Film and Literature

1. Film and Literature Mr. Mahoney Westford Academy

2. Narrative Film and Literature Narrative (n): A story with a beginning, a middle, and an end (though—to paraphrase Godard—not in that exact order). Narrative Film: A film whose structure follows a story line of some sort. The mainstream of film history from the medium’s birth through the present has been narrative.

3. Narrative Fiction and Film • “The complex relationship between film and literature may constitute, in itself, one of the more dramatic narratives of the twentieth century. Some will argue that the narrative film has become the dominant storytelling medium of our time; others, that the literary novel remains the singular intellectually defensible narrative form; still others, that film’s appropriation of literary stories is itself an indefensible act. Many of these discussions ignore the historical and theoretical dimensions of the two strikingly similar, yet inherently distinctive media; meanwhile, adaptations proliferate at a remarkable pace, calling into question the importance of both media to our cultural period and prompting us to reconsider fidelity as a primary criterion for analysis.” Dr. J Paul Johnson – Winona State University

4. Essential Questions • What are the differences between narratives in film and narratives in literature? What are the differences between novels and films? • What are the similarities?

5. Essential Questions • What types of relationships do we have with moving images? • What specific techniques contribute to the power of images to tell stories, recount histories, confront issues, and provide pleasure? • How does a social, technological, or historical context offer opportunities but also impose constraints? • What lessons learned in the early days of cinema, continue to inform the most cutting edge work of today? • Why is storytelling such an integral part of almost all moviegoing experience, and what underlying narrative principles are at work? • Why study film? What is the goal of such study?

6. Why study film? • The answer given most often is that film, like contemporary literature, represents the most artistically resourceful use of a given language, in this case, an audiovisual language. Great films are the modern vernacular equivalent of the ancient classics, embodiments of the human capacity to imagine and create in a commonly understood language. Great art represents the highest use of the creative spirit and provides a uniquely aesthetic experience. What others have attained in poetry, prose fiction, music, theatre, ballet, and opera, filmmakers now attain with the tools and techniques of cinema. (Nichols 5) • By learning more about the artistic aspects of how a film gets made, we come to appreciate the complex choices and subtle differences that separate the exceptional from the pedestrian. (Nichols 5)

7. Why study film? • What truly stands out as fascinating about movies is that they animate a series of still images. They appear to restore life itself to mere images taken from life. The fascination of moving images is something we may now take for granted, but it remains at the heart of the moves’ power to enchant. • In making a film…Choices are made, images presented, scenes and situations developed to take us in unexpected directions. • Movies are fun and contribute to a sense of belonging. • Movies also deliver a powerful emotional impact distinct from the impact of other media…The power of graphic, visual depictions to affect behavior, stimulate the imagination, set a cultural standard, or undermine existing values can prove a danger as well as a virtue.

8. Why study film? • Relying on the power of moving images and recorded sound, the cinema creates a vivid sense of what it feels like to be someone else…Films convey what it feels like to enter a particular world in a compelling, immersive way…Cinematic engagement is not just intellectual or observational. It unmistakably involves sensation, feeling and emotion as well. • Films give us entry into worlds we would not otherwise be able to enter, even those of fantasy and science fiction, and in a vivid and emotionally absorbing manner that is unique to cinema. (Nichols 5-10)

9. Metaphor and Allegory of Film • Cinema shares a tendency toward metaphor with novels and plays. It tells stories that imply things about the world around us. Like parables, films often seem to say one thing but simultaneously hint at something else unsaid or unstated. • When a film conveys what it feels like to live in a particular kind of world, it is offering a vicarious experience that may be analogous to various aspects of everyday life. • Because of indirect metaphorical qualities, the cinema prompts reflection. Films get us thinking about their thematic concerns, about what kind of comment they are making about the world we already know.

10. How do cinematic worlds come into being? • Broadly speaking, a film relies on two primary resources for its shape: a formal context and a social context. • Formal Context involves: - Technology such as lighting, special effects, characteristics of digital cameras, and so on. - Expressive techniques such as editing and sound design. - Genre conventions (melodrama, thriller, horror, gangster, western) - Actors and their strengths and weaknesses - The principles of narrative structure

11. How do cinematic worlds come into being? • The Social Context involves: - Social and historical problems, conflicts, issues, and contradictions that provide a story’s thematic focus. Note: This level of film is often referred to its ,as opposed to its form, but the form itself has considerable bearing on how viewers experience and understand the content of a film. The social context turns our attention beyond aesthestics and film technique to issues that are not specific to the film medium but, instead, characteristic of the times and culture in which a film appears. The exploration of how to address topics (themes) in film proves an inexhaustible source of fascination.

12. The Formal and Social Context of Films • Viewers may find that the imaginative use of lighting options, color, or special effects allow a thematic issue to take on a greater complexity. (Nichols)

13. The Filmmaker’s Perspective on the Constructed Cinematic World • Film worlds seem autonomous and complete. It is important to remember, though, that theses worlds are part of the creative process and they are seen or represented from the distinct view of their creator. • Everything that happens—everything the characters do and the audience sees– follows from the decisions of the filmmaker. • Viewers need not accept the filmmaker’s perspective but they cannot escape it either.

14. The Viewer’s Challenge to Respond and Interpret: Formal Social Analysis • Reflecting on the experience of watching a film affords an opportunity to contextualize the experience, to find comparisons and similarities with other experiences, to evaluate it’s worth, to explore implications, question assumptions, and to support or challenge other views of the same experience. • There are so many formal and social questions that arise from viewing films. Although they take many forms in relation to the vast array of films, and film worlds, that exist, the core questions boil down to two.

15. Core Questions Formally: • In what ways does a film alter, subvert, or transform existing conventions innovatively? Alternatively, if a film recycles conventions, are they used effectively to engage the audience? Socially: • In what ways does a film present a perspective on the historical world that is fresh and unexpected? Does it lead viewers to see social aspects of reality in a new way or does it reinforce pre-existing points of view? Does the film support the status quo or call for change and how does it do so? Does it resolve the social conflict it raises in thought-provoking ways or mechanically? (Nichols)

16. The Evolution of Film Narrative • During the 1890s, near the end of the decade, exhibitors often created multi-shot narratives that focused on such subjects as a fire rescue or the Spanish-American War. The showmen developed these stories by purchasing various one shot films from production companies, then putting them in an order and delivering a narration, often combined with sound effects and language slides…By the turn of the century, however producers were beginning to assume this editorial responsibility by making multi-shot films of their own. In the process, film makers assumed greater control over the narrative, allowing for greater specificity in the story line. In many respects, therefore, producers began to resemble modern day film-makers. • *The Evolution of Narrative: GoergeMeiliesfrom A History of Film Narrative by David A Cook.