Neurocinematics: First Neuroscientific Evidence of Differential Effects of Multiple Trailers of the Same Film

Neurocinematics is a new field of study aimed at analysing psychological reactions to films using neuroscientific methods. Three trailers (teaser, theatrical trailer 1 and theatrical trailer 2) of the same film were analysed to estimate their differential effects on neurophysiological and psychological levels. 120 subjects, divided into three groups of 40, watched one of the three trailers for the first time. During the viewing, a synchronised recording of electroencephalographic and skin conductance activity was made, followed by a questionnaire. Neurophysiological metrics confirmed the ability of the three trailers to elicit distinct re¬actions in terms of degree of attention, emotion and narrative comprehension, indicative of different com¬municative intentions. The pioneering nature of the study suggests that its results should be corroborated and extended. For the first time in science, the existence of a differential effect induced by different trailers of the same film is demonstrated. This opens up the possibility of a new line of research investigating the effectiveness of film strategies in relation to the consumer’s viewing experience from the point of view of optimising both the scenes of the individual trailers considered separately and how the trailers are combined.