Chapter 6: Narrative – Flashcards

Narration is the act of telling a story, the narrator is the person or thing that tells the story, and the narrative is the story being told. The narrator gives the narration which tells the narrative.

The primary in any is the camera, though that can be interpreted as the filmmaker using the camera to convey the narrative. Either works.

First person narration is told from one character's perspective who typically imparts information in the form of voice-over, meaning that his or her voice is above the images on the screen without us seeing him or her speak those words.

Funny games, Ferris Buller's Day Off, direct address is when a character directly addresses the audience, breaking the fourth wall, either for comedic or unsettling effects.

Third person narration can take the form of omniscient, where it knows all and can give us any character's thoughts, hopes dreams, etc., or restricted, where it focuses on one particular character.

Every story depends on a character pursuing a goal.

Round characters have complex personality traits that can be even contradictory, but must develop through the story, we associate with them more because they remind ourselves of ourselves, while flat characters do not develop as a story progresses and retain only those traits that they started out with.

The primary character who pursues a goal in a movie is known as the protagonist, but he or she may not necessarily have to be a hero. Antiheroes are characters who pursue less than flattering goals.

Narrative strives for imperfections which turn into obstacles, things for the main character to overcome and develop through.

The narrative is driven by the protagonist's motivation. If the audience cannot relate to the character's motivation, the movie's verisimilitude is compromised and the movie falls flat.

The basic structure, like pregnancy, is divided into three stages. The first section establishes the normal world, that is, the place where the story takes place, and goes until the catalyst, or inciting action, the thing that provokes the protagonist to go on a quest.

As the protagonist gets closer and closer to his or her goal, obstacles begin to get in the way of her progress, which raises the stakes, the risks associated with pursuing the goal. This rising action leads to a crisis, where the character must make a decision or take a risk that will determine whether or not he or she gets the goal. The point where the character either takes or refuses this action is known as the climax.

Coming down from the climax, the narrative comes into what's known as falling action, as the story is resolves towards the end. The end is known as the resolutoin, and despite its name, it may not resolve the movie, depending on the genre and possibility of sequels.

A screenwriter is someone who writes their own screenplay which is then selected and produced in the hopes of profiting off of it.

Story is all of the elements of the narrative that are involved in the movie but arenot shown on screen, plus the elements that are shown on screen. Plot is all of the elements of narrative that are shown on screen.

A backstory is a fictional history behind a situation expanded on in a movie.

The order of plot points in a movie helps bring certain points of information to the surface, when told in chronological order, movies make the most sense, but directors often choose to put their movies in their own orders, to emphasize some events more than others.

The main plot points, consisting of the points that force characters to choose between alternative paths, are events that are crucial to the plot, while secondary plot points add texture and complexity to the story but do not necessarily make or break the movie's plot.

A movie's duration is the amount of time it takes up, story duration is the amount of time the complete narrative was set in, the plot duration is the amount of time that the the plot took out of the complete narrative, and the screen duration is the amount of screentime dedicated the movie.

A summary relationship is when a movie takes a shorter amout of time than the plot duration to run through.

In real time, plot duration and screen duration are equivalent.

In a stretch relationship, plot duration is shorter than the screen duration.

Suspense is a drawn out, more enjoyable experience brought about by a partial uncertainty, the end is certain, but the means is uncertain. Surprise is a one-time being taken unawares that is generally less effective than suspense.

The repetition, or number of times an element of narrative (Be it visual or auditory) is used in a story to suggest a pattern, to hit home a metaphor or both.

A familiar image is used in movies as an evocative touchstone, so to speak, that helps stabilize the narrative and bring viewers back to the plot if and when the story goes off track or takes a turn for the worse.

The setting of a movie is the time, place, and social attitudes that exist in the time period in which the movie is set. Different setting have different have different connotations about pretty much everything.

Scope is the overall range, in time and place, of the movie's story.