Narrative Form

Narrative
Narrative: A chain of events linked by cause and effect and occurring in time and space Narrative is international, it is through narrative that we make sense of the world, our lives, history news and stories When imbedded in a story an individual action gains meaning, through stories a chain of events gain significance Narratives use causality, space and time (these are very important to the narrative form) Story decisions about viewpoint is called narration Narration: The process by which story information is made available to us via the plot How is What represented: Film style Dimensions of narration: Range of Knowledge and Depth of Knowledge Story: Entire narrative of the film, including events both depicted and inferred (what we construct from what is presented to us) Uses assumptions and inferences Chain of events in chronological order The sum total of all events in the narrative Plot: Events as they occur or are presented in the film (what we see/hear directly-> actual arrangement) Explicitly presented events and added nondiegetic material Presentation of action that is audibly and visually presented to us recounted story Diejesis: the world of the story (i.e. music characters hear is diejetic, added music that the characters can not hear is non diejetic. Diejetic material is something the characters of the story are experiencing-would respond to it or not)

Cause and Effect Causality binds together narrative events

Characters and Causes

Characters create causes and register events Make things happen and respond to events Characters have traits, attitudes, skills, habits, tastes, psychological drives. These play casual roles in overall story action, but also serve a particular narrative action

Hiding Causes, Hiding Effects We seek to connect events by means of cause and effect (i.e. murder of a boys family leads him to join law enforcement) Plots predict presentation of causes and effect, pertains to causality Withholding causes sparks curiosity Plot may present causes by withholding story events (i.e. fight leads to dead body, but whose body is it?) Hiding crucial consequences at the end of a film=cliffhanger

Time
We construct story time on the basis of what the plot presents (i.e. out of chronological order, time sleeping is left out, traumatic event is repeated) Narrative time is governed by three variables: order, duration and frequency Order: Chronological order Things can be out of order using flashbacks, flash-forwards or reordering scenes These things shape the viewers expectations Duration: Films plot selects only certain stretches of film duration (i.e. few days vs. years) Sum of all pieces of a story yields plot duration Screen duration may exceed story duration (i.e. North by Northwest/Story duration: Years/Plot Duration: Four days and nights/ Screen Duration: 136 minutes) Examples: Character walking from point A to point B/plot duration is shorter than story duration//slow motion scenes stretch plot duration, making it exceed story duration) Frequency: Story events usually occur once, many occurrences of the same event occur as plot events Single events being shown multiple times explores the significance of the scene Increased frequency allows us to see some action in different ways, such as dialogue Repeated scenes serve to provide us with new information

Space
Space is important in film narrative Location of story action is the same as plot action Some times this leads us to imaginary story spaces never shown Screen space is visible space within the frame

Openings and Closings

Openings: Not just the beginning of a film, it is referred to as the set up We receive the backstory (exposition) Development Scenes: Plot proceeds, causes and effect create patterns of development Change in knowledge revelation of crucial knowledge coming at final turning point Goal orientated plot (i.e. plots based on searches) Deadline Climaxes and Closings: End/climax: aims to lift the viewer to a high degree of tension

Narration: The Flow of Story Information

Filmic storytelling involves decisions about another sort of plot organization: What information is given to the spectators? When? How subjective/objective should the scenes be? This involves narration: the plots way of distributing story information in order to achieve specific resuts

Range of Story Information

Restricted --------------------------------------------------------------------- Unrestricted Restricted One character in every scene We dont see or hear anything that the character doesnt This can create curiosity or surprise by keeping information from the viewer Unrestricted We know more, see and hear more than any of the characters can Known as omniscient Important when presenting many destinies

Range of Knowledge
Oscillation between restricted and unrestricted (a little of both)

Analyzing Range of Narration

Who knows what when? Applies to character and spectator We see information that no character possesses or we see information that only the character possesses

Depth of Information: Objective or Subjective

 Not only a range of knowledge but also a depth of knowledge Objectivity---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subjectivity Confined to information about Mental subjectivity such as what characters say or do inner dialogue, memories, fantasies and hallucinations Perceptual Subjectivity: Point-of-view shots, sound perspective

The Narrator
Narration is the process by which the plot presents information to the spectator Filmmakers may use a narrator May use a character in the story or the voice of God Which ever narrator they use a range of restricted to unrestricted and objective to subjective narration can occur

Classic Hollywood Cinema

Centers on personal and psychological causes: decisions, choices and traits of the character (motivation for events) Normally 2 characters Goal-orientated with blocking element Trace process of change Closure at the end Law of narrative form in general

From lecture notes: Narrative in film is different in film than in everyday life. In film everything that is not important to the narrative is screened out. In film a narrative has a beginning/end: meaning it has form and structure. Beginning : defined by a certain equilibrium Middle: introduction of a catalyst that disturbs this equilibrium End: closure Different equilibrium Three act Structure (Not universal i.e. Ten Canoes) There is a moment when equilibrium gives way to disequilibrium, and when disequilibrium gives way to a new equilibrium Ie: In the Mood for Love: Equilibrium to disequilibrium: Key moment: Scene in the diner; changes the relationship between Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan-> revelation of their spouses relationship Disequilibrium to equilibrium: Separation