Scripting to Study the Integration of Visual Information via Peripheral Vision During Film Viewing

Filmmakers often use background elements to shape mood, guide emotions, and add meaning to a story. In Mother! (Aronofsky, 2017), violent events unfold behind the protagonist while the camera remains in close-up on her face, creating tension between focal attention and surrounding action. In Midsommar (Aster, 2019), faces and symbolic forms subtly emerge in trees and landscapes, often at the edges of the frame. These examples raise a key question: what do viewers actually notice and remember from visual information that lies outside their main focus?

This question sits at the intersection of film studies and visual attention research. Cinema is a complex experience that combines imagery, sound, emotion, and narrative, making it difficult to isolate how viewers process background or peripheral information. While vision science shows that peripheral vision can convey meaningful information, it is limited and highly sensitive to visual complexity. At the same time, many scientific studies rely on simplified stimuli or uncontrolled existing films, while film studies rarely test perceptual processes experimentally. This project bridges that gap by developing scripts for future short films specifically designed for research, enabling precise control over background action while preserving a coherent and natural cinematic experience.

Faculty Supervisor:

Isabelle Raynauld

Student:

Partner:

University of the Arts London

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Entertainment and Media; Health and Related Sciences and Technology; New and Digital Media

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: