Chapter 4: Elements of Narrative

Narration

The act of telling the story

Narrator

Who or what tells the story

* They deliver the narration that conveys the narrative
* Reminder: the camera can be a narrator

First-person narrator

A character in the narrative who typically imparts information in the form of voice-over narration

Direct address narration

A type of narration where the first-person narrator character interrupts the narrative to speak directly to the audience, which breaks the fourth wall

Third-person narrator

a character in the narrative that is expressed by a voice imposed from outside of the narrative

* they provide information not accessible to a narrator who is also a participant in the story
* this narrator knows all and can thus provide objective context to any situation

Omniscient narrator

This narrator knows all and can tell us whatever it wats us to know.

* has unrestricted access to all aspects of the narrative
* can provide any character’s experiences and perceptions, as well as information that no character knows

Omniscient camera

Shows audience whatever it needs, in order to best tell the story

What is the primary narrator in all movies?

The camera

Restricted narration

This type of narration limits the information it provides the audience to things known only to a single character

* Encourages the audience to identify with the character’s singular perspective on frightening events
* Invites us to participate in the unlocking of the narrative’s secrets
* We see and hear only the thoughts, memories, perspectives and experiences available to the main character
* I__t is sort of a visual first-person narration without the voice-over.__

Round characters

They are complex characters that may possess numerous subtle, repressed or even contradictory traits that can change significantly over the course of a story

* Tend to see these characters as more lifelike
* An example of a round character is Victor

Flat characters

They are uncomplicated character that exhibit few distinct traits

* Do not change significantly as the story progresses
* An example of a flat character is Tomas

Protagonist

The primary character who pursues a goal

* They are referred as the hero/heroine

Anti-heroes

The unsympathetic protagonists chasing less noble goals

Antagonist

The person(s), creature, or force responsible for obstructing the
protagonist

What can create a character’s imperfections?

A character’s imperfections can create **obstacles, developments and motivations**.

Obstacles

events, circumstances, and actions that impede a protagonist’s pursuit of the goal; often originate from an antagonist

* are central to a narrative conflict

Secondary characters

These are characters who serve the narrative by helping to move the story forward or flesh out the motivations of the protagonist

* Those who support or share the protagonist’s objective, as well as those who oppose it, may have their own goals and needs

Beginning (Act 1)

* Sets up the story, which establishes the normal world and the character
* Lays out the rules of the universe that we will inhabit for the next hours
* Narrative often begins by revealing something about the protagonist’s current situation, often by showing them in action

Middle (Act 2)

* develops the story
* longest act
* includes all the obstacles and conflicts the character needs to overcome to achieve the goal

Catalyst

A key element in Act 2; an inciting incident

* Disturbs the normal world


* presents the character with the goal that will drive the rest of the narrative

Stakes

Represent the risk to the protagonist

Rising action

Involves narrative tension increasing presenting obstacles to the protagonist’s goal

Crisis/Climax

The peak moment of the narrative when the protagonist faces the ultimate / an insurmountable obstacle

End (Act 3)

* resolves the story
* wraps the storylines
* gives the audience closure

Screenwriter

They are responsible for coming up with the story, either from scratch or by adapting another source, such as a novel, play, memoir or news story.

* significantly influences the screen play and the completed movie, and its artistic, critical and box office success

What are 2 fundamental elements to a narrative

Story and Plot

Story

* consists all the narrative events that are explicitly presented on-screen AND all the events that are implicit or that we infer to have happened, but are not explicitly presented

Diegesis

the total world of the story

Diegetic Elements

The elements that make the diegesis, which are the events, characters, objects, settings and sounds that form the world in which the story occurs in

Plot

* consists of the specific actions and events that the filmmakers select and the order in which they arrange those events to effectively convey the narrative to the viewer

Nondiegetic elements

* the things that we see and hear on the screen that com from outside the world of the story
* Examples: score music, titles and credits and voice-over comments from a 3rd-person voice-narrator

Backstory

a fictional history behind the situation existing at the start of the main story

Story order

Flows chronologically

Plot order

Manipulated so that events are presented in nonchronological sequences that emphasize importance or meaning or that establish desired expectations in audience

Duration

the length of time it takes for things to occur (in life or in movies)

Story duration

the amount of time that the implied story takes to occur

Plot duration

the elapsed time of the plot

Screen duration

the movie’s running time on-screen

What is the most interesting relationship in all durations?

Screen duration and plot duration

Summary relationship

screen duration is shorter than plot duration

Real time

screen duration corresponds directly to plot duration

* used to create interrupted “reality” on the screen

Stretch relationship

screen duration is longer than plot duration

* used to highlight a plot event, stressing its importance to the overall narrative

Surprise

being taken unaware, can be shocking

* our emotional response is generally short-lived and can only happen in the same way once

Suspense

a more drawn-out (and some would say, more enjoyable) experience, one that we may seek out even when we know what happens in a movie

* The means by which its created is uncertain, and we want to warn and protect the
sympathetic characters.

What is an example of suspense vs surprise?

An example is Hitchcock’s interview about two ways of telling a story about a ticking bomb underneath a table to create either suspense or surprise the audience.

Repetition

The # of times that a story element recurs in a plot

Familiar image

an audio or visual image that a director repeats in a movie to stabilize its narrative

* by repetition, the image calls attention to itself as a narrative element
* May be symbolic

Setting

The time and place where the story occurs

* certain genres are associated with specific ________:
* Westerns with wide, open country

Scope

The overall range, in time and place, of the movie’s story

Biopic

a biographical film about a person’s life