FM4 - Popular Film and Emotional Response: past questions

You will have a choice of two questions.  The questions encourage you to discuss emotional response, often by giving you a statement to consider.  When you discuss a topic you try to examine it in a balanced way generally considering multiple angles and different points of view.  You are not being asked to agree or disagree with the statement unless the question clearly asks you to do so.  Remember that you are a spectator and you should write about your own response to the films.  You should also speculate about how other spectators might have alternative responses (for example a female may read a sequence very differently from a male spectator).  Additionally, you can write about how spectators of the time (i.e. when the films were released) responded to certain scenes and explain why current spectators might not respond in the same way.  To answer this question you need to have a clear idea of the factors influencing spectatorship (see the introductory notes that we made in class) and be able to use key terms - see here:  http://howardschoolfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/fm4-popular-film-and-emotional-response.html

You will notice from the questions below that they are often a combination of a general one about spectatorship and a more specific one relating to micro features.

The general question encourages you to write about spectatorship theory, supporting your answer with examples from your films.

For the micro-specific question you might adopt the reverse approach - concentrating on close analysis of how the micro feature(s) manipulate your emotional response and linking that to spectatorship theory.  So far, micro questions have focused on characters and the soundtrack, or have been more general using words such as 'techniques'. That means that likely questions might include: mise-en-scene, editing, performance or camerawork (cinematography).  If you do this question, you can either: (A) refer to a small number of scenes from each film in detail (1-2 scenes from each), or (B) give an overview of several scenes from each film by referring to them in less detail but using the very best examples (the most relevant to the question) from each scene.

You could also get a 'concept' question - narrative has already been covered but you might get one on representation, genre or messages and values.  Note that a 'style' question can be answered by reference to any combination of the above micro features (a 'style' question is really asking you about distinctive micro features in the film).

Don't forget to plan your answer!

1. How important is performance in understanding the spectator's emotional response to popular films?
2. Explore some of the film techniques that are particularly powerful in triggering an emotional response in the spectator.  (June 2011)

1. 'One of the great pleasures of popular cinema is surrendering to the film experience and allowing ourselves to be emotionally manipulated.'  Discuss.
2. 'Emotional response to a popular film is dependent on the ways in which we are made to identify with particular characters.' How far has this been your experience?  (June 2010)

1. How far do spectators respond to the emotional content of films in the way the film-makers intended?
2. How important is the soundtrack in influencing the spectator's emotional response to the film?  (Jan 2012)

1. How far is the emotional response to popular films influenced by different viewing contexts?
2. 'It is sometimes said that films generating a strong emotional response disarm the spectator's critical faculties.' Discuss how this has been true of the films you have studied.  (Jan 2011)

1. ‘Narrative is often assumed to be the most important factor in triggering emotional response whereas style is often overlooked.’ How far do you agree with this?
2. ‘Some spectators can laugh, others cry at the same sequence.’ Explore why spectators may react very differently to the same sequences in the films you have studied for this topic.  (June 2012)

1. Explore some of the ways in which the spectator’s emotional response to popular films is the result of visual elements such as cinematography, special effects or design.
2. ‘Spectators of popular film often bring to the viewing experience much prior knowledge as fans and informed filmgoers.’ Discuss how far this prior knowledge influences a spectator’s response. Refer to films you have studied for this topic.  (Jan 2013)