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Film Topics: Story

Film Topics: Story. Mr. Skaar ALHS Film Studies. Introduction. Aristotle defined two types of storytelling: Mimesis (showing) Diegesis (telling) Cinema combines both forms of storytelling making it a very complex medium with a wide range of narrative techniques at its disposal.

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Film Topics: Story

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  1. Film Topics: Story Mr. Skaar ALHS Film Studies

  2. Introduction Aristotle defined two types of storytelling: Mimesis (showing) Diegesis (telling)Cinema combines both forms of storytelling making it a very complex medium with a wide range of narrative techniques at its disposal.

  3. Topics of Discussion • Narratology • The Spectator • The Classical Paradigm • Realistic Narratives • Formalistic Narratives • Nonfictional Narratives • Genre and Myth

  4. Narratology • Narratology is the study of the “forms” that the “message senders” use to communicate with “message receivers.” • Problem: Who is the “message sender?” • Realistic films: Implied author is invisible. • Classical films: Author keeps low profile • Formalistic films: Author overtly manipulative to maximize thematic idea

  5. The Spectator Audience (spectator) reacts to story according to conventions: • Era (old West, medieval, ancient, etc.) • Genre (mystery, love story, etc.) • Film’s Star • Film Title • Early stages of the film establish narrative limits (credits, music, early exposition scenes) • Spectator must sort all of this (clues) out to determine where the story is going.

  6. The Classical Paradigm • Described by Aristotle in his Poetics: • Exposition • Protagonist/Antagonist • Conflict • Rising Action • Climax • Resolution (falling action) • Closure

  7. Realistic Narratives • Supposedly not manipulative, but actually are—subtlety • Slice of life, ordinary people, slow developing • Other characteristics: • Non-intrusive implied author reports objectively—avoids judgments • No stale conventions, stock situations—rather unique, specific • Frank, shocking, brutal (honest) • Anti-sentimental, rejects happy endings • Avoids melodrama, favors understatement • Scientific, rejects romantic notions of Destiny

  8. Formalistic Narratives • Revel in artificiality • Time, characters scrambled • Intruded on by the author • Interrupted by lyrical interludes—pure style

  9. Nonfiction Narratives Documentary • Deal with facts, real people • Reporting the world of events and people • Cinéma Vérité • Not completely objective—subjectivity in selection of facts and details Avant-Garde • Difficult to generalize—variable • Disdain any recognizable subject matter

  10. Genre and Myth Genre • Specific type of film (war, gangster, science fiction, western, musical, etc.) • Follow conventional expectations • Easy to imitate (satirize) Myth • Myths embody the common ideals and aspirations of a civilization—reinterpreted by filmmaker. • Archetype (The Innocent, etc.)

  11. Additional Terms

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