Narrative Techniques

Technique	Description	Effect	Example from a film
1. Exposition	Films in the back story of the characters and their situations	Let us know the motives of the character, or about his psychology (but if used wrongly it can be bad for the film)	The narration of the beginning of Amelie explaining the back story of everyone.
2. Dangling cause	Information or action that leads to no effect or resolution until much later in the film	It helps us to have an idea on the ending, thus when the ending comes there is a bigger impact.	Shrek 2, fairy godmother tells the king that he helped him in “affairs from the heart” at the end he is a frog.
3. Obstacle	Stands in the way of the characters reaching their goal	It creates tension in the story and makes the story more interesting	Physcho, when the policemen follows the lead actress
4. Deadline	A time limit placed on a protagonist to accomplish a goal	It creates tension on the story and makes the story more interesting. More goals orientated.	Inception, dreams are synchronized in order to make the inception.
5. Dialogue hook	Creates a link between two consecutive scenes	Helps the story flow

Narrative Strucute in Films

Equilibrium à Disruption of Equilibrium à Restore of Equilibrium

 - I, Robot (USA, 2004 directed by Alex Proyas)

à Equilibrium: Year 2025 (Chicago), robots are common in society and they are used as employees and policemen, they make life easier for lots of people, and robots have been in society since some years before. Robots follow the three laws: Defend humans. Do not injure humans. Robot must obey orders from human, except for injuring other humans.

à Disruption of Equilibrium:  Robots start attacking humans to “defend” them as the only way to follow the 3 laws is to completely supreme the humans to avoid them injure themselves.

à Restore of Equilibrium: Deactivation of all robots, after some fights and thinking by the humans.

 - Jaws (USA, 1975 directed by Steven Spielberg)

à Equilibrium: The Island, is a nice and calm beach people go to relax, and a vacation resort

à Disruption of Equilibrium: A shark appears in the calm water and kills a local teenager there, and causes commotion

à  Restore of Equilibrium: Hunting of the shark after some while they kill it and the beach is calm and peaceful again.

 - Ice Age I (USA, 2002, directed by Chris Wedge)

à Equilibrium:  Ice age animals living happily, minding there own business

à Disruption of Equilibrium: Human baby gets lost and ends up with the protagonist animals

à Restore of Equilibrium:  Animals return the baby to its parents

Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock) / Narration

Narration - it refers to how the narrative is presented to the film. It is how the people watching gets information about the movie and its characters (Example: "Amelie").

 - What is the narrative structure based on?
Narrative Logic
Cause and Effect is what guides the narrative


 - What would be the effect is Psycho began with scene 3? Would it be logical? Why not?

Because in that case we would not know why she is steeling the money. It would make the movie terribly confusing.

 - In what ways is scene 3 an effect of scenes 1 and 2? (In what way are they causes?)

Scene number 3 is the effect of scenes 1 and 2 as it goes by steps. Scene 1, Marion needs money. Scene 2, she has the opportunity to have money, and in scene 3 show that she has actually steeled the money.

 - What is the significance of showing the money in the scene immediately after Marion and Sam talk about getting married?

So we can see the cause and effect, in other words so it makes logic of what, why and how it is happening. Cause is to have money, and the effect is the stolen money.

 - Why don’t we see Sam leave the hotel and going to the airport – or Lowery and Cassidy eating lunch?

It is not important in the story, the audience can tell by itself how the characters got their or the actions he or she makes.

 - What other events are we NOT shown? Why?

We can see Sam in scene number 1 but we do not know what is he doing the rest of the scenes, again because it is not important. The main event is Marion and the money. 

SunDance Film Festival

 - Give some details about the festival itself? When does it take place? How many films are in competition? Who are/were the judges? What are the costs of entry? What are the prizes? What kind of films can enter? When was it founded?

n . Takes place in Utah (USA)

n . There are about 60 films in all the years, take less or give more.

n . Sundance festival open a lot of doors for independent directors and actors, it also promotes the            films.

n . Type of films such as: low-budget films, documentary films, feature length films, short films,  .  .   . American-made films, retrospective films. So basically any type of films, as long as they are qualitative.

n . Founded by Sterling Van Wagenen (1978)

n . To enter a film costs $35 to $100

 - What films won or are in contention at the festival in 2010/2011?

Grand Jury Prize: Documentary	Restrepo
Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic	Winter's Bone
World Cinema Jury Prize	The Red Chapel
World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic	Animal Kingdom
Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Honda	Waiting for Superman
Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Honda	Happythankyoumoreplease
World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary	Wasteland
World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic	Undertow
Best of NEXT Presented by Youtube	Homewrecker
U.S. Directing Award: Documentary	Smash His Camera
U.S. Directing Award: Dramatic	3 Backyards
World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary	Space Tourists
World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic	Southern District
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award	Winter's Bone
World Cinema Screenwriting Award	Southern District
U.S. Documentary Editing Award - Joan Rivers	Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

 - What is the role of a film festival? 

nTo promote new independent films and their directors since they are unknown. They bring the people who work on these films together, and grant homage to film culture. It is also a good source of finance for these people.

 - What makes a successful festival?

n . Being original

n . Share your audience

n . Start planning early

n . Gets a lot of public

n . Use budget wisely

n . Celebrate quality

 - Why are festivals still important for the film industry and the media in general?

n . Advertisement for movies

n . Express more ideas

n . Recognition for films

n . Propaganda for various brands

n . They work as theatrical distribution

 - Name some of the well-known films that have won in the festival you chose

n

n . Saw

n . Garden State

n . Super Troopers

n . The Blair Witch Project

n . Better Luck Tomorrow

n . Primer

n . Reservoir Dogs

n . Little Miss Sunshine

n . El Mariachi

n . Moon

n . Clerks

n . Thank you for smoking

n . Sex, lies and videotape

n . The Brothers McMullen

n . Napoleon Dynamite

Film Journal

Film is doing just fine, we have been analyzing a lot of movies and I feel that I'm becoming experienced at this. I definitely know a lot more, and feel someone that can actually make a wise and certain comment about any movie. When I first joined the course I never thought that there would be so much facts and things relating to films, and I find it quite interesting. Till now what I call the "theory" part of Film Studies course is very good and I find it easy to participate, but what the activity, what I call the "practice" part of the course is what I find it more laborious and I think I have to put a lot of effort as I don't have the same experience and knowledge that my fellow partners have in editing programs and computers. But even though I find it like I said, I am curious about learning more of the programs used in films as I know that someday I will be able to do amazing things with my movies or any projects at school.
Another things that I was having problems with and was giving me a certain concern, was my future with this course, I wanted to change for some time to Economics, but it wasn't possible. Even though I don't like so much economics i thought it would be more useful for my future, but one of my teacher told me something that made me calm about my thinking and he said: "universities will find you more interesting when they see you did this type of course at highschool"

Universal's History and Interesting Facts

History

 - Universal Channel was a company of “Yankee Film Company”, this company was the one that created Universal Studios, created in 1912

 - The owner of Yankee Film Company was Carl Laemmle, which was Interested in making another company, he convinced the “Stern brothers” (Abe and Julius) to be there partners.

 - Later other people would buy parts of the company and would be divided by other large companies.

• - Laemmle wasn’t a risky person and only paid for “affordable” movies, and used normal sets, making the studio basic (not what people wanted) with that and other factors the profits weren’t so high to keep growing.

- Later in the Golden Age of Hollywood it passed to be an unpopular studio. Laemmle’s  son Carl Laemmle Jr. was the one that risk the business more producing better movies, and putting Universal back in the best studio lists. 

Universal Old Film's 

• - King of Jazz (First movie in colour)

• -  - All quiet on the Western front (Oscar)

• - Imitation of Life (Oscar)

• - Frankenstien

• - Dracula

• - The invisible man

Universal Modern Film's 

• - Jaws

• - Airport

• - The Sting

• - Back to the Future (I, II, III)

• - Jurassic Park

• - E.T.

• - Scarface

Interesting Facts

• - Creator of Universal City (a city with politics and law, destined to the people that would work in the movies. Actors, actress, electricians, decorators, musicians, etc… The city had its own major and police.

•

• - Carl Laemmle was the model of many famous studios

 … Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox.

Realistic type of Films (Details)

Realistic Film - Tries to show films as real as possible. Just as you were there.
 - Not very worked, this means just as it would be, in real life.
 - Diagetic sound (sound always come from something in the Mise-en-scene).
 - Lighting is used depending on the set of the movie. Normally regular lighting butthey never altered it from as it would be
 - The set of realistic films, are normally real places. Instead of making sets so it looks as real as possible.
 - Camera angles are always height of real people (camera is commonly at shoulder height) as well as moving of the camera always trying to simulate a neck moving.
 - Long shots and very few cuts only for a change of scene or maybe sometimes withing a scene.
 - Use of deep focus, and simulation of the human eye.

•Example of realistic film: Nine lives  
• •

•

Formalist type of Films (Details)

n - It is constantly cutting, and trying to express a feeling.

n - They do not try to look like real life, but mostly to create a feeling.

n - They use artificial materials such as effects, lights, non-diagetic sounds in order to create the feeling the director/film maker wants to create.

n - It tries to be artificial, yet it still tries to use this in its advantage to express something such as a feeling, an emotion, an action or a message.

n - Heavy editing, heavy lights.

n - Non-diagetic sounds used to create the effect wanted from the director.

Matrix - The Pill improvised dialogue

Neo´s choice of pill

Neo meets Morpheus and now he gives him the option to take the blue pill or the red pill. If Neo takes the blue pill he will wake up on his bed without remembering anything, takes the red pill and he will continue discovering about the Matrix and keep his way just as he is.

Neo is in the room with morpheus just to make his choice

MORPHEUS

(Neo enters the room)

 - Finally, come. My name is Morpheus as you probably know.

NEO

(Morpheus guides Neo to his chair)

 - It´s a pleasure to meet you.

MORPHEUS

 - The pleasure is all mine.

(Morpheus closes the door, and walks near Neo)

 - I can feel your confussion but in a few moments all we´ll be clarified  for you. You are now entering a dark cave.

 - Tell me Neo. What do you think of Destiny?

NEO

 - Destiny doesn´t exist, its nonsense.

 MORPHEUS

 - Why do you think so?

NEO

 - I don´t like the idea of someone or something controlling my life.

(There is a deep silence in the room)

 - Tell me. Why am I here? What is this place? Why have I been chosen?

(Neo pauses for a bit)

 - What is this feeling that I have?

MORPHEUS

 - The Matrix, Neo, the Matrix.

 - The Matrix is everywhere it is everything. It is the one that shows us what we really are. The truth
.

NEO

 - What truth?

MORPHEUS

(Takes a time to answer the question)

 - That you are a slave, and that this world is your cage, a cage you cannot feel nor see, nor touch. A jail made for your mind.

 - To know what it is, to know further more you´ll have to experience it and do it by yourself.

 (He takes out a metal box, and opens it, inside there are 2 pills.)

NEO

 - Tell me, how do I do it, I want to know more.

MORPHEUS

 - This is the first and only chance you´ll get.

 Blue pill will take you to your bed without remembering anything and without any knowledge of the Matrix

 Red pill, and I´ll show you the rest of the cave.

(Neo stretches his hand to the pills.)

But choose wisely as there is no turning back.

(Neo says nothing, just stares for a while)

(Neo stretches his hand and takes the red pill.)

 - It´s done.

Barney´s Masterclass

Markham College brought Barney, a very talented film director, he was invited by a teacher (Mr. Keller) which is his friend. Barney showed us two of his best films.

True Colours
The first ¨True Colours¨ about how perception can affect people´s life. In this case a family man that has a little injury in his mouth because of a football that flew to his face but it looks in my opinion like herpes and that´s why his wife suspects. Then his wife see´s him in the supermarket with a broken wine bottle in his hand, and again perception so she goes away in the car with his son. It is a simple and short movie (10 minutes long) but Barney do it in a way that you can feel how the man feels. I like the camera angles that Barney uses and there is a part that he follows him with the camera just when entering the supermarket that I liked it a lot because you can see him from another perspective and you see how is he walking (which is in a hurry) but it looks as if he was mad in his way of moving and also his used and untidy clothes, which it really looks very different as it really is. Perception.

Ultimo Recurso
In the second film we have a woman in the car, and she is assaulted by a guy. He asks her to drive to an unknown place in Peru that we don´t know and he steels all her belongings. She accidentally crashes the car into a pile of trash in a poor place of Lima, she is now hurt as well as her unborn baby. I quite didn´t understood the point of the whole movie but I really liked how Barney filmed the movie. I enjoy how he filmed both of the characters with the camera inside the car! So you can see there expressions and see them so close enough as if you were there. Other thing I found really useful and important is how he took different shots of the woman touching her belly when driving and the expressions she made.

Matrix - The Pill scene

Matrix – The Pill

What extra elements “make” the film?

• Camera angles + focused shots on faces (Morpheu’s glasses)
• Dark, gothic costumes – well designed and costly
• Mysterious setting, abandoned – “putrefying elegant”
• Storm outside – sound – adds mystery and drama etc…
• Boy language and the expressions (Morpheus confident smile and Neo confused face)
• Framing of armchair and its shadows
• Colour – filtered to give impression

Steven Spielberg Jurassic Park

Some questions about the movie...

 - Who made it?

Steven Spielberg

 - When?

It was publicised in 1990

 - Why did she/he make it?

It is to make money. And Steven Spielberg did it to direct other movies.

 - Who is the intended audience?

All type of audiences. As it is a Science Fiction film it could be a little more directed to children.

 - What is our engagement with the film?

Pay for the ticket to see the movie, behave in the cinema.

 - Who financed/produce the film?

Steven Spielberg, Gerald R. Molen and Kathleen Kennedy, but the producer is the company Universal Pictures.

-         Who really called the shots (control the film)?

Steven Spielberg as he is the director.

 - What tradition is it in (genre)?

Science Fiction, Thriller

 -  How much money did it make/ and consequence of this?

$357 million in the U.S. and Canada, more Jurassic Park movies were made, and it was later sold as a franchise business.