Film Narrative

Elements of Narrative  Story and Plot:- Story:

(1) Explicitly presented (diegetic) events(2) Implied events

- Plot:(1) Explicitly presented (diegetic) events

in certain order(2) Non-diegetic material

Diegesis  Diegesis: The total world of the story

(1)  Diegetic elements: the events, characters, objects, settings, and sounds

(2)  Nondiegetic elements: things that we see and hear on the screen but that come from outside the world of the story (e.g. background music, titles and credits, voiceover comment from an omniscient narrator)

Explicitly presented (diegetic)events

Implied events

Non-diegetic material

Story

Plot

Order & Events  Order of Plot events:

(1)  Chronological(2)  Non-chronological

  Events: Hubs and Satellites(1)  Hubs: Major events or branching points in the

plot structure that force characters to choose b/w or among alternate paths

(2)  Satellites: Minor plot events that add texture and complexity to characters and elements but are not essential elements

Duration

  Definition: length of time(1)  Story duration: amount of time that the

implied story takes to occur(2)  Plot duration: elapsed time of those

events within the story that the film explicitly presents

(3)  Screen duration: movie’s running time onscreen

Suspense vs Surprise

 Surprise: taking unawares Suspense: anxiety brought on by a partial uncertainty - the end is certain, but the means is uncertain (or sometimes both the results and means known)

Frequency  Definition: Number of times with which

a story element recurs in plot   Purpose:

(1)  Symbols and Metaphors?(2)  Memory: Flash-backs and slow-motion(3)  Stream-of-consciousness

Characters

  Treatment: (1)  Beings who like “real” people have

discernible traits, habits, and dispositions(2)  Formal elements that help develop the

narrative (stock characters)

Types of Characters  Complexity:

(1)  Flat Characters:(a)  one-dimensional (b)  one or very few discernible traits(c)  predictable behavior

(2)  Round characters: three-dimensional(a)  three-dimensional(b)  Several traits, sometimes contradictory(c)  Unpredictable behavior

Types of Characters

  Roles(1)  Major characters:

(a)  Protagonist(b)  Antagonist

(2)  Minor characters(3)  Marginal characters

Determining Character

 Traits, motivations (social, economic, ethnic, racial, religious, emotional, or psychological), actions Description by narrator or other characters Style by which actors interpret Natural vs. Probable

Setting  Definition: time and space in which the story

takes place. (1)  Not only date, city, or country, but also provides

the character’s social, education, and cultural backgrounds and other identifying factors vital for understanding them such as what they eat and drink

(2)  Provides implicit explanation for actions or traits normally considered eccentric by providing cultural context

Point of View  Physical point of view: the position or angle from which the camera or a particular narrator or character observes an event or a scene  Mental point of view: the perspective taken by a particular narrator or character in a story in seeing and hearing an even or scene, reflecting on an idea, creating a relationship between two or more things, or remembering events or dreams  Beyond camera or the characters

Omniscient POV

 Definition: camera has complete or unlimited perception of what the cinematographer chooses for it to see (most common), however, it does not mean it has to show everything, editing always leaves out aspects of the story and plot

Subjective or Restricted POV

  Definition: perceptual, subjective point of view of an individual character.

(1)  Direct POV: character is in the frame and we see what he or she sees

(2)  Indirect POV: like Direct POV, but is a result at least two consecutive shots achieved by such editing techniques as eyeline-match cut.

(3)  Interior Monologue