Nov 23, 2010 ... I lost it at the movies. Boston: Little Brown. Intensified Continuity. (Bordwell, 2002,
2006). 1. shot lengths. 2. wider range of lens lengths. 3. more ...
Attention, Intensity, and the Evolution of Hollywood Film
Pauline Kael (1965) I lost it at the movies Boston: Little Brown
James Cutting Cornell University
Art & Perception Conference Brussels, 23 Nov 10
(Bordwell, 2002, 2006)
1. shot lengths 2. wider range of lens lengths 3. more closeups 4. more mobile cameras
n ~ 13,000 films
shot duration (s)
Intensified Continuity
average shot lengths:
average shot lengths:
average shot lengths:
shot duration (s)
shot duration (s)
data derived from Salt, B. (2006). Moving into Pictures. London: Starword
shot duration (s)
average shot lengths:
shot duration (s)
average shot lengths:
shot duration (s)
average shot lengths: music videos
“pace of contemporary life”
sample of 150 films 10 each from 1935, 1940, 1945, … …1995, 2000, 2005
32 action films 20 adventure films 10 animated films 41 comedies 47 dramas
Intensified Continuity (Bordwell, 2002, 2006)
1. shot length patterns 2. wider range of lens lengths 3. more closeups 4. more mobile cameras
Matlab-based cut-detection algorithm with user verification or override of each candidate cut, and user search for missed cuts
King Solomon’s Mines (1950) ASL = 5.39 s
reaction time
David Gilden
linking hypothesis: every new shot demands a reorientation of the viewer’s attention
William James (1890, Vol 1, p. 420)
“There is no such thing as voluntary attention sustained for more than a few seconds at a time”
reaction time
ASL = 3.52 s
reaction times in an experiment demanding attention
shot duration (s)
shot duration (s)
Jumanji (1995)
shots in King Solomon’s Mines (1950)
Fourier analysis
Fourier analysis
Fourier analysis
autocorrelation
the Fourier transform of the autocorrelation function is the power spectrum
0
1
2
Lag 2 correlation
3
4
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6 …….
3
4
5
6 …….
Lag 1 correlation
6 …….
0
1
2
Lag 3 correlation
1
2
3
4
5
6 …….
Lag 4 correlation
0
1
2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6 …….
Lag 5 correlation
3
4
5
Lag 0 correlation = 1.0
6 …….
Jumanji (1995)
Autocorrelation (r)
0
Jumanji (1995) .2
0
Lag
Autocorrelation (r)
Autocorrelation (r)
Lag
Jumanji (1995) .2
0
-.2
1
512
Lag
Jumanji (1995) .2
211
Autocorrelation (r)
Autocorrelation (r)
ASL = 3.5 s
391
0
-.2
1
512
Jumanji (1995) .2
211
391
0
-.2
1
512
Lag
Lag
Jumanji
.2
211
.2
391
0
Jumanji 211
391
14 min
25 min
0 14 min
25 min
-.2
-.2 4
2
512 256 128 64 32 16
8
4
power
8
power
512 256 128 64 32 16
David Gilden
David Gilden
1/f α
white noise
slope α = -.88
data
+ colored noise
α
mixture of colored and white noise
model
mental rotation task
rescale Gilden, D.L. (2001). Cognitive emissions of 1/f noise. Psychological Review, 108, 33-56. Thornton, T.L.& Gilden, D.L. (2005). The provenance of correlations in psychological data. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12, 409-441.
adapted from Gilden, D.L. & Hancock, H. (2007). Response variability in attentiondeficit disorders. Psychological Science 18, 796-802.
2
David Gilden
256 trials apart
128 64 32 8 16
4
mental rotation task
1945
1945
1950
480 trials adapted from Gilden, D.L. & Hancock, H. (2007). Response variability in attentiondeficit disorders. Psychological Science 18, 796-802.
Detour (1945)
.2
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Asphalt Jungle (1950)
0 -.2 data 1935 slope: -.006
.2
The 39 Steps (1935)
-.04
-.20
Rebecca (1940)
Spellbound (1945)
-.90
-.38
model
1940
1945
0 -.2
0
slope:
-.94
1965
1995
.2
Thunderball (1965)
GoldenEye (1995)
-.41
-.82
0 -.2
slope:
Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Slope Slope
Empire Strikes Back (1980) .2 0 -.2
slope:
1980
-.98
-1.14
Slope Slope
Slope Slope
Studio-Era Hollywood Film
2005
Slope
Slope
Slope
Slope
Popular film is evolving. It is adjusting its relations among shot lengths, leading to multiscale waves of similarity (distal correlation of shot lengths). This evolution is in the direction of matching variations in attention at intervals greater than the instant. There is more, but first ….
not blockbusters but ordinary films
not blockbusters but ordinary films Charlie’s Angels Back to the Future
pacing of visual change and attentional demands of films tension and release at multiple scales
Blue Lagoon
Grapes of Wrath
Intensified Continuity (Bordwell, 2002, 2006)
Motion + Movement = Visual Activity 1. shot length patterns 2. wider range of lens lengths 3. more closeups 4. more mobile cameras
Motion + Movement = Visual Activity
same 150 films each frame (~165,000/film)
Visual Activity = 1 – interframe correlation converted to a 256 X 256 jpeg file
Visual Activity = 1.00
Visual Activity = 1.00
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
Visual Activity = .60
Visual Activity = .60
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
Visual Activity = .20
Visual Activity = .20
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
Visual Activity = .05
Visual Activity = .05
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
Visual Activity = 1.00
Visual Activity = .60
image difference
image difference
Visual Activity = .20
Visual Activity = .05
image difference
image difference
Motion + Movement = Visual Activity
Visual Activity Index (VAI) = 1 – median interframe correlation
VAI .027 .093
action adventure
comedy drama
a Top Hat (1935) b Cast Away (2000) c Superman II (1980) d Hitch (2005)
a Top Hat (1935) b Cast Away (2000) c Superman II (1980) d Hitch (2005) e Annie Get Your Gun (1950) f The Seven Year Itch (1955) g Jewel of the Nile (1985)
h Quantum of Solace (2008) i The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) j Cloverfield (2008)
shot lengths and visual activity 1. in whole films 2. across individual shots in a film
h Quantum of Solace (2008) i The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) j Cloverfield (2008)
shorter shots now have relatively more motion
pacing of visual activity in films luminance
amplification of tension and release in fluctuations of shot lengths
films have gotten darker
films have gotten darker
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Film is evolving: (a) shorter shot lengths, (b) shot length fluctuations are approximating 1/f, (c) visual activity is increasing, (d) the correlation of shot length and visual activity with shots is increasing, and (e) films are becoming darker. All changes serve to capture attention and heighten viewer response.
Kate Brunick
Jordan DeLong
Christie Nothelfer
Pauline Kael (1965) I lost it at the movies Boston: Little Brown