Content Analysis: Human Coding/The Coding Scheme Kimberly A. Neuendorf, Ph.D. Cleveland State University Fall 2011

Human-coded Content Analysis Measures: Not So Different from other Quantitative Studies  Like survey or experimental measures... Exhaustive, mutually exclusive categories High level of measurement Good distributions/transform if necessary May combine into scales

 AGE: Code the apparent age of the character: 1 = = = = = = 50+

The Coding Scheme  Codebook + Coding Form = Coding Scheme  See The Content Analysis Guidebook Online for some examplesThe Content Analysis Guidebook Online  Janstova Thesis example (27-page codebook)

Patrika Janstova Thesis: Empirical Testing of Auteur Theory via Content Analysis: A Study of Jane Campion Films  Sources of theory and variables: Auteur theory (Bazin, Truffaut, Sarris, Wollen & structuralism) Campion films and scholarly literature Other auteurs—50 Contemporary Filmmakers (Y. Tasker, 2002)... Every third filmmaker listed

Janstova Thesis: Themes & Motifs for Non-Campion Directors  Gregg Araki 1 Intensifies lighting and color of the city (LA) 2 Love, sex and lust 3 Queer characters 4 Tries to show being gay doesn’t make a difference among people 5 Characters are obsessed with video cameras 6 Adolescents and homosexuality  Luc Besson 1 Lack of dialog – comic strip influences? 2 Stories of young people who have difficulties adapting to a society 3 Society lets the family down - the young people become emotionally deprived 4 Youth in crisis 5 Dysfunctional families 6 Parents are absent 7 If mother figure appears – as evil force 8 Protagonists are lonely and suffering 9 Self-erasure of the protagonists 10 Literal portrayals of underworlds – metro, sea, lower regions of cities 11 Characters are “larger than life” 12 Bricolage of genres – more genres in one

Janstova Thesis: Themes & Motifs for Non-Campion Directors  Tim Burton 1 Love for horror and fantasy 2 Plain weirdness of main characters 3 Technical experimentation with possibilities of animation and visual effects 4 Main characters are outsiders villains with extremely complex personalities 5 Main characters have very pale skin 6 Themes of exclusion and inclusion7 Johnny Depp  Jackie Chan 1 Kung-Fu stunts 2 Master-pupil theme (comical) 3 Silent cinema feel to some of his scenes (i.e., chasing scenes, bar fights) 4 Female roles are always over the top girlish  David Cronenberg 1 The physical and the psychological are usually intertwined 2 Main character is often male scientist – with a bizarre name 3 Themes: science, disease, aging, invasion, death in literary metaphors 4 Bodily and psychic mutations 5 Hostility towards women – men fear and are jealous of females 6 Womb envy  David Fincher 1 Critiques of today’s society 2 A man alone in the universe 3 Visual translation of feelings of isolation of the characters 4 Wide angles, shallow focus = isolation 5 Muted light and color 6 Psychological and emotional state of American males of 20th century 7 Decay of American family 8 Females are barely present

 Jim Jarmusch 1 Alienation of characters 2 Use of jump cuts 3 Characters have no real direction in life 4 Not interested in What? and Why? but How did one character get where he is now... 5 Main characters are outsiders  Abbas Kiarostami 1 Challenges the audience 2 Poetic and philosophical style 3 Self-referentiality 4 Social realist traits/themes 5 Bleakness and loss - main themes 6 Often hopeful and enthusiasm accompanies the results 7 Likes to involve the audience as much as possible  Ang Lee 1 Modernity vs. tradition 2 Deep secrets and internal torment come to surface 3 Conflict between freedom and societal traditions  Michael Mann 1 Interested in real events 2 Fading centrality of a male 3 Visual: soft blues, and sterile and harsh whites Janstova Thesis: Themes & Motifs for Non-Campion Directors

 John Sayles 1 Social concerns 2 Political awareness 3 Complex characters 4 No central protagonist, usually group of characters 5 Stretches the boundaries of genres 6 Witty dialog 7 Realistic characters  Steven Soderbergh 1 Character based films 2 Ironic humor 3 Sense of isolation and loneliness 4 Characters are harshly detached, emotionally frozen 5 Characters are unable to fit with the world around them – lonely 6 Ultimately, his films are character studies of populated with strangers in a strange land  Oliver Stone 1 Lonely and isolated male protagonist in quasi-spiritual journey 2 Character goes through innocence, suffering and experiences liberation or destruction 3 Testosterone-driven and often didactic dialog 4 Marginalization of women 5 The lure of homo-social is evident  Peter Weir 1 Very national – Australian – rather than international 2 Avoidance of sexuality 3 No vivid sex scenes 4 However he shows erotic desire  Allison Anders 1 Multiple protagonists 2 Teen angst (anxiety, fear, worry) 3 Gangsters 4 Biopic 5 Emotional intimacy and heterosexual love atavistic Janstova Thesis: Themes & Motifs for Non-Campion Directors

Janstova Thesis: Variable Sets & Units  Variable SetUnit of Data Collection Themes & motifsFilm Narrative constructionsMajor character  e.g., identity, abuse Production techniques5-minute interval

Janstova Thesis: Sample  All 6 Campion films  18 “matched” non-Campion films  Total n=24 films

Janstova Thesis: The Codebook Available on our class web site: /JanstovaCodebook.doc

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