Narrative: The pervasiveness of story
Everything is story; and story is everything.
Narrative can be defined as anything that relates to the retelling of a story or events.
Causality can be described as the dynamic relationship of cause and effect.
3 key elements of storytelling:
1. Character Development
2. Plot
3. Resolution
Character Development takes time, and it is rare that the character will appear and the audience will know who the character is.
To develop the character, you must place the character in different situations in which the character must respond based on their character profile.
This allows characters to transform from a blank canvas, into a colourful character profile – this is thanks to causality.
The plot is the skeleton of the story, usually set up in simple statements.
Resolution does not have to have the element of finality; the ending of the film is the natural resolution of the plot.
Resolution is achieved not only through plot, but also through character development and character actions within situations.
The stuff of story is alive but intangible – Robert McKee
Aristotle’s poetics was the first known attempt at literary criticism. Aristotle tried to break down the two forms of Greek literature (Comedy and Tragedy) into their most basic forms.
Mapping Stories
SHREK:
- Shrek begins as quite a sombre character.
- Emotional downer when Shrek is forced to go on the quest.
- He befriends Donkey – who turns out to be Eddie Murphy in a costume.
- He meets Fiona, which is a plus, because she turns out to be a cute ogre lady.
- Eavesdropping on Fiona causes Shrek to be upset about being an ogre.
- Shrek brings Fiona back to the Lord.
- Shrek is upset so he goes back to his swamp, but he’s not happy.
- Nice montages of both Fiona and Shrek’s time together.
- Shrek interrupts the wedding and kisses Fiona.
- Fiona turns into an ogre forever = Happy Shrek.
- They end up being happy with Eddie Murphy and a dragon.
Patterns of representation are used to establish tones within a film; the repetition of these patterns help form and identify genres.
These patterns of representations help directors create adaptations and interpretations of specific film ideas and genres.
Non-Narrative?
Is there such a thing as non-narrative?
Most things, if not all things, can embody some sort of story. The narrative may not be explicit, but abstract or avant-garde. We must use our skills in recognising narrative to pick-up the story within a text.
Narrative:
- There was a sequence of ‘Birth’, ‘Between’ and ‘Rebirth’.
- Pattern of weird movements, slow motion and reverse movements.
- Birth and Rebirth had the same music.
- Camera techniques are used to form patterns (Panning)
- All the sequences had a resolution
Non-narrative:
- Lack of cohesion, not explicitly shown or said.
- There is no point of conflict; no emotional development.
- Lack of explanation.