Re-cap of Narrative

Re- Cap of Narrative

 Story– tells a sequence of events. It is A, B, C and D, the set of relevant events that holds importance to others. They can be found in everyday life occurrences.

Plot– It describes sets of events as they relate to each other. It is concerned with selecting the events for its telling and the approach to that telling for max effect.

Narrative– It deals with how the events are told. The ordering of events into consumable format. It is their creativity shaping the entire project, making it significant to a specific audience.

• The styling/congruence.

Elements of narrative

• String of events occurring in space and time.
• Connected by the logic of cause and event.
• Psychologically motivated actions.
• Ties together character traits, goals, obstacles.
• It gives congruence.

Narrative forms

• Linear– chronological, most common, simple and organised, avoids flashback and dreams, predictable/archetypical (most original sense of the problem), genre: children, factual, children, classic
• Single strand– 1 set story-line, focuses on 1 person/ hero and their story, no groups/ teams, secondary characters allowed
• Nonlinear– no specific order/ fractured/ altered, intensified/ create a sense of instability, whole truth is unknown, no chronological order/less linear, back and forth in time and or characters POV.
• Multi strand– several story-lines, diff types of people, story focuses on each character’s individuals propose to the moral, goof for sequels, series, documentaries.

Framed Story lines– story within another, tale narrated by hero to other characters, audience might forget the initial story, genre: fantasy, fantastic drama, awareness, children, factual.

Circular- stories that end where they begin, hero returns home, denote np change (some stories), climax is the evolution/ end of adventure, genre: epic, fantasy, mythological

Theorists-

• Aristotle’s- Dramatic Arc- 3 act narrative

 Todorov– equilibrium– all is in order, normal life is carried out:

• Disruption- of ordered state by an event
• Recognition- that the disruption has taken place- conflict
• Restoration- attempt to solve the conflict
• New equilibrium- different from where the story began

 

PROPP– e.g. Harry Potter – Protagonist/ hero

• Antagonist/ villain
• Helper/ friend
• Donor/support
• Dispatcher/directs
• False hero/ traitor
• False villain/ martyr
• Prince (princess)/ award
• Father/ awarding

Vogler-Campbell– Hero’s Journey

1. Ordinary world
2. The call to adventure
3. Refusal of the call
4. Meeting with the mentor
5. Crossing the threshold
6. Tests, allies and enemies
7. Approach
8. Ordeal
9. Road back
10. Resurrection
11. Return with the elixir

Levi-Strauss

Oppositions can be visual or conceptual

• Love/hate
• Good/evil
• Light/ darkness
• Movement/ stillness
• Control/ panic
• Beauty/ ugliness
• Law abiding/ criminal
• Freedom/ imprisonment

Harmon- Story Cycles:

1. Character is in comfort zone
2. But they want something
3. They have to enter unfamiliar situation
4. They adapt to it
5. They get what was wanted
6. Heavy price to pay
7. Return to their familiar situation
8. The character has forever changed

Types of Narrative:

Realist– real life situation, audience relates, avoid boring/ repetitive, creativity limited, story has the most weight, speciality: dramas, audience knows as much as characters, they both learn together.

Anti Realist– set in non-realistic atmosphere, audience is presented with an alternative world, purely entertaining or awareness, heavily in imagination, chroma key, CGB and editing tools, speciality: fantasy, sci-fi, comedy.

Flashback– shows the past time, historical fiction, gives a purpose, shortens between events, explains/makes clear.

Dramatic Irony– audiences knows something that the characters do not, flanked by scenes in which audience learns something, sequenced by scenes in which characters finally learn what the audience has known.

Endings-

Cliffhanger-   to be continued, intends to conceive a new story, last fragmented- high intensify occurrence, increase excitement about final product, intends to get further sponsorship, create interest in the follow up, genre: crime, drama, fantasy.

Open Ended- uncertain whether the hero achieved the goal or not, character has shown evolution, audience decides final fortune, used in two-part stories, genre:action,

Close Ended-  traditional wrap-up, new equilibrium reached, everything has bee figured out, hero reaches goals, conflicts are sorted, genre: crime, fantasy and comedy, for example, Rocky.

Prophetic- leaded open ending, more certain, similar to cliffhanger (emotionally) but showing last scene that doom/fortune occurred during story might happen, genre: thriller, horror, comedy.