Shot Scale Matters: The Effect of Close-Up Frequency on Theory of Mind Responses in Film Viewers

Abstract

Theory of mind (ToM) processing is crucial in everyday social functioning. Fictional film narratives can elicit ToM, however, little is known about the cinematographic techniques underlying this effect. The present experiment focuses on the role of close-up shots of the character’s face in viewers’ ToM responding, as well as in their cognitive and affective processing more generally. The online experiment (N = 495) included thirteen versions of an animated film and employed a 6 (Close-up frequency, 1 vs. 2. vs. 3 vs. 4 vs. 5 vs. 10) × 2 (Facial expression, neutral vs. sad) plus a control condition with zero close-up factorial between-subject design. Participants were randomly assigned to one version of the film and subsequently asked (with and without a prompt for ToM) to recall the story. In these free responses, the study used a quantitative content analytic method (with independent blind-coders) to identify the level of spontaneous and prompted ToM, as well as cognitive and affective processing employed by viewers. Additionally, we tested the moderation effect of character facial expression (in the close-up) and participant gender. Confirming our main hypothesis, close-up frequency significantly influenced ToM-spontaneous, but not ToM-prompted. Results indicate that increasing the number of close-ups may elicit higher levels of ToM-spontaneous up to a certain point, beyond which it may decrease spontaneous ToM responses. Results suggest that the effect of close-up frequency is specific to ToM processing rather than some general effect on cognitive and affective processing of narratives.