The Tonal Representations of Violence in PG-13 Rated Cinema

Abstract

Exposure to different tones of movie violence has been shown to affect viewers in different ways. Particularly, exposure to violence designed to evoke a comedic reaction may cause an overall desensitization to violence, more so than violence of a serious nature. There is a significant gap in current literature regarding analysis of the nature of different tones of movie violence. This study seeks to explore said gap, particularly with regards to PG-13 rated movies. Eight PG-13 rated films were randomly selected from 1984 to 2019 and through a mixed-method approach, were each subjected to a content analysis. All eight of the films contained at least one instance of comedic violence, but the presence of serious violence was significantly more prevalent. Instances of comedic violence were all supported through stylistic and theoretical indications of comedy. This study finds that some of the most highly viewed films engage in the practice of making violence humorous, which has been found to have a negative effect on viewers. Future research should apply the method developed for this study on a broader scale and to different genres of film.