Neuroscience
The second Thor movie opens in the UK later this week. Is it worth paying the extra to see Thor's hammer in three dimensions? A soon-to-be published psychology study suggests probably not.
Brendan Rooney and Eilis Hennessy surveyed 225 cinema-goers in 2011 after they'd just watched the first Thor film either in 2D or 3D. Remarkably this is the first time that psychologists have compared people's psychological reactions to the two film modes in the real world (previous research has all been lab based).
Those people who saw Thor in 3D found it more perceptually realistic and said they felt more focused on the film, and yet their self-reported emotional arousal during the film was no higher than those who watched in 2D, and their reports of their enjoyment of the film were also just the same as the 2D viewers. Rooney and Hennessy said this suggests film enjoyment is more about how much we are moved by a film emotionally, with perceptual realism not being so important.
If you're headed to the multiplex this weekend to see Thor 2, it may be worth heeding the findings of this study. As the researchers concluded:
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Brendan Rooney, and Eilis Hennessy (2013). Actually in the cinema: A field study comparing real 3D and 2D movie patrons’ attention, emotion and film satisfaction Media Psychology. In Press.
--Further reading--
Are 3D films more psychologically powerful than 2D?
How to eat less popcorn at the cinema.
Right-handers sit to the right of the movie screen to optimise neural processing of the film.
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- Right-handers Sit To The Right Of The Movie Screen To Optimise Neural Processing Of The Film
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Neuroscience
Thor doesn't nail it in 3D
Brendan Rooney and Eilis Hennessy surveyed 225 cinema-goers in 2011 after they'd just watched the first Thor film either in 2D or 3D. Remarkably this is the first time that psychologists have compared people's psychological reactions to the two film modes in the real world (previous research has all been lab based).
Those people who saw Thor in 3D found it more perceptually realistic and said they felt more focused on the film, and yet their self-reported emotional arousal during the film was no higher than those who watched in 2D, and their reports of their enjoyment of the film were also just the same as the 2D viewers. Rooney and Hennessy said this suggests film enjoyment is more about how much we are moved by a film emotionally, with perceptual realism not being so important.
If you're headed to the multiplex this weekend to see Thor 2, it may be worth heeding the findings of this study. As the researchers concluded:
"These findings might challenge the value of increased ticket prices for 3D film when no significant difference was observed in satisfaction levels. This is particularly important in light of the claim that the commercial use of 3D effect in cinema is largely based on the assumption that the increased perceptual realism is associated with increased emotional engagement and viewer satisfaction."The study comes with some caveats. The data was collected from a single suburban cinema, presumably in Dublin where the researchers are based, and the results relate to only a single film, so we have to be cautious in generalising from these findings. Another thing - Thor was only converted to 3D in post-production and some critics suggest this is an inferior process compared with when films are actually shot in 3D. However Thor 2 was also converted in post production. Whatever your plans this coming weekend, have fun!
_________________________________
Brendan Rooney, and Eilis Hennessy (2013). Actually in the cinema: A field study comparing real 3D and 2D movie patrons’ attention, emotion and film satisfaction Media Psychology. In Press.
--Further reading--
Are 3D films more psychologically powerful than 2D?
How to eat less popcorn at the cinema.
Right-handers sit to the right of the movie screen to optimise neural processing of the film.
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
- Right-handers Sit To The Right Of The Movie Screen To Optimise Neural Processing Of The Film
Although our bodies appear largely symmetrical on the outside, the way our brains are organised and wired is rather more lop-sided. This is obvious to us in relation to handedness, whereby the brain is better at controlling one hand than the other. The...
- Do Professional Movie Critics Evaluate Films The Same Way As The Rest Of Us?
If you want to know whether you're going to enjoy a movie, the opinion of professional film critics might not be the best place to find out. Jonathan Plucker and colleagues compared the ratings given to films by professional critics, "amateur critics",...
- Watch A Movie, Learn A New Language...?
How cool would it be if you could learn a new language simply by watching subtitled foreign films? So far, research has shown that you can certainly learn new vocabulary this way, but not grammar. Now Sven Van Lommel and colleagues at the University...
- Alzheimer's Disease: Sarah Polley's Movie, Away From Her
Sarah Polley has won another award for her movie: From The Vancouver Sun: Polley wins N.Y. film critics award CanWest News Service Published: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley has won the New York Film Critics Circle's best...
- Alzheimer's: Sarah Polley's Movie Away From Her - Directors Guild Of Canada Award
Sarah Polley's movie won a Canadian film award this weekend: From the CBC: Polley's film big winner at Director's Guild Awards Last Updated: Sunday, September 30, 2007 | 9:38 AM ET The Canadian Press Sarah Polley's poignant Away From...