Psychology In Film is a website which highlights both explicit and implicit connections between the human mind, behavior, and cinema. It combines elements of literary, psychological, and historical analysis to give viewers of diverse experience—from film experts to psychology majors to regular Internet readers—an engaging and informed overview of this relationship. The site is broken up into three main segments—History of Psychology in Film (identifies trends in the representation of mental institutions and particular disorders in the history of film), Psychology of the Audience (discusses how filmmakers factor the psychology of the audience into choices of characters and plots), and Character Case Studies (analyzes the minds of famous characters that displayed mental illness or idiosyncratic behavior).
This site aims to solve two essential problems, but to present these solutions in an entertaining way. The central problem is that films often misrepresent mental illness and mental institutions. Many commonly held beliefs about institutions and particular forms of treatment are outdated or incorrect, but are perpetuated by films nevertheless. Even more troubling is the way abnormal psychology is presented in film. ***SPOILER WARNING for those who HAVE NOT SEEN FIGHT CLUB*** Films like Fight Club blur the lines between Dissociative Identity Disorder (better known as Multiple Personality Disorder) and Schizophrenia. ***END OF SPOILER*** The fact that this film is well done and thoroughly entertaining provides further credibility to its inaccurate portrayal of mental illness. Psychology In Film tackles this problem by drawing explicit connections between the history of film and the history of psychology over the past century. Along the way, the site provides commentary on the accuracy of these portrayals and an analysis of whether the film industry has kept up with developments in the field.
The second problem the site aims to tackle is the general ignorance among filmgoers about what they are being sold, and how it is being sold to them. Even for people who have taken social psychology, it is difficult to draw connections between patterns in the human mind and behavior and the types of films that are released. Films within each genre are similar to each other and follow certain patterns because this is what appeals to the psyche of the audience members that the filmmaker is trying to capture. Our site provides some basics about what psychology says we like and ties this to elements of film that continually come up in each genre.
Psychology In Film falls into multiple markets, and ultimately appeals to a wide range of people. On the Internet, there is a huge market for people looking to kill some time. This is often accomplished by looking through an array of entertainment news or watching movies. There are countless entertainment and film sites on the web—Internet Movie Database, Yahoo Movies, Rotten Tomatoes, Movie Web, and Box Office Mojo, to name a few—but there are few popular sites that offer an analytical examination of films, beyond reviewing the quality of movies. The market for psychology websites is smaller, but as far as academic disciplines go, it is one of the most popular. There are a few very informative sites that, like my website, draw an explicit connection between psychology and film. A great example of this is psychmovies.com.
What sets apart Psychology In Film is the way it combines elements of both of these types of websites. Some entertainment sites are databases, which offer such a limitless amount of information that there is no way to convey an informed and cohesive message. Other entertainment sites focus on the “buzz” surrounding upcoming releases and contain reviews of released films. Most of the psychology and film websites I encountered have a very pedagogical tilt, and are designed to be a foundation for professors to create courses about psychology in film. Psychology In Film offers up an experience for everyone. There are less detailed pages for the lay audience and more in depth analyses for those interested in psychology. Graphics and multimedia are heavily integrated into the site, as well. Furthermore, the site does not only focus on abnormal psychology. It also demonstrates how basic elements of natural psychological functioning are used in movie development. The site seeks not only to provide psych majors with a better understanding of how psychology is represented in film, but also seeks to get people who have never even thought about psychology to see what an fascinating and relevant field it is.
As of now, the site has no revenue model. Its value lies in its power to both educate and entertain. For this reason, we will rely on grants and donations, at least for the time being. When the site has grown in popularity and has sufficient traffic, I plan to take two steps in monetizing the site. First, I will host advertisements on the site itself and on YouTube videos posted by the site. If this generates enough revenue, I will be able to take the second step in making the site profitable. I would hire additional staff—experts in psychology, film, and marketing—to provide more in depth analysis of tactics that can be used by movie producers and distributors to develop films that will appeal to a niche audience and marketing techniques that will bring the audience to theaters. This will serve as a “Pro” version of our website, intended for people in the film industry (like IMDb Pro or BoxOfficeMojo Pro). Members of the Psychology In Film Pro (PiFPro) site would pay a regular fee for this service and could ask for more personalized advice. This would provide a cheap alternative to hiring consulting firms and marketing teams.
At the moment, the team consists of me, Michelle Okereke. I am a student at Stanford University and prospective psychology major. I am passionate about psychology and film and determined to bring to light the unique connections between the two arenas. As the site grows, leading experts in these fields will be brought on to the project. Start up costs for this site are low, but as the site grows, more money will be needed to have staff maintain the site. Moreover, when we make the shift from a not for profit model to a revenue seeking model, we will need funds to obtain the proper permissions for copyrighted material. With your grant of a few thousand dollars, I could devote all of my time to the site for a few months or find someone to join my team. With this money, and smart promotions strategy, this site promises to make a significant dent in the market for entertainment and psychology websites.