Forum

The purpose of this Forum is to foster serious explorations and discussions of the connections between moving images and mental processes. Scholarly essays, shorter topical posts, book reviews, movie analyses, and comments are all welcome, so long as they conform to the purpose of the Forum.

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Snapshot from Gerry (2002), by Gus Van Sant

The Vestibular Sense in Film

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Luis Rocha Antunes

February 17, Canterbury, UK – at the University of Kent, we are beginning to understand how the auditory and visual information combine to give access to a multisensory film experience. At the same time, neuroscientists are identifying sensory systems beyond the classic … more . . .

Tagged Gus Van Sant, multisensory film experience, vestibular in film

Defending “The Tree of Life”

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Carl Plantinga

Terrence Malick has never made a film I didn’t like, so it is unsurprising that his most recent work, The Tree of Life (2011), struck my fancy. It has almost become a cliché to call Malick a “visual poet,” but … more . . .

Entertaining Violence

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Dirk Eitzen

The century-long scholarly and political debate about the costs and benefits of violent entertainments seems to have run aground, once again, on the shoals of strong gut feelings. Some people (including many humanities scholars) enjoy or appreciate violent entertainments, ranging from fairy tales to video games, and therefore suppose that they are in some respects intrinsically worthwhile. Other people (including many media effects researchers) find the new interactive and extremely graphic forms of virtual violence particularly disturbing and distasteful and therefore suppose that they are intrinsically harmful. The truth is that video games and other violent entertainments have both positive and negative effects. Scholars and scientists need to do a much better job of discerning and explaining the difference if they wish to give good guidance to parents and policy makers. more . . .

Tagged Media Effects, Public Policy, Video Games, Violence