HAL 9000’s (Gary Lockwood) corporeal form. 2001: A Space Odyssey (MGM, 1968)
Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
Kyle Stanley: The article is titled “What Makes HAL 9000 a Character in 2001: A Space Odyssey” and was written for Dr. Todd Berliner’s Aesthetic Pleasure in Hollywood Cinema class. The paper explores how audiences recognize characters in movies. The paper uses an “artificially intelligent” character to analyze how audiences can emotionally engage with characters that are not depicted as human.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
KS: The paper begins with the work of psychologists Fritz Heider and Marianne Simmel. They performed an “experimental study of apparent behavior” that helps shed light on how audiences ascribe agency to characters in movies. The paper also incorporates the work of film scholar Murray Smith, particularly his writings on character engagement and the “structure of sympathy.”
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
KS: As part of Dr. Berliner’s Aesthetic Pleasure in Hollywood Cinema class, we were required to write an aesthetic analysis of a film. In the class, Dr. Berliner incorporated academia from outside film studies, and we often read essays from psychology and philosophy. The essays written by psychologists made the biggest impression on me. We were literally studying how people process and react psychologically to aesthetics. These readings served as a starting point for writing about characters and how audiences react to them. It felt like we were taking a more “scientific” approach to film study.
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
KS: The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) has supported my work in film by offering opportunities related to the industry. If I never attended UNCW, I would never have had access to internships or Film Matters. The UNCW Film Studies Department has also put me in contact with like-minded individuals with a passion for film.
FM: How has your faculty mentor fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
KS: Dr. Berliner’s approach to film studies made me realize that you can bring cognitive psychology into the study of film. Although his approach may be considered “radical” by some, his methodology is very interesting and makes a lot of sense to me.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
KS: Before Film Matters, my essay lacked images from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was fun to return to my article and find stills from the film that could help readers better understand my points.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
KS: I hope film students read this essay and realize that you can apply academic thinking outside film to your studies. I think film studies can only benefit by incorporating the work done in psychology and similar sciences.
FM: What are your future plans?
KS: After graduation, I hope to narrow my interests and pursue a graduate degree in English literature, film studies, or information science.
Author Biography
Kyle Stanley is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Film Studies and English Literature. He hopes to continue his studies at graduate school.
