Researchers from the Computational Neuroimaging Laboratory at New York University recently carried out a study of the effects of films on viewers' brains.
Hasson et al scanned the brains of 45 participants whilst they watched scenes from a number of films and television programmes. Not surprisingly, they found that all the scenes activated numerous and diffuse regions of the cerebral cortex - visual areas in the occipital lobes, auditory and language centres in the temporal lobes, and so on.
The data obtained were then subjected to a newly-developed statistical method called inter-subject correlation (ISC) analysis, which is designed to measure the similarities in the responses of all the participants. Thus, the first 30 minutes of Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly produced an ISC score of 45%, while Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm scored 18%. The study also provides some evidence that Alfred Hitchcock really is the master of suspense - his 1961 film Bang! You're Dead gave a score of 65%:
The fact that Hitchcock was able to orchestrate the responses of so many different brain regions, turning them on and off at the same time across all viewers, may provide neuroscientific evidence for his notoriously famous ability to master and manipulate viewers' minds. Hitchcock often liked to tell interviewers that for him "creation is based on an exact science of audience reactions".
The researchers suggest that the inter-subject analyses they performed give an indication of the effectiveness of a given cinematographic technique in engaging the viewer, and suggest that their findings can therefore inform filmmakers. They also hope that the study will initiate the new interdisciplinary field of "neurocinematics".
Hasson, et al. (2008). Neurocinematics: The Neuroscience of Film. Projections 2: 1-26. [PDF]
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just as a matter of curiosity/anecdote, Mr. C. Denis Pegge did something similar in Cambridge, way back during the 1950s or early 60s called "Simulacrics". I believe that the British Film Institute has some of the material.
To me it seems that "Curb" in actuality polarizes opinions among viewers to a great extent. Some find it hilarious and full of peculiar insight, while others feel contempt. The relatively low ISC score might reflect this.
"The researchers suggest that the inter-subject analyses they performed give an indication of the effectiveness of a given cinematographic technique in engaging the viewer, and suggest that their findings can therefore inform filmmakers."
Seems like a double-edged sword. On the other hand, it might genuinely yield more "effective" cinematographic techniques, then again it can be also thought as maximizing effectiveness for the average joe -> sacrificing artistic values for mainstream appreciation
I don't think Hitchcock films can be thought of as sacrificing artistic values for mainstream appreciation, though.