Project description

Producers of audiovisual media use cinematic techniques (e.g., music, camera perspective, and camera distance) to influence the recipients' interpretation of the contents. Therefore, competent use of audiovisual media in school and leisure time should be characterized by an awareness of the potential effects of such techniques. The project 'Critical analysis of audiovisual media' intends to support this awareness.

In particular, the project was concerned with enabling the audience to identify filmic devices that are used in videos; hence, increasing the critical analysis of the videos' contents. First results supported our hypothesis that specific cognitive cues highlighting the use of cinematic techniques in training clips support learners' analyses of test clips with regard to the identification and interpretation of cinematic techniques. Following studies addressed preconditions for the efficient use of cognitive cues – with the aim of further optimizing the cueing intervention.

Moreover, in cooperation with the department of history didactics at the KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, it was investigated in how far cognitive cues in combination with a multimedia-based training about cinematic techniques benefit students' identification and interpretation of such techniques. Training improved students' performance independent of the cognitive cues. The results of this project may be used to foster students' skills to detect and handle suggestive messages in audiovisual media.

Cooperations

Dr. Florian Sochatzy, KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt

Publications

Merkt, M., & Sochatzy, F. (2015). Becoming aware of cinematic techniques in propaganda: Instructional support by cueing and training. Learning & Instruction, 39, 55-71. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2015.05.006
 Sochatzy, F., & Merkt, M. (2015). Kompetenzförderung durch ein multimediales Filmmethodentraining. In M. Waldis & B. Ziegler (Eds.), Forschungswerkstatt Geschichtsdidaktik 13: Beiträge zur Tagung "geschichtsdidaktik empirisch 13" (pp. 193-204). Bern: hep-Verlag.