Suspension of Disbelief

What is the Suspension of Disbelief?

The Suspension of Disbelief is a theory. There are many different ways to explain this theory; my favourite is a combination of several other definitions:

The suspension of disbelief is the sub-conscious formula for justifying the use of non-realistic elements that would ordinarily be seen as incredible. This allows the audience to ignore the reality, and accept it as the truth in order to be entertained and experience the media as it is intended.

How does it work?

This theory works in many different aspects of media. It was first mentioned in 1817 to allow people to enjoy any drama or work of fiction. We wilfully accept it as ‘real’ in order to fully experience the fiction. The Suspension of Disbelief applies to many different areas such as Comedy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Action genres, and Video Games, crime drama series etc.

S.o.D and Film

There are many examples of where the Suspension of Disbelief is imperative in order for the audience to enjoy the film. Some of these I have listed below:

 

‘Rambo’ never seems to run out of ammunition.

Cars exploding with a gunshot to the petrol tank.

Forensic results that take months to obtain take a matter of minutes in a crime drama.

Some films, such as ‘Valkyrie’ are set in Germany, with actors speaking perfect English.

In the horror trailer that I will be producing, the Suspension of Disbelief theory is a very important element that I will have to master. There will be different edits of the trailer, the longest around 2:00mins long. This means that as the production team, we have very little time to convince the audience that what they see is ‘reality’.

This is what I have found to be the scary thing about Horror films. If a horror film is scary, then I can guarantee that it is a good example of the Suspension of Disbelief Theory.