The 9th Image Schema Day

Embodied Meaning in Motion: A Videographic Approach to Image Schemas in Film Studies

This paper explores the potential of videographic methods to represent and analyse dynamic image schemas in film. Building on John Bateman’s keynote at The Eighth Image Schema Day 2024, which emphasized the need for embodied formalisations of image schemas, we respond to the call for more dynamic and temporally sensitive approaches to their representation. While past efforts in cognitive linguistics have proposed various diagrammatic models, they often remain static and struggle to capture the inherently dynamic nature of schemas like CONTAINMENT. Drawing on the practice of videographic criticism and two recent video essays by the authors, this paper develops a method that aligns with the temporal, embodied, and experiential character of image-schematic structures in film. Focusing on Robert Dewell’s work on containment, we animate four core patterns—entry, exit, inclusion, and exclusion—and demonstrate how their sequential combination contributes to the experiential rhythm of cinematic scenes. Two case studies illustrate how this method can enhance our understanding of embodied meaning in film.