Data Collection

This data collection used quantitative measures to describe qualitative data through use of
a Likert scale. Subjects could rate their emotional engagement with the two films on a scale of 1
to 5, 1 being not engaged and 5 being very engaged. The method of this data collection was
experimental, seeking to understand if the presence of a protagonist in a movie affects the
audience’s emotional engagement. Whether or not the film had a protagonist was the
independent variable, the level to which the audience felt engaged with the movie was the
dependent variable. The control group was the film without a protagonist.
The two films could not have any explicit direction with one specific meaning, as the
experimental filmmakers in the literature review insist that the best experimental films are those
that simply present imagery to an audience and allow the audience to make their own
interpretations of the content. Though the films had an intended meaning, there was also some
abstract imagery inserted into the film for no describable reason to broaden the web of what the
film as a whole might mean.
The tool used for this data collection was a brief survey that was sent to subjects,
containing the two films with a Likert scale for each of them, as well as some extra questions
allowing the subjects to describe the emotions they felt during the film’s progression. This tool
was appropriate because it allowed the research to reach the target audience of experimental
films, the viewers. Subjects found out about the survey through a social media link and
attachment.
Some limitations of that data collection was that it can be very hard to judge and describe
human emotions as accurately as they feel. Additionally, some people claimed that they thought
one version of the movie was more engaging, but they still enjoyed the other movie better
overall. The research could have had more of a distinction between emotionally engaging and
emotionally enjoyable, as some responses treated the two separately.
 The thesis claimed that the film with a protagonist would be more emotionally engaging
to the audience than the one without a protagonist. This is supported by the data collection,
which shows Version A (the film with the protagonist) receiving much high scores indicating
stronger engagement, with an average score of 3.947, a median of 4 and a mode of 4. Version B
(the film without the protagonist) received lower scores, with an average of 3.105, a median of 3
and a mode of 2 and 3. A question asking the subject which film they preferred found that
63.2% preferred Version A, 26.3% preferred Version B, and 10.5% had no preference. This data
supports the thesis, providing evidence that audiences are more engaged in films with a
protagonist than those without.
 A final question provided a text box for subjects to describe the different emotions felt in
the movie and what they believed the film was about. Though not without some recurring
themes, the responses yielded a wide range of different interpretations, saying that the film was
about anxiety, stress, depression, or even the supernatural.

Data Collection Conclusions

These findings give evidence to support the thesis, which claimed that experimental films
with a protagonist to follow would be more emotionally engaging than experimental films
without a protagonist. With this in mind, experimental filmmakers can use the protagonist figure
to their advantage. There are endless possibilities in a genre so boundless. The filmmakers
could make the protagonist more sympathetic for the audience to connect to, or they can
manipulate the audience by having a unique protagonist that one may not normally relate to.
They could even go the opposite direction and, if they want the audience to feel disconnected
from the world of the movie, reduce the role of the main character in the film’s progression.
Of course, this research was not perfect and had its limitations. It can be hard for people
to describe their own emotions, so the Likert scale may not have been the best way to measure
something that can only be understood by feeling the emotion itself. Additionally, the subject
can only watch one film at a time, and it is possible for many subjects that the film they preferred
was only chosen because it was watched with fresh eyes. It is possible that this issue could be
resolved by having a larger sample participate in the research. The sample would be equally
divided, with each subject randomly assigned to just one film to watch. The results would then
be compared between two groups of people, instead of one group where a subject’s response was
compared to another one of his own responses.
This research contributes to the world of visual arts by emphasizing the influence a film
can have and how that influence can change if such a simple element as the presence of a
protagonist is altered. With a better understanding of what experimental films have to offer,
experimental filmmakers can expand their artistic palettes and express themselves in unique
ways never seen before.