Thinking Anthropologically about Media: Pace and Information Density

Johannes Merz

Have you ever felt bored when you watched an old movie? One reason for this might be that the movie simply had a slow pace. Sometimes it seems that the scenes of old movies are long and drawn out. Not much happens; there are few cuts. Newer movies are often faster paced and recent movies for younger people can sometimes feel breathtaking. A higher pace often comes with higher information density. Action follows action in quick succession and many words can be uttered in a short time.

Thinking anthropologically about the pace and information density of movies means to pay attention to what people are used to and what they expect. Not everybody copes equally well with current Hollywood conventions. Nollywood, the West African film industry centered on Nigeria, for example, has developed its own preference for pace and information density, which is often slower than Hollywood. One reason for this is that when people watch Nollywood films, they prefer to see where actors come from and where they go to, even if this means watching them walk along a path or out of frame. Fast cuts that raise a movie’s pace seem to be less appreciated. This means that people used to Nollywood movies often find it hard to follow fast-paced movies and to absorb lots of information in a short time.

Jesus films tend to have a relatively high information density, since they typically pack a whole gospel into one movie. I wouldn’t consider The Jesus Film (1979, John Heyman) particularly fast-paced, but when I showed it to people used to Nollywood conventions, many struggled. This was particularly a problem for people who didn’t know much about who Jesus was. I found that such people were not able to absorb the whole plot. Most of them liked the film, though, and they appreciated Jesus for what he did. A common comment I received was that Jesus was a good man and he did many things.

When we create or adapt media content for specific audiences, it’s good to have the question of pace and information density in mind. What do you think people would appreciate? Will they be able to watch a whole movie in one sitting, or is it better broken down into chunks? What prior knowledge should viewers have in order to benefit most from a specific movie? One way to get a feel about people’s preference for pace and information density is to watch some of their favorite movies and TV shows, preferably with them. You don’t want people to fall asleep while watching a movie; nor do you want them to be overwhelmed and miss what a movie is all about.

Image from pixabay.com, public domain.

Johannes Merz is a senior anthropology consultant with SIL Global and trainer for International Media Services. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology and lectures at Moorlands College in the U.K. He and his wife, Sharon, have been based in Benin, West Africa, since 2002. You can contact him at johannes_merz@sil.org.