mjeppsen
Well-known member
I ran across this bit of fascinating research and had to post it. It's a nice break from the technical chatter and measurebating. :smilewinkgrin:
In this study, researchers used viewer eye-tracking to analyze what people were watching in select scenes from There Will Be Blood. They then composited overlays on the film scenes that clearly show areas of attention in the frame. I personally see the data as a hugely valuable resource for blocking, lighting, cinematography, and editing...basically all disciplines of filmmaking.
There Will Be Blood was a very good choice for this study, because the film is a great example of slow pacing and a long-form editing style that still artfully directs the viewer's attention through the use of simple onscreen cues. It's fascinating to me to see how the study participants all reacted in a similar fashion!
I've posted on this at PVC, and also included another bit of research on editing continuity; a PhD thesis by Tim J. Smith entitled "An Attentional Theory of Continuity Editing" that is similar to Murch's "In the Blink of an Eye" editing principles, but much, much more in-depth...it's a 300 page PDF chock-full of editing and continuity principles analysis that inform editing and blocking alike.
Hope that you guys find these resources as interesting and useful as I have.
In this study, researchers used viewer eye-tracking to analyze what people were watching in select scenes from There Will Be Blood. They then composited overlays on the film scenes that clearly show areas of attention in the frame. I personally see the data as a hugely valuable resource for blocking, lighting, cinematography, and editing...basically all disciplines of filmmaking.
There Will Be Blood was a very good choice for this study, because the film is a great example of slow pacing and a long-form editing style that still artfully directs the viewer's attention through the use of simple onscreen cues. It's fascinating to me to see how the study participants all reacted in a similar fashion!
I've posted on this at PVC, and also included another bit of research on editing continuity; a PhD thesis by Tim J. Smith entitled "An Attentional Theory of Continuity Editing" that is similar to Murch's "In the Blink of an Eye" editing principles, but much, much more in-depth...it's a 300 page PDF chock-full of editing and continuity principles analysis that inform editing and blocking alike.
Hope that you guys find these resources as interesting and useful as I have.
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Thanks for posting.