The Photoplay

For our group discussion I chose to read "The Photoplay" by Hugo Von Munsterberg. I found this chapter to be very interesting because I never really thought about what goes on when we focus our attention on a particular object. In the chapter Munsterberg explains that in the real world we differentiate between voluntary and involuntary attention. He says, "we call it voluntary if we approach the impressions with an idea in our mind as to what we want to focus our attention on" (Munsterberg 74). In other words, we take a personal interest in the object that has captured our attention. Our attention has chosen its aim from the beginning and it blocks out that which does not attract our interest. This is quite the opposite of involuntary attention because we have not already chosen the object that caught our attention. Something unexpected must occur in order for our attention to be reeled in. He further explains that both voluntary and involuntary attention are always intertwined and both types of attentions will compromise with each other.

The main topic of Munsterberg's chapter deals with how attention in real life compares to the way attention works in respect to theater or film. He asks, "might we not say that voluntary attention is eliminated...and the audience is...following the lead of an attention which receives all its cues from the work of art itself and which therefore acts involuntarily?" (Munsterberg 76). To some degree I would agree with Munsterberg that if we were watching a performance then our attention involuntarily moves in the direction of the main character. However, I believe that our attention first acts voluntarily and as the performance progresses our attention begins to blend in with the involuntary. I wouldn't necessarily say that the voluntary part of our attention is completely eliminated because an individual chooses to focus on an object voluntarily. One cannot function without the other. Both forms of art, the theater and film, use different techniques to grab our attention. For example, in a play our attention is focused on the actor who is speaking and all other actors on stage who are not talking are faded out. On the other hand, film makers will use the "close up" to grab the audiences attention. In the film "Persona" we see this type of technique being used at the end of the film where Sister Alma is talking to Elizabet about why Elizabet was covering the photo of her son. In the scene all we see is Elizabet's reaction as Alma speaks and again, but this time only showing Alma's facial expressions. In "Joan of Arc" we also see the same technique being used but maybe a little too much that it loses its effect after awhile. Another example that reminded me (it's not really a close-up but I love this scene) of this was in the 1993 film "Schindler's List" by Steven Spielberg. The movie was filmed entirely in black and white expect for this one scene that depicts a little girl in a red coat walking aimlessly through the streets. The color red plays a symbolic role in the film because the little girl is later shown again in a cart full of dead bodies.

http://videosift.com/video/The-Little-Girl-in-the-Red-Coat-Schindlers-List

Munsterberg explains that "the close-up has to furnish the explanations." The scene in "Schindler's List" was not only artfully done but it immediately grabbed the viewer's attention and although there is only music playing the viewer knows that the red coat is important. Thus, the individual keeps this piece of information in the back of their mind as it will serve a purpose later in the film.

When it comes to our attention there are many different things that go on. What are your thoughts on this idea of the voluntary and involuntary attention?