storytelling in cinema

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A User's Guide to the Narrative Analysis Assignment MCS 273

This document defines and clarifies terms and concepts that you will need to understand as you plan and progress through the assignment. Please review it carefully before you begin writing.

· You are required to use the Narrative Analysis Assignment Template to record your responses, which must be placed underneath each of the template’s prompts.  If you don’t adhere to this requirement and decide instead to submit your work in the form of an essay, four (4) points will be deducted from your assignment score. 

 

· Be as specific as possible in your responses, and refrain from making assertions for which you don’t offer support. 

 

· Refer to the assignment’s User’s Guide for detailed information on all of the prompts.

FIRST IMAGE

Corresponding material in the lessons:

· Module 1, Three-Act Structure Overview

· Module 1, Section 1.1, including analysis of the first images of Speed.

· Module 3, Section 3.1, including the analysis of the first scene of Rebel Without a Cause.

In the readings:

• Linda Seger, Making a Good Script Great, Chapter 2

For the purposes of this assignment, the term “first image” means the first scene of the film. In Speed, for example, this would include the credit sequence and Howard Payne’s murder of the security guard.

Images themselves comprise a number of factors, as we will learn in Module 3. These include color, shadows and lighting conditions, costume, make-up, props, acting style, setting, the arrangement of characters and objects in the frame, and the movement of these characters or objects.

Explain how the first images introduce us to a specific theme of the film.

The term “theme” means what the film is about—its main subject. A film can have multiple themes, and different viewers might have different ways of describing the same theme.

One of the themes of The Road Warrior would be the social consequences of exploiting of natural resources (here, oil). A broader theme might be described as the quest for human survival in a hostile environment.

Explain how the first images suggest or convey a specific mood of the film.

“Mood” refers to the feelings or emotions that the film seeks to evoke in the viewer. In Hollywood cinema, it is most often the case that this mood is set in the very first scene of the film, to prepare us for the unfolding of the plot that we are about to witness. The mood established in the opening of Speed might be described as ominous and dangerous because we vicariously experience the disturbing feeling of gliding down an elevator shaft. The scene is dimly lit. The cold color of blue dominates these images. There is a strong emphasis upon perpendicular lines. The music is suspenseful. We see the word “Caution” in a sign above the doorway. And, of course, the scene concludes with a brutal murder.

Explain how the first images establish the setting of the film.

Of the three main terms in this section of the assignment, “Setting” is the easiest to define and determine. Setting refers to where the action of the film takes place. The opening images of a film may not give us access to every setting that will be explored, but it usually gives us a sense of at least one major setting. In Speed, the setting is an elevator shaft of a high-rise building, which also happens to be the same elevator shaft where a group of passengers will find themselves trapped minutes later in the film. The opening scene of The Road Warrior gives us a more panoramic sense of setting, offering us a series of locations where an apocalyptic battle has played out, and as the sequence concludes we find ourselves in the vast, barren desert land where the action will take place.

CATALYST AND CENTRAL QUESTION

Corresponding material in the lessons:

· Module 1, Three-Act Structure Overview

· Module 1, Section 1.2 In the readings:

• Linda Seger, Making a Good Script Great, Chapter 2

Identify the catalyst of the film, and explain the reasons why your selection qualifies as the catalyst.

Identify the central question of the film as it is first presented to us. At what point in the film are we able to identify this central question?

First, a very important point: in this section you are asked not only to identify the catalyst, but also to explain why it functions as the catalyst. Don’t forget the explanation!

Seger explains that the catalyst “begins a story’s action.” In the overview handout we learn that the catalyst is what “sets the plot in motion, and which spurs the main character to act.” We learn that there are different types of catalysts (an event, a piece of information, or a developing situation). When you look for the catalyst, it is important to remember that since it “begins a story’s action,” it has to occur fairly early in the plot. It may or may not occur in the first scene, but it always occurs long before the end of the first act.

It is also important to remember that in a film that follows three-act structure, there can only be one catalyst.

It is useful to think of the concepts of “catalyst” and “central question” in relation to one another. As Seger describes it, the “central question” comes to us in response to a problem that the narrative introduces, or a “situation that needs to be resolved.” Our expectation is that by the end of the film, this central question will be answered.

The problem or situation associated with this central question is most often brought to us by means of the catalyst. This means that for our purposes, the catalyst must always precede our initial formulation of the central question.

Another important point to keep in mind is that the catalyst “spurs the main character to act.” If this is the case, by the time that a catalyst occurs, we also expect to be introduced to the main character (or protagonist) who will act in relation or in response to it.

Remember also that our formulation of the central question is likely to change (or at least become more specific) as the narrative progresses. In Speed, at one point we may be structuring the central question as “Can Jack and his partner free the passengers from the trapped elevator?”, but once this happens and other problems ensue, a broader central question emerges: “Will Jack be able to stop Howard Payne’s reign of terror?”

FIRST TURNING POINT

Corresponding material in the lessons:

· Module 1, Three-Act Structure Overview

· Module 1, Section 1.3

In the readings:

• Linda Seger, Making a Good Script Great, Chapter 2

Identify the first turning point of the film as specifically as possible, and explain why your selection actually qualifies as the first turning point. The Three-Act Structure Overview sheet in Module 1 lists nine possible characteristics of the first turning point. In your justification, address as many of these nine characteristics as are relevant to your film.

There are two matters to keep in mind at the start: 1) when the first turning point occurs, and 2) what the first turning point is actually meant to accomplish.

The first turning point marks the transition from Act 1 to Act 2, so this means that it always occurs at the end of the first act. In Making a Good Script Great, Linda Seger explains that “generally, the first turning point happens about a half-hour into the film “ (p. 24). This means that Act 1 is approximately 30 minutes. If you are tempted to identify the turning point as an action that occurs 15 minutes into the film--or 60 minutes into the film-reconsider your decision!

The first turning point usually takes the form of a specific action or scene that prompts a number of changes and developments in the narrative. Your Three-Act Structure Overview guide lists nine functions of the first turning point, so as you go about the process of determining when it occurs and what it is, justify your selection of the turning point by referencing and addressing as many as possible of these nine functions as possible. As articulated in the assignment rubric, you need to address at least five of these functions in order to be eligible to receive full credit for your response in this section.

I suggest that you carefully review the section of Module 1 lesson on Speed to get a sense of a clearly defined first turning point and how to identify it.

PROTAGONISTS, ANTAGONISTS, AND BACKSTORY

Corresponding material in the lessons:

· Module 1, Three-Act Structure Overview

· Module 1, Section 1.4 In the readings:

• Linda Seger, Making a Good Script Great, Chapter 2

Identify the central protagonists of the film according to what we learn about the characters during the first act, and explain why they are the protagonists.

The protagonist is the main character of a narrative—a character with goals. The protagonist is also the character with whom the viewer is meant to identify, or at least empathize. The protagonist is the character whom we expect to follow most closely throughout the narrative. While a film usually features only one protagonist, in some cases there may be two.

Identify the central antagonists of the film according to what we learn about the characters during the first act, and explain why they are the antagonists.

The antagonist is best described as the character or force that opposes the protagonist, who serves as the obstacle to the protagonist’s goals. Antagonists usually have goals of their own, and most often we don't want to see these goals achieved. While a film usually features only one antagonist, in some cases there may be two.

There are two additional points to keep in mind. First, sometimes we are introduced to a character in the first act and are initially led to suspect that this character is on the “same side” as the protagonist, only to learn later on (usually, by the end of Act 2 of the start of Act 3), that this character opposes the protagonist. Second, students ask whether a protagonist can also function as an antagonist, and the answer is yes. We can sometimes be our own “worst enemy.”

Identify one element of backstory that influences the characterization of either a protagonist or an antagonist in the film.

“Backstory” refers to events or developments that are shown, told, or suggested to us as viewers, but that occurred at a point before the plot of our narrative begins, and that are relevant to our interpretation or understanding of a character. In The Road Warrior, for example, the murder of Max’s wife is presented to us in the opening flashback sequence, but we understand that this event happened some time before the time of the current action. We also come to understand how deeply this murder has deeply affected the protagonist, and how it influences his present course of action. in Rebel Without a Cause, Plato’s killing of the puppies functions as an element of backstory—it occurred before the plot began, and it gives us an insight into his character.

On the other hand, while it is clear in Speed that the friendship between Jack and his partner started sometime before the film’s plot began, this friendship doesn’t clearly refer to something specific that happened in the past; accordingly, the friendship itself would not be considered an element of backstory. No matter how or when it was established, the friendship is there for us to observe in the present, now, as we experience the film narrative.

RANGE OF NARRATION

Corresponding material in the lessons:

· Module 2, Section 2.7 In the readings:

· Bordwell/Thompson, Film/Art, Chapter 3

Explain to what extent the narration in this first act is restricted or unrestricted to a specific character or group of characters in the film.

Here, it’s important to fully understand the difference between restricted and unrestricted (omniscient) narration.

In cases of restricted narration, the viewer knows, sees, and hears only what a specific character in the film also knows, sees, and hears. As viewers, we have access only to those scenes in which this character is also present. One might say that we follow this character through the plot.

In cases of unrestricted narration, we are not confined to the experiences of a single character; instead, we move freely among several settings where different people are present and different actions are taking place. Unrestricted narration permits us to perceive connections among characters rather than aligning us to only one character.

Be aware of the distinction between the terms “restricted” and “subjective.” Subjective narration is a form of restricted narration where we are not only given access to a scene where a character is present, but where we also experience this scene directly from that character’s perspective, literally seeing through that character’s eyes. Accordingly, subjective narration is always restricted, but restricted narration is not always subjective.

Two other important points: Hollywood cinema frequently uses restricted narration, but it rarely offers us a case in which the narration is entirely restricted from the beginning to the end of a film. More often, restricted narration is sustained across a number of successive scenes in the film, then momentarily disrupted, and then perhaps reinstated. In other cases, the opening scene or sequence of a film will offer us broad access to several settings including different characters; after this scene, however, we may be restricted by the activities of one specific character. The Road Warrior provides a good example of this. The film starts with a series of scenes that give us a panoramic overview of war. Some of these scenes include Max, and others do not. As we move to the present-day action, however, Max is almost always there in the scene with us.

As Lesson 1 illustrates, Speed provides an example in which the narration is restricted to one character (Jack) for most of the film. At certain points, we are given access to scenes where Howard is present but Jack is not, but these are brief and intermittent. There are also some crucial scenes in which neither Jack nor Howard is present (most dramatically, the scene in which Jack’s partner and his team are killed by the explosive devices in Howard’s residence).

This being said, rather than thinking about and describing the narration of a first act as entirely restricted or unrestricted, think about narrative range in terms of patterns that emerge. Is narration entirely unrestricted? Is it mostly restricted to a specific character?

What are the exceptions? Why did the filmmaker organize the narration in this way?