Cinematic PersuasionCinematic Persuasion

““Suspense, laughter, violence, hope, Suspense, laughter, violence, hope, heart, nudity, sex, happy endings. heart, nudity, sex, happy endings. Mainly happy endings.” Griffin Mill (in Mainly happy endings.” Griffin Mill (in Robert Altman’s Robert Altman’s The PlayerThe Player on what on what a movie needs to make money).a movie needs to make money).

Cinema’s Power to PersuadeCinema’s Power to Persuade• Movies are a form of Movies are a form of

entertainmententertainment• They are also a business (show They are also a business (show

business)business)• they are they are also a form of also a form of

persuasionpersuasion• Movies reach large numbers of Movies reach large numbers of

peoplepeople• potential for mass influencepotential for mass influence

• Movies are told in a narrative Movies are told in a narrative formform• stories possess an aura of stories possess an aura of

believabilitybelievability

Cinematic influenceCinematic influence• “All serious evaluations of movie and

television versions of American life suggest that pop culture portrays a world that is far more violent, dangerous, sexually indulgent…than everyday American reality” (Medved, 2002)

• People may not expect to be persuaded during a movie

• “willing suspension of disbelief”• Movies can persuade intentionally or

unintentionally• intentional persuasion • accidental influence

• Social responsibility versus artistic freedom

Movies and social modelingMovies and social modeling

• Young people aged 15 to 24 are Young people aged 15 to 24 are the most frequent movie goers.the most frequent movie goers.

• Only 1 in 4 movies portray no Only 1 in 4 movies portray no risky health behaviors (positive risky health behaviors (positive examples include examples include CastawayCastaway and and Sixth SenseSixth Sense))

• The movie industry rarely The movie industry rarely portrays negative consequences portrays negative consequences of risky behavior (such as HIV, of risky behavior (such as HIV, pregnancy, DUI, etc.) pregnancy, DUI, etc.)

Harold & Kumar In Escape from Guantanamo

Form: Some ConventionsForm: Some Conventions

• Teen movies typically contain features such as:Teen movies typically contain features such as:• conversations at the school lockers ("Dazed and conversations at the school lockers ("Dazed and

Confused")Confused")• the prom ("Carrie")the prom ("Carrie")• cheerleaders (“Bring It On")cheerleaders (“Bring It On")• the shopping mall ("Mall Rats")the shopping mall ("Mall Rats")• the juvenile delinquent gang (“The Outsiders")the juvenile delinquent gang (“The Outsiders")• the sensitive, alienated teenage hero (Jim, in "Rebel the sensitive, alienated teenage hero (Jim, in "Rebel

without a Cause").without a Cause").

• This is an extremely limited list. Any others?This is an extremely limited list. Any others?

Form: HybridityForm: Hybridity• The nature of the teen movie genre The nature of the teen movie genre

changes very rapidly over time and there changes very rapidly over time and there are crossovers or are crossovers or hybridshybrids with with neighboring genres, for exampleneighboring genres, for example• horror ("Buffy, the Vampire Slayer")horror ("Buffy, the Vampire Slayer")• sports ("American Anthem")sports ("American Anthem")• musicals ("Grease")musicals ("Grease")• romance ("Romeo and Juliet").romance ("Romeo and Juliet").• Any others?Any others?

Social modeling: thank youSocial modeling: thank youfor smokingfor smoking• Smoking rates in cinema are

disproportionately higher than for the public at large (Omidvari, et al 2005).

• Over the past six years more than half of the movies geared toward children feature characters smoking. In more than a quarter of the movies, actors light up cigars (AMA, 2008).

• Teenagers are significantly more likely to start smoking if they watch movies featuring stars who smoke cigarettes (Dalton, 2003)

• 89% of smoking is initiated during adolescence (Johnston, O’Malley, & Bachman, 1996)

Movies and risky behaviorMovies and risky behavior• More negative social modeling• Unsafe sex:

• 98% of movies with sex scenes make no mention of safe sex (Gunasekera & Chapman, 2005):.

• Drug and alcohol use:• Movies with cannabis (8%) and

other non-injected illicit drugs (7%) were less common than those with alcohol intoxication (32%) and tobacco use (68%)

• Buckling up:• seat belt usage in movies is quite

low, typically between 10-30% (Jacobsen, Kreuter, Luke, & Caburnay The national average is closer to 70%.

Positive social modeling occurs tooPositive social modeling occurs too

• Finding Nemo normalizes Finding Nemo normalizes disabilitiesdisabilities

• Nemo has an underdeveloped “lucky” Nemo has an underdeveloped “lucky” finfin

• Nemo’s father suffers from post Nemo’s father suffers from post traumatic stress syndrometraumatic stress syndrome

• Dory has short-term memory lossDory has short-term memory loss• Bruce the shark is in a 12 step Bruce the shark is in a 12 step

programprogram• A squid has incontinence (cannot A squid has incontinence (cannot

retain its ink)retain its ink)

Cinema and social changeCinema and social changeFilms often advance cultural awareness and social change

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Easy Rider

Thelma & Louise

Brokeback Mountain

How movies persuade: stealth How movies persuade: stealth advertisingadvertising • Product placement- the practice of inserting brand

name items into the movie scenes is commonplace• brandchannel.com (lists placements in movies)• Types of placement

• Visual• Spoken• Usage

• Apple has placed products in more than 1,500 TV shows.

• Apple is just as popular on the big screen, showing up in hits from "You've Got Mail" to "How to Lose a Guy in 10 days.”

• Films are carefully crafted, detailed works of art

How movies persuade: Promoting How movies persuade: Promoting viewer identificationviewer identification• Stories in films overlap with viewers’ Stories in films overlap with viewers’

own experience, so they can relate to own experience, so they can relate to the message in the moviethe message in the movie

• viewers identify closely with characters viewers identify closely with characters who face a crisis or adversitywho face a crisis or adversity• example: Movies like example: Movies like RudyRudy and and

SeabiscuitSeabiscuit champion the little guy. champion the little guy.

How movies persuade: exporting How movies persuade: exporting American culture and valuesAmerican culture and values• American movies export

Western cultures and values around the globe• Movies are one of

America’s three leading exports

• Negative side- foreign audiences are not too thrilled with the emphasis on materialism, sex, and violence in the movies.

• Positive side- movies can embrace values such as freedom, equality, and human rights

• Fashions, hairstyles, lifestyles are often imitated

• Movies are vehicles for advertising

How movies persuade: exporting How movies persuade: exporting American culture and valuesAmerican culture and values

CULTURAL CULTURAL GLOBALIZATIONGLOBALIZATION

McArabia Kofta

CULTURAL GLOBALIZATIONCULTURAL GLOBALIZATION• Cultural ImperialismCultural Imperialism = Dominance of = Dominance of

one culture over othersone culture over others• Hollywood movies, MacDonald’s, Hollywood movies, MacDonald’s,

Disneyland, Starbucks Disneyland, Starbucks • Dominance of the English language and Dominance of the English language and

invasion of other languagesinvasion of other languages• Do people all over the world have the same Do people all over the world have the same

taste?taste?AfricaAfrica

• ““Culture Industry” = opportunities for Africans to sell Culture Industry” = opportunities for Africans to sell their culture in the “global market” that values their culture in the “global market” that values traditional culturetraditional culture

Movies and violenceMovies and violence

• Movies often serve as guides for social behavior

• viewers often act out, model, imitate what they see on screen

• Research on violence in video games, television, movies, and the Internet found that those exposed to movie violence demonstrated more pro-violence attitudes (Funk, Baldacci, Pasold, & Baumgardner, 2004).

• 26 per cent of adults still have "residual anxiety" many years after viewing horror movies in childhood.

Movies and violenceMovies and violence

• Hollywood routinely recruits teenagers and children (some as young as nine) to evaluate its story concepts, commercials, theatrical trailers and rough cuts—even for R-rated movies.

• The FTC studied 44 restricted films meant for adults, and discovered that 80 per cent were targeted to children under 17.

Cultural and Gender StereotypesCultural and Gender Stereotypes• Hollywood frequently typecasts minorities,

cultural groups, and women, overweight people, the elderly, and other groups into limited roles

• Legally Blonde perpetuates the “dumb blonde” stereotype

• Shallow Hal gives people permission to make fun of fat people

• Jackie Chan fills the image of the martial artist who is sexually/romantically awkward

• Arab-American community refers to the “Three Bs” syndrome. Arabs in movies and on TV are:

• bombers• belly dancers• billionaires

Hollywood blazes a pathHollywood blazes a path• Oscar winning actor,Morgan Oscar winning actor,Morgan

Freeman, brings a sense of Freeman, brings a sense of authority, dignity, and authority, dignity, and gravitasgravitas to the to the roles he plays.roles he plays.

• He played the role of president of He played the role of president of the United States in the movie the United States in the movie Deep Deep Impact Impact (1998) and the role of god in (1998) and the role of god in God Almighty (2003).God Almighty (2003).

• Is it possible he made the idea of an Is it possible he made the idea of an African-American president more African-American president more “thinkable”?“thinkable”?

• Dennis Haysbert and D.B. Dennis Haysbert and D.B. Woodside also played the Woodside also played the Commander in Chief in the Fox TV Commander in Chief in the Fox TV series series 2424..

• Can Obama’s election be seen as a Can Obama’s election be seen as a case of “life imitates art”?case of “life imitates art”?

Cultivation TheoryCultivation Theory• Cultivation Theory predicts that

heavy exposure to movies and TV may cultivate attitudes more consistent with the media version of reality than with reality itself.

• “Heavy” viewers have a more distorted view of the world than “Light” viewers

• Heavy viewers develop a view of a “mean, scary world”

• Movies and TV provide biased, stereotyped depictions of reality, which can distort the beliefs of heavy viewers

Based on a true story?Based on a true story?• Plotlines and details may be “loosely

based,” or may be based on false assertions

• Amityville Horror: “The truth …was finally revealed when Butch DeFeo's lawyer, William Weber, admitted that he, along with the Lutzes, created this horror story over many bottles of wine.” (www.snopes.com)

• Texas Chain Saw Massacre: “there was no real family of cannibalistic chainsaw murderers slaughtering people in Texas, nor any actual series of chainsaw-related killings.” (www.snopes.com)

DocumentariesDocumentaries• Bowling for Columbine: documentary

or “mock-umentary”?• Supersize Me: documentary or

“shock-umentary”?• Beware of docu-dramas

• Time compression• Composite characters• Re-shot footage (example, reaction

shots filmed at a different time)

Resistance to Cinematic PersuasionResistance to Cinematic Persuasion

• Do not let your guard downDo not let your guard down• Realize “it’s only a movie” Realize “it’s only a movie” not real not real

lifelife• Be aware of product placementsBe aware of product placements• Assume the director will opt for a good Assume the director will opt for a good

narrative over accuracynarrative over accuracy• Be informative and seek knowledgeBe informative and seek knowledge