Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The cinematic communication process starts with the creative enunciation by the filmmaker and ends with the viewer's subjective perception of the film. This thesis represents a theoretical and experiential investigation of this process and entails critical and self-reflexive discussions of stylistic approaches to filmic representation. The focus of this representation falls on on-screen violence. This study is a practice-led process, and therefore the fields of research are applied to my own work, namely the filmmaking process of a feature film entitled Preek. The research was prompted by my need to take an academic stance on the filmmaking process, instead of a mere practical one, and to form an intellectual awareness of the filmmaker and viewer dynamic. As a practicing filmmaker interested in the mimetic quality of film representations, it was necessary for me to form a conscious apprehension of how a film may be understood as a reflection on reality on the one hand, and an expression formulated through the filmmakers creative decisions on the other. The representation of violence in film was investigated by the way of critical readings of selected films, framed by both contemporary and classical film theory. Through contemporary film theory, I investigated the viewer's perception and identification with the film's diegesis, and particularly with its characters. The „classic‟ film theories of the realists and formalists allowed me to discern two stylistic approaches to the representation of violence in film, and to explore the emotional affect and cathartic release these approaches may elicit from viewers. These discussions were then applied to my own film Preek, in order to critically understand the relationship between filmmaker and viewer. The research and the application thereof, indicated that the stylistic approach to the representation of violence and its intensity in a film, unveils the filmmaker's motivation for communicating through the film medium. The arguments showed that I represented the violence in Preek in such a way that it may result in a traumatic affect on the viewer rather than an appreciation of its aesthetic value, and that this affect is the result of an engagement with the film's diegesis, due to the viewer's own identificatory participation. The research concluded that the viewer's subjective identification with the film forms a triangular relationship and communication between filmmaker, film and viewer. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kinematiese kommunikasieproses begin met die kreatiewe uitdrukking van die filmmaker, en eindig met die kyker se subjektiewe waarneming van die film. Hierdie tesis verteenwoordig 'n teoretiese en ervaringsgerigte ondersoek van die kinematiese kommunikasieproses, en behels kritiese en self-reflektiewe argumente van stilistiese benaderings tot filmiese uitbeelding. Die fokus van hierdie uitbeelding is op geweld gerig. Die navorsing is 'n prakties-georiënteerde studie en daarom word die navorsing op my eie werk toegepas, naamlik die filmmaak-proses van die vollengte film, Preek. Die navorsing was aangespoor deur my behoefte daaraan om die filmmaak-proses vanuit 'n akademiese oogpunt te benader, in pleks daarvan om 'n suiwer praktiese posisie teenoor die filmmaak-proses in te neem. Vervolgens is die navorsing aangespoor deur my behoefte daaraan om intellektuele bewustheid oor die dinamika tussen die filmmaker en kyker te skep. As 'n praktiserende filmmaker wat geïnteresseerd is in die mimetiese eienskap van film-uitbeeldings, was dit vir my belangrik om 'n duidelike begrip te ontwikkel van die manier waarop film verstaan kan word, eertstens as 'n weerspieëling van realiteit, en tweedens as ‟n uitdrukking wat deur die kreatiewe besluite van die filmmaker gevorm is. Die verteenwoordiging van geweld in films is ondersoek deur middel van die kritiese beskouing van uitgesoekte films wat deur beide kontemporêre en klassieke film-teorie gevorm is. Ek het deur kontemporêre film teorie die kyker se waarneming en vereenselwiging met die film se diegesis en veral die film se karakters, ondersoek. Die klasieke film teorieë van die realiste en formaliste het my in staat gestel om tussen twee stilistiese benaderings tot die uitbeelding van geweld in film te onderskei, en om die emosionele effek en katartiese vrystelling wat hierdie benaderings by die kyker kan ontlok, te verken. Hierdie besprekings is gevolglik toegepas op my film, Preek, ten einde 'n kritiese begrip van die verhouding tussen filmmaker en kyker te vorm. Die navorsing en die toepassing daarvan het getoon dat die stilistiese benadering tot die uitbeelding van geweld, asook die intensiteit daarvan in film, die filmmaker se motivering tot kommunikasie deur die film-medium ontbloot. Die argumente het getoon dat ek die geweld in Preek op so 'n manier uitgebeeld het dat dit 'n traumatise affect op die kyker kan hê, in pleks van 'n waardering vir estetiese. Die argumente het verder aangedui dat hierdie effek die resultaat is van ‟n betrokkenheid by die film se diegesis, en dat dit te danke is aan die kyker se deelname aan vereenselwiging. Die navorsing het die slotsom gekom dat die kyker se subjektiewe identifikasie met die film 'n drieledige verhouding tussen filmmaker, film en die kyker vorm.

Social process theories are a class of theories which putatively explain crime. These theories have been criticized, however, on two grounds. The first is that these theories do not take the gender differences in criminal activity into account. The second critique is that these theories tend to discount the importance of the media in the learning process. This paper attempts to expand social process theories in two ways: first, to use various facets of feminist theory to take these gender differences into account and second, to build on a large body of literature which snows the effects of media violence on viewers’ attitudes and behaviors to account for the role of mainstream films in the learning process. A content analysis on the top 30 films of 1993 was performed to ascertain how much violence existed in these films, what types of violence was portrayed, and what motivations and rewards were associated with the violence. These factors were examined by the gender of the perpetrator and the victim in an effort to ascertain if similar gender differences were portrayed in mainstream film as are seen in reality. The most notable findings were that men were more likely to be portrayed as both perpetrators and as victims in the sample set of films, a relationship that closely mirrors criminal activity in reality. It is argued that future research should focus on testing the relationship between social process theories and violence in mainstream films. / Master of Science

Denna uppsatsen undersöker varför våld i film är så utbrett och populärt. Jag använder mig av ett evolutionärbiologiskt perspektiv, som tidigare inte använts vid filmforskning i så stor utsträckning. Istället har filmforskning och andra studier på människans beteende oftast utgått ifrån ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv. Uppsatsen är av typen ”forskningsöversikt” vilket innebär att jag inte har gjort någon klassisk analys på ett filmiskt verk eller empiriskt material, utan har sammanställt en stor mängd forskning från andra forskare. För att kunna svara på min frågeställning har jag behövt forska inom mänsklig evolution, audiovisuell perception samt våld i film. Den viktigaste bokenför uppsatsen kom att bli Torben Grodals Embodied Visions. Huvudfrågan i min frågeställning löd: Vilka faktorer ligger enligt tidigare forskning bakom populariteten av våldsskildringar?Svar: 1. Film är utformad för att påverka oss, aktivera känslor. 2. Det som påverkar ossallra mest är de bilder som påminner om de djupast rotade mekanismerna inuti oss. 3. Av evolutionära skäl ingår våld och aggressivitet bland dessa djupt rotade mekanismer. / This paper examines why violence in films is so widespread and popular. I use an evolutionary biological perspective, that has not previously been used in film research as much. Instead, the film research and other studies on human behavior usually originate from a social constructionist perspective. The essay is a "research review", which means that I have not made a classic analysis of a cinematic work or empirical data, but have collected a large amount of research from other scientists. To be able to answer my question, I had to do research in human evolution, audio visual perception and violence in film. The most important book for the essay came to be Torben Grodals Embodied Visions. The main question in my research question was: What factors are in accordance with previous research behind the popularity of graphic violence? Answer: 1. Film is designed to affect us, activating emotions. 2. what affects us the most is images that reminds us of deeply rooted mechanisms inside us. 3. of evolutionary reasons, violence and aggression are among these deep-rooted mechanisms.