Subliminal Messages

[_DW_]

My girlfriend is doing a research experiment for college on the validity of subliminal messages found in video and audio. She has her test subjects lined up and the messages she wants to put in the video ready. These messages go from harmless, touch your nose, to ridiculous, take your clothes off (I really hope this one works.) She wants to run 3 films, videotape and review the reponses of her test subjects. One without subliminals for a control. One where the message is inserted into the video for one frame. And one where the message fades in and out over the space of a few frames superimposed over the regular video.

I’ve been given the task to make the videos. Replacing one frame with another is easy work I just need help with the second video with the frame fade. Anyone got a idea how I might do this?

Disclaimer: No we are not trying to create a horde of mind controlled zombies to take over the world, although that would be kind of cool. I think I’ll put a pin in that idea and come back to it later depending on how her experiment goes. Personally I think it’s all BS but she has the Cat and you know how that goes.

[RunningSkittle]

http://forum.doom9.org/forumdisplay.php?f=33

[_DW_]

http://forum.doom9.org/forumdisplay.php?f=33

So your saying that Avisynth would be the tool for this? I was looking for something a little more gui related. I'm not wanting to put much time into this but if avisynth is what I have to do.

[burfadel]

Subliminal messages are used in movies all the time, its been proven they do work :) the classic 'sumbliminal message' is illegal, the type where messages are flashed on screen and are 'active enforced suggestions'. The type I am referring to is the subtle messages that aren't hidden but aren't the main focus of the scene either, 'passive inferred suggestions'. I'm sure most people have heard of product placement :) an example is a placement for say Coke, which may make the viewer thirsty.

Subliminal messages where the topic is forced and not just a suggestion is far less successful, as you are not trying to influence a person to take a certain direction but trying to control them. Being thirsty, hungry, or liking the look of a certain vehicle is one thing, but trying to force someone to do something they wouldn't normally do is another. The latter is achieved as the subliminal message acts not as a suggestion but through hypnotic influence, in which case the hypothesis of the experiment becomes incorrect.

When showing these videos to people, they will be aware of whats going on which completely throws out the experiment. The way around this is to (for example) make out you are suggesting a cars name (or a persons name, or something along those lines) in the video after which you ask the person what name you are trying to convey. In reality, you could be trying to suggest to the person that they are starving, or very thirsty, or really need to use the bathroom. The principle is you have a waiting room thats videotaped, making the person wait for 10 minutes before the video and the same for after. Having a bathroom available of course, as well as a range of drinks and nibbles. You can them compare what they did before and after the experiiment.

You can also have a selection of CD's, suggesting the person play a particular CD in the message and tell them they're free to the drink, nibbles, and the selection of music whilst they wait for you to review the experiment and let them know how they went :) (they will think you mean the actual video playing).

Prior knowledge is the problem, the above method gets around the prior knowledge as you are suggesting the experiment is for one thing (which through the knowledge becomes partially invalid) where in fact its everything else you are testing!

[iffybob]

Could I please have one of the zombies suggested to do house work as I have been waiting for the robot and it not arrived, Thank You. boB :)

[Inspector.Gadget]

For neither the first nor the last time, a great deal of time and money and effort was expended on "protecting" the public from something that posed no danger to them. As numerous studies over the last few decades have demonstrated, subliminal advertising doesn't work; in fact, it never worked, and the whole premise was based on a lie from the very beginning. James Vicary's legacy was to ensure that a great many people will never be convinced otherwise, however.
(http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/popcorn.asp)

[Ghitulescu]

Well, Columbo managed to catch the criminal using his own technique :)

[Dr.Khron]

What I love about subliminal messages is that its been an eternal project for computer types.

As far back as my old C64 magazines, I can remember a project where a guy was using his Commiedore to overlay "subliminal messages" onto a video signal, for the purposes of proving/disproving that it works.

Subliminal messages may be total BS, but its a fun idea that people like to play with. Sort of like reading palms.