Split a page in half, top to bottom. Using the list of prompts below, we are going to revisit a mainstream American film to study the narrative. Then we will look closely at our experimental choice and compare.
Notes on Narrative
The concept of narrative is largely concerned with the story of a film, although several distinctions need to be made between narrative, story, and plot. Narrative is largely the practice or art of telling stories: a representation of a particular situation or process in such a way as to reflect or conform to an overarching set of aims or values. The storyline is the plot of a novel, play, film, or other narrative form and plot is the main events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence. Therefore, selecting the order of events into a story is a narrative. The study of narrative is one way of examining the story of a film and exploring how it is structured, ordered and why this has been done. Narrative also asks the viewer to consider from whose viewpoint we are experiencing the story and whether this has an effect on what we see, hear and experience. For example, does the way in which the narrative is presented withhold information from us or only present things from the perspective of a character? Tightly aligned with editing, narrative is a complex and highly ambiguous aspect of film studies.
The study of narrative also incorporates genre Genre can be defined as a style or category of film whereby, developed over time, socially- agreed tropes and conventions help to depict categories. Genre is eminently fluid and often a film may straddle the distinction of many genres. In exploring and analysing genre, a useful starting point is to typically identify key characteristics of genres. These are more commonly referred to as the 'Repertoire of Elements'
A study of narrative looks at, for example:
• Representation of time
• Use of narration/voiceover
• How dialogue propels the narrative
• Creation of drama or action
• Character development – heroes and villains, ambiguity
• Character alignment and identification
• How narratives present an ideological viewpoint
• Enigma codes
• Generic narratives and formulas
• Binary Oppositions
Questions on Narrative
* Who is the film about?
* When does it take place?
* Where does it take place?
* What happens? And how does it happen?
• How is time manipulated in the film?
• Is the plot linear or nonlinear?
• Are there flashbacks or flash-forwards?
• Is the plot episodic? Is it circular?
• Where and when does the film start?
• Where and when does it end?
• Do various storylines interweave at various plot points?
• Do characters evolve in an arc?
• Does the film follow the traditional three-act structure?
• Are their ellipses?
• How do the mise en scene, cinematography, editing, and sound contribute to the development of the narrative?
• Is there repetition or a framing sequence, perhaps with an actual narrator?
• Are their clear conflicts built into the film
• Is the film ideological in terms of its narrative construction?
• Is there a twist?
• Is their an enigma in the setup - a problem to be resolved?
• Are characters in conflict?
• How is the story told through narrative techniques (flashbacks/forwards, pov,
chronology, enigma, voiceover)
• What character types are created?
• Who is the audience encouraged to identify with/dislike? What are the ideological implications of this?
• Is the film narrative linear or nonlinear/chronological/multistrand?
• Does the text follow a conventional equilibrium/disruption or re-equilibrium structure or does it do something more unconventional?
• How are drama and tension created?
• Does the film’s genre shape its narrative?
• Film poetics: What is the shot by shot relationship? How have the shots been edited together and what is the impact of this?
