By Fiona Macrae (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1251833/The-secret-films-success-mathematics-claim-scientists.html)
Ever left the cinema feeling the film you have just seen is more than a little formulaic? You could be right.
Research shows that many modern blockbusters follow a mathematical formula that ensures they grab our attention.
It seems that they key to their success is not a stunning lead actor or a tear-jerking strip, but ensuring that camera shots of a certain length regularly recur.
Formulaic: A scene from Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith, which fits the mathematical formula perfectly
Scientists from Cornell University in New York analysed 150 high-grossing Hollywood dramas, comedies and action films released between 1935 and 2005.
They found that many of the more recent movies had shots of a similar length that recurred in a regular pattern throughout the film.
This fits with experiment from the 1990s which found that cutting information up into this type of regular, repetitive pattern captures our attention.
In other words, it makes it more difficult for us to take our eyes away from the screen.
Researcher Professor James Cutting said: 'Film-makers have got better at constructing shots so that their lengths grab our attention.
'The rhythm of shot sequences in film is designed to drive the rhythm of attention and information uptake in the viewer.
'We suggest that over the next 50 years or so, and with action films likely leading the way, Hollywood film will evolve toward a shot structure that more generally matches the patterns.
The pattern is apparent, although less common, in some films from before the 1990s, meaning it is unlikely directors are deliberately exploiting the formula.
Rather, it appears they are simply copying the style of films that have already been shown to be successful.
Two Star Wars films follow the formula perfectly - 2005's Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and The Empire Strikes Back from 1980.
Other high-scorers include The Perfect Storm, Pretty Woman and Rebel Without a Cause.
Film noir, in contrast, rarely follows the formula, with little pattern in shot lengths, this week's New Scientist reports.
However, personal taste also plays a role.
Professor Cutting, for instance, loves film noir but describes Star Wars Episode III as 'just dreadful.'
The attention theory chimes with other recent work.
Dr Tim Smith of Edinburgh University has shown that the editing style of modern films results in more people being focused on the same areas of the screen at the same time.
He has interpreted this as a sign that audiences are more gripped by the film.
Discussing the application of science to the world of movies, New Scientist states: 'Given the gargantuan cost of blockbusters like Avatar, it wouldn't be surprising if Hollywood's next step is to use brain scanners to get inside the head of movie-goers.
'It is impossible to translate brain activity into "Oscar buzz" though, so the potential of "neurocinematics" (the brain science of film making) is unproven.
'But with so many humdrum films being made, we welcome any technology that will boost the audience engagement factor.'
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