Constructing NarrativesFILM INDUSTRY

Audience – TV Industry

Industry Issues – Music Industry Textual Analysis – Film Industry

Textual Analysis

NarrativeAll three of our texts have a narrative that is communicated via a story as is the case with the majority of fictional texts.

KeywordsNon-Linear/LinearMontageFlashbackMulti-StrandedAnchorage

NarrativeA text must communicate and construct a narrative in some way in order for the audience to understand, and therefore be able to consume the text.

NarrativeYour main texts

Guardians of the Galaxy

Slumdog Millionaire

The Inbetweeners

NarrativeEnigma/Action codes

What does the opening sequence of ’Guardians of the Galaxy’ tells us about the texts narrative?Would you consider this to be a multi-stranded narrative?

20 Mins

NarrativeDjango Unchained

How is the narrative communicated to the audience in ‘Django Unchained’?Describe the opening scenes of the film and what they tell us about the characters within the narrative?20 mins

NarrativeEnigma/Action codes

In previous exams candidates have been asked to analyse the importance of characters to the narrative of texts. Films, particularly fictional films are often concerned with the relationship of characters.

NarrativeThe Inbetweeners

Narratives are often constructed around characters, the difference in how they are represented and their relationships with each otherChoose two characters from one of your three main text? How are these characters represented? What role do they play in the text according to Propp’s theory?20 mins

Linear NarrativesTraditionally movie texts have a linear narrative. This means that they run in chronological order and follow and expected order of events.

What theory could we use to analyse the stages of a film? Do any of our three main texts follow this structure and to what extent?15 mins

NarrativeEnigma/Action codes

Roland Barthes suggested we can analyse the construction of narrative using two key codes.

Enigma Codes Action Codes

NarrativeEnigma/Action codes

What are ‘enigma’ codes and ‘action’ codes? Which of our films makes use of action and enigma codes to form the basis of the texts narrative?20 mins

NarrativeEnigma/Action codes

RecapToday you should have gained an understanding of narrative construction. The way a texts story (in the case of fictional texts) is communicated to an audience…

NarrativeEnigma/Action codes

RecapThis can include-Establishing narrative in early scenes-Potential prior knowledge of audience-Use of character roles-Multi-stranded narratives-Use of enigma/action codes-Use of Flashbacks/Montages to advance and communicate narratives