Media Aesthetics - Narration | Quizlet

narration

the overall regulation and distribution of knowledge which determines how and when the spectator acquires knowledge, that is, how the spectator is able to know what he or she comes to know in a narrative

the 5 levels of narrative

1. diegesis
2. diegetic levels
3. diegetic
4. non-digetic
5. meta-diegetic

Diegesis

the narrative world of the film, it encompasses everything that exists within the film's universe, including characters, events and objects

Diegetic levels

These levels describe the different layers of storytelling and perception within the film

Diegetic

elements that are part of the story world and experienced by the characters (i.e. dialogue, on screen music, or sounds form objects within the scene)

Non-diegetic

elements that exist outside of the story world and are not perceived by the characters, such as the film's score, voice over narration or title cards

Meta-diegetic

These are elements that exist within the story but have a special status, such as characters watching a film within the film or a character hearing a voice-over that is also part of the narrative's world

Storytelling and the oral tradition: (EMCi)

- Was a primary means of education and entertainment
- Took forms of myths, legends, and folktales.
- Storytellers played a central role in preserving cultural memory
- Stories were a way of shaping collective identity and fostering social cohesion
--> Examples: the griots of West Africa, Homeric poets of ancient Greece, native american oral traditions
- Used repetition, rhythm and more to aid in narration and to memorize it

Plot

is what makes the sequence of events that construct the story, it is not necessarily chronological

Story

is represented by a sequence of events that happened, or happened, because of a character's actions

the different narrative perspectives

1. first-person perspective
2. third-person perspective
3. omniscient perspective
4. limited perspective
5. third-person limited
6. third-person objective
7. unreliable narrator

First-person perspective

the story told from the perspective of a single character. We see and hear only what this character experiences

Third-person perspective

the narrator exists outside of the story and describes the events from a third-person point of view

omniscient perspective

The narrator has an all-knowing perspective and can access the thoughts and experiences of all characters

limited perspective

the narrative is confined to the knowledge and experiences of a single character or a limited set of characters (could be first or third person)

Third-person limited

the narrator is limited to and knows the thoughts and feelings of one character. 'limited ' → provides a focus on one perspective but maintains some narrative distance
for example, we are told information about one character, that no other character knows. this is seen in Spiderverse when his uncle reveals his identity

Third-person objective

the narrator only reports what is observable without delving into a character's internal thoughts and feelings. 'Objective' → a more detached and external perspective focused more on observable action and dialogue.

i.e. Mandalorian as we cannot see their face and there is no dialogue.

Unreliable narrator

the narrator's credibility is compromised, leading to a distorted or misleading version of events
i.e. american psycho as we cannot distinguish between what is a fantasy or not

the different narrative structures

1. linear narrative
2. non-linear narrative
3. fragmented narrative
4. three-act structure
5. unities of time and space

Linear narrative

a story that unfolds in chronological order, from beginning to end. Often follows a standard plot structure → exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution

Non-linear narrative

a story that does not follow a straight chronological order. It may jump back and forth in time or be presented in a disjointed manner (flashbacks/flashforwards)

fragmented narrative

a story that is told through disjointed, often incomplete parts. The plot may be broken up into pieces that the audience has to piece together to understand the whole. Requires active engagement form the audience to assemble the disparate elements into a coherent whole

Three-act structure

a classical narrative framework that divides a story into three distinct sections: act 1 setup, act 2 confrontation, act 3 resolution

Unities of time and space

a classical narrative structure based on the Aristotelian concept of unities, which emphasizes that a story should take place within a single time frame and location. The action occurs over a continuous period (usually 24 hours) and in one specific setting

knowing how vs knowing that

'Knowing how' involves the exercise of a skill in which something is achieved; it does not involve questions of truth or belief. 'Knowing that' something is the case presupposes a procedure which has been exercised in knowing

the notion of disparity of knowledge

- when knowledge is unevenly distributed - when there is a disturbance or disruption in the field of knowledge

- Disparity = a difference in level or treatment, especially one that is seen unfair

- A subject in an asymmetrical relationship with an object:

- ‘Subject’ may be a character, narrator, author, the spectator, or some other entity depending on the context that is being analyzed

- The vertical line acts as an ‘obstacle’ which creates a disparity, or asymmetry, giving the ‘subject’ a unique access to the ‘object’

A 'hierarchy of discourses'

- aim to place the spectator in a position of superior knowledge by using the camera to equate vision and truth
- A hierarchy permits the spectator to make judgements and to measure relative truth moment by moment
- Used to conceal and delay the end of the story by presenting the events through 'less knowledgable' agencies, such as characters
- Higher levels of the hierarchy are meant to be concealed from the spectator who is to witness partial truths developing into moral imperatives by seeing only the characters and the diegesis

Focalization

a selection or restriction of narrative information in relation to the experience and knowledge of the narrator, the characters or other, more hypothetical entities in the storyworld

Genette's three types of focalisation

1. zero focalisation
2. internal focalisation
3. external focalisation

Zero focalisation

(Narrator > Character) where the narrator knows more than the character, or more exactly, says more than any of the character knows

Internal focalisation

(Narrator = Character) the narrator says only what the given character knows

External focalisation

(Narrator < Character) the narrator says less than the character knows. This is the 'objective' or 'behaviourist' narrative

Alterations

transgression of the informational norm established by the focalization of a text

Alterations take two forms:

Paralepsis and Paralipsis

Paralepsis

the inclusion of an event against the norm of a particular focalization

Paralipsis

a similarly transgressive omission of such an event

flashbacks

Events in the story are interrupted for events that took place in an earlier time

flashforwards

The non-chronological insertion of scenes of events yet to happen into the present day of the story world.

fidelity discourse

a way of judging a film based on its relationship to a literary text
"to what extent is the adaptation similar to the original"

adaptation

A pre-existing work that has been made into a film. Adaptations are often of literary or theatrical works, but musical theatre, best-selling fiction and non-fiction, comic books, computer games, children's toys, and so on have also been regularly adapted for the cinema.

frame narration

a story within a story
i.e. the notebook

Film vs serially published narratives

film:

- Beginning, middle, end

- Often 3 act structure

- Climax and ending

Serially published narratives:

- Different instalments that have their own beginnings, middle and ends

- Cliffhangers

Series vs serial

Series:

- Multiple protagonists

- Open with exposition

- Narrative problematic

- Partial climax

- Ex. friends

Serial:

- Even more protagonists

- In media res (in the middle of the action)

- Narrative enigma

- Forever unconcluded

- Ex. game of thrones

Vast serial vs dense serial

Vast serial:

- Ever outward-expanding development of the plot

- More characters

- Often a more omniscient perspective

- Ex. game of thrones

Dense serial:

- Ever inward expanding development of the plot

- Usually one main character

- Often a more first-person-based perspective

- Ex. I may destroy you or breaking bad

Transmedia storytelling

represents a process where integral elements of a fiction gets dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the process of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience

Implied author

- a virtual agent constructed by the reader/viewer. He or she summons an agent into being that controls the intention of the book or film
- The implied author is the guarantee that meaning and intent will be understood
- The viewer lives under the illusion that this agent knows 'exactly whats going on' at any given moment

filmic narrator

the agent responsible for the interaction of two other types of narrators, being auditive narrator and visual narrator

Auditive narrator

controls the auditive track, which contains external and internal voice-overs, dialogue, voices, music, and all other kinds of sound

Visual narrator

limits itself to the sequence of images, and also extends to the transitions between images. This includes title cards, credits, and special announcements like 'based on a true story'