How do you make a popular movie? A group of researchers ran a meta-analysis of various “cohesive elements or patterns” (tropes) to create a data-driven approach to writing stories, and drama seems to be king. Drama films — including war films, family terror, and dark sci-fi — usually employ tropes related to the description of villains, highlighting the general audience’s fascination with categorising evil characters, whether it be a “NightmareFace (a horrible face)” or, the slightly comic, “BaldOfEvil (the villain is bald)”. Read full article here
Research
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable
The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here
Merv
March 12, 2023
