck et al. ( 2015) .

A few example studies on effects of foregrounding procedures in narrative film and their effects on cognitive strategies and aesthetic appreciation can be found in Hakemulder ( 2007 ) and Bálint et al. ( 2016 ).

The concept has developed over the past three decades, see Casetti ( 2015 ). I have freely summarised meanings to fit the purpose of sketching a research agenda for psychologists.

The large project started by Bordwell et al. (1985) on the historical poetics of American mainstream cinema, already have provided psychological research into the mechanisms underlying the film experience with major concepts and reference norms for conventional structuring of film narratives and their stylistic parameters. Among these are continuity, spatiotemporal segmentation and stylistic emphasis.

Interested readers should regularly consult the society’s scholarly journal Projections .

In the role of top-down influences I emphatically include the Münsterbergian acts of imagination on the part of the spectator.

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The research for this article has been supported in part by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), grant number 360-30-200 for the project 'Varieties of Absorption'.

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Film Dissertation Topics (28 Examples) For Research Ideas

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The discipline of film studies in the world of academia is linked with the critical, historical, and theoretical approaches to films. A list of film dissertation topics is developed to help students in choosing the right topic for their thesis, research project, and dissertation. Choosing a topic from the list of film dissertation topics can […]

The project topics on films and research topics on films are developed to help students in finding a topic according to their area of interest. We have a team of highly experienced and professional writers who can help you in writing proposals and dissertations on your selected film dissertation topic.

List of Film dissertation topics

An analysis and comparison of the most popular genres of cinema in the world today.

To compare the commercial cinema and non-commercial cinema – A literature review.

Studying the role of marketing in the Chinese and Japanese film industry.

Examining the cinema and film culture in the Middle East.

An analysis of the perceptions of youngsters on horror films.

Exploring the concept of special effects in silent movies.

Creative translation and cultural transformation impact on the film adaptation.

How has the digital revolution influenced the film and cinema industry?

An empirical analysis of music and soundtracks in films.

Exploring the diverse film elements and pedagogical feasibilities for creative writing.

An analysis of film education as a multiplicity of practices.

Evaluating the evolution of music in the film – a comparative review.

Studying the evolution of urban film making.

How are technological advancements contributing to the film industry?

An analysis of the importance of a Character in a film.

Studying the landscape of Eastern film making.

Exploring the relationship between literature and film.

What are the special aspects of film making and how it influences the different people involved in the process?.

Why is violence in commercial cinema overrated?

An analysis of participatory film production a media practice.

Exploring the role of women in film – cultural impact on the changing discourse on gender representation in films.

A sentiment analysis on IMDb movie reviews using hybrid feature extraction model..

Irony, interpretation, and surface meanings in the film.

A literature review on the evolution of television and film industry.

Studying the art of handmade movie hoardings in Pakistan.

To study the effects of protectionism on film industry taking the case of Korea.

An analysis of Hollywood’s film localization efforts.

A comparative review of Hollywood with other countries film industry.

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Film and media studies, getting started with film and media studies research, writing resource: a short guide to writing about film, annotated bibliographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias, general reference sources.

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Reference sources are resources such as encyclopedias and handbooks that help you get started with a research topic or area of study that might be new to you. They are useful because they provide you with topical overviews that are (1) shorter than scholarly articles and (2) written a in language that is meant for novice researchers learning about a new topic. The often contain a list of suggested sources for further reading and engagement as well. In addition, consulting reputable annotated bibliographies is a smart strategy for starting your research because they provide comprehensive lists of secondary sources (articles, books, journals, etc.) that will help you identify both scholars and key resources for your area of study. On this page, you'll find resources for various types of reference sources in Film and Media Studies, but know that there are many more available depending on your topic, and you can always make an appointment with the visual arts librarian for more help

Handbooks are intended to provide introductory information on a topic. Here are some great examples that cover various areas within the broad discipline of film and media studies:

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Literature and Film Research Paper Topics

Exploring the vast realm of literature and film research paper topics unveils the intricate and compelling intersections between written narratives and their cinematic counterparts. This abstract delves into the profound relationship between literature and film, emphasizing their mutual influence and the academic richness they jointly offer. As students embark on their scholarly journeys through these intertwined media, they will uncover a treasure trove of themes, adaptations, and cultural dialogues that have shaped, and continue to shape, our global storytelling landscape.

100 Literature and Film Research Paper Topics

In the dynamic tapestry of cultural expression, the synthesis of literature and film stands as a testament to human creativity and our innate desire to tell and retell stories. At the heart of this merger lies a myriad of literature and film research paper topics that offer students a unique vantage point to analyze, compare, and critique the dual mediums.

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1. Adaptations of Classic Literature in Film:

Jane Austen’s novels: Diverse filmic renditions.
Moby Dick : Analyzing the journey from Herman Melville’s narrative to the silver screen.
Shakespearean dramas: The many faces of cinema.
The Great Gatsby : Analyzing fidelity and deviation in film adaptations.
Tracing the many filmic lives of Dracula .
Les Misérables : The balance of textual fidelity across movie versions.
Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in the cinematic lens.
War and Peace : Tolstoy’s epic in cinematic scope.
Odyssey adaptations: A chronicle of journeys.
The challenges and triumphs of adapting Kafka’s Metamorphosis .

2. Modern Novels and Their Cinematic Counterparts:

Diving into The Girl on the Train : Novel vs. Film.
The Hunger Games : A study of book to movie trilogy transformation.
Cloud Atlas : Adapting complexity for the cinematic audience.
The Life of Pi : Charting the voyage from text to screen.
Capturing time in the film adaptation of Atonement .
The Road in grayscale: A study in dystopian adaptation.
Unraveling the mystery: A deep dive into Gone Girl ‘s narrative adaptations.
Harry Potter : The magic of adapting a global literary phenomenon.
The twin tales of Big Fish : Novel intricacies vs. filmic magic.
Thematic explorations in the adaptation of Never Let Me Go .

3. Representations of Poetry in Film:

Cinematic undertones inspired by The Waste Land .
Frost’s wintry scenes and their influence on movie narratives.
Emily Dickinson in film: A poetic-historic blend.
Lady Lazarus reborn: Sylvia Plath’s cinematic biographies.
Harlem on screen: Langston Hughes’ poetic influence.
Troy and The Iliad : A comparative study.
Tracing Rumi’s mysticism in films.
William Blake’s visionary cinema: A study.
Grendel and Beowulf : Epic poetry and epic cinema.
Documenting Maya Angelou: Poetry in motion.

4. Biography and Autobiography: From Print to Screen:

The Motorcycle Diaries : Che Guevara in text and film.
The Pianist : Adapting survival from memoir to movie.
A Beautiful Mind : John Nash’s life from biography to cinema.
Charting the adaptations of Anne Frank’s diary.
Unbroken : Louis Zamperini’s tale from page to screen.
Wild : Cheryl Strayed’s journey in literature and film.
Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom : A comparative analysis.
Capote : The intertwining of biography and narrative.
The adaptation of Malala’s I Am Malala .
Into the Wild : Chris McCandless’s odyssey in text and film.

5. Theater Plays and Their Journey to Film:

Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire : Drama to Screen.
Hamlet adaptations: Branagh, Zeffirelli, and Kaurismäki’s approaches.
Adapting farce: The challenges of translating Noises Off to cinema.
The Crucible : The thematic continuity from stage to screen.
Ibsen’s A Doll’s House : Stage realism and filmic interpretations.
The screen translations of Death of a Salesman .
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Stage intensity vs. film adaptation.
Waiting for Godot : Absurdist theater meets experimental cinema.
Angels in America : From theater epic to mini-series.
The adaptation journey of August Wilson’s Fences .

6. Genre Studies: Horror, Sci-Fi, Romance, etc. in Literature vs. Film:

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein : Literary origins to horror cinema icon.
Love across forms: Pride and Prejudice in romance cinema.
From Bradbury to Truffaut: Fahrenheit 451 ‘s sci-fi transition.
The Shining : A study of King’s literature vs. Kubrick’s horror.
Gothic elements in Wuthering Heights adaptations.
Dystopian transitions: Brave New World from page to screen.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : The evolution of a horror classic.
Sci-Fi’s roots: War of the Worlds in literature and film.
Filmic interpretations of Agatha Christie’s mystery tales.
The romance and drama of Gone with the Wind : Book to Film.

7. Cultural Representations in Literature and Film:

East meets West: Adapting Memoirs of a Geisha .
The cultural essence in the cinematic adaptation of Things Fall Apart .
Western narratives in literature and their filmic counterparts.
Like Water for Chocolate : A fusion of literature, culture, and cinema.
The varied lens on The Kite Runner .
Migration tales: The Namesake in literature and film.
The cultural ethos of My Brilliant Career on screen.
The filmic journey of Slumdog Millionaire from Q & A .
War culture: All Quiet on the Western Front adaptations.
Colonial narratives: Adapting Heart of Darkness to Apocalypse Now .

8. Historical Events and Their Portrayal in Literature and Film:

Schindler’s List : From historical account to Spielberg’s masterpiece.
Adapting the Titanic tragedy: From literature to Titanic and beyond.
Band of Brothers : From Stephen Ambrose to cinematic miniseries.
1776 : Historical fiction and musical adaptation.
World War tales: A study of Atonement in literature and film.
The English Patient : A historical romance across forms.
Gladiator : The adaptation of historical epics for the silver screen.
The Holocaust in Sophie’s Choice : Book vs. Film.
Adapting the historical and the personal: The Last Emperor .
The Civil War in Gone with the Wind and Cold Mountain .

9. Children’s Literature and Film Adaptations:

The magical journey of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
The Chronicles of Narnia : A children’s fantasy saga on screen.
The whimsical worlds: Adapting Roald Dahl’s tales.
The Little Prince : A universal tale across forms.
From Middle-Earth to cinema: Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings .
The timeless adventure of Peter Pan in literature and film.
Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are : Page to cinema.
The moral tales: Aesop’s fables in animated adaptations.
Grimm Fairy Tales: From dark literature to Disney.
Alice in Wonderland : Lewis Carroll’s eccentricities on screen.

10. Experimental Literature and Avant-Garde Cinema:

Adapting the stream of consciousness: Joyce’s Ulysses .
Naked Lunch : Translating Burroughs’ experimental prose to film.
Filmic representations of One Hundred Years of Solitude .
Beckett’s experimental narratives in cinema.
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando : Gender fluidity and experimental form.
If on a winter’s night a traveler : Adapting Calvino’s metafiction.
The Beat generation in cinema: Kerouac’s On the Road .
Absurdism and cinema: Adapting Ionesco.
The narrative labyrinths of Jorge Luis Borges in film.
The fragmented self: Adapting Pessoa’s The Book of Disquiet .

Navigating through this myriad of literature and film research paper topics illuminates the rich tapestry of storytelling that has evolved across centuries. The dynamic interplay between text and screen fosters a deeper understanding of narratives, urging scholars to probe, ponder, and produce profound insights.

Literature and Film: the Range of Research Paper Topics

In the realm of academic exploration, few areas are as rich and expansive as the convergence of literature and film. This confluence has been a subject of intense study and discourse for decades, and for good reason. As students, researchers, and enthusiasts dive into the myriad literature and film research paper topics , they uncover layers of creativity, culture, and history that both mediums offer in their unique ways.

Literature, in its essence, is an art form that relies heavily on the power of language, imagination, and narrative technique. It provides readers with an opportunity to delve deep into the psyches of characters, to walk the streets of unfamiliar worlds, and to engage in the complexities of societal commentaries, be it subtle or overt. From the intricate web of subtext in Dostoevsky’s novels to the evocative landscapes in Wordsworth’s poetry, literature has the capacity to transport readers across time, space, and emotions.

Film, on the other hand, is a relatively younger medium, but no less potent. With its combination of visual, auditory, and narrative elements, cinema offers a multisensory experience. It has the power to manifest abstract concepts, internal turmoils, and sprawling landscapes in tangible, viewable forms. Whether it’s the haunting imagery of Kubrick’s The Shining or the epic grandeur of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings , films transform the abstract and the imagined into the visually real.

The journey of a literary work to its cinematic adaptation is fraught with challenges and opportunities. Often, scholars explore the fidelity of film adaptations to their source material. However, beyond the simplistic debates of loyalty to the original text, there exists a vast expanse of literature and film research paper topics that delve into nuanced territories. How do filmmakers interpret subtext? How do they navigate the internal monologues of characters, or the intricate metaphors embedded in a text? And inversely, how do literary works sometimes draw inspiration from the visual language of cinema?

Cultural representation is another fertile ground for study. Literature and film, as reflections of their times, carry the weight of cultural, political, and societal underpinnings. Comparing how a single story is represented in literature and then in film can offer insights into the changing cultural zeitgeist. For instance, examining the varied adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays can unveil how societal attitudes, from racism in Othello to gender roles in Macbeth , have evolved over time.

Then there are genre studies, a treasure trove of literature and film research paper topics . Each genre, be it horror, sci-fi, romance, or historical fiction, carries its conventions, tropes, and expectations. Literature might offer a horror story through atmospheric prose and chilling subtext, while a film might employ eerie soundtracks, shadowy cinematography, and strategic editing to evoke the same fears.

Lastly, the avant-garde and experimental narratives challenge both the reader and the viewer. When literature pushes the boundaries of narrative structures, as seen in the works of James Joyce or Virginia Woolf, how does cinema rise to the occasion? How does it visualize the stream of consciousness or the fluidity of time and memory?

In conclusion, the rich tapestry of literature and film research paper topics is a testament to the depth and diversity of human creativity. Whether one is exploring the challenges of adapting a beloved novel, analyzing the socio-cultural implications of a story told across mediums, or dissecting the language of cinema as it seeks to capture the essence of a literary masterpiece, the possibilities are as vast as they are enlightening. Students and researchers embarking on this journey have a universe of stories, analyses, and discoveries awaiting them.

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Film and Theatre Studies Research Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 6th, 2023 , Revised On August 11, 2023

Introduction

Film and theatre studies focus on the critical analysis of experiential learning. Film and theatre have been popular areas of interest among students of arts. As a student of film and theatre, you will be expected to study cinema history and the social importance of cinematography and films to learn the techniques and methods used for the production of films. This blog post provides several film dissertation topics and theatre dissertation topics so you can make a meaningful contribution to the literature.

Here is our selection of film and theatre research topics that we think you should consider.

Topic 1: An Exploration of Gender Role in Blockbuster Films and the Perspectives of Assigning Roles

Topic 2: A Comparative Study of Hollywood and Bollywood: An Exploration of Research of Movies

Topic 3: A Detailed Analysis of the Principles of Making Films: An Exploration of the Relevant Principles of Making Films

Topic 4: assessing the significance of awards for making a better film, topic 5: analysing female sexuality in the film: a detailed research on the perspectives of society, topic 6: an explorative study of the performances of an actor in theatre and film.

Topic 7: An explorative study of the Cultures of Theatre and Film in the Big City of a Country

Topic 8: Detail Perspectives of the Impact of Theatre in the Urban Area

Topic 9: explorative research on the impact of film in a rural area, topic 10: the relevance of casting and editing for making a film.

These film and theatre dissertation topics have been developed by PhD-qualified writers of our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting a brief research proposal from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an introduction to the topic, research question , aim and objectives , literature review along with the proposed methodology of research to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.

Check our dissertation examples to get an idea of how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of dissertation topics for 2022 here.

You may also want to review our arts dissertation topics, fashion dissertation topics and literature dissertation topics if you don’t find an intriguing idea below.

2022 Film and Theatre Studies Research Topics

Topic 1: the role of writers’ creativity in film’s success- a comparison between hit and flop hollywood movies.

Research Aim: This study aims to find the role of writers’ creativity in a film’s success in Hollywood. It will show how the writer’s imagination, emotions, creativity, and other factors affect the movie’s story. And how does it affect its success when it comes to the cinema? It will compare and contrast various successful and flop Hollywood movies to analyze whether the writer’s creativity is crucial for the movie or not. Lastly, it will recommend whether producers give the writer’s creativity prime attention or not.

Topic 2: Impact of Online Streaming Services on Traditional Cinema’s Content Quality and Investments - A Case of Netflix TV Shows Production

Research Aim: This research intends to find the impact of online streaming services on traditional cinema’s content quality and investments. It will show whether the introduction of online content besides mainstream cinema has affected its content or continues the way it used to create. It will use Netflix as a case study to show whether its introduction and significant investments affected the Cinema equilibrium in terms of investments in cinema and content produced by it. Lastly, it will indicate whether both models can work simultaneously or if one has to give up.

Topic 3: Do Film Sequels Overshadow the Original Story? Or Do they Help to Reconnect with the Original Story? A Case of “The Lord of the Rings”

Research Aim: This study sheds light on the impact of film sequels on the success of the original story. It will show whether sequels overshadow the actual story or do they help to reconnect with the original story. Moreover, it will find how factors such as the introduction of new characters and actors, replacement of old actors, addition and removal from the actual story, etc., affect the success of the original story.

Topic 4: The Economics of Cinema: Impact of Large Production Houses’ Monopoly in Production and Distribution on the Quality of the Movies

Research Aim: This study assesses the impact of large production houses’ monopoly in production and distribution on the quality of the movie. It will show that these economic actors control production and distribution factors in the movie markets. It will see how big production houses operate in Hollywood and influences the entire Hollywood economic process of movie production, distribution, rights allocation, etc. Lastly, it will also show how small players penetrated this market of strong entry to a barrier.

Topic 5: Does a Script Makes a Movie Successful or the Actors? An Exploratory Analysis Finding the Factors which Make a Movie Successful

Research Aim: This research will identify the factors which make a movie successful. It will specifically find whether a good script makes a movie successful or the actors. It will assess various movies through a film literature framework to see whether a specific movie was actors-dominated or script overshadowed the actors, or it was a mix of both. Moreover, it will show how a film producer can utilize both to make a good movie.

Film and Theatre Dissertation Research Topics

Research Aim: The research aims to investigate and analyse the role of gender in doing blockbuster films. The aim of the research seeks to understand the importance of gender roles in assigning a task. The aim of the research explores the roles of genders to discover new areas of filmmaking.

Topic 2: A Comparative Study of Hollywood and Bollywood: An Exploration Research of Movies

Research Aim: The research aims to explore the different perspectives of Hollywood and Bollywood movies and explore the areas for improvement. The research explores the comparisons between these two types of film. The study supports various arguments about making two different types of movies.

Research Aim: The relevance of the research focuses on the principles of making films. The research highlights the importance of utilizing principles in the field of theatre. The research aims to explore various perspectives of principles that help to justify the topic of the film.

Research Aim: The research aims to evaluate the importance of awards for making a good film. The aim is to focus on the detailed analysis of the awards and their cultural perspective on making a film.

Research Aim: The research aims to analyse the perspectives of society in the case of representing female sexuality in the movie. The study analyses the stereotypical presentation of women onscreen that describes how women were initially treated in society. The detailed analysis of the research explores the role of film in highlighting a sensitive issue of women.

Research Aim: It studies the detailed analysis of the actor’s performances and how external and internal factors affect the performances of actors in a film.

Topic 7: An explorative study of the Cultures of Theatre and Film in the big city of a country

Research Aim: The aim of the research is in making a detailed exploration of the cultures of theatre and film. It highlights the differences in culture from both perspectives.

Research Aim: The research aims to analyse the impact of theatre and its advancement in an urban area. The aim is to explore the reflection of theatre on the mind of a human being.

Research Aim: The aim of the research focuses on the impact of film on the mind of the people of rural areas. It explores the forms of various films that create an effect on the life of the rural area.

Research Aim: This research highlights the importance of casting and editing and its critical casting and editing perspectives in film. It focuses on the principles of casting and editing for making a film.

Topic 11: Perspectives of Youth for Making a Cinema: A Detailed Analysis of the Influential Factors of Making a Cinema.

Research Aim: It highlights the mindset of youth for making a cinema. It focuses on the factors that influence making a successful piece of art.

Topic 12: The Role of the Short Film in Making a Big Cinema

Research Aim: The research focuses on making a short film can be an essential step for making a big one. This research highlights the various perspectives of making a short film. It helps to explore the historical perspectives of making a big cinema.

Topic 13: A Detailed Exploration of the Impact of History and Culture on Making Modern Cinema

Research Aim: The research focuses on the importance of history and how it impacts making modern cinema. It highlights the steps of records of cinema.

Topic 14: A Critical Analysis of Horror Movies: A Case Study on a Horror Movie

Research Aim: The aim explores the perspectives of horror movies and it impacts society. It supports arguments based on evidence.

Topic 15: An Exploration of the Revolution of the Movie with Perspectives on History and Culture

Research Aim: The research aims to explore the evolution of cinema’s history and highlight every perspective of the revolution. It focuses on the impact of the revolution on making a film.

Free Dissertation Topic

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to find film and theatre studies dissertation topic.

To find a film and theatre studies dissertation topic:

Watch diverse films and plays.
Analyze themes, techniques, and social relevance.
Research historical contexts.
Explore theoretical frameworks.
Identify unexplored areas.
Select a topic resonating with your passion and academic scope.

Film & Media Studies Resources: Researching a Film

Researching a Film

Types of Film Analysis

Finding Books
Journals & Articles
Finding Films

Watching Film Analytically

1. start with the assignment..

Review the assignment prompt and identify the tasks your instructor has asked you to perform and the questions you've been asked to address. Write them out at the top of your notes before watching the film.

2. Review film terms.

Review the terms you've learned in class and practice applying them while watching your film. Studying these terms before you begin watching can help you develop abbreviations and avoid searching for these words while you watch.

3. Watch the film.

Watch the film at least once without once before (unless you've seen it before) to watch uninterrupted. When you take notes, be sure to pause when writing. This disrupts the viewing experience.

Starting the Film Analysis Essay

4. brainstorm.

After you've watched the film at least twice, it's a good idea to brainstorm ideas based on the notes you took. Cluster your ideas around the themes or topics that emerge in your notes, possible in a concept map. If you're writing an argumentative essay, your brainstorming ideas can be used to draft your thesis statement or research question.

Things to remember:

Use your assignment prompt as a guide.
Write about the film in the present tense in your essay. (i.e., “In Vertigo , Hitchcock employs techniques of observation to dramatize the act of detection.”)

5. Make a research plan.

Review your brainstorming notes and decide what type of analysis you want to write.
Do you need research or other background information for your essay?
Do your sources need to be scholarly or can you use critics' review?

6. Find Sources and Reviews

Finding a screenplay/script of the movie may be helpful and save you time when compiling citations. But keep in mind that there may be differences between the screenplay and the actual product (and these differences might be a topic of discussion!). The Popular Culture Library has a great collection of movie scripts.
Reading reviews and other analysis essays between viewings can help your own analysis of the film. Search in Summon or subject databases listed below for the film's title and the ideas you brainstormed to look for sources.

Symbolic Analysis

Symbolic (or semiotic) analysis is the interpretation of signs and symbols, usually involving metaphors and analogies to both inanimate objects and characters in a film. Because symbols can have multiple meanings, you will need to determine what a particular symbol means both in the film and in a broader context, whether in other films, or in other disciplines, like literature.

Be sure to bring the analysis back to your thesis, or why this symbolism matters.

Some questions you could ask when writing a symbolic analysis essay:

What images or objects are repeated in the film?
What colors, clothing, or food is associated with a character?
How does a symbol or object relate to other symbols and objects?

Narrative Analysis

Narrative analysis is an examination of the narrative structure, character, and plot of a film (i.e., the story elements). This analysis considers the story the film seeks to tell.

Questions to consider when writing a narrative analysis:

How does the film fit into the Three Act structure?
How does the plot differ from the narrative of film? Or, how is the story told? (i.e., Are events presented out of order or chronologically?)
Does the plot revolve around one character or multiple? How do these characters develop across the film?

Cultural or Historical Analysis

In this type of analytical essay, you examine a film's relationship to its broader cultural, historical, theoretical contexts. Sometimes films intentionally comment on these contexts, but even if they don't, they are still a product of the culture or time in which they were created. This type of analysis asks how the film models, challenges, or subverts these relationships.

Questions to ask for a cultural or historical analysis:

How does the film comment on, reinforce, or critique social and/or political issues at the time it was released, including questions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality?
How might a biographical understanding of the film's creators and/or screenwriters and their historical moment affect the way the film is viewed?
How might a specific theory, such as Queer Theory, Structuralist or Marxist Film Theory, provide a way of analyzing or viewing the film?

Mise-en-scene Analysis

A mise-en-scene (French for "putting on stage") analysis looks at the compositional elements of a specific scene or even a single shot, as well as the how those elements come together to produce meaning. You can focus on anything in the scene, including blocking, lighting, design, color, costume, and how these work in conjunction with other elements, like sound, cinematography and editing.

Questions to ask when analyzing a scene:

What effects are created in a scene and what is their purpose?
How does this scene represent the theme of the movie?
How does a scene work to express a broader point to the film's point?

Your Film Librarian

Film Analysis Books

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This guide was adapted from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Writing Center's Film Analysis and Watching Film Analytically .

Next: Types of Film Analysis >>
Last Updated: Nov 20, 2023 9:08 AM
URL: https://libguides.bgsu.edu/film

University Library
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Film Studies: So you want to research a film or filmmaker ...

Core Databases
Useful Internet Sites
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Subject Guide

Film and television studies at American University

If you’re new to the American University Library’s website and have not used our resources much, this is a guide to the resources that should be considered when getting started with film studies research. Brief descriptions of the results of a sample search in various databases are used to illuminate the breadth and depth of the databases listed.

The filmmaker Atom Egoyan is the example used partly because his name is distinctive and doesn’t yield too many false hits and secondly his work isn’t mainstream or what one might consider popular so search results weren’t expected to be unmanageably large. The results should be substantial enough to indicate the strengths of some of the databases available to the AU community and encourage individuals researching lesser known films and filmmakers.

Atom Egoyan (1960-) was born in Cairo, raised in Canada, and is an ethnic Armenian. He began making films in the early 1980s and is probably best known for Exotica (1994), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), and Ararat (2002). His films often deal with the themes of isolation, alienation, and loss. He has won many international film awards and has been the subject of considerable critical attention.

In the sample searches the keywords “atom” and “egoyan” were searched together but not as a phrase – in order to capture all incidences of his name including subject headings that placed his last name first and articles that may have included a middle name or initial.

NOTE : Unless noted, remote access to these databases, such as from your home or office, is restricted to American University students, faculty, and staff. For a full list of our ALADIN databases (with descriptive notes), go to the Databases link on our homepage. Also note some of the databases do not contain full-text. For assistance in locating articles found in the citation-only databases, please contact the AU Library Reference Desk or call (202/885-3238).

Don't forget print The list is composed only of electronic resources, but thorough film studies research still requires extensive use of print resources as well. For a guide to some of the standard film studies reference books available at the AU Library go to our Film and Television Studies Print Reference Guides .

Arts & Humanities Citation Index This link opens in a new window Mostly interviews with the filmmaker.
Encyclopedia Brittanica Online References to Egoyan in the context of Canadian cinema and in the Performing Arts sections of various Book of the Year editions.
FIAF International Film Archive This link opens in a new window Results from a broad international collection of film periodicals. A high percentage of articles are written in languages other than English. The database cites articles from a variety of scholarly, industry and aficionado journals on film. It contains no full-text of articles.
Google Scholar This feature of the ubiquitous search engine claims to be the definitive way to search for scholarly articles on the web. Results vary wildly from scholarly articles to cryptic web pages. Results are ranked by the number of times the works are cited in other scholarly publications. When Google Scholar is used from an AU affiliated computer, search results will include a search in catalog link to find consortium owned books or will include a Full text at AU link if an article is available in an AU database. Editors choice.
Internet Movie Database (IMDB) This free database contains biographical information and a thorough filmography of works for which Egoyan has written, directed, produced, edited, and/or acted. Each film has its own entry. Entries include a wide variety of information including credits, filming locations, box office, trivia, and user comments. Editors choice.
Movie Review Query Engine This free database with links to full-text movie reviews must be searched by individual title. Editors choice.
PapersFirst (Worldwide Conference Papers) This link opens in a new window This is a database with partial full-text coverage. It’s not strong in film studies subjects.
Periodicals Index Online (PIO) This link opens in a new window This article index focuses on thirty-seven subject headings in the humanities. Film Studies are lumped into Performing Arts. Since PIO is just an index, it doesn’t contain full-text articles but does provide links to full-text in other databases when available. There is overlap with other full-text databases on this list so for film studies research this need only be consulted in the course of an exhaustive literature search. Periodicals Archive Online does provide full-text articles and includes one relatively thorough review of a book about Egoyan.
Proquest Research Library At the bottom of the search screen, select "magazine"
VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever An online e-book of the print movie guide. VideoHound provides very brief information about films such as cast, crew and plot summary.
WorldCat (OCLC FirstSearch) This link opens in a new window Primarily book citations (including some in French, Spanish, German, and Italian), and film/video citations. Note: Worldcat is a union catalog of holdings from libraries around the world and since a given title may have been released in different editions or different formats, it’s not unusual to find multiple (and sometimes many) records for the same title.
Next: Film/Television Studies Databases >>
Last Updated: May 24, 2024 1:24 PM
URL: https://subjectguides.library.american.edu/c.php?g=175106

Focused shot of a videographers camera with an attached mic. On the display screen, there is what seems to be a wedding reception going on with guests standing in a circle. Around the camera is completely blurred. Photo credit for Kushagra Kevat, Unsplash.

Film & Mediamaking

As the nature of scholarship continues to evolve, the Annenberg School is committed to encouraging and supporting creative and multimodal scholarship in addition to more traditional work. Annenberg faculty and students produce films, create podcasts, develop virtual reality simulations, and invent other innovative ways to explore and present research.

Photo Credit: Kushagra Kevat / Unsplash

The facade of the Annenberg building surrounded by trees with cherry blossoms

Julia Ticona Awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Grant to Study Generative AI

Ticona and Caitlin Petre of Rutgers University will explore how generative artificial intelligence tools affect those working in creative and cultural fields.

Big Ben and Westminster Abbey in London, England

Communication Major Crystal Marshall (C’24) Wins Thouron Award

Sarah Banet-Weiser signing a book with copies of her book, Believability, in the foreground

After #MeToo, Sexual Assault Survivors Still Fight To Be Believed

Susan Lape Roberts (MAC ‘99) stands in front of a window

Back at Annenberg: Susan Roberts (M.A.C. ‘99)

Nya Mbock, Terrence Topping-Brown, Anna Gamarnik, and Waldo Aguirre sit at a table in the Annenberg library

Exploring Life as a New Doctoral Student Through Film

Dwayne Booth

Amitanshu Das

Peter Decherney, Ph.D.

Olivia González, Ph.D.

David Grazian, Ph.D.

John L. Jackson, Jr., Ph.D.

Jasmine E. Johnson, Ph.D.

Juan Llamas-Rodriguez, Ph.D.

Wazhmah Osman, Ph.D.

Matt Parker, Ph.D.

Aswin Punathambekar, Ph.D.

Mohammed Rashid, Ph.D.

Ignatius G.D Suglo, Ph.D.

Tukufu Zuberi, Ph.D.

Eszter Zimanyi, Ph.D.

Graduate students.

Zane Griffin Talley Cooper

Arlene C. Fernández

Antoine Haywood

Staci Jones

Farrah Rahaman

Shane Sheehy

Melissa B. Skolnick-Noguera

Azsaneé Truss

150 Amazing Film Research Paper Topics for Students

Table of Contents

If you are a film student, then often you will have to work on film research papers. But for writing a research paper, you must have a good topic. Right now, do you want to prepare a film research paper? Are you looking for the top film research topics? No worries! We know how hard it is to come up with the right topic for a dissertation. So, to help you out, here, we have prepared a list of the best film research paper topics for you to consider. Continue reading this blog post and get exclusive film dissertation topic ideas.

How to Find a Good Topic for a Film Research Paper?

In film studies, there are plenty of film research paper topics available. Out of those topics, you will have to identify a good topic for your assignment. The topic selection becomes easier if your professor gives a set of ideas or themes for you to choose from. Sometimes, your professor will ask you to create your own idea for research. At that time, choosing one right topic from endless topics would become hard.

Are you confused about how to identify the right film research topic? Don’t worry! Here is what you will have to do to find out a good film dissertation topic of your choice.

Create a list of your favorite filmmakers, films, or genres. Then, based on your interest or category, narrow down your search.
It is not necessary to go with topics related to your favorite filmmaker or film. You can also think about a certain film history period and research the film techniques, themes, etc. used in that period.
Deep research is necessary to identify the right topic. By exploring credible sources such as literature, books, media platforms, and published research papers, you can collect more research or dissertation ideas.
From the list of ideas gathered, you can choose a topic that matches your area of interest and has a wide research scope.
If the topic is too broad, make sure to narrow it down. Because the narrow topic will help you cover all the major points before the deadline and keep your readers engaged.

Also, before finalizing the topic, check whether your selected topic stands in line with your professor’s research paper writing guidelines.

List of Excellent Film Research Paper Topics

Film studies is a broad field of study where you can conduct research on any areas such as film technology, film history, film genre, music, sound design, etc. Here, we have listed some best film research paper topic ideas in various categories. Go through the whole list and pick an ideal film topic for writing your academic paper.

Film History Research Paper Topics

Movies about the history of religions.
The importance of representation in movies.
African-Americans in cinematography.
Science-fiction movies- History
The globalization of popular culture: Hollywood vs. Bollywood.
Discuss the contribution of Fellini to cinematography.
How technology has transformed the art of filmmaking?
Discuss the contribution of women in the film industry.
Hitchcock’s sacred power.
The progress of animation in movie production.
The effect of the film industry on different generations.
Analyze the life before CGI.
War Justification in American Cinema
Charlie Chaplin and the Silent Movie Era.
Changes in Hollywood and its dominance of cinematography.
Evolution of Hollywood movies
Discuss the cinematographic excellence of Roger Deakins
History of British Cinema
The Lion In Winter – A movie that nailed historical accuracy
Discuss the contribution of Steven Spielberg
Song of the Road – The first Indian movie at the Academic Award
Analyze the impact of LGBTQ+ Representation in Contemporary Cinema.
War Justification in the worlds’ Moving Pictures
Changes in Hollywood and Its Dominance of the Cinematography

Horror Film Research Paper Topics

Special effects in horror films.
Explain the Folklore elements in the screenplay.
Discuss the popular fear elements used in horror films.
Alfred Hitchcock: The Master of Suspense.
Psychological and behavioral responses to horror films.
The fusion of comedy and horror.
Racial discrimination in horror films.
The use of religion in horror movies
The youngsters’ perception of horror films.
The idea of suspense in horror films.
George Romero: The greatest director of horror movies of all time
Compare the works of Sam Raimi and John Carpenter
Michael Myers: The most famous killer in horror movies
Chucky: One of the most scariest movies have ever made
Discuss the use of Psychopathy and Delusions in horror films with examples
A side effect of watching horror movies
The reflection of society’s fears in horror movies
The specific use of genre theory in the horror game
The human fondness for horror movies
Monster creatures from horror movies
Stephen King and his legacy in the genre of horror

Film Music Research Paper Topics

The use of music in modern movies.
The power of recorded nature sounds.
The art of sound design in movies.
The progress of music in films.
The effects of music on movie perceptions.
Bollywood-made musicals.
The art of storytelling with sound
Picture versus sound.
Broadway musicals are made into movies.
The development and cultural influence of musicals in the 20th century.
Christina Aguilera’s career in musicals.
Classical Opera versus Modern Music on Screen
Analyze the soundtrack and music in films.
Cradle of future pop stars.
The mental effects created by music in movies.
Theoretical aspects of studying film music.
Music in cinema as a director of the semantic series.

Monster Film Research Topics

Mythology in monster movies.
The aspects of human monstrosity in films.
The history of monster movies.
The science behind Hollywood’s movie monsters.
Explore fear in monster movies.
Vampires through history: The evolution of the undead cinema.
Examine the portrayal of aging in Cinema.
The Monster vs. Frankenstein: Who Is More Human?
The psychological appeal of movie monsters.
Discuss the monster movie culture in the 21st century.
Compare Prophecy (1979) and It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
Discuss the first monster film
Impact of monster movies on children
A side effect of watching monster movies
Use of VFX and Special Effects in monster films

Outstanding Film Research Paper Topics

TV shows: A new film franchise.
Masculinity and violence in films.
Movies through the eyes of their directors.
What are the effects of censorship on films?
The role of colors in movies.
Comics and Superheroes in films.
The role of animals in movies.
Investigate the Use of AI in Film Production, Visual Effects, and Storytelling.
Animation: Giving life to sketches.
The cultural effects of war movies.
The power of documentary movies to change the world.
Walt Disney and the psychosocial implications of his characters.
The ethical issues involved in documentary filmmaking.
The effects of Hollywood stereotypes.
The art of creating stories using video editing.

Unique Film Research Paper Topics

The role of film directors in giving life to stories.
The important qualities of a successful movie director.
The role of film critics and reviews on box office performances.
Transitions and visual effects in movie editing.
The social and cultural effects of movies .
Contribution of Arthur Conan Doyle to detective movies
Good versus Evil: A classing theme of the movie
Discuss the cinematic innovations that have changed the movie industry
Discuss the most important inventions the movie industry experienced within the past two decades
The directorial debut of Tom Hanks
How depression years are depicted in American movies?
Discuss the technological evolution of the global film industry from 1975 to 2022
The Works of Christopher Edward Nolan and Sam Raimi: A comparative analysis
Evolution of Indian cinema from 1950 to 2022
Discuss the contribution of Edgar Allan Poe to detective movies
Compare and contrast European and Asian horror movies
Discuss the comparative mythology and dark side in screenwriting
Critical analysis of the silent era of the movie industry
How African-Americans get represented in American movies
Analyze the evolution of the zombie in contemporary cinema

Interesting Film Dissertation Topics

The importance of a character in a film.
The influence of the digital revolution on the film industry?
Drama as a cultural phenomenon.
Diverse film elements are needed for creative writing.
The evolution of urban filmmaking.
Difference between commercial cinema and non-commercial cinema.
The usage of irony in films.
Discuss the popular cinema genres in the world.
Analyze the localization efforts of Hollywood films.
The relationship between literature and film.
Explore the role of men and women in blockbuster movies.
Assess the importance of global film awards in improving the quality of filmmaking.
Analyze the roles given to black actors and white actors in Hollywood movies.
Study the key differences between theater performances and film shooting.
Analyze the principles of filmmaking with respect to casting and editing.
Discuss the impact of online streaming services on the quality of traditional cinema content.
Study the impact of film in a rural area.
Explain the role of a short film in making a feature film.
Research the cultures of theater and film in the big city of a country.
Explain the economics of cinema.

Read more: Demonstration Speech Topics and Ideas That Will Impress the Audience

Brilliant Film Research Topics

The art of cinematography.
Indie Movies: An attitude or a genre?
Good versus Evil concept in movies.
The cinema of shortcuts.
Multiple actors play a single role.
The influence of social media on movie results.
What makes a great film director?
Humanity versus technology in modern films.
The role of fashion design in the film industry.
Video streaming platforms and the future of cinema.
Success factors of the American film industry.
The influence of movie genres on different audiences.
Film Noir: A style expanding through genres.
Comics in the film industry.
The persuasive effectiveness of shortcuts.
Freudian Practice in Cinematography.
The effects of streaming platforms on cinematography.
The idea of drama in movies.
The psychological aspects of filmmaking.
The art of storytelling in modern movies.

Impressive Film Research Questions

Different Types of Narrative Structures in Screenplays and Books
Violence and Masculinity in Hollywood Blockbusters.
Looking for Truth in Film: Observational vs. Direct Cinema.
Reconstructing atmospheres using ambient sounds: Recorded Nature Sounds.
Comedy and horror combined in a chaotic genre mashup.
History of the Vampire: The Cinematic Evolution of the Dead
Using the content of documentaries, kids may develop their interethnic tolerance.
The Cultural and Educational Project of the Cinema Museum and Its Importance in Historical Education.
The history of development and current status of the post-apocalyptic storyline in American movies.
The characteristics of contemporary cinema in relation to the development of historical politics.

Awesome Ideas for Film Research Paper

Digital Storytelling: Narrative Elements from Hollywood.
Analyze the Personality Traits of the Best Film Directors.
Musicals: from stage to screen.
Analyze the animation in the Movies Frozen and Zootopia.
Share your viewpoints about the use of mythology in horror movies.
Analyze the hidden elements in Disney movies and their effects on children.
Write about the history of the Japanese animation industry and new technology.
Historical and Mythical Time in the Marvel and DC Series.
Analyze the new developments in the area of illustrations.
Explore the phenomenon of visiting film locations and the economic impact on local communities.

Film studies basically approach movies from historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives. To write a brilliant film research paper, from the list of 150+ topics recommended above, choose the best topic that matches your interest. In case, you are not sure what film research topic to select or how to write an informative film research paper, then contact us for help.

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I am an Academic Writer and have affection to share my knowledge through posts’. I do not feel tiredness while research and analyzing the things. Sometime, I write down hundred of research topics as per the students requirements. I want to share solution oriented content to the students.

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Film Studies

Introduction
Basic information on film
Finding a specific film title
Readings on streaming video
National cinemas This link opens in a new window
Course guides for Film & Media Studies
Starting your research ...
Researching early films
1960's film history
1970's film history
Books about film
Film reviews
Journals & magazines about film
Feminist film theory
Auteur theory
Feminist film criticism
Box office information
Film audiences
Mass media Industry
Cinema Pressbooks from the Original Studio Collections
Congressional Hearings & Communism
Herrick Library Digital Collections
Hollywood and the Production Code
Media History Digital Library
Moving Picture World
African American diaspora
Asian American diaspora
Hispanic American diaspora
Native American & Indigenous peoples diasporas
Examples on film
Film genres This link opens in a new window
Film & society
Screenwriting
Shakespeare on film
Color in film
A short list of film festivals
Film awards
Internet resources
Future of Media
Back to Film & Media
Scholarly communication This link opens in a new window

Start with the online catalog

START with the film title :

A quick way to start your research is to search the online catalog .
For example, you want to see what the library has for the "Godfather films." Type " Godfather " as a subject and click on the Submit button. Click here to see results of that search. These are resources about the Godfather films.
Remember, when looking for a foreign language film, use the original language title.
As another example, you want to research Fellini's " 8½ ." The original title in Italian is " Otto e mezzo ." That is the title to use for a subject search. Click here to see the results.

But you don't find anything. What should you do next?

LOOK for the director as a subject :

Sticking with the " Godfather films ," if we didn't have anything under the films themselves, look for Francis Ford Coppola . Click here for results. The books under " Criticism and Interpretation " should be especially helpful.
Nothing for " Otto e mezzo ?" Do a subject search for Federico Fellini . Click here for results.

Still nothing in the online catalog? See WorldCat below.

Searching the online catalog

This box highlights basic catalog searches and some of the more interesting subject headings you can find in the online catalog for film.

motion pictures and ... This subject heading can look at a group's relationship to movies. For instance, there is "motion pictures and gay men" which looks at how and what they watch rather than their depictions in movies. Take a look at the rest of the list.
... in motion pictures If you want to see how a theme is handle in movies, you put the word in front of "in motion pictures." An example is "sex in motion pictures."
WorldCat is a union catalog of many library catalogs in the United States and abroad. You can search WorldCat to see the breadth of a particular topic. You don't get articles, but you do get books and other items that could be useful.
Both Borrow Direct and Interlibrary Loan uses your Dartmouth credentials for access.
You can search for the "Godfather films" or "Otto e mezzo" or Francis Ford Coppola or Federico Fellini to see how much other research there is out there on these subjects.
There is WorldCat.org and WorldCat.com . The .org version is free to everyone but has less functionality and is less comprehensive than the .com version.
Use the link below for the best results for searching.
Remember , books contain scholarly articles too.
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Potential Research Topics: FILM AND TELEVISION (COMMUNICATION)

CIVICS, GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
CRIME AND LAW (CRIMINAL JUSTICE)
ENVIRONMENT

FILM AND TELEVISION (COMMUNICATION)

FINE ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE
HEALTH (PUBLIC HEALTH)
PERFORMING ARTS
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL ISSUES
Sports (Continued)

FILM AND TELEVISION: Academy Awards TOPIC: The Shape of Water was this year’s big winner at the Oscars (Academy Awards). What were the qualities of this film that so impressed the critics, what other films and actors won awards and why? Why were the Oscars scheduled later this year than usual? SEARCH TERMS: Shape of Water AND (Academy Awards OR Oscars)

FILM AND TELEVISION: British Film Awards TOPIC: The Bafta Awards have recently been given out. These British film awards are, for this year, the last awards in the industry before the Oscars. Was there a large overlap among the nominees for both sets of awards? Who won the Baftas? SEARCH TERMS: Bafta Awards

FILM AND TELEVISION: Black Panther TOPIC: The film Black Panther is based on a popular Marvel Comics superhero. What is the story of Black Panther and how has it resonated as a social message? What has been the public response to Black Panther at the box office? SEARCH TERMS: Black Panther AND (film OR movie)

FILM AND TELEVISION: Golden Globe Awards TOPIC: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is the film that won the most awards at this year’s Golden Globe Awards. What are the qualities of this film that impressed the critics? What other films and actors won and what were the qualities that earned them the award? What political theme dominated many speeches for the evening and what speculation was inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s speech? SEARCH TERMS: Golden Globe* AND film

FILM AND TELEVISION: World War I in Color TOPIC : Peter Jackson has been working with the Imperial War Museums on a documentary about World War I. He has been taking archival footage from the collection of the British museum, cleaning it up, colorizing it and digitizing it. The film will premier next fall at the BFI London Film Festival. Why was he interested in taking on this project? Who will broadcast this film after its premiere? What else is planned for this film? What effect does viewing a historical documentary in color have on an audience? SEARCH TERMS: Peter Jackson AND World War I

FILM AND TELEVISION: Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards TOPIC: The Golden Horse Awards are Taiwan’s version of the Oscars. They were recently given out. What film won best picture? Who were the best actor and actress? Who won best director? What film interested you the most and why? SEARCH TERMS: Golden Horse Awards

FILM AND TELEVISION: The Marvelous Miss Maisel TOPIC: Amazon Studios has released a new TV series about a female stand-up comic in the late 1950s called The Marvelous Miss Maisel. What are the qualities of this series that has impressed the critics? How is Amazon Video streaming accessed and what are some other TV programs on this service? SEARCH TERMS: Marvelous Miss Maisel

FILM AND TELEVISION: HBO Hack TOPIC: Home Box Office (HBO) has had some proprietary information stolen and leaked by hackers who were holding information for ransom. What was the information that was leaked and how did it impact the company? Who hacked HBO and why? What other entertainment companies have been hacked for ransom? SEARCH TERMS: HBO AND hack*

FILM A ND TELEVISION: CBS Goes Abroad TOPIC: U.S. broadcaster CBS has reached a deal to buy Australia’s Ten Network. If approved by the government, this will allow CBS to launch their streaming service in Australia. Who else seemed poised to purchase the firm? Do CBS’s plans to expand in English-speaking countries make sense? SEARCH TERMS: CBS AND Ten Network

FILM AND TELEVISION: Wonder Woman TOPIC : Director Patty Jenkins became the first female director of a superhero film when her film of the DC comic book hero Wonder Woman was released this year. How have the reviews been? How does Wonder Woman’s story tie into the mythology of ancient Greece? SEARCH TERMS : Patty Jenkins AND Wonder Woman

FILM AND TELEVISION: Retirement Announced TOPIC : Daniel Day-Lewis has announced his retirement from acting. His final film will be released in December of this year. He hasn’t acted on stage since 1989. What were some of his best film roles? How many awards and honors did he win for his work? SEARCH TERMS: Daniel Day-Lewis

FILM AND TELEVISION: Awards Season TOPIC: Other countries have their versions of the Academy Awards. Great Britain, Spain, and France recently held their Bafta, Goya and Cesar awards. What films won best film in each of these competitions? What actors won awards and what directors were honored? SEARCH TERMS: headline: (Cesars OR Goya Awards OR Baftas)

FILM AND TELEVISION: Academy Awards TOPIC: The film Moonlight has won best picture at the 89th Academy Awards but only after some confusion that caused the film La La Land to be mistakenly announced as the initial winner. What caused this gaffe and how was it resolved? Who were some of the major Oscar winners and why? When was the last time the wrong film was mistakenly announced as winner and what were the circumstances that cause that mistake? SEARCH TERMS: Academy Awards OR Oscars

FILM AND TELEVISION: Golden Globe Awards TOPIC: La La Land was the most successful film at this year’s Golden Globe Awards and also has tied the record of 14 Academy Award nominations with the 1997 film Titanic and the 1951 film All About Eve. Who were the other major winners at this year’s Golden Globe Awards and what impressed the critics about their performance? What political statements were made by Meryl Streep at the awards ceremony and what other sentiments were expressed that contributed to the political tone of the evening? SEARCH TERMS: Golden Globe Awards

FILM AND TELEVISION: SAG Awards TOPIC: Emma Stone’s performance in La La Land and Denzel Washington’s performance in Fences won both of them awards at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. Who were the other big winners and why? What was the political tone of the Awards and why? How were the SAG awards founded, and what specifically are they designed to recognize? SEARCH TERMS: Screen Actors Guild Awards OR SAG Awards

FILM AND TELEVISION: An Urban Myth TOPIC: Sky Arts, a British TV channel, announced that an episode of their series ‘Urban Myths’ would star Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson. The myth in this episode concerns a car ride taken by Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando and Jackson in 2001. What is the premise of this show? How controversial was the casting of white Fiennes as the black superstar? What did Jackson’s daughter say about it? Was the episode ever shown? SEARCH TERMS: Michael Jackson AND Joseph Fiennes

FILM AND TELEVISION: La La Land TOPIC: La La Land is a romantic musical film that takes its name from an old nickname for Los Angeles, suggesting it as a place that’s a little out of touch with reality. Who directed La La Land, what are his other acclaimed films. What strengths does he show as a director that have been praised by the critics? What nominations or awards has this film won and why? SEARCH TERMS: La La Land

FILM AND TELEVISION: Cannes Winner Michele Morgan TOPIC: Michele Morgan was an actress who won at the initial 1946 Cannes Film Festival. She appeared in Hollywood films with Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra. What was the role that won her the award at Cannes? What was her Hollywood career like in the 1940s? What was her subsequent career like? SEARCH TERMS: Michele Morgan

FILM AND TELEVISION: Walking Dead Violence TOPIC: The popular TV series The Walking Dead has opened its new season with a breathtakingly violent episode. What realities of The Walking Dead’s bleak dystopian storyline and its impact on the human nature of its characters can explain the violence as appropriate for televised entertainment? What can be the negative impact on society of raw violence in the media? SEARCH TERMS : Walking Dead AND violen*

FILM AND TELEVISION: London Film Festival TOPIC: The London Film Festival took place in October. What stars attended? What films were premiered there? What are some of the notable themes of this year’s festival? How do these themes reflect our times? SEARCH TERMS : London Film Festival

FILM AND TELEVISION: The Force Awakens TOPIC: Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be the seventh of the Star Wars series and the first of Disney’s sequel series. What is the Star Wars Sequel Series and how does it differ in nature from the other installments? When will The Force Awakens be released and what is the premise that adds to the Star Wars story? SEARCH TERMS : Star Wars AND The Force Awakens

FILM AND TELEVISION: Film Festival Season Continues TOPIC: At either ends of the world, film festivals happen. This past month festivals happened in London, England, and Busan, South Korea. What films were seen at these festivals? What actors and directors were honored at them? Which films won the top prizes? SEARCH TERMS: London Film Festival OR Busan International Film Festival

FILM AND TELEVISION: Golden Horse Awards TOPIC: The Assassin, a film by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien, won best feature film at the Golden Horse Awards. Hou won it for best director. What are the Golden Horse Awards and how long have they been given? Where do they take place? What other films and people won these awards this year? Does The Assassin sound like an interesting film? What other films has Hou made in his lengthy career? SEARCH TERMS: Golden Horse Awards OR The Assassin

FILM AND TELEVISION: Screen Actors Guild Awards TOPIC: Leonardo DiCaprio and Brie Larson were the top winners respectively for their roles in The Revenant and Room at the SAG Awards? Who were the other big winners and what most impressed the critics about their work? What comic actress was given a Life Achievement award and what were her major accomplishments? What aspects of this yearâ€™s Academy Award nominations were a focus and how did the ceremony address them? SEARCH TERMS : (Screen Actors Guild OR SAG) AND awards AND DiCaprio AND Brie Larson

FILM AND TELEVISION: Race and Oscar Nominations TOPIC: The nominating process for this year’s Academy Awards is being criticized for the lack of racial diversity among nominees for the second year in a row. What performances have been noted for being unfairly overlooked? What announcement has the Academy issued in response to this controversy? SEARCH TERMS: (Academy Awards OR Oscars) AND (nominations OR nominees) AND (race OR ethnicity OR diversity OR black OR African-Americans)

FILM AND TELEVISION: British Broadcaster Shows TOPIC: A study of major British broadcasters shows that women are underrepresented on TV and that there is endemic ageism in casting and sexism in content. The study looked at 500 hours of primetime shows. Soap operas have the most equal casts in gender terms, sports programming the least. How surprising are the conclusions of this study? Do you thank that studies like this in other countries would yield similar results? SEARCH TERMS: television AND women and sexism and (studies or research) and Communication Research Group

FILM AND TELEVISION: Trevor Noah TOPIC : Trevor Noah has replaced Jon Stewart as host of the Daily Show on the Comedy Central channel. What qualities does Noah bring to the show and how did critics rate his performance on his first show? What is his background and what have been some of his successes before getting the job hosting the Daily Show? SEARCH TERMS: Trevor Noah

FILM AND TELEVISION: Emmy Awards TOPIC: Viola Davis, lead actress in the TV series How to Get Away with Murder, is the first black actress to win an Emmy for a starring role. What is this show about and what qualities of acting has Davis brought to her leading role of law professor and defense attorney? Who were the other big winners at the Emmy Awards and what impressed the critics about their work? SEARCH TERMS: Emmy Awards

FILM AND TELEVISION: Film Festival TOPIC : The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has recently concluded. How many films were entered in it? What film personalities attended? Which films won the various prizes on offer? Which film seemed most interesting? SEARCH TERMS: Toronto International Film Festival OR TIFF

FILM AND TELEVISION: The Force Awakens TOPIC: The latest film in the Star Wars series, Star Wars: The Force Awakens by J.J. Abrams has been well received by both critics and the public. What records has this film broken? What are the qualities that the critics and public like about the film? What are some common themes in the Star Wars films and how does the Force Awakens use them in comparison and contrast to other films in the series? SEARCH TERMS: Star Wars AND The Force Awakens

FILM AND TELEVISION: Coming Attractions TOPIC : As 2015 came to a close, film critics started looking ahead to 2016 movie releases. Which movies seemed most important to them? Which films seem most interesting to you? Which ones would you avoid, and why? SEARCH TERMS: 2016 and films and (preview or upcoming)

FILM AND TELEVISION: Academy Awards TOPIC: In the Awards this year, Spotlight won for best picture, Mad Max: Fury Road won the most awards, The Revenant won three Oscars including best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and Bree Larson won best actress for her lead role in The Room. Who were the other big winners, and what were the qualities of the work that impressed the critics? What was the focus of host Chris Rockâ€™s humor? Why was there such a focus on diversity? What were some of the responses to his statements? What are some other examples of social issues being expressed within artistic expression? SEARCH TERMS : Academy Awards OR Oscars

FILM AND TELEVISION: British Academy Film Awards TOPIC: The American film The Revenant was the biggest winner at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA). What were some of the other big winners and what were the qualities of this film and the other winners that most impressed the critics? What is the history of BAFTA and what is its purpose and criteria in judging films? SEARCH TERMS: British Academy Awards OR BAFTA

FILM AND TELEVISION: The People vs. O.J. Simpson TOPIC: The first season of the cable television station FX series American Crime Story is The People vs. O.J., a docudrama on the murder trial of former football star O.J. Simpson. What have the critics said about the acting and directing of the show? What are some areas where the show may be different from real events? SEARCH TERMS: FX AND The People vs. O.J. Simpson

FILM AND TELEVISION: Jan Nemec TOPIC: Jan Nemec was a Czech film director. A member of the Czech new wave of filmmakers in the 1960s, his allegorical film "Report on the Party and Guests" ultimately led to his being banned from filmmaking by the Communistic regime. What were some of his other films and how were they received? How did he spend his years of exile? What had he been doing since his return to his homeland? SEARCH TERMS: Jan Nemec

FILM AND TELEVISION: Mad Men Auction TOPIC: At a time when mid-20th century furnishings are in fashion, producers of the popular TV show Mad Men are auctioning off collectables from the set including jewelry and furnishings from the home and office sets. What are some of the items that are in high demand and how much is being asked for them? What has been said to be driving the interest in mid-20th century designs that sparks interest in this auction? What is the primary online auction house that works with Hollywood studios to sell collectables from sets and is running this Mad Men auction? SEARCH TERMS: Mad Men AND auction

FILM AND TELEVISION: Museum Dance Off TOPIC: The third annual Museum Dance Off has occurred. Workers, volunteers, visitors or interns at any institution in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) world can submit a dance video to this contest. Many of the videos are filmed within the institution and feature its collection. Who won this year’s contest? Who did they defeat in the finals? What were their routes to the final? Which institution did you like best? SEARCH TERMS: Museum Dance Off

FILM AND TELEVISION: Cannes International Film Festival TOPIC : The Cannes International Film Festival, held in the south of France, has recently concluded. What film won the Palme d’Or? Who won the various acting prizes? What films sounded the most interesting and why? SEARCH TERMS : Cannes International Film Festival

FILM AND TELEVISION: The Good Wife TOPIC : Popular television drama The Good Wife is ending after seven years. What are the qualities of the drama that has most impressed the critics and the fans? What awards and nominations have been won by this drama? SEARCH TERMS : The Good Wife

FILM AND TELEVISION: Marketing Man TOPIC: Philip Kives created K-Tel International, which used TV commercials to sell such items as the Veg-o-matic and the Miracle Brush. The company also sold compilation albums. He might arguably be called the father of the infomercial. What was his career before he got into TV sales? How did he get into the TV marketing business? What was notable about the records the company sold? SEARCH TERMS: Philip Kives AND K-Tel

FILM AND TELEVISION: De Palma TOPIC: A new documentary called De Palma by directors Jake Paltrow and Noah Baumbach celebrates the life and work of film director Brian De Palma. What are some of De Palma’s most famous films and what are some signature characteristics of these films? What are his most controversial films and why? SEARCH TERMS: Brian De Palma

FILM AND TELEVISION: Bud Spencer TOPIC : Italian actor Bud Spencer, born Carlos Pedersoli, was an Italian actor. A competitive swimmer who represent Italy in three Olympic Games, he was best known for his acting partnership with Terence Hill (Mario Girotti), with whom he made several spaghetti westerns. What were some of the films they made together? What were some of the films he made on his own? Do these films sound like they would be fun to see? SEARCH TERMS : Bud Spencer

FILM AND TELEVISION: Sesame Street Era Over TOPIC: Sesame Workshop, the production company behind Sesame Street has released Bob McGrath, Emilio Delgado and Roscoe Ormanthree, three original actors from the show. What was the reason for their release and what will the relationship of these three iconic stars now be to the program? What characters did these three actors play and what were the traits of these characters that helped educate children? SEARCH TERMS : Sesame Street AND McGrath AND Delgado AND Ormanthree

FILM AND TELEVISION : Platino Ibero-American Film Awards TOPIC : Embrace of the Serpent, directed by Colombian Ciro Guerra, won the most awards at the third Platino Ibero-American Film Awards, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Its awards included best picture and best director. The black and white film shows the travels of two German scientists through the Amazon region and their interactions with indigenous people. What other awards did it win? What other awards were given out at the ceremony? SEARCH TERMS: Platino Ibero-American Film Awards

FILM AND TELEVISION: Telluride Film Festival TOPIC: The Telluride Film Festival is currently taking place in Telluride, Colorado. What are some of the films being featured? What are some of the traditions at the Festival? What is its history and influence on filmmaking? SEARCH TERMS : Telluride Film Festival

FILM AND TELEVISION: Hacksaw Ridge TOPIC: Mel Gibson’s new film as director is Hacksaw Ridge, a true story about a World War II conscientious objector U.S. Army medic who was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving lives during the Battle of Okinawa. At what recent film festival did the audience give this film a prolonged standing ovation and why? What are the aspects of this film that are impressing the critics? Who wrote the script and what other work are they famous for? What religious organization originally was involved in getting this movie made and why? SEARCH TERMS: Mell Gibson AND Hacksaw Ridge

FILM AND TELEVISION: Best of the Century TOPIC: The BBC asked 177 critics to list their favorite ten films of the new millennium and from their responses compiled a list of the 100 best films of this century so far. David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive came in at number one. Does this methodology seem good to you? Do you agree with the top choices of the critics? Are there any surprising omissions on this list? SEARCH TERMS : BBC and films and 21st Century

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Last Updated: Mar 24, 2021 3:44 PM
URL: https://library.mercyhurst.edu/potential-research-topics
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Film Studies Research Guide: Literature & Film

Film Reviews
Films & Videos
Screenplays/Filmscripts
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Directors, Actors, Writers, etc.
Filmmaking, Producing, etc.
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Searching for Literature and Film Resources

One can search for literature and film resources in Orbis using subject headings such as:

Motion pictures and literature
Film adaptations
Drama--Film and video adaptations
English literature--Film adaptations
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Film and video adaptations

Selected Resources on Literature and Film

Books and plays in films, 1896-1915: literary, theatrical, and artistic sources of the first twenty years of motion pictures by Denis Gifford
A companion to literature and film by Robert Stam and Alessandra Raengo
Enser's filmed books and plays: a list of books and plays from which films have been made, 1928-1991 by Ellen Baskin
Film as literature, literature as film: an introduction to and bibliography of film's relationship to literature by Harris Ross
International guide to literature on film by Tom Costello
Literature and film: an annotated bibliography, 1909-1977 by Jeffrey Egan Welch
Literature and film: an annotated bibliography, 1978-1988 by Jeffrey Egan Welch
Stories into film by William Kittredge and Steven Krauzer
Women writers, from page to screen by Jill Rubinson Fenton, et al.
Writers on the American screen: a guide to film adaptations of American and foreign literary works by Larry Langman

Director, Yale Film Archive

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Flexible film senses nearby movements -- featured in blink-tracking glasses

I'm not touching you! When another person's finger hovers over your skin, you may get the sense that they're touching you, feeling not necessarily contact, but their proximity. Similarly, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have designed a soft, flexible film that senses the presence of nearby objects without physically touching them. The study features the new sensor technology to detect eyelash proximity in blink-tracking glasses.

Noncontact sensors can identify or measure an object without directly touching it. Examples of these devices include infrared thermometers and vehicle proximity notification systems. One type of noncontact sensor relies on static electricity to detect closeness and small motions, and has the potential to enhance smart devices, such as allowing phone screens to recognize more finger gestures. So far, however, they've been limited in what types of objects get detected, how long they stay charged and how hard they are to fabricate. So, Xunlin Qiu, Yiming Wang, Fuzhen Xuan and coworkers wanted to create a flexible static electricity-based sensor that overcame these problems.

The researchers began by simply fabricating a three-part system: fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) for the top sensing layer, with an electrically conductive film and flexible plastic base for the middle and bottom layers, respectively. FEP is an electret, a type of material that's electrically charged and produces an external electrostatic field, similar to the way a magnet produces a magnetic field. Then they electrically charged the FEP-based sensor making it ready for use.

As objects approached the FEP surface, their inherent static charge caused an electrical current to flow in the sensor, thereby "feeling" the object without physical contact. The resulting clear and flexible sensor detected objects -- made of glass, rubber, aluminum and paper -- that were nearly touching it but not quite, from 2 to 20 millimeters (less than an inch) away. The sensor held its charge for over 3,000 different approach-withdraw cycles over almost two hours.

In a demonstration of the new sensing film, the researchers attached it to the inner side of an eyeglass lens. When worn by a person, the glasses noticed the approach of eyelashes and identified when the wearer blinked Morse code for "E C U S T," the abbreviation for the researchers' institution. In the future, the researchers say their noncontact sensors could be used to help people who are unable to speak or use sign language communicate or even detect drowsiness when driving.

The authors acknowledge funding from Natural Science Foundation of China Grants, Shanghai Pilot Program for Basic Research, the "Chenguang Program" supported by the Shanghai Education Development Foundation and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, and the Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering.

Wearable Technology
Energy Technology
Energy and Resources
Neural Interfaces
Artificial Intelligence
Computer Science
Fingerprint
Computing power everywhere
Computer vision
Soap bubble

Story Source:

Materials provided by American Chemical Society . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

Jing Liu, Yuqian Chen, Yuji Liu, Chengyuan Wu, Zhongqi Li, Yuliang Gao, Xunlin Qiu, Yiming Wang, Xuhong Guo, Fuzhen Xuan. Facile Electret-Based Self-Powered Soft Sensor for Noncontact Positioning and Information Translation . ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces , 2024; DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02741

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