A. Aesthetics and Affect
This week in Part A, I am going to select an emotion from the Atlas of Emotions and discuss how I would use aesthetics to evoke the emotion in one of my own creations.
The emotion I chose is anger, Figure 1. I will be using music as my medium for the analysis (“The Ekmans’ Atlas of Emotion”, 2018).
Figure 1 – Anger as Defined in the Atlas of Emotions
The Qualities of Anger
The Atlas of Emotions defines anger as when “we get angry when something blocks us or when we think we are being treated unfairly” (“The Ekmans’ Atlas of Emotion”, 2018).
The Universe of Emotions (“Emotions – Universe of emotions”, 2018), gives a further breakdown of the many forms for anger, Figure 2.
Figure 2 – Anger from the Universe of Emotions
Responses to Anger
The Atlas of Emotions shows some of the states we can experience, Figure 3 (“The Ekmans’ Atlas of Emotion”, 2018).
Figure 3 – States of Anger
What we experience individually is not limited to the above, it’s just a representation of some of the possible and common states. The degree to which these are felt are also different in the individual. However, the research below shows there are common threads that appear in the majority of people, even from across the globe.
Aesthetics and Emotion in Music
So how does music bring forth an emotional response from the listener/audience?
Music and the Nervous System
In a blog by Dr Marie Louise Herzfeld-Schild, she draws a link between music and the nervous system of the body:
“when a certain kind of music expresses a certain kind of emotion, the listeners will experience exactly the same kind of emotion through the movements of their nerves and their souls by means of sympathy and compassion” (Chaney, 2016).
In the blog, Dr Marie Louise Herzfeld-Schild, also discusses the views of writer and philosopher, Johann Jackob Engel, who also refers to the effect on the body:
“for composers should “choose[] tones that have a certain effect on the nerves, which is similar to the impression of a given feeling. To this end [they] also choose[] particular instruments and higher or lower tones” (Chaney, 2016).
Emotion and Movement
The IDEA Channel’s video, Is Sad Music Actually Sad? (PBS Idea Channel, 2013), says that “Imitation theory, which goes back to Plato, says that music imitates the movement or characteristics of an emotion’s physical expression”. The video Why Does Music Move Us? (It’s Okay To Be Smart, 2018), also makes the correlation between emotion and movement, where research was done between Dartmouth (USA) and a small village in Cambodia produced similar results, alluding to the point that it ‘s not related to geographic location.
Major and Minor Keys
The IDEA Channel also makes the comment that “major or minor keys do not necessarily mean happy and sad, this is something we’ve learnt”. This point has been raised in several references I’ve read while researching this topic. Regardless of whether major minor keys have a certain effect can be proved or not, it’s something that has been learnt in our culture, and it’s a tool that can be used for eliciting emotion.
Colour in Song and Musical Anthropomorphism
In an article written by Professor Stephen Palmer and Assitant Professor Karen B Schloss, they did a test of 30 people by having them listen to 4 pieces of music and results were as follows:
“the happiest-sounding music elicited the happiest-looking colors (bright, vivid, yellowish ones), while the saddest-sounding music elicited the saddest-looking colors (dark, grayish, bluish ones). Meanwhile, the angriest-sounding music elicited the angriest-looking colors (dark, vivid, reddish ones).” The “angry” test result is as below shown as “C”, Figure 4 (Palmer & Schloss, 2015).
Figure 4 – Colour in Song Test
If dark, vivid, reddish colours are elicited in the listener by “angry-sounding music”, could this could also be the visual inspiration for a musician to create such music?
The article also draws on the concept of “musical anthropomorphism”, an example where “faster, louder, high-pitched music might be perceived as angry because people tend to move and speak more quickly and raise their voices in pitch and volume when they’re angry” (Palmer & Schloss, 2015). On reading this, it may seem very obvious, however, sometimes it’s these simple concepts that need to be highlighted.
So How to Evoke Anger Through My Music?
Based on my points raised above I would consider the following aesthetic choices :
In a Minor Key
We have been conditioned by culture to think that minor keys are sad, angry, melancholic etc. Due to that conditioning, I would definitely use a minor key.
Tempo
The tempo chosen would depend on the state of anger that is being experienced. If in a state of screaming/yelling then a fast tempo may be suitable, but if it’s a simmering feeling it may be something slower, but ominous.
Tones
Use tones that have an angry effect on the nerves, as suggested by Johann Jackob Engel. Perhaps some distortion, screeching, high pitched or buzzing sounds? If you are trying to elicit anger, then perhaps a harp or gentle instrument may not be the best choice.
Lyrics and Vocal Performance
Lyrics can be used to express anger in its many forms. The way the vocals are performed has a great impact on how the emotion of anger is expressed. Here’s a great example from the film Once around – listen from the 1:15 mark (bogdan dincă, 2011).
Papa Was a Rolling Stone by The Temptations (TSQD01, 2018), tells a story or anger and lament over the loss of a father that died but was actually never around to be a father. The way it’s performed and the story that’s told feels personal and that’s really effective. It’s a long song so be patient.
Colour
For any artist artwork, video clips, if the intention is to convey anger then it would be worthwhile using dark and reddish colours. Taking this further, when the song is being recorded, perhaps having the artists in a dimly lit room with dark and reddish colour would help in expressing anger in their song?
Design Choices
The narrative design of a song, the story that is told, and the structural layout has a larger impact the connection with the listener and the success of communicating the emotions intended, in this case, anger. Similar to the decisions a filmmaker has to make, but for a piece that is the length of a few minutes, the design of the song needs to be efficient to make the most of the limited time to get the emotions across.
Now I have some useful tools and an understanding of how to make some angry music, I’m going to go into a dark room and smash some music out.
Before I go and do that, I will discuss film in part B of my blog.
B. How do Filmmakers Make us Feel Empathy?
What is Empathy?
How does the audience/viewer feel for the plight of the protagonist and how do you relate to them?
“Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another’s position” (“Empathy”, 2018).
Film Scholar, Stephen Cleary, in his assessment of empathy:
“If the audience has the same knowledge as the character they are equal which creates empathy” (“STEPHEN CLEARY – WHAT AN AUDIENCE FEELS – APOCALYPSE FILMS”, 2015).
He also makes the point of not to overuse it:
“Empathy is the easiest type of narrative point of view to engage with but it must be swapped around or else it all becomes ho-hum. When Narrative Point of View shifts and changes, it leads to a more impactful story. It’s what creates the dynamics of the story. If you don’t change the narrative point of view, the audience gets bored and annoyed”(“STEPHEN CLEARY – WHAT AN AUDIENCE FEELS – APOCALYPSE FILMS”, 2015).
Screenwriting Tools for Empathy
In the video below Karl Iglesias discusses 3 screenwriting tools that help the audience empathise with characters (Film Courage, 2016):
The 3 tools are summarised as below:
- Make you feel sorry for the character
- Show their humanity
- Show admirable traits
Emotion Design Analysis
One of my favourite films, when I was younger, was Back to the Future. In the scene below from the film, you see the protagonist come home, to his father who is being bullied by his boss Biff, after Biff has wrecked the family car, (Scifier939, 2014).
To analyse this I did an Emotion Design Analysis with Syncsketch. You can click to go to the link below:
Here is a summary of my Emotion Design Analysis at five key points in the scene:
FRAME 231
Marty comes home to see the family car wrecked that he
intended on using on the weekend for a trip with his girlfriend. This is an
unfortunate incident that clearly has the protagonist very
disappointed.
FRAME 714
Marty’s dad (George) is talking to his boss Biff who has
borrowed the family can and crashed it, and blames George, claiming
that the car has a blind spot. George is clearly being mistreated,
laughed at and pushed around by Biff. George seems helpless to do
anything as Marty stands by watching this unfair situation happen.
FRAME 1219
Marty doesn’t say much in the scene but his face says it all
– he is disappointed with what happened to the car, that his dad is
being manipulated by Biff and that his dad is letting it happen.
FRAME 1788
Biff grabs George by the tie and later hits on this head with
his knuckles. George was first verbally abused and now it is physical
which further emphasises the injustice of the situation. This point really elevates the viewers dislike for the antagonist.
FRAME 3285
Marty stands at the door as Biff is walking past as small show
of resistance without saying anything. Marty is showing more
courage than his father but still unable to do anything. You get a small
glimpse of the unlikely hero that Marty becomes later in the film.
Summary
So how did the Emotion Design Analysis match up with Karl Iglesia’s 3 tools for helping the audience empathise with characters?
- Make you feel sorry for the character – DEFINITELY. TICK
- Show their humanity – THE CHARACTERS SHOWED HUMAN FLAWS – TICK.
- Show admirable traits – MARTY SHOWED A SMALL GLIMPSE THAT HE WILL STAND UP AGAINST INJUSTICE – TICK.
When I think about the rest of the film, it is filled with these 3 tools/devices, and it really pulls the viewer in throughout the story. The strong feeling of empathy developed for the main characters is a big reason the film connected so well with the audience at the time. If you don’t feel a connection or care about the plight of the main characters, why would you choose to go along for the ride?
References
bogdan dincă. (2011). Once (2006) – Say It To Me Now (by Glen Hansard) [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/JMqKOt7R_K8
Chaney, S. (2016). Painting Emotions in Music: Conjoining medical and aesthetic knowledge in 18th century German music aesthetics [Blog]. Retrieved from https://emotionsblog.history.qmul.ac.uk/2016/07/painting-emotions-in-music-conjoining-medical-and-aesthetic-knowledge-in-18th-century-german-music-aesthetics/
Emotions – Universe of emotions. (2018). Retrieved from http://universeofemotions.store/the-project/emotions
Empathy. (2018). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy
Film Courage. (2016). 3 Screenwriting Tools That Help The Audience Empathize With Characters by Karl Iglesias [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/oFaaxc1f1-M
It’s Okay To Be Smart. (2013). Why Does Music Move Us? [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/nT3O93-nxDc
Palmer, S., & Schloss, K. (2015). Every song has a color – and an emotion – attached to it. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/every-song-has-a-color-and-an-emotion-attached-to-it-45537
PBS Idea Channel. (2013). Is Sad Music Actually Sad? | Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/bWWYE4eLEfk
Scifier939. (2014). Back to the Future — After Biff Wrecked the Family Car [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/W_QtFXDgjQQ
STEPHEN CLEARY – WHAT AN AUDIENCE FEELS – APOCALYPSE FILMS. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.apocalypsefilms.com/stephen-cleary/
The Ekmans’ Atlas of Emotion. (2018). Retrieved from http://atlasofemotions.org/#continents
TSQD01. (2018). The Temptations – Papa Was A Rolling Stone [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/pJV2pWFyfn4
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