Literary Elements of Film

With a partner, generate 5 multiple choice and 1 short essay question based on the notes you have received on the following topics: Narrative and Story Process Narrative and what “Story” means within a film Narrative and Diegesis Narrative and Order Narrative and Hubs/Satellites Narrative and Duration Narrative and Story and Plot Relationships Narrative and Suspense Vs. Surprise Narrative and Frequency Narrative and Characterization, Setting and P.O.V. (Literary elements) Narrative and Scope On the test, be prepared to give definitions and examples! Quiz for Next Week

Film is usually (but not always, such as in experimental film) bound by a narrative or storytelling structure. This is usually developed in steps: 1.Treatment or synopsis – A basic outline of the story that is pitched to a studio, or is the beginning framework of the story (like a summary on the dust jacket of a book). 2.Story conferences – Where a team of writers or the artistic staff of a film develop the basic story into a basic plot outline. 3.Rough draft screenplay or scenario – Where key scenes are written into a draft of a script that will be further developed into an actual working script used for the final version of the film. 4.Storyboarding – Either electronically or through artistic renderings, key scenes are produced as images and arranged into a shooting order for the film. This is used to organize personnel and resources for shooting. 5.Shooting Script – This is the near-to-final script used by actors and directors. Narrative and Film

An example of the film making process (including some steps we will discuss later) With a Partner, discuss how a story is developed into a film (from concept to script to screen). Narrative and Film

Story: 1)All of the narrative events that are explicitly presented on the screen plus, 2)All of the events that are implicit or that we infer to have happened but are not explicitly presented. Example of a storyboard to represent the progression of the story elements: Narrative and Film

With a partner, explain how organizing a story ahead of filming (in this case, with a storyboard), helps the director and actors when it becomes time to film. Narrative and Film

Diegesis: The world in which the film exist. Elements of this are called Diagetic Elements. Non-Diagetic Elements: Are elements in the film that do not exist in the world of the film (Some examples: background music, titles and credits and voiceovers by an omniscient narrator). Partners: Explain with examples or clarifying statements, what makes these two terms different. What is “diagetic” and “non-diagetic”? Narrative and Film

With partner, discuss what about the following clip is diagetic and non- diagetic… Narrative and Film

Order: The arrangement of plot events into a logical sequence or hierarchy. Across an entire narrative or in a brief section of it, any film can use one or more methods to arrange its plot: chronological order, cause-and-effect order, framing devices and so on. Partners: Explain with examples or clarifying statements, what “order” means in a film. Narrative and Film

Selection of films with non-linear order: Rashomon: Directed by Akira Kurosawa Memento: Christopher Nolan Pulp Fiction: Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Quentin Tarantino Citizen Kane: Orson Welles Narrative and Film

Events: Hubs and Satellites: Hubs are major events in the plot and satellites are minor events in the plot. Rule of thumb: You can subtract satellite events and potentially the overall plot will not be impacted. Hubs are critical pieces of plot. Narrative and Film

Hubs and Satellites – Note the content of these two clips from the Ridley Scott film; Gladiator. In the film, the character of Maximus goes from general, to slave/gladiator, to savior of the Roman people. Pay attention to which of these following clips impact this progression so that it is critical to the plot and which one is a less important (satellite), but revealing character complication. kfwcUFQJT20iiPCO3Zn90e7NIF4jSXBUyrbUHcAK8Z_h7_KFJkQDFRam23sQbZZGQUTQg Which one was the “Hub” event and which one was the “Satellite”? Partners: Choose a different film each and describe from each (one at a time) a “hub” event and a “satellite” event. Narrative and Film

Duration: 3 Kinds: 1.Story duration: The amount of time that the implied story takes to occur. 2.Plot duration: The elapsed time of those events within the story that the film explicitly presents (in other words the elapsed time of the plot). 3.Screen duration: the movies running time on screen. Narrative and Film

Difference between Story Duration and Plot Duration: 3 ways to determine difference with how Story and Plot Duration are represented on film: 1.Summary relationship: Screen duration of plot is shorter than story duration. (Achieved through editing) 2.Real time relationship: A direct correspondence of screen duration and story duration. 3.Stretch relationship: Screen duration is longer than story duration. (Achieved through editing) Cinematic Time: Is the experience of events in a film that have been influenced by editing. Narrative and Film

Suspense versus surprise: Suspense: The Anxiety brought on by a partial uncertainty – the end is certain, but the means is uncertain. As part of Dramatic Irony, we may know more than the characters and we want to protect and warn them (think horror films where we know there is a killer behind the door and they do not!) Surprise: A taking unawares, can be shocking and our emotional response to it is generally short-lived. Suspense: Jaws Surprise: Star Wars Narrative and Film

Frequency: The number of times with which a story element recurs in a plot, which might be an important part of narrative form. An event occurring once mightg be part of the narrative structure, but an event repeated several times suggests a pattern and a higher level of importence. Characters. Example: A repeated opera scene in Welles’ film; Citizen Kane gives different meanings to the same event. A repeated crime in Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon gives us four different perspectives on the events that took place. Narrative and Film

With your partner, discuss the importance of frequency (repetition) in the trailer for Groundhog Day: Narrative and Film

Characters: Actors or real people (or stand-ins such as animals or animated figures) that play functional roles within the plot, either acting or being acted upon. Flat Characters: “One dimensional” characters with little backstory and few discernable traits, motivations or actions. Round Characters: “Three dimensional” characters possessing several traits, sometimes even contradictory ones. Round characters are unpredictable, complex and capable of surprising us in a convincing way. Round Character: Jack Nicolson in The Shining: Narrative and Film

Characters (con’t) Major Characters: Most important characters in a film (usually the protagonist or antagonist) Narrative and Film

Minor Characters: supporting characters in a film that play a less important role in the plot. Marginal Characters: Characters that lack definition and are onscreen for a very short period of time.

Setting: Time, space and context where a story takes place. Not just time and location, it is also the characters’ social, educational and cultural backgrounds as well as any other identifying factors such as dress. With a partner, discuss what elements of the film are being communicated by the setting in the cantina scene from Star Wars: A New Hope. Narrative and Film

P.O.V. (Point of View) in film is often 3 rd person omniscient, which means that the “eye” of the camera can be any place at any time and is usually looking at the actions of the characters. What is unique about the omniscient POV? It can offer seemingly unlimited perception It is the detached camera, usually at a distance from the actor. The camera represents: The Physical P.O.V. – The position or angle from which the camera or a particular narrator or character observes an event or a scene. The Mental P.O.V. – The perspective, or slant, taken by a particular narrator or character in a story in seeing and hearing an event or a scene, reflecting on an idea, creating a relationship between two or more things, or remembering events or dreams. Distinct formal elements outside of and beyond the presence of either the camera or the character also help establish the physical and mental P.O.V. These include additional film elements such as editing, music and special effects. Narrative and Film

Only rarely does the camera take a 1 st person perspective, acting as the “eyes” of the character. Subjective or Restricted P.O.V.: Subjective or restricted P.O.V. gives us the perceptual, subjective point of view of the individual character, enabling us (the viewers) to occupy the person’s actual physical position and to see and hear exactly as the person does. Direct : When we see what the character sees and the character is IN THE FRAME. Indirect: The shot or scene as viewed by the character with at least two consecutive shots (In the 1 st shot we see the character looking in the 2 nd shot we see what they are looking at) Narrative and Film

Scope: The overall range, in time and place, of the movie’s story. For example, the story could take place over 1,000 years over the space of different galaxies. There is potentially no limit to the time / space in which the film’s story can take place because film “compresses” time and space (and the perception of experience) For example, Lawrence of Arabia is about one important moment in a man’s life. …While the movie; Ghandi is about the entire lifetime of a character. Narrative and Film