Which of the following terms best describes when a film audience creates a narrative or spatial relationship between two different shots in their minds?

The term that best describes the phenomenon where a film audience creates a narrative or spatial relationship between two different shots in their minds is the Kuleshov Effect. This effect highlights the power of editing and how viewers contextualize images based on their arrangement. Through the Kuleshov Effect, audiences infer meaning and connections that are not explicitly shown, relying on their own interpretations based on the sequence of shots presented.

The Kuleshov Effect originated from experiments conducted by filmmaker Lev Kuleshov, who demonstrated that the emotional response a viewer has to a character’s expression can vary dramatically depending on the images intercut with that expression. For example, a neutral expression accompanied by images of a child, a coffin, or food will prompt viewers to convey different emotional meanings based on the context created by those images.

This concept emphasizes the active role of the viewer in constructing meaning in cinema, as audiences mentally bridge the gap between disparate shots, creating a coherent narrative that may not exist without their engagement.

The other terms are relevant in film but do not specifically capture this cognitive engagement. The Montage Effect refers more broadly to the editing technique that combines various images to create a sequence or convey complex ideas. The Cutaway Technique deals with inserting a shot that differs from the main action to