Finding Meaning in All the Right Places: A Novel Measurement of Dramatic Structure in Film and Television Narratives

Coleman, David, Romao, Tico J, Villamin, Cedric, Sinnett, Scott, Jakobsen, Tanya and Kingstone, Alan (2013) Finding Meaning in All the Right Places: A Novel Measurement of Dramatic Structure in Film and Television Narratives. Projections: The Journal for Movies and Mind, 7 (2). pp. 92-110. doi:10.3167/proj.2013.070205

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Abstract

This article summarizes an evidence-based study that adapts a breakpoint approach to investigate how elements of television narratives (two half-hour episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents: “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Case of Mr. Pelham”) were considered meaningful to viewers. Actions considered meaningful were found to be high in informational and emotional content, and primarily consisted of plot points where changes in narrative direction and protagonist's goals were perceived as interpretively salient. Viewers also registered as meaningful those scenes that were character centered and provided subjective access to the main characters. The article reviews segmentation behavior in the relevant film theory literature to contextualize study, and concludes by summarizing other potential applications of an adapted breakpoint approach beyond the investigation of dramatic structure.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Action parsing;Breakpoint;Dramatic structure; Narrative schemata; Segmentation; Segmentation behaviour; Television narrative
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1992-1992.92 Television Broadcasts P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Creative Arts
Research Priority Areas:	Culture, Continuity, and Transformation
Depositing User:	Anne Pengelly
Date Deposited:	16 Sep 2015 16:42
Last Modified:	04 Feb 2022 08:03
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/2615

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