Abstract

Today, movies continue to be one of the most popular and beloved forms of art, significantly influencing people and cultures around the globe. However, with such widespread popularity and influence, the film industry has developed into an industry of extreme profit. Filmmakers still deserve everyone's recognition for their creativity, however, there is criticism pointing toward the commercial interests of filmmakers and Hollywood as a whole. Furthermore, this leads some to believe that the production of films is solely for profit rather than artistic value. To properly address this concern, I developed a research project that applied the idea of Structuralism to modern film. I did a quantitative analysis of six different films, measuring the amounts of different structural aspects in each film. Through my research, I have found evidence that different filmmakers apply structuralism to their films to make more popular and more profitable movies. This reveals a need for more quantitative analysis of films and for more audience members to question the filmmaking industry and its tactics. 

Refelction

Since embarking on my research journey almost a year ago I have gained volumes of knowledge on multiple aspects of Structuralism and its presence in modern film.  Since I had to limit my research parameters due to a small time frame, I learned the most about Semiotics, Symbolism, Recurring themes, and Archetypes in film. These are the four most pronounced areas of structuralism in film and they are the four aspects that I coded for during my quantitative research. To be able to correctly conduct my research I had to have an in-depth understanding of these different structuralist aspects properly to identify them in each film that watched. Another important piece of content that I was able to take away from this project was how different directors use structuralism. The two directors whom I researched were Martin Scorsese and James Cameron. As a result of my research, I learned that James Cameron (the most profitable director in the world) uses significantly more structural components than Martin Scorsese (the most artistically praised director in the world). With this content that I have taken away from my project, my next steps would be to look at more directors and see if I can identify a trend with high-grossing directors and directors who are awarded for their artistically valuable films. 

Not only have I become more knowledgeable about the actual content I researched, but I have also heightened my skills as a writer and public speaker. Through conducting this research project I was taught how to correctly organize my research into a written paper. Skills like data collection, using images to support my writing, and accurately citing sources are all things I was able to gain from writing my research paper. Furthermore, I also greatly improved my public speaking and presenting skills. These things, such as giving a professional presentation to an audience and being able to orally defend my research, are skills that I will carry with me through college and into the rest of my life. I will use these skills to become a better public speaker and to successfully communicate with my peers and future coworkers. 

Lastly, there is no doubt that going through the process of this research project has made me a better researcher, student, and human being overall.  I have learned a multitude of different research techniques from going through the research process myself, but also seeing my classmates go through the process on different paths. Important life skills such as student-teacher communication and the ability to ask for help when I need to were both reinforced during this process. My time management and organizational abilities were also put to the test while conducting my research. While I have taken away a vast amount of content from research projects, I have also been able to improve numerous skills that will allow me to be a successful student in the future, as well as a better human being. 

Acknowledgments and Next Steps

I would like to thank both Mrs. Dobos and Mr. McBride for assisting me through my research process and for giving me the necessary tools for conducting my research. I would also like to thank Mr. Parker for his thoughtful insight on my project and on film in general, I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him.  

Next year I will be attending college in pursuit of a business degree. I am still undecided on what college I will attend but I am excited for this next chapter!