Creating and Maintaining Identification with Characters in Narrative Films: The Impact of Protagonist Motivations and Key Story Moments on Real-Time Audience Identification and Liking
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Audience identification with a protagonist is perhaps the single most important determinant of audience engagement with a narrative.However, much is unknown about how or why some narratives are more effective than others at creating identification.The aim of the present research is to incorporate applied knowledge from the professional field of screenwriting and knowledge from research and theory in psychology and communication into an overarching framework for understanding audience identification.Particular emphasis is placed upon psychological theories of motivation, character liking, and screenwriting guidelines regarding character motivation and story structure, as predictors of dynamic fluctuations in audience identification.Three films were randomly selected from a list of U.S. releases in recent years.Three professional screenwriters coded the films and identified key moments in the first 40 minutes of each film that were of particular importance in screenplay structure and for establishing character motivation and liking.N = 308 participants were randomly assigned to view the first 40 minutes of a film and provide real-time ratings of feelings of either liking or identification.Results indicated that certain key moments do indeed have a major impact on shaping identification and liking in real time.iii Dedication To Sarah, for your unwavering support, humor, and love Slater, Zheng Wang, Emily Moyer-Gusé, and Lance Holbert.I have learned an immeasurable amount from working with each of you over the past six years, and I have been fortunate enough to benefit from your wisdom, your encouragement, and your generosity.On a personal note, you helped me through a truly preposterous series of difficult life events, and I am certain that it would have been impossible for me to complete my graduate work if it weren't for your unwavering support, kindness, and understanding.Your unrelenting excellence in every facet of your career has been and will continue to be a source of inspiration for me.
Author: John M. Tchernev
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Topic: Media Influence and Health
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2682146998