Posted on August 12, 2017
The Times David Sanderson, Arts Correspondent
A study of the tone of language of characters in nearly 1,000 film scripts has confirmed many assumptions about gender differences in the film industry.
Women characters are younger, speak less and if removed from the plot it usually makes no difference. If they do speak it tends to be about family values. Men, however, use language linked to achievement.
The analysis of the scripts from films produced over several decades revealed that nearly 5,000 characters were portrayed by men while only 2,000 were female. Men had more than 37,000 dialogues, 22,000 more than women.
The study, from the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering, used cognitive and developmental language tools to analyse dialogue.
Full article on The Times
