BEYOND WILLING SUSPENSION

A Thesis

Presented to

The Faculty of the Department

of Television, Radio, Film, and Theatre

San Jose State University

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Master of Arts

by

Curtis G. Greenwood

December 2004

© 2004

Curtis G. Greenwood

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

ABSTRACT

BEYOND WILLING SUSPENTION

by Curtis G. Greenwood

            The English scholar, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, gained the majority of his notoriety for his concept of the “willing suspension of disbelief.”  Surpassing the possible effects of his theory, several current media scholars note that editing speed is used by television producers create manipulative psycho- and physiological reactions in their viewers.  

            This thesis records and examines the editing speed of six popular Situation Comedies broadcast between the years of 1952-53 to 2002-03.  Concluding that over the fifty-year period an average of 1.41 edits per minute were lost every ten years, possible reasons for this phenomenon, as well as a forecast depicting future programming, are offered.

ACKNOWLEDEGMENTS

 

To my Jenni whose smile has taken me to places I had never envisioned.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I:  Introduction                                                                            1

CHAPTER II:  Scientific and Historical Evidence                                         8

CHAPTER III:  Methodology                                                                       36

CHAPTER IV:  Individual Numeric Findings                                                41

CHAPTER V: Collective Numeric Findings                                                  49

CONCLUSIONS:  Other Areas of Possible Study                                        58

APPENDIX:  Coder’s Numeric Findings on Individual Programs               64

APPENDIX B:  Possible Fifty-Year Forecast                                               65

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS CITED                                                       66

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Works Reviewed and Considered                                   71

 

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