''Thought Moments'' (2004) is an anthropological short film in the style of

cinéma vérité Cinéma vérité (, , ) is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about '' Kino-Pravda''. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or highlight subje ...

Michael Simon Toon Michael Simon Toon (born 12 March 1977) is an English photographer, filmmaker, designer and builder. Short films Toon has made two short films in the style of cinéma vérité which are globally recognised as serious inquiries into the nature of ...

. Toon, a former

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monk, titled ''Thought Moments'' after the Buddhist term for the mental states we experience when a physical or mental object enters the mind. The film is used in the study of

microexpressions A microexpression is a facial expression that only lasts for a short moment. It is the innate result of a voluntary and an involuntary emotional response occurring simultaneously and conflicting with one another, and occurs when the amygdala respo ...

, eye accessing cues, and the universality of facial expressions. Toon (off camera) interviews a diverse sample of individuals in public places across the United Kingdom asking a set of ten simple but emotionally evocative questions. The film uses variable frame rates to highlight distinct emotions, as well as their sequence and timing, that each individual expresses within seconds or fractions of a second after being asked questions, such as "What do you love most?" "Are you happy or sad?" and "What are you afraid of?" Consistency of composition, lighting, and contrast facilitates the analysis of both the differences and similarities of the interviewees'

facial expressions Facial expression is the motion and positioning of the muscles beneath the skin of the face. These movements convey the emotional state of an individual to observers and are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying ...

. Toon also released a version of the film with superimposed theoretical eye accessing cue chart. Both versions are studied and reproduced by students of psychology in several languages.

Exhibitions

*Film Directory of The British Council *Thai Film Foundation 10th Annual Short Film and Video Festival"10th Annual Short Film and Video Festival Program." 10th Annual Short Film and Video Festival August 17–27, 2006. Thai Film Foundation. Posted by SHORT 10 18/08/06.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Thought Moments'' official website
2004 films