POV, Levels and IQ

I think it was Robert Mckee, in his book Story, who said the audience IQ jumps when the lights go down. So how do we take advantage of this.

It is as if when the lights go down the audience experiences a cognitive transformation. By watching life on a screen they are actually open to subject becoming object. The job of the filmmakers is to exploit that opening and nurture it. Here is where audience transformation can occur.

One thing to consider is the level of consciousness of the POV being depicted.

If the audience IQ is higher than normal then the audience may have a significant increase in cognitive ability to see, hold and connect perspectives. Subject to object that is. To me this is a great opportunity to organize my direction of the script to highlight and make more visible integral perspectives. Specifically as they occur in characters of different levels. By switching POV and creating the visual structure as well as the dialogue to reflect the level of consciousness of the POV and using this to compare the natures of the characters at their respective levels, audiences may well see the differences more clearly.

Mike Leigh often uses a technique of flat out compare and contrast. He creates sequences where characters who are obviously of different classes or genders or natures move through similar situations. The result is the audience compares and contrasts the characters and the character world-views, values, belief systems, pathologies and personalities. He uses the compare and contrast style to make what would be unseen seen. Instead of using gender, or class the integral filmmaker can use the compare and contrast method to show levels of consciousness.

However, nonetheless, audiences will interpret from the level they are at. So being skillful is just as important as the mechanics of presenting visual story.