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Lecture 3:Lecture 3:Narrative FormNarrative Form

Professor Michael Green

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Previous LessonPrevious Lesson

• The Technology of Moving Pictures

• Film Production

• Film Distribution

• Film Exhibition

• Matewan

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This LessonThis Lesson• Defining Narrative

• Framing the Fictional World and Organizing Events

• Narrative Structure

• Classical vs. Non-Classical Structure

• Rashômon (1950)

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Defining NarrativeDefining Narrative

Lesson 3: Part I

Casablanca (1942)Directed by Michael Curtiz

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What is Narrative Form?What is Narrative Form?

• Narrative form is the structure though which movies tell stories.

• When we speak of ‘going to the movies,’ we almost always mean that we are going to see a narrative film – a film that tells a story.

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• Narratives appear throughout media and society – in novels, plays, comic books, television shows and even commercials.

• Narratives are most common in fiction film, but appear in all basic types of film:

– Documentaries

– Animated films

– Experimental and avant-garde films

– Short Films

Narratives are EverywhereNarratives are Everywhere

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ExpectationsExpectations• We approach narrative film

with definite expectations. We may have:

– Read the book or graphic novel

– Seen the original film to a sequel or remake

– Seen the trailer

– Followed the production online

– Seen films in the same genre

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Assumptions Assumptions • Spectators also come prepared to make sense of narrative films based on having consumed thousands of previous stories.

• We assume that there will be:

– Characters and action

– Connected incidents

– Conflict and resolution

– Emotion and meaning

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• A narrative is an account of a string of events occurring in space and time.

• Narratives do not unfold randomly, but rather as an ordered series of events connected by the logic of cause and effect.

• This logic of cause and effect ties together character traits, goals, obstacles and actions.

Events Occur in Space and TimeEvents Occur in Space and Time

CharacterCharacter• Narrative films generally focus on human

characters and their struggles.• Characters are typically responsible for

cause and effect in narrative.

Choices and GoalsChoices and Goals• Characters create cause and effect through

choices that lead to conflict and consequences.

• These patterns are designed so that the viewer clearly sees and understands them.

• Characters posses traits, face conflicts, make choices and undergo changes that enable or hinder pursuit of a specific goal.

Goals and obstaclesGoals and obstacles• Goals might include locating treasure,

choosing a foster parent or looking for love.• Characters encounter obstacles in pursuing

these goals – the collision of goals and obstacles create conflict and thus drama.

Kinds of ObstaclesKinds of Obstacles• Obstacles to character goals can come from

within the character, from other characters, from non-humans (such as aliens or monsters), and from nature.

• Obstacles may come in the form of concrete physical challenges, the actions and desires of others, or psychological/emotional issues.

• Many narrative films involve characters overcoming obstacles on more than one level.

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• Typically a narrative begins with one situation.

• A series of changes occurs according to a pattern of cause and effect.

• Finally a new situation arises – through character choice and conflict – that restores equilibrium to the world of the story and brings about the end of the narrative.

• The new story equilibrium almost always results in character change.

How Narrative UnfoldsHow Narrative Unfolds

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• The Empire Strikes Back begins with the protagonist Luke Skywalker hiding from the Empire.

• Story changes that result from conflict and character choice force him into a climactic showdown with antagonist Darth Vader.

• Vader triumphs and equilibrium is restored.• Though Luke is defeated, he changes by

becoming wiser and more humble.Watch the clip from The Empire Strikes Back

ExampleExample

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Character TraitsCharacter Traits• Traits are attitudes, skills, habits, tastes,

psychological drives and any other qualities that distinguish a character.

• Traits in opening scenes are relevant to later scenes; this is related to cause and effect.

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ExamplesExamples• In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke’s

character traits are introduced early on and pay off in later scenes.

• They include his knowledge of the Force, his survival skills, his ability with a light saber, and his impetuousness.

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Framing the Fictional World and Framing the Fictional World and Organizing EventsOrganizing Events

Lesson 3: Part II

Adaptation (2002)Directed by Spike Jonze

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Diagetic vs. Nondiagetic ElementsDiagetic vs. Nondiagetic Elements• Diagetic elements are everything that

exists in the world that the film depicts – including everything implied offscreen: settings, sounds, characters, events.

• Nondiagetic elements are elements within the film, but not within the film’s world, such as credits, music or voice-over narration.

• Characters are unaware of these elements.

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The Purpose of Nondiagetic The Purpose of Nondiagetic ElementsElements

“Filmmakers use non-diegetic elements for several reasons: they may draw attention to

aspects of the narrative from a position outside the story, they communicate with the audience directly, and they engage

viewers on an emotional level.”– Pramaggiore and Wallis,” Narrative Form”

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ExamplesExamples• Examples of non-diegetic narrative

elements include:– The voice-over in The Shawshank Redemption– The opening “crawl” of text in Star Wars– The printed book pages that designate

‘chapters’ in The Royal Tenenbaums

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Selecting and Organizing EventsSelecting and Organizing Events• Feature films have a running time or

screen time of between 90 and 180 minutes. But the stories they tell rarely take place in that amount of time.

• In order to tell a story that may cover months or years, the filmmakers must choose to present certain events and leave others out.

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The Fabula and the SyuzhetThe Fabula and the Syuzhet• The writer transforms a complete

chronological story into an abbreviated, recognized version of events that plays out on the screen for the audience.

• Often the differences are referred to as story and plot.

• As a way of being more precise, Pramaggiore and Wallis use the Russian terms fabula for story and syuzhet for plot.

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The FabulaThe Fabula• The fabula is the chronological narrative, in

its entirety.• It include events that take place during the

span of time of the syuzhet that are implied but not overtly depicted.

• These include a character’s backstory.• Though we never see Charles Kane’s

teenage years in Citizen Kane, an idea of them is implied to the viewer; these offscreen events are part of the fabula.

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The SyuzhetThe Syuzhet• The syuzhet entails more than simply

omitting events from the fabula – it also involves reordering events – some times using flashbacks and flashforwards.

• These are scenes from the past or future that interrupt the film’s present tense to rearrange the chronology of the fabula.

• Repositioning events influences the way audiences understand them.

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Selecting Events for SignificanceSelecting Events for Significance“The distinction between the fabula and the

syuzhet makes clear that each event represented in the film has been selected for dramatization and has been ordered

systematically – there are no accidents . . . The syuzhet need not chronicle every moment in the fabula, and it usually emphasizes the importance of some

moments relative to others.”– Pramaggiore and Wallis,” Narrative Form”

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Narrative StructureNarrative Structure

Lesson 3: Part III

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)Directed by Guillermo del Toro

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Three Act Structure – Act IThree Act Structure – Act I• The three act structure is the standard

structure that shapes narrative films.– Act I introduces characters, goals and

conflicts and ends with the first turning point, an important change that affects characters and situations.

– A turning point can be thought of as a point of no return for the characters, when the initial situation can no longer exist.

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Three Act Structure – Acts II and IIIThree Act Structure – Acts II and III• Act II presents complications:

– The protagonist meets obstacles – often the result of an antagonist – that prevents her from achieving her goals.

– The conflicts increase in number and complexity, leading to a major turning point, often referred to as the climax.

• Act III presents the dénouement:– Here a series of events resolves the conflicts

that have arisen – not always happily.

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Four Part StructureFour Part Structure• Some film scholars and screenwriters

prefer to think of feature films as being comprised of a four-part structure.

• The major difference is that the four-part structure features an extra turning point known as a midpoint, which happens at the dead center of the film.

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ExampleExample• In Jaws, the midpoint comes at minute 60 of

a 120 minute film, when the hero realizes that he will have to kill the shark at sea.

• This turning point – also known as a reversal – sends the film off on another direction. The initial situation can no longer exist until equilibrium is restored.

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ExpositionExposition• Act I of a film is often dense with narrative

detail, backstory and plot set-up.• This density of story information is called

exposition and it is designed to orient viewers into the world of the story.

• The exposition briefs viewers on place, time, characters and circumstances.

• For example, James Cameron spends a great deal of Act I orienting viewers to the fictional world in Avatar.

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Classical Vs. Non-Classical Classical Vs. Non-Classical StructureStructure

Lesson 3: Part IV

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Classical Narrative StructureClassical Narrative Structure“The principles of narrative that govern

commercial feature films emerged from the practices and preferences of Hollywood

filmmakers in the early part of the twentieth century. Commercial Hollywood studios established a formula for making popular

films that tell stories and refined these rules over several decades.”

– Pramaggiore and Wallis,” Narrative Form”

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““Rules” for Classical NarrativeRules” for Classical Narrative• Clarity: Viewers should not be confused

about space, time, events or character motivations.

• Unity: Connections between cause and effect must be direct and complete.

• Characters should invite viewer identification, be active and seek goals.

• Closure: Third acts and epilogues should tie up loose ends and answer all questions.

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Other Aspects of Classical Other Aspects of Classical Hollywood NarrationHollywood Narration

• Individual characters serve as causal agents and the narrative centers on their personal psychological causes.

• Desire often moves the narrative

• Cause and effect imply change.

• Objective point of view

• Closure

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““Classical” can also mean Classical” can also mean ContemporaryContemporary

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Unobtrusive CraftmanshipUnobtrusive Craftmanship• Hollywood stories are told in a manner that

draws viewers into the diegesis - the world of the story - and does not call attention to the storytelling process.

• Filmmakers use other formal properties beyond the screenplay to create this seamless narrative style: mise-en-scene, cinematography editing, and sound.

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• A number of narrative filmmaking traditions have modified or rejected the rules of the dominant Hollywood method of storytelling.– Art films

– Independent films

– Non-western films

– Unconventional Hollywood films

– Experimental / Avant-Garde films

Alternative Storytelling FormsAlternative Storytelling Forms

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• Some examples of rejecting traditional narrative rules include:

• Lack of clarity – multiple, conflicting lines of action, inconsistent characterization, extreme degree of character subjectivity – Run, Lola, Run, Fight Club

• Lack of unity - broken chain of cause and effect – Mulholland Drive, Reservoir Dogs

Rejecting Traditional RulesRejecting Traditional Rules

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• Unconventional characterizations – audience is distanced from characters rather than invited to identify– There Will be Blood, Badlands

• Unclear character goals; unreliable narrator– The Graduate, The Usual Suspects

• Devices such as direct address that call attention to the narrative process– Do the Right Thing, 25th Hour

Rejecting Traditional Rules Rejecting Traditional Rules (Continued)(Continued)

Alternative NarrativesAlternative Narratives• Some non-traditional films may be open-

ended - that is they conclude without resolution: No Country for Old Men.

• Frame narration - used in Citizen Kane and The Princess Bride - consists of a character who narrates an embedded tale to onscreen or implied listeners.

• In episodic narratives, such as The 400 Blows or Pulp Fiction, events are not tightly connected in a cause and effect sequence and characters do not focus on a single goal.

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Narrative Structure in Narrative Structure in RashômonRashômon

Lesson 3: Part V

Rashômon (1950)Directed by Akira Kurosawa

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Rashômon Rashômon (1950)(1950)• Based on a 1921 story by Ryunoskue

Akutagawa titled “In a Grove.”• Directed by Japanese master filmmaker

Akira Kurosawa.• First Japanese film to gain international

recognition - Oscar for Best Foreign Film.• Famous for its unconventional narrative

organization.

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The NarrativeThe Narrative• Rashômon represents an alternative to

narrative form through its structure, characters and conclusion.

• This approach to storytelling helps the film develop its central theme the impossibility of comprehending truth.

• This is an example of how film form and content are inextricable from one another.

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The Frame StoryThe Frame Story• Rather than a traditional, linear three-act

structure with a beginning, middle and end, Rashômon is composed of a frame narration and an embedded story.

• In the frame story, a woodcutter relates the details of a violent encounter between a samurai, his wife and a bandit.Watch clip #1 from Rashômon, which depicts the frame story.

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• The embedded tale relating the events of the forest altercation is told in flashbacks, and not just the woodcutter’s version.

• Four flashbacks show the same events from the perspectives of the woodcutter, the samurai, the wife and the bandit.

• Cause and effect is confused, raising the question of what actually happens.

Watch clip #2 from Rashômon of a flashback

The Embedded TaleThe Embedded Tale

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• The characters in Rashomon are less active and more contemplative than conventional Hollywood characters, which highlights the importance of abstract ideas.

• The self-serving and unreliable characters are hard to sympathize and identify with.

• The film’s conclusion is open-ended - the truth about what actually happened remains in doubt and unresolved

Watch clip #3 from the conclusion of Rashômon

Characters and ConclusionCharacters and Conclusion

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Final PointFinal Point“In these three aspects - narrative structure,

characters and conclusion - Rashômon departs from the classical narrative in

innovative ways. The layered narrative, unusual characterizations, and open-ended conclusion have all contributed to the films

ability to fascinate viewers for many decades, and to inspire films such as Hero.”

– Pramaggiore and Wallis,” Narrative Form”

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End of Lecture ThreeEnd of Lecture Three

Next Lecture: Mise-en-scène and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)