NARRATIVEUNIT 3 MEDIA

Material referenced from Heinemann Media, 2nd Ed ,Dunscombe et al. 2011

NARRATIVE

Film narrative can be described as the art of storytelling through,

image, light and sound. The film narrative relies of the same

fundamentals of storytelling that the written narrative does.

A setting has to be established, characters need to be introduced,

their personalities developed and storylines must engage the

audience. The filmmaker’s vision is inspired through story

elements and is then brought to the screen through production

elements. (Heinemann, p. 125)

NOTES

FILM NARRATIVE AND THE AUDIENCE

The first audience to see on-screen film was in 1895. Auguste and

Louis Lumiere showed their first film Workers Leaving the Lumiere

factory. Guess what, it was a single shot of workers leaving a factory.

The audience’s fascination came from seeing moving images on

screen.

Just as filmmaking was new to humans, so too was film viewing. Most

films shown were of events rather than stories, so filmmakers had to

find a way to tell stories through images.

AUDIENCE RECEPTION

The reception context in which a narrative is viewed can affect the

way the audience understands, experiences and responds to a film.

Eg. Animal Kingdom, Sth Yarra police murdersLife experiences will affect the way a film is viewed.

The medium through which a film is viewed will affect audience

reception. Viewing via iphone will change the experience compared

to a theatre setting.

Filmmakers want you to got the theatre as the theatre experience

will add to the reception of the film.

AUDIENCE AND GENRE

Modern film audiences are familiar with codes and conventions

of film genre. This awareness affects audiences’ understanding and

response to film narratives.

Familiarity with a genre allows audiences' to enjoy satire aimed

at the genre. Spaceballs, Hot Shots, Austin Powers

Learning Activity 1 – Audience and Genre

STORY ELEMENTSNARRATIVE PROGRESSION

Opening – The audience is oriented into both the physical

setting and the historical setting of the film. Characters are

introduced and development begins. The opening sequence also

sets a context for the audience’s understanding of the

relationships between characters. It also suggests the themes that

are developed later in the narrative.

Watch The Sixth Sense opening sequence.

NARRATIVE PROGRESSION

Development - The characters, storyline, themes introduced in

the opening sequence are developed through the middle of the

narrative. This involves change in character relationships and often

the introduction of new characters.

Watch training montage

NARRATIVE PROGRESSION

Closure: The closing sequence of a film brings the narrative to its

conclusion. The closing sequence leads the narrative to the point

of climax, both in a storytelling and emotional sense.

Watch This is the End closing sequence.

STORY ELEMENTS –MULTIPLE STORYLINES

Multiple storylines are common in narrative film. Most narratives follow

one storyline closely, it is common for the backstories or complementary

stories to run concurrently.

Little Miss Sunshine is a film about a family driving cross country to get

the youngest to a beauty pageant, along the way the individual characters

stories are presented to the audience.

LEARNING ACTIVITY P. 131

1. Handout Narrative progression

As we watch the films

STORY ELEMENTS – NARRATIVE POSSIBIL IT IES

Throughout the narrative, possibilities are presented to the

audience, The meeting of a boy or girl could present several

narrative possibilities, such as the possibility of romance,

possibility of rejection, possibility unhealthy obsession. All of these

possibilities can take the characters and the film in different

directions.

LEARNING ACTIVITY P. 133

Watch the opening sequence of American Beauty .

1. What narrative possibilities have been presented to you in the first

scene.

2. Of the possibilities presented, how many have been realised

throughout the course of the film?

STORY ELEMENTS – CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Character development is the revelation (reveal) to the audience of a character’

personality, beliefs, strengths, weaknesses and emotions. Character development is

also an examination of the relationship between characters.

The audience is normally introduced to the main protagonist at the start of the

narrative.

The audience is at the mercy of the director how his character is developed. Perhaps

in a conventional, ”Once upon a time..” story or a non conventional way as in Citizen

Kane (it begins with his death and his character is developed through the people who

remember him)

LEARNING ACTIVITY P 134

1. Consider a fictional film narrative that you are studying this year:

a) List the decisions and actions that reveal the character of the main protagonist.

b) Choose two characters and explain what changes occur in their character

development over the course of the film.

2. The following table outlines some simple characters and development in their

character. Complete the table.

a) Come up with the cause and motivation for the character development.

b) List the things they could say and the actions they could take that would

illustrate the character development to the audience.

STORY ELEMENTS – CAUSE AND EFFECT

Cause and effect is a narrative function that helps audiences understand how characters motivation

and decisions drive the story. After characters and narrative possibilities are presented to the audience,

the narrative relies on the characters and their changing circumstances to engage the audience.

Film narratives rely on characters making decisions that affect themselves and other characters in the

narrative. This drives the story through narrative possibilities and character development.

Narrative depends on cause and effect to create drama. Cause and effect can consist of character

motivations and decisions and events happening outside the characters control.

Cause: Manni loses money . Effect : decides to rob a store

Cause: Manni robs store. Effect: lola decides to help

Cause lola and manni rob store Effect : lola gets shot

LEARNING ACTIVITY P.136

CAUSE AND EFFECT

1. Answer the following questions in relation to a fictional film

narrative that you are studying:

a) What motivates each character?

b) What events are caused by the character’s motivations?

2. Give examples of the cause-and-effect chain from two of the

fictional film narratives that you have been studying this year.

STORY ELEMENTS - SETTING

The setting of a fictional film refers to the location and the historical period in

which the story takes place. Location refers to physical geography of the story.

- On what planet does the action take place?

- In which country?

- In which city?

- One which street?

- In which building and which room?

Audiences understand the codes and conventions of genre to determine setting.

Setting can also help to develop character.

LEARNING ACTIVITY P. 137

1. Choose a fictional film narrative that you are studying and answer the following questions:

a) How does the setting relate to the narrative?

b) What is the historical period of the narrative and how is it relevant to the film?

c) What locations are used in the narrative and how do they help develop the story?

d) What is the duration of the story in the main protagonist’s lifetime?

STORY ELEMENTS – STRUCTURING OF T IME

Film narratives operate within codes and conventions and audiences view films

with an understanding of these codes and conventions. Film uses codes and

conventions to help audiences overcome the limitations of real time.

For example when a character opens the front door of their house and the camera

then fades into a shot of the character driving a car, the audience immediately

understands that the character has walked to their car, opened the door, got in,

fastened seatbelt, turned on engine, pulled out into street and is now driving the car.

The audience does not have to see all of this to happen in order to believe that it has

happened. In fact, viewers do not even think about it happening.

LEARN ING ACTIV ITY P. 138 /2 – ST RUCT URIN G O F T IME

1. How is time structured in a fictional film narrative that you are studying? IS time structured conventionally or non-conventionally? Explain your answer. If the film uses flashbacks, flashforwards or dream sequences, explain how these engage the audience in the narrative.

2. Watch the sequence in Citizen Kane in which Kane and his first wife Emily meet at Breakfast. How

does the scene move time forward? What does the scene communicate to the audience about

Kane and Emily’s marriage? This scene takes up two minutes and twenty seconds of screen time.

How much time in the duration of Kane’s life does the scene represent?

3. Choose a scene from a fictional film narrative that you are studying that manipulates time. What

is the effect on time with regard to the duration of the character’s lives? What filmmaking

techniques has the creator used to achieve this restructuring of time?

STORY ELEMENTS – POINT OF VIEW

In presenting the narrative, the filmmaker decides whose point

of view the story will be told. In conventionally platted narrative,

the point of view is that of one or two main protagonists.

The same narrative can be presented through several points of

view, as in Go (1999).

LEARNING ACTIVITY P.138

1. From whose point of view is the narrative presented in a fictional film narrative that you are studying this year? How do you know?

2. Is the narrative only presented from the main protagonist’s point of view, or are there points of view of others characters presented? If so, which character(s)? Give examples from the film.

3. Discuss the genre of a fictional film narrative that you are studying. Has the narrative point of view been determined by the genre of the film?

PRODUCTION ELEMENTS

A film is made up of various components which are often referred to as ‘production

elements’. When studying a film, you need to be able to deconstruct it in order to

understand how the director has put the component parts together to create a story,

meaning, themes and emotion. The production elements of film include:

- Film format (type of film stock or video)

- Camera techniques (angles, movement, lens, shot type)

- Lighting

- Sound

- Editing

- Mise en scene (visual composition)

- acting

PRODUCTION ELEMENTS – F ILM FORMAT

The format chosen for a film is a fundamental decision that affects

the look and mood of a film. In the early days of filmmaking the format

was limited to black and whit e film stock running at 24 frames per

second. Today filmmakers are faced with many options including black

and white, 35mm, 50mm, digital video and animation.

A change in format can help tell part of the story and/or for changes

in time frame.

PROD ELEMENTS – CAMERA ANGLE

The angle of a shot can create the mood of a scene, reveal

important information, establish relationships between characters

and the storyline.

Think of the high angle making object appear inferior.

Tilted camera angles are often used by directors to make the

audience feel uncomfortable. .

LEARNING ACTIV ITY P. 141CAMERA ANGLE

1. Watch the scene from The Third Man, in which Holly and Anna talk to the porter about Harry’s accident. How does the tilted camera angle make you feel? Compare your feelings with what Holly Martins might be feeling. What do you thin Read has used this angle?

2. Examine the camera angles in fictional film narrative that you are studying. Describe the camera angles used. Are they conventional or unconventional?

3. Pick a key scene from a fictional film narrative that you are studying and discuss why the creator may have chosen the angles used in the scene. DO you think they may have helped tell the story?

PROD ELEMENTS – CAMERA MOVEMENT

Camera movement can be used to create emotion within the audience or draw the

audiences attention to a particular character or object.

The most basic movements of a camera are:

- Panning (side to side movement)

- Zooming (closing in or pulling away from an object)

- Tilting (looking up or down)

- Tracking (the camera travels alongside the object being filmed)

- Hand-held (in the operators hand and not on a tripod)

- In the opening sequence of Rear Window (1954) Alfred Hitchcock uses camera

movement to establish the setting and introduce the audience to the protagonist.

LEARNING ACT P. 143CAMERA MOVEMENT

1. Choose a scene from a fictional film narrative that you are studying in which the creator uses camera movement. How does the camera movement help to develop the narrative?

PROD ELEMENT – CAMERA LENS

Camera lens range from wide angle to telephoto. The skilled

director and cinematographer will choose the lens that best suits

the telling of the story and the feeling or mood that they are trying

to create within their narrative.

LEARNING ACTIVITY P. 144

CAMERA SHOT TYPE

Each shot type is used in context relevant to a specific situation in a film.

The most basic camera shot types include:

- close- up

- Extreme close-up

- Mid shot

- Long shot

- extreme long shot

- point of view (POV)

LEARNING ACTIV ITY P. 145CAMERA MOVEMENT

1. Choose a scene from a fictional film narrative that you are studying and discuss how the creator’s choice of shot types has influence the develop of the narrative and the character(s).

PROD ELEMENTS - LIGHTING

Lighting is perhaps the production element most taken for granted by the

audience. At the most basic level, lighting allows character and objects to be seen by

the audience. However, lighting can be one of the most creative elements of

filmmaking. Lighting can create mystery or fear through the use of shadows. The use

of soft lighting can help to develop a romantic mod. Harsh, contrast lighting can be

used to express contrasts between characters. Lighting can establish character

development by making characters look warm and friendly or cold and dangerous.

Lighting is a major factor in the Mise-en-scene (visual composition).

Read LIGHTING HANDOUT

HIGH AND LOW KEY LIGHTING

High key lighting – A style of lighting that illuminated the whole scene.

Shot is free from dark shadows. Usually used in sitcoms. Everything is

well lit and no particular point is highlighted.

Low key lighting - The term "low key" is used in cinematography to

refer to any scene with a high lighting ratio, especially if there is a

predominance of shadowy areas. It tends to heighten the sense of

alienation felt by the viewer, hence is commonly used in film noir and

horror genres.

CHIAROSCURO

3 POINT LIGHTING

FILL LIGHT

KEY LIGHT

LEARNING ACTI . P. 147LIGHTING

Watch scene from The third man ( 1949)

, The supper scene Psycho.

1. How does the use of shadows in The Third Man contribute to the narrative?

2. Choose a scene from Psycho and discuss how the lighting contributes to the narrative by developing the character(s) or creating a mood. Refer to high/low key lighting.

3. Choose a scene from a fictional film narrative that you are studying that uses lighting to develop the narrative. Describe how the cinematographer uses the light to develop the narrative.

4. Choose a scene from a fictional film narrative that you are studying that uses lighting to develop character. Describe how the cinematographer uses light to develop the main character(s).

PROD ELEMENT - SOUND

Sound can communicate a story, character, development, mood, and emotion.

Broadly speaking, sound falls into categories: diegetic and non-diegetic.

Diegetic sound is the sound that occurs within the world of the narrative. Characters

speaking to one another, music coming from the radio, sound of glass breaking as

character smashes window.

Non-diegetic sound comes from outside the world of the narrative. Orchestral music

playing in background, or sound of a heartbeat as the audience watches a character

running.

Sound includes, dialogue(what characters say), voice-over, music, sound effects

(foley).

LEARNING ACT. P. 148

Watch two scenes from a 2001 a space odyssey as example

chapter 1-4 and chapter 17

American Beauty – music in Lester’s fantasy, the radio in Carolyn’s

car – “Don’t rain on my parade.”

PROD ELEMENT - EDITING

Editing is the process of placing images and sounds in an order

that tells a story and creates emotion for the audience.

Editing can establish setting, develop character, express point of

view, drive the story and restructure time.

Editing sets the pace of the film and provokes mood and

emotion within the audience.

PROD. ELEMENT – EDITING CONT…

In Most fictional narrative films, editing serves three primary

purposes.

The first is that of narrative function. A simple example of narrative

editing involves the audience watching a character that hears an off-

screen noise and turns his or her head to the right of screen. In order

to follow the narrative , the editor cuts to a shot of whatever made the

noise, then back to the character to see his/her reaction.

PROD ELEMENT – EDITING CONT.

The second primary purpose of editing a fictional narrative film

is emotional. The way in which a film is cut together can produce

an emotional response from the audience.

Speed cuts – to synchronise the audiences viewing and thought

patterns with the mood of the film. Action/adventure, quick cuts

increase the excitement, where a sad/scene consists of long, slow

shots placed together.

PROD ELEMENT – EDITING

The third primary purpose of editing in fictional narrative films is

the intellectual edit. Through editing, the director can plant a

thought or concept into the audiences mind.

Question why you are shown certain elements at certain times

throughout a film.

LEARNING ACTIVITY P. 150

1. Watch the opening sequence of Little Miss Sunshine and describe how sound and vision editing is used in combination to develop the characters.

2. Choose a scene from a fictional film narrative that you are studying and describe how sound and vision editing is used in combination to develop the characters.

PROD ELEMENT - MISE -EN-SCENE

Mise-en-scene = things “put in the scene”.

Film is fundamentally a collaborative art and the things ‘put into

the scene’ are put there by production designers, art directors,

costume designers and cinematographers in collaboration with the

director.

Visual composition – colours, objects, achitectural design,

positioning, focus, shot type,etc.

LEARNING ACTIVITY P.153

1. Choose four scenes from a fictional film narrative that you are studying and discuss how the visual composition develops the story, character(s), setting and narrative possibilities.

PROD E;EMENT - ACTING

How the actor portrays the character through the body actions,

posture, delivery of lines, develops the character and creates a

relationship between the character and the audience.

LEARNING ACT P. 153

GENRE

Production and story elements typical of the genre.

What is the genre?

Think of codes and conventions of that genre.

SUMMARYA sound understanding of narrative is a key skill to have in the study of media.

Understanding the concept of audience is a key element in the study of media.

Audiences bring expectations and responses are often dependent upon the

audience's understanding of genre and an understanding of cross textual references.

Story elements are fundamental building blocks in narrative. They engage the

audience, structure the narrative and establish a relationship between characters and

the audience.

Production elements are the technical elements of filmmaking.

Story and production elements combine to affect audience responses and reactions

to media texts, and to create meaning within the text.

ASSESSMENT TASK

Choose a scene from a fictional film narrative that you are studying and write

a commentary analysing at least two of the following production elements:

film format, camera technique, lighting, sound, editing, mise en scene, acting.

Your commentary should examine how the production elements combine

with at least two of the following story elements to engage the audience into

the narrative: narrative progression, narrative possibilities, character

development. Cause and effect, setting, structuring of time, point of view.

EXAM PREP