EMORSION – Examining the Impact of Audio Features on Emotional Responses and Immersion in Film.

Garcia NCR, Del Sette BM, Smeraldi F, Saitis C, Fazekas G, Reiss J. EMORSION – Examining the Impact of Audio Features on Emotional Responses and Immersion in Film. In: Convention Paper. Audio Engineering Society; 2026. Paper 10281. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23219

@inproceedings{Garcia2026_23219,
  author = {Garcia, Nelly, Crocker, Ruby and Del Sette, Bleiz M. and Smeraldi, Fabrizio and Saitis, Charalampos and Fazekas, George and Reiss, Joshua},
  title = {{EMORSION – Examining the Impact of Audio Features on Emotional Responses and Immersion in Film.}},
  note = {Paper 10281},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23219}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - EMORSION – Examining the Impact of Audio Features on Emotional Responses and Immersion in Film.
AU  - Garcia, Nelly, Crocker, Ruby
AU  - Del Sette, Bleiz M.
AU  - Smeraldi, Fabrizio
AU  - Saitis, Charalampos
AU  - Fazekas, George
AU  - Reiss, Joshua
M1  - Paper 10281
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/28
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23219
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - EMORSION is an exploratory proof-of-concept study examining how film audio design shapes audience emotion and immersion in acinema setting. Four film scenes were selected across the horror (2) and drama (2) genres, balanced between mainstream and independent productions. For each scene, multiple alternative audio mixes were created by systematically manipulating three core aspects of audio design, frequency (pitch), dynamics (loudness), and directionality (spatial placement). Three audience groups viewed the scenes, with each group exposed to one manipulated mix alongside a control mix for each scene. Audience responses were assessed through a triangulated multimodal framework combining self-reported emotion and immersion via a questionnaire, physiological measures including heart rate monitoring, and video-based motion tracking. The protocol successfully captured measurable, interpretable differences across audio conditions, indicating that even subtle changes in audio design can shape emotional perception and immersion. Unconventional mixes tended to produce greater variability in audience interpretation, while conventional immersive mixes were associated with stronger cross-audience agreement. These findings establish the feasibility of the EMORSION protocol and motivate larger-scale studies to characterise the role of specific audio parameters in shaping audience experience.
ER  -