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