迪士尼发明观影黑科技

We all know the hard work that filmmakers and actors put in to provide us with entertainment, but it seems that even regular moviegoers like us have a big impact on how a movie turns out too.

我们都知道电影制片人和演员为给观众们带来娱乐做了不少努力，但像我们这样的普通电影观众似乎也会对一部电影的效果产生巨大的影响。

For decades now, film studios have used so-called test screenings to get feedback from members of the public before a movie comes out.

几十年来，电影制片厂在电影上映前，都使用了所谓的“试映”这一方式，来获得公众的反馈。

While test audience members are usually asked to fill in a questionnaire after a screening, telling the film studio what they liked and didn’t like, media giant Disney has come up with a more high-tech solution.

观看试映后，观众通常会填写一张调查问卷，告诉电影制片厂他们喜欢和不喜欢的部分，而传媒巨头迪士尼公司则想出了一个更高科技的方法。

According to a paper published this summer by the company’s researchers, Disney is measuring test audiences’ reactions by using special cameras placed inside cinemas.

该公司研究人员今年夏天发布的一篇文章称，迪士尼正通过放置在影院内部的特殊照相机，测定试映场观众的反应。

Pairing the cameras with custom software, the company can track what each audience member is feeling at any point in the movie, from anger to joy.

通过使用和照相机配套的定制软件，该公司可以追踪每位观众在电影任何一个节点上的情绪，不论是生气还是愉快。

This works by mapping 68 different points on each audience member’s face. The cameras can see in the dark, and the software can figure out a person’s mood based on the slightest of facial expressions.

这套设备通过描绘观影观众面部68个不同的点来进行运作。设备中的照相机能在黑暗中进行拍摄，而软件则能基于最微妙的面部表情解读人们的情绪。

It’s hoped that this new method will allow more detailed feedback from test audiences. Rather than relying on audience members to recall their feelings after the movie’s over, it can accurately read their reactions in real-time.

人们希望，这套新方法能从试映观众身上获得更详细的反馈。它能实时记录观众们的反应，而不是依靠观众们在电影放映结束后对当时感觉的回忆。

Test screenings are highly valued in the movie industry, and several well-known movies have been greatly altered following feedback.

试映环节在电影行业备受重视，好几部著名电影都根据试映后的反馈做出了大幅度的调整。

Viewers of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) would have left the cinema feeling a whole lot differently if it weren’t for its test audience’s feedback.

如果没有试映观众的反馈，《外星人E.T.》(1982)的观众观影结束后的感受将会完全不同。

“In one cut of the film that was tested, E.T. died instead of going home in his spaceship. You won’t be surprised to hear that the test audience in question didn’t warm to this ending at all,” wrote media website Den of Geek.

“在该影片的试映片段中，E.T.最终去世了，并没有坐着宇宙飞船回家。你会毫不意外地发现，讨论电影的试映观众们一点都不喜欢这个结局。”媒体网站Den of Geek写道。

But for those who are concerned about privacy, the cameras won’t be installed in public cinemas.

而在意隐私问题的观众们则大可放心，这些相机并不会安装在公共影院中。

After all, unless you’re part of a test audience, being in front of the camera is best left to the movie stars.

毕竟，除非你是试映场的观众，否则出现在镜头面前这件事最好还是留给电影明星们吧。