I started by having lots of conversations where I thought about and came up with ideas for the main topics and areas I wanted to look into. I primarily studied film spectatorship, anhedonia, immersive experiences, and the psychological effects of darker themes in media. I organised my dissertation into distinct sections to make it easier to follow.
The purpose of the introduction was to provide context and outline the research objectives for the rest of the report.I gave a summary of the research topic, talked about why the study is important, and briefly mentioned the autoethnographic approach I'll be using.
I thoroughly examined various literature on film spectatorship, the psychological and cognitive impacts of anhedonia, immersive experiences in media, and the emotional significance of darker themes in films. In this section, I gathered information from different academic sources to give a thorough background for my study.
To clarify the research methods and provide reasoning for the selected approach.I provided an explanation of my autoethnographic approach, highlighting its suitability for this study, that said I don't think I was able to elaborate on the autoethnographic approach as I wasn't able to find the space to include it.. I explained my process of collecting and analysing data by using journaling and reflective practice. I highlighted the significance of personal experiences in gaining insights into film spectatorship and emotional engagement.
I discussed some thoughts and observations I've had while watching different films and series. I talked about how various films shaped my understanding and creative approach.I combined my findings with the existing literature, emphasising how my research can impact film spectatorship and the treatment of anhedonia. I also thought about the constraints of my study and proposed potential directions for future research.
I summarised the key findings of my research, emphasised the importance of immersive experiences, and provided final thoughts on how film and media can help combat emotional numbness.I chose to adopt an autoethnographic approach because I wanted to blend my personal experiences with academic research. Autoethnography enabled me to utilise my personal reflections and emotional reactions as valuable information, offering a nuanced viewpoint that conventional research methods might not consider. I kept a thorough journal throughout my research, documenting my changing thoughts and emotions.
Reviewing the Literature
The purpose of the introduction was to provide context and outline the research objectives for the rest of the report.I gave a summary of the research topic, talked about why the study is important, and briefly mentioned the autoethnographic approach I'll be using.
I thoroughly examined various literature on film spectatorship, the psychological and cognitive impacts of anhedonia, immersive experiences in media, and the emotional significance of darker themes in films. In this section, I gathered information from different academic sources to give a thorough background for my study.
To clarify the research methods and provide reasoning for the selected approach.I provided an explanation of my autoethnographic approach, highlighting its suitability for this study, that said I don't think I was able to elaborate on the autoethnographic approach as I wasn't able to find the space to include it.. I explained my process of collecting and analysing data by using journaling and reflective practice. I highlighted the significance of personal experiences in gaining insights into film spectatorship and emotional engagement.
I discussed some thoughts and observations I've had while watching different films and series. I talked about how various films shaped my understanding and creative approach.I combined my findings with the existing literature, emphasising how my research can impact film spectatorship and the treatment of anhedonia. I also thought about the constraints of my study and proposed potential directions for future research.
I summarised the key findings of my research, emphasised the importance of immersive experiences, and provided final thoughts on how film and media can help combat emotional numbness.I chose to adopt an autoethnographic approach because I wanted to blend my personal experiences with academic research. Autoethnography enabled me to utilise my personal reflections and emotional reactions as valuable information, offering a nuanced viewpoint that conventional research methods might not consider. I kept a thorough journal throughout my research, documenting my changing thoughts and emotions.
Reviewing the Literature
The literature review was a challenging aspect of the dissertation. I delved into various academic sources, examining studies on film spectatorship, anhedonia, and immersive experiences. After analysing this information, I was able to build a solid theoretical foundation for my study. Some interesting points were made about the significance of emotional connection when watching films, the potential healing effects of immersive experiences, and how darker themes can affect viewers.
I felt that I had a wealth of information on film spectatorship, but I suppose in the end a lot of it wasn't all that relevant. I found it particularly difficult to condense so much research into such a small amount of information. I found this painful because a lot of the research I had to omit and I wasn't sure which parts were needed and what I should include.
Collecting and Examining Data
Collecting and Examining Data
By examining my journal entries, I explored the impact of various films and series on my emotional connection. I focused on aspects such as colour grading, storyline, music, and camera angles. For instance, I observed how the way romantic dramas are filmed can make you feel like you're in a dream, or how quick cuts and montages in specific scenes can make you feel more emotional. It became clear from receiving comments on my work that I had attempted to integrate too much information from a wide variety of films that I had examined, making it difficult to read. I was urged to narrow down my results into more focused conclusions to make it easier to understand.
Dealing with difficulties and making information more concise
A major challenge I encountered was summarising a large amount of research into a clear and brief dissertation. I had a lot of notes and ideas, but it was overwhelming to try and organise everything into a structured format. In order to handle this, I focused on the most important and influential discoveries, making sure that each section followed a logical sequence and provided evidence for my main argument.
Even though I tried my best, I felt like I didn't include all the interesting details and research nuances. Due to limitations in time and space, I had to be selective and sometimes had to exclude interesting tangents and less critical insights. But I made sure to present the heart of my research, thoroughly exploring the topics I chose.
Dan provided me with feedback, saying that I had overly artistically rendered the report and that it needed to be simplified and made to appear more professional. This is not my typical style, as I usually strive to make everything look beautiful. I found the simplification process difficult, and in the end, the report still resembled a magazine article rather than a professional report, but I felt that by simplifying it too much, I was losing a lot of its original character and personality.
Writing this report was a real challenge for me. I had so much information I wanted to include but so little space to cover all the topics. Despite this, I think I managed to convey my main message: horror films and experiences can help relieve the apathy associated with anhedonia. I detailed the impact of immersive experiences on the condition which i felt was really relevant to my topic.
Initially, my draft covered a broad range of topics and films. However, I was advised to focus on just one in depth. I chose "Baby Reindeer" because it was the most riveting show I’d watched in a while. Plus, it’s fairly new and hasn’t been debated much, which I thought could be useful to explore.
While narrowing my focus to "Baby Reindeer," I had to omit many other films and research. This meant I couldn’t cover a broad range of genres and emphasize why horror was the best topic. Despite my research showing that horror could help alleviate apathy in anhedonia, I didn’t feel fully engaged with every horror film I watched. This might be due to my medication, which often leaves me feeling numb—something that’s troubling.
I was embarrassed that after spending so much time discussing horror as a good way to alleviate symptoms of anhedonia, my personal research didn’t entirely support this. However, I decided to stick with horror because it makes sense. The genre's acoustic startle responses and fight-or-flight reactions evoke strong emotions in people.
My work might seem a bit disjointed, but I feel I had interesting subjects to discuss. Writing this report made me realize how hard it is to condense information and focus on a single topic. Nonetheless, it was a learning experience, and I hope my insights into the potential of horror to combat anhedonia came through clearly.