What is the psychology behind movies?

It is man's curiOSity to know about themselves. People are more likely to watch very scary movies in times of war and natural disaster, and control seems to be a factor. We cannot control a war or natural disaster as individuals, but we can choose to watch something that scares us out of our mind or to turn it off or leave when it gets to be too much.

In making movies, movie makers use psychology to keep us captivated, strike up certain emotions in us, or put us into a trance. While subliminal frames can be inserted, they are more likely to persuade or hypnotize in other ways. A lot is just Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). That involves saying certain things and moving in certain ways to get agreement or cooperation in others.

Music is another thing that is used to set the emotional mood. Music can make you feel tense, uneasy, excited, etc. You can understand a lot of what is happening in a television show just be listening. For instance, on shows that involve forensic science, they usually use the same type of music each time the characters are busy in the lab. In older programs, it was a droning sound, but now they use a more up-tempo beat to try to help you stay interested. In the late 80's, they tried to use sex appeal as a distraction on medical shows since they assumed everyone would think the show was too "nerdy" without it. Now, they use music to captivate. Music also serves as cues as to what is about to happen. In a Horror movie, the music might be off-key or frantically repetitive right before the monster attacks.