RESEARCH

The cinema traditionally cuts the eye movements of performers that are about thinking. It is thought by the industry that they distract from the story the director is aiming to project. But if harnessed properly there are new models of eye movement that can inform and enhance the narrative - adding psychological authenticity and everyday truth to a dramatic scene. How can we do this? And when we do, what impact might these techniques have on the art of cinema?

Skinning animals for their hides results in several small holes. If used to make frame-covered tents then the earliest human hunter-gatherers would experience moving photo-realistic imagery in their darkened homes.

This is probably the first human encounter with symbolism. This cognitive development may have helped in language development, and is likely to have led to more art. Imagery could be traced and copied, projected shows and presentations would be enjoyed. Cinema is indeed the first art.

Changework Therapy is a term for effective therapeutic interventions that can transform perceptions and responses to situations - often by using the brain's sensory perceptions, metaphor, embodied behaviours and language structure. Changing the How, rather than inventing the Why.

Not always presented with appropriate academic rigour, the likes of Neuro-Linguistic Programming have not found favour in psychology departments, but now Eye Movement Therapies and Provocative Therapy are used around the world. Can these effective models of subjectivity be used in cinema?

The Male Gaze emerged from studies in psychoanalysis but despite this unruly beginning the patriarchal nature of le camera-stylo continues to resonate. The camera tends to objectify bodies - especially women's in the ideological systems of mainstream narrative cinema.

The Female Gaze is more about being there, patient and listening than the controlling power of the point & shoot, run n gun tradition of the movies. Can the film set become a person-centred space?

While delivering Creator College it became clear there was a gap for information and discussion about applying new neurological discoveries to the arts.

This led to an international journal which ran for a few editions until the money ran out!

However, we hope to bring this back soon with a community app where we can share the latest info, deep dive the old ideas and as often as possible deliver practical tools and opportunities.

Mal is consistently working on bringing therapeutic techniques into film production - but this is a two-way street.

There are many applications and techniques from film-making that work well with clients. All under the banner of Film/Video Therapy and Mal has contributed to these in new Routledge publications, who are very supportive of this field.

His second chapter is on the way, edited by Dr. Joshua L. Cohen, mapping out his new approach of Sitcom Therapy. It's fun and it works!