Apr 7, 202312 min read

EMOTIONAL RECOGNITION EXPERIMENT: VIDEO

Figure 1 Joseph Campbell quote. Note. From Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/128423026866698964/), by J.Campbell. Copyright n.d. by J.Campbell

Media Psychology Theory Research

This term has made me really look at all moving content differently, and definitely more critically.

Is everything made – and if it isn’t, what is the point of it anyway– to illicit a response?

Simply – yes, I think everything is.

From a Magnum commercial trying to get us to buy their ice creams, to a Netflix rom com, aiming to use our human obsession with love to get as many viewers as possible, to Bluey who seeks to entertain and educate preschoolers.

The scale of success is variable, but I think the intent is always there to have us react and respond to what we watch.

Psychology is used intentionally in many ways in the content that we see everyday.

According to Think TV, we watch 51 hours and 14 minutes a month watching television in Australia, or nearly two hours each day (Think TV, 2023).

And that is just TV, on the internet we will see 356 banner ads (Frictionless Commerce) a day too.

That is a lot of time in which to influence us and use our own psychology against us — thanks, Gestalt.

On the upside, it also means that I can use those same techniques to make content too.

Figure 2 Joseph Campbell quote. Note. From Steve Hoffman Music Forums. (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-power-of-myth-joseph-campbell.710269/), by J.Campbell. Copyright n.d. by J.Campbell.

How is this different to abstract animation?

1. It’s more complex.

In abstract animation, the viewer is essentially applying their own biases to the story they are seeing. In my feedback from last assignment it quickly became clear that a portion of the audience is very literal, seeing triangles move from one shape to another, where others personalised the shapes (or pareidolia) and attached relatable stories to them.

2. Making a connection should (hopefully) be easier.

Using footage of real people and places should make it easier for the viewers to both identify themselves in the story, and follow what is happening. If they see a sad face, then should then feel that the emotion being evoked is sadness or at least on that spectrum. I have perhaps made the task harder for myself, by wanting them to take one more step and to identify themselves in the story... am I working too much, do I need to live more?

3. The options are nearly endless.

Being able to use essentially any tool — sound effects, music, words, video — means I now have free scope to create my test videos, which is both wonderful and overwhelming at the same time. Having less options forces you to drill down into what you really want to do with what you have. While having more options can, if you aren’t careful, leave you simply making unwanted and useless noise.

4. You’re forced, very early on in the process to make key decisions.

I quickly realised as I began this process that editing with live footage is much less forgiving then moving sticks around a screen. I had to decide on my story, the emotion I wanted to evoke, the psychology I wanted to use behind my choices and then — perhaps the hardest task — deliver on all of that in the final edit.

5. The time needed to source good material.

One of the hardest aspects for me, was trying to find video and sound that delivered the story I wanted without it looking like stock. If I am honest, I would keep looking if there was no deadline to be met. I find that typical stock images are so generic that they don’t emote anything — so I spent a lot of time finding, flipping and adapting what I found to work with what I wanted to create.

6. Walking away is harder.

One of the hardest parts when making any content is drawing the line and saying that you are done. I felt less attached to the animation piece because it felt less important to me than this project. I think this is because we make what we like, and for me it felt much more personal because of that. It mattered more to me that it was right.

Figure 3 Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth | Ep. 1: ‘The Hero’s Adventure’ documentary. Note. From YouTube Kino Lorber (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE8ciMkayVM&list=PLiYnNom7SVRMjsi2WSpIGBlo1UDhlXyvz&index=1), by Kino Lorber. Copyright 1988 by PBS.

I ended up a dark and deep rabbit hole exploring Joseph Campbell’s theories.

And, that is likely a understatement.

During my research Joseph Campbell’s concept of a spiritual hero, really struck and stuck with me.

I think in our own way each of us are trying to carve out a path and find a purpose and meaning for our lives. But, in the too-loud world we live in, how do we even begin to do that?

In the documentary series, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth | Ep. 1: The Hero’s Adventure, Joseph Campbell says in essence that everyone is born a primary hero, and that the experience of being born is a transformative experience — where we go from one life (being in the womb) to a new life (of being an infant).

His theory that we are all the hero of our own story, and that we relate this hero story arc to everything around us, including what we watch, rings true for me.

In particular, how we are all seeking to find our ‘sauce’ that will drive us throughout our lives.

Or, as Joseph Campbell says so aptly in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces,

“Follow your bliss.”

My chosen media psychology theory

There are two key concepts by Joseph Campbell that really struck a cord with me.

1. Follow your bliss.

What will we sacrifice to follow our bliss, or will we present ourself as the sacrifice to the rat race... doing what we think that the world expects of us instead of what brings us bliss?

2. What it takes to be a hero (or how to get to this bliss).

Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from his 1949 book, A Hero has a Thousand Faces, dictates the 10 steps that must be taken to become a true hero.

1. Ordinary World– where we begin.

2. Call to Adventure – the spark of change.

3. Refusal of the Call – we’re scared, we’re not sure.

4. Meeting our Mentor / allies – guidance and help comes.

5. Preparing – mustering our courage and skills.

6. Crossing the Threshold – we take our first step.

7. Road of trials – nothing good comes easy.

8. Ordeal – we have to face our fears / death / transformation.

9. Transformed – by conquering our fears we are remade, better.

10. The Road Back – now that we are changed, so is everything.

11. Resurrection – our last battle must be faced.

12. The Return – wiser, ready share what we have learned.

Humans are a living contradiction.

In first world countries, we seek bliss like pleasure-seeking gluttons. We can have food 24/7, we can stream what we want to watch at will, we consume fashion like we’re perpetually naked and this constant cycle of gratification has become a modern addiction.

In our desire to not feel pain, we have become the ultimate consumers.

On the flip side, our mental and physical health is deteriorating, because we are losing our connections with ourselves and others and are less active from being on screens, both causing us actual pain.

Unless we can, as the hero of our own story, cross the threshold.

I chose Joseph Campbell’s theories, because, I believe the hero’s journey is something we all identify with, because real life can be, a lot of the time, a battle.

And to make life simpler for us to navigate, we all turn people into heroes or anti-heroes, from deciding Putin is pure evil (which, you know, he probably is) to making the Barbie a modern hero who we want to emulate.

Figure 4

Enter the Barbie hero filter you can use on your social media channels.

Perhaps, or course, not as grand as when Darth Vader’s saves Luke in Return of the Jedi, enacting his own road back to redemption.

These hero storylines are not new either, it’s in our oldest stories too.

Case in point, the story of the bible, where Jesus, an orphan, rises up from his poor beginnings through much adversity to sacrifice himself for literally everyone.

Admittedly in real life, our own transformations might not be as earth-shattering, but resigning from a job that is making us miserable to do something that brings us more happiness, still makes us our own hero.

In the end I decided to make the central theme of my piece, paraphrasing Joesph Campbell’s message follow your bliss to — are you following your bliss?

How might you test this theory out on an audience?

I didn’t want to over complicate what I was doing, because adding live footage would already mean that the audience would have their preconceived notions of what things meant — after all, both nature and nurture influences each of us differently in how we see everything in the world.

I wanted my videos to ask the audience to consider as they watch the video — do you

spend it working (Test A) or do you spend it living (Test B)?

After a lot of consideration, I decided the best way to deliver this question was to tell the story of a child who was born into the world, with one choosing work (Test A) and the other choosing life (Test B).

What kind of live-action elements can you use to test the theory?

In order to deliver this key question to the viewers, I have kept the video concepts deliberately simple.

I overlaid the video against Mary Oliver’s reading of her poem The Summer’s Day, to have the viewers contemplate their own life experience and choices against it.

To create different emotional effects I both timed and jarred several elements in the video with her words — reinforcing the living of life when Mary Oliver says “she thoroughly washes her face” with the girl washing her face in the waterfall, and then repeating the edit of the endless work cycle when she asks “what will you do with your one precious and wild life?”

I also specifically chose to use a man in Test A when Mary Oliver refers to the character in the poem as a female, to further emphasise the incongruity with an unnatural existence (working like a machine for your life in man-made structures) against Test B, which is not only a female but also one that is completely outside in nature after the character learns to walk.

To communicate the life story effectively I used Joseph Campbell’s hero journey concepts of (1) ordinary world, (2) called to action, (3) refusing the call (4) meeting your mentors, (6) crossing the threshold and (9) being transformed for my videos, to give the viewer clear universal themes to quickly recognise and identify with.

Ordinary world (both videos) Both videos begin with the juxtaposition of the ordinary and extraordinary conception. I wanted the viewers to feel optimistic and hopeful at the beginning of the story.

It is the starting point for all our own life journeys, where in Joseph Campbell’s language

we can become our own heroes.

Called to action (both videos)

Arriving into a whole new and confronting place where you have to interact and face challenges, illustrated with the baby being born.

Meeting your mentors (both videos)

Your family, and in particular your parents as the mentor in your life, represented in the videos with the parent teaching and encouraging the child to walk.

Refusing the call (Test A)

Moving straight from going to school, to going to work, and then more work, juxtapositioned against the poem’s natural and life affirming descriptions.

Answering the call (Test B)

Going to nature, paddling down rivers, visiting far-away places and daydreaming in fields, timed to the poem.

Crossing the threshold (both videos)

Test A ‘chooses’ work, the unrelenting slog of this life choice emphasied by the repeating edit of the press-the-button / lift sequence at the end of the video. While Test B ‘chooses’ life, and living through rolling clips of the character outside.

Figure 7 Prayer wheels. Note. From Envato Elements (https://elements.envato.com/spinning-metal-wheels-3BLTHR9). Copyright n.d. by Envato Elements.

Sound effects (both videos)

Continuing to reinforce the opposite themes of work (machine) and life (nature) with sound, I’ve used typing, traffic, and computer sounds in Test A, while waterfalls, birds, and wind feature in Test B.

Colour effects (both videos)

To further drill my concept in, I used black and white for Test A to indicate a life literally without out life, and colour for Test B to highlight the vibrance of fully experiencing life.

Figure 8

Joseph Campbell quote. Note. From Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/2181499806180661/. Copyright n.d. Joseph Campbell.

Media Psychology Theory Hypothesis

My hypothesis based on my media psychology theory.

I believe that my viewers will recognise the stories being told.

Within these stories I think they will see these elements. 1. For A, a child growing up and choosing work. For B, a child growing up and choosing adventure / life. 2. For A, that work takes its toll on us. For B, that exploring and being in nature, gives us a more meaningful life.

3. For A, that you can choose a mechanical existence or for B, a natural one.

4.That life is short, and that work isn’t all there is.

5. Consider how they are spending the time in their own lives.

Explain how you think your audience will react when they watch

your film.

I think that it will make them consider and reflect on their own lives, and the choices they have made so far, and whether their own balance of work and whether their life is one of joy or not (at least most of the time).

Their comments will likely reflect their own choices, internal battles and also a fair bit of projecting their own stories onto the videos as well.

Watching A and then B, will also provide a sharp contrast, similar to the premise of the movie Sliding Doors... to consider for themselves, which one is the better choice, or in the end the better life, not just for the fictional character presented, but for themselves.

How I predict the audience will react.

As with the first assessment, I think that there will be diverse reactions, based on how they feel they are travelling in their own lives with this battle of needing to work to pay bills, but also the need to fully live and be happy.

I think their responses will show connection and sadness on the part of the person in Test A, and then with B, a sense of freedom and an opportunity to question their own choices, and how it might affect their current thinking.

What emotions I am focusing on.

Both videos should illicit strong reactions of reflection, but Test A should bring up feelings of frustration and resentment, while Test B should make viewers feel joy and perhaps even vindicated in choosing their own life over work, on taking holidays and spending time with their families and in nature.

In summary the key emotions that should come up are:

1. Hope

2. Sadness

3. Frustration

4. Resentment

5. Envy

6. Joy

7. Inspired

How I hope to elicit an emotional response through my

live-action editing.

Though both videos start essentially the same, they have been edited towards different outcomes.

I think the editing of Test A, with the mechanical / unnatural sounds of machines, the monochrome colouring, the young boy turning into a worker in the rat race, will all bring about feelings of being trapped and brought down by societal expectations.

Test B on the other hand, with colour, sounds of nature and a free ‘hero’ allowed to do what brings her joy, will bring about feelings of happiness, envy, and of wanting to do the same, and escape work and to follow your own bliss.

Test A

Test B

Presentation Video

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