What is it about?
Reaction shots show the face of an unspeaking character as they react to what an unseen character is saying. Hitchcock found this more economical that theater (hearing what is said and its consequences). Reaction shots typically show muted expressions which must be "read" by the viewers, so they can guess what the seen character is thinking. Viewing these shots is a form of "mind-reading" exercise.
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Why is it important?
The long-term increase in reaction shots, particularly at the ends of conversations, is an example of how movie form as evolved over time.
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This page is a summary of: Cryptic Emotions and the Emergence of a Metatheory of Mind in Popular Filmmaking, Cognitive Science, January 2018, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12586.
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