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URBAN STORIES
Revision lesson 3
Formal Comparison
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What are the formal elements?
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Narrative Theory
What is narrative? The structure given to a story or plot
Achieved through the editing of different shots together
Why do you need to know narrative theory?
The structure chosen directly affects the nature of storytelling
Can impact on the messages and values of the directorespecially in terms of narrative endings
Can affect our involvement with and enjoyment of a film
Is constructed through the use of formal elements
FOR EACH OF YOUR CASE STUDY FILMS YOU NEED TO BEABLE TO CONFIDENTLY IDENTIFY HOW THE NARRATIVESTRUCTURE, NARRATIVE TYPE, NARRATIVE CODES &
NARRATIVE ENDING EFFECTS THE MESSAGES ANDVALUES IN THE FILM.
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PROPP
Analysed folk stories in Russian film. Some stock characters have a narrative
function & provide structure for the text. The Hero a character that seeks something The Villain The Donor who provides an object with magical properties
The Dispatcher who sends the hero on his quest The False Herowho disrupts the heros success The Helper - aids the hero The Princess acts as the reward for the hero Her Father
Specific actions that perform a narrative
function are: Preparation / Complication / Transference / Struggle / Return /Recognition
HOW DO THE FILMS YOU HAVE STUDIED SUPPORT ORCHALLENGE THE STOCK CHARACTERS IDENTIFIED BY
PROPP? CAN WE SEE ANY OF THEM IN FILMS?
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TODOROV
All narratives follow a three part structure.
1. Equilibrium - everything is balanced, progress and thensomething comes along and creates
2. Disruption to the equilibrium, events occur in response
to the disruption to finally reach a3. Resolution, when equilibrium is restored.
The narrative is usually a chronological / LINEARsequence of themes, motives and plot lines
The plot explains why the storys events occur.
HOW DO THE URBAN STORIES WE HAVE STUDIEDSUPPORT OR CHALLENGE THIS STRUCTURE?
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NARRATIVE TYPES
A RESTRICTED NARRATIVE We experience the story through the senses and thoughts
of just one character.
Almost always the main character
The narrative cannot tell the audience things that the focal
character does not knowAN OMNIPRESENT NARRATIVE a panoramic view of the world of the story
looking into many characters and their experience withinthe plot
not just one characters point of view, tells the feelings ofevery character.
Looks into the broader background of a story, from anumber of contexts.
Used for stories in which the context and the views ofmany characters are important
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Barthes - NARRATIVE CODES
ENIGMA Codes This is also known as The hermeneutic code
any element in a story that is not explained exists as an enigma for the reader, raising questions that
demand explication. Most stories hold back details in order to increase the
effect of the final revelation of truths.
Audiences tend not to be satisfied by a narrativeunless all "loose ends" are tied;
A complex narrative can frustrate the early revelationof truths, offering the reader "snares" (deliberateevasions of the truth),
the audience have to keep watching until the enigmais solved.
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Barthes - NARRATIVE
CODESACTION codes
Also known as The proairetic code An Action code refers to any action that implies a further
narrative action (one action causes another in response) Eg: a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the resolution of
this action will be. We wait to see if he kills his opponent or is wounded himself.Suspense is thus created by action rather than by a reader's or a viewer's wish to havemysteries explained.
ALLOF THE FILMS WE HAVE STUDIED RELYHEAVILY ON ACTION CODES TO DEVELOP THENARRATIVE CITIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH
ACTION AND THEREFORE THE ACTION THATOCCURS IN THEM LEADS TO OTHER ACTIONSTHAT OUR PROTATAGONISTS ARE CAUGHT UP IN
AS CONSEQUENCES...WHAT ARE THE MAIN ACTION CODES THAT OCCUR
IN EACH FILM & HOW DO THEY DEVELOP THENARRATIVE?
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NARRATIVE ENDINGS Open endings
Open Endings are a great way to infuriate an audience! As a story-telling technique, they are unsatisfying for most audiences:
the pay-off of the films conflict never arrives (especially if it is driven byenigma codes)
Writers using this device often do so because there's no real possibilityof a solution to the problem and conflict the film explores.
By leaving any major conflict unresolved, the writer can force theaudience to confront the themes in a film.
Closed endings Most commonly found narrative ending in films. Films generally exist as one unique story They contain a beginning, middle and an ending. A story is unravelled before an audience, and then ultimately brought to
a conclusion.
WHAT IMPACT DOES THE NARRATIVE ENDINGHAVE ON EACH OF THE FILMS YOU HAVE
STUDIED? HOW DOES IT AFFECT THEMESSAGE OF THE FILM AND HOW WE FEEL
ABOUT THE PROTAGONIST(S)?
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Directors visual style
Why is awareness of the directors visualstyle important? It tells us something about the directors
approach to film making
Can reflect the way in which they construct themessages and values of wider themes in their film
How do I address this in the exam? Identify and offer reasons for how choice of
certain camerawork, sound, editing and mise-en-
scene: Construct a specific narrative
Construct a specific characterisation of the city & maincharacters
Communicate certain messages and values about power,poverty and conflict.
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As Tears Go By, Wong Kar Wai OVERVIEW
First full length feature film
Tale of two low key gangsters Mean Streets of Hong Kong in Late 1980s
NARRATIVE Mostly linear narrative structure but time elapsed not clear due to
extensive use of ellipses
Combines gangster / romance genre
Characters are anti-heroes who face tragedy in some form as a
consequence of environment (John Woo influence) FORMAL STYLE (Begins to establish a signature style to his story-
telling) Slow / accelerated motion
Jump cuts & use of ellipses
Use of musical cues to denote characters and emotions / mixes 80sWestern pop culture with Cantonese songs
Step printing (filming at lower frame rate and then speeding footage up) Mise-en-scene evokes energy of city East meets West / 80s Pop Culture /
seedy & violent life of the Triads
Subdued / minimal lighting
RECURRENT THEMES (Establishes early themes in his work) Pain of loss and remembrance
Exchange of goods & services as basis of relationships
Relationships as transient they come and go with passing of time partof our history
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La Haine - Matthieu Kassovitz Overview
Neo-realism politically committed 1st feature length film
Narrative
Fragmented narrative structure over 24 hours but follows linear pattern
Open ended and narrative driven by action codes
Formal style
Sound use of hip-hop & rap juxtaposed with French songs to reinforceurban youth sub-culture
Sound dialogue lexicon / expressions TECIsilenced through sub-titles less political impact on foreign viewers as a result
Mise-en-scene banlieus, costume reflects urban youth sub-culture,graffiti tags, high rise estates, concrete, masculine & male dominated
Editing disruption of time through elipses, juxtaposition of long takeswith quick pace
Camera spatial constraints through framing and choice of shot types-juxtaposition between wide angled long shots and tight framed mid shots,close ups and 2 or 3 shots / use of the zido to bring background &foreground together back to the eiffel tower as it zooms in reinforcestheir disassociation from Paris as a beautiful City
Recurrent themes
Xenophobia ; unemployment; social fracture of the have & have nots
Suburban youth culture of the ghettos facing ruling ideology of Frenchculture.
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Gegen die Wand, Fatih Akin Overview
1st feature length film / 7th production Hamburg based production company Corazon Internationa
1st Generation German Turk , driven by themes rather than stylisticexperimentation
Narrative Linear narrative structure but time elapsed unclear due to use of ellipses
Open ended Driven through action codes
Formal style Sound cultural mix of Turkish and Western soundtrack to show music
can offer forms of multicultural bonding
Mise-en-scene Cities of Istanbul & HamburgWe never really seeHamburg landmarks, it could be any European city estates, high rises,bars & nightclubs, hospitals, buses, cars etc...grey and dingy, a place ofescape for Cahit and Sibel. Istanbul as one of cultural tradition, genderdivides, kebab shops but with a darker subversive side similar toHamburg. Mersin as utopia and a place of cultural roots.
Editing characterised by lots of jump cuts & quick pace, juxtaposed withlong takes and long shots with wide frames when Cahit arrives in Turkey
Camera spatial constraints through framing and choice of shot types
Recurrent themes
Idea of multi-culturalism and the importance of finding a balance betweencultures.
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Lilya-4ever - Lukas Moodysson Overview
4th
film Importance of realism & use of actors
Interest in Christianity
Narrative
Linear narrative, unspecified time scale through use of ellipses
Closed narrative ending
Narrative driven by action codes
Can apply some of Propps stock characters an ironic take on thefairytale
Formal style
Camera handheld documentary style, lots of long and extreme longshots to show environment juxtaposed with close ups to show Lilyasfeelings about her environment.
Mise-en-scene reinforces the realism though use of high rise estates,
evident material poverty, derelict buildings to show former imperialism ofSoviet Union, grey and overcast sky, birds, roads and cars, basketball,drugs, cash important props
Sound reinforces the realism & drama of the film and mostly non-diagetic/ Russian pop music in the clubs and use of German metal to give feel ofbeing hit by a bulldozer
Recurring themes
Realism, issues around Christianity, idea that life on earth for some peoplecan be hell and death is a preferred option
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Similarities in formal Style Narrative
All films rely primarily on action codes life in the city as active
and characters face consequences of actions that occur in their
environment
ATGB & L4E closed ending / LH open & closed / HO open ending
L4E begins with flash forward but other 3 films all linear in
structure but feel fragmented as time elapsed is unclear and
extended use of ellipses reinforces this
Camera Hand held cameras in all 4 films, give sense of realism
Very tight frames used on close ups and medium shots to give sense of
entrapment
Wide angle shots and extreme long shots to show relentlessness of the
City and prevalence of high rise estates and houses of the cityscape
Lots of tracking and movement contrasted with still long takes, sense of
the fast pace of city life but how it can be boring or characters want to stop
LH and ATGB experimental with camera style & shot types LH microlite
to get ariel view of banlieu / zido of Eiffel Tower ATGB varied choice in
film stock used / extended tracking shots in snooker hall / juxtapositon ofhigh & low angles
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Similarities in Formal Style
Editing Play with passing of time through ellipses only in LH is length oftime passed clear through use of sub-titles suggests we can
loose track of time in the city / there is a lot to do in a short space
of time
Juxtaposes pace very fast quick cuts with very long takes and
moments of stillness life in the city as fast paced and continuous
but the cycle of activity can be boring
Lots of jump cuts city life as uncertain and spontaneous
Sound Use of sound to reinforce the realism & drama in the films
Diagetic and non-diagetic sound reinforce the context of time and place
and ideas of conflict
Sound tracks also reinforce youth / sub & popular culture in the films
Reliance on sub-titles for foreign audience silences the dialogue & some
of the context as we rely on sub-titles for meaning.
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Similarities in Formal Style
Mise-en-scene Location
Concept of an alternative location to the city as a place of ideal
escape LH = the banlieu and the City of Paris / ATGB = Kowloon
& Lantau Island / HO = Hamburg / Istanbul & Mersin / L4E = Estonia& Sweden (or America) only Cahit in HO is able to escape.
Settings
Run down city apartments / high rise blocks / derelict buildings /
Cities & related suburbs / police stations or offices of those in
positions of authority
Costume
Reflects realism of lives of the characters ATGB = reflects status
in Triad Hierachy / LH reflects their participation in French youth
sub-culture / HOreflects Cahits anarchy & depression / L4E =
reflects her material poverty
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Similarities in Formal Style
Mise en scene continued: Props
recurring props of significance guns, cars, police cars, money,
cigarettes, alcohol and drugs also specific material possessions
that offer insight into the characters. Trees, bars, walls, grafitti androads as props that characterise the city
Lighting
Mostly used to reinforce realism of the films dull, grey, gritty life in
the City LH in b&w / ATGB use of lighting filters - yellow, blue,
red- to reinforce emotion Composition
Use of rule of thirds, very tight frames to offer feeling of entrapment
for the characters or the feeling of city as a place full of strangers
Wide angles and shots of the sky to hint at a restricted freedom
the mass of the city but the expanse of the sky above to offer somehope.
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Exam questions
What is the importance of mise-en-scene and / or
sound in creating meaning and generating a
response in the films you have studied?
How far does the impact of the films you have
studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of
film techniques?
Explore how stylistic choices contribute to the
representation of the urban experience in the films
you have studied for this topic