CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

Films are rich mediums of communication produced for both cultural and entertaining

objectives. To convey an emotional experience to the audience, audio, text, and images are used

in concert to tell a story. Although decisions made during film production impact the emotional

aspect of the picture, acting is the primary means of conveying emotions to the audience.

Through the performers' facial expressions of the characters, the audience can feel what the

characters are feeling. The film is a potent storytelling medium with the unique capacity to

communicate a wide range of emotions, cutting over cultural divides and uniting viewers on a

global scale. A film's emotional impact is frequently ascribed to components, including

performance, music, dialogue, and cinematography. The vibrant palette of a movie is also

significantly shaped by cultural influences, which represent the distinct viewpoints and social

mores of the locale in which it is set.

This study aims to investigate the cultural subtleties that contribute to the emotional resonance of

each cinematic narrative utilizing American and African films as a case study. In the framework

of African and American cinema, the two selected films act as case studies to highlight the

variety in emotional communication. Through thoroughly analyzing these films, we hope to learn

more about how filmmakers use cultural specificity to elicit strong feelings from viewers and

provide an immersive experience by investigating the common and unique emotional languages

used by filmmakers from many countries. This study aims to add to the growing body of

knowledge regarding how movies shape and reflect cultural and emotional experiences. A cross-

cultural perspective is added by contrasting African and American films, which enables a more
in-depth examination of how emotions in cinematic storytelling are universal and culturally

specific

1.1 Background of Study

These days, many individuals love watching films, which has become a daily activity for many.

Some people may watch movies for various reasons, such as to learn something new, receive a

message or lesson, satisfy a hobby, or be re-energized by seeing films in other languages and

cultures. Many people find that viewing a movie makes them laugh, but others find it makes

them sad, happy, or afraid. Many factors draw people's attention to the issues in the films,

encouraging them to watch them with great enjoyment and critical thought.

Film is one of the most vital forms of communication when discussing a reality that exists in

daily life. The reality of society is one of the movie's major points of realism. A movie is a way

for people to express themselves symbolically. Character is one aspect of the film that might aid

in bolstering the narrative. The objective of the tale and the reason why the audience cares about

the events in the movie are provided by the characters. In particular, the characters play a

significant part in the film. They significantly impact how an audience interprets the critical

message a film wishes to impart. A character is a person (or entity given the traits of a person)

who emerges, acts, and/or speaks in a narrative or is mentioned in a literary work, according to

Shaffer (in Rachman and Safrudi, 2014: 30).

Films frequently act as a mirror, reflecting a culture's identity. This research will investigate how

emotions are portrayed in African and American films to convey cultural identity. It seeks to

determine whether distinctive emotional motifs or manifestations with cultural roots exist.
1.4 Aim and Objectives

This study aims to investigate and evaluate how emotions are communicated in films,

particularly emphasizing two American and African films. Other objectives will be considered in

this study. which are;

1. Analyze the techniques used in the selected movies to communicate emotions.

2. Evaluate the effectiveness of emotional communication in terms of audience engagement

and emotional connection in the selected movies.

3. Identify and analyze specific cinematic techniques employed in the selected movies to

communicate emotions effectively.

1.6 Limitations of the Study

Africa and America are two massive, multiethnic, multilingual continents with many cultural

traditions. It is possible that the two films chosen need to adequately convey the range of cultural

differences seen in these areas. The results cannot be as broadly applicable if the selected films

only reflect a portion of the cultural diversity. Emotions are communicated differently in

different film genres. A study that looks at one genre in each culture could not accurately

represent the whole film industry. In a drama movie, for example, emotional communication

could be very different from an action or comedy film.

Choosing just two films from each region might not provide viewers a thorough grasp of the

larger cinematic canon. Selection bias may also be introduced since the selected films might not

accurately reflect the film's general calibre and aesthetic in separate areas. Since emotions are

subjective experiences, different people may perceive them in different ways. Depending on their

individual experiences, cultural upbringing, and level of emotional sensitivity, different viewers

may view and interpret emotional cues in movies differently. Drawing findings that apply to

everyone can be difficult due to this subjectivity.

Emotions are communicated mainly through language, and the subtleties of the original

discourse may only sometimes be captured in subtitles. The accuracy of the emotional analysis

may be impacted if the study uses subtitles for translation since some cultural context and

subtleties may be missed. Emotional content in Films is challenging to evaluate and quantify.

Different approaches (such as surveys, content analysis, and physiological measurements) may

produce different results, and the methodology selected may affect the study's validity

1.7 Operational Definitions of Terms

1. Communication of Emotions in Film: the portrayal and expression of human emotions

in the framework of a film using audiovisual components such as acting, sound design,

cinematography, and storytelling methods.

2. African Film Industry: The African film industry with its many cultural and linguistic

traditions, is a continent-wide phenomenon. African films frequently capture regional

narratives, social themes, and distinctive viewpoints.

3. American Film Industry: The American film industry is renowned for its wide range of

genres and worldwide impact. Cinematic storytelling approaches have been greatly

influenced by American films.

4. Acting: Acting is how actors in a movie represent characters. In order to emotionally

connect with the audience, effective acting combines body language, genuine emotional

expression, and verbal delivery.