The NECS 2025 Conference
Universidade Lusófona, 20-21 June, 2025
Discovering/Uncovering. Navigating the complexities of screen media
Uncovering the evidence. Neurofilmological approaches to the audiovisual and VR experience
Over the past twenty years, the relationship between cognitive sciences and film and media studies has evolved rapidly. This trend has been mainly driven by internal transformations in cognitive sciences, especially by the shift from classical or “cold” cognitivism (focused on knowledge processes) to “hot” cognitivism (open to emotional aspects), up to embodied neuro-cognitivism. The latter, in particular, emphasizes the epistemological role of neural mechanisms and explains how cognition emerges from the interaction between the brain, body, and environment. In the field of film and media studies, this perspective has given rise to a research approach that combines empirical evidence and theoretical considerations. Under the label of “Neurofilmology”, these studies suggest that the film viewers’ cognitive processes are deeply rooted in sensorimotor experiences, bodily and affective states, and environmental contexts. In this regard, an excellent test case is currently represented by the interactive experience enacted within the immersive environments of Virtual Reality.
The three panels included under the common title “Uncovering the evidence. Neurofilmological approaches to the audiovisual and VR experience” takes stock of some of key advancements in this research field and develop a dialogue between theoretical reflection and empirical analysis to contribute to a comprehensive theory of the viewer’s experience as an embodied activity. Panel 1, “Embodying the self”, explores the role of the body in the experiential processes determined by audiovisual and VR media. Panel 2, “Narrative emotions”, develops research on the aesthetic and emotional aspects of narrative audiovisual experience. Panel 3, “Rhythms of/in time”, focuses on the temporal and rhythmic dimensions of audiovisual and VR viewing and listening.
PANELS
1. Uncovering the evidence. Neurofilmological approaches to the audiovisual experience/1 – Embodying the self
Anja Boato, Body Rhythm and Storytelling. The Role of the User in Shaping the Narrative of an Immersive Experience
Samuele Sartori, Shaping the Self: Embodiment and Incorporation in Audiovisual Media
Calbi, Drone-Based Cinematography and Embodied Responses
Kolesnikov, The Good, the Bad and the Ambiguous: Musical Timbre and Social-Affective Evaluation of Faces in Film
2. Uncovering the evidence. Neurofilmological approaches to the audiovisual experience/2 – Narrative emotions
Enrico Carocci (Roma Tre University), Shaping Stories, 1: Color and the Viewer’s Orientation in Complex Cinema. A Qualitative Approach to Film Analysis
Clelia Calandra (Roma Tre University), Shaping Stories, 2: Color Grading and Narrative Coherence in Complex Cinema. A Quantitative Approach to Film Analysis
Federico Bionda (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Exploring Emotional Dynamics in Cinema: Integrating AI and Human Expertise for a Multimodal Emotion Recognition in Sophie’s Choice
Julian Hanich (University of Groeningen), Uncovering Free Beauty in Cinema
Chair: Adriano D’Aloia (University of Bergamo)
3. Uncovering the evidence. Neurofilmological approaches to the audiovisual experience/3 – Rhythms of/in time
Ruggero Eugeni, Shapes of movements, shapes of time. Rethinking rhythms in Film and media Theory from a neurofilmological perspective
Adriano D’Aloia, Virtual reality, enaction, and rhythm
Massimo Locatelli, Differences Between Visual and Auditory Rhythmic Stimuli in Film Viewin
Federica Cavaletti, Speeding up time passage in chemotherapy with VR: methods and insights from patient-centred participatory design