Narrative

Classic Narrative Patterns and Theories

In media terms, narrative is the coherence or organisation given to a series of facts. The human mind needs narrative in order to make sense of things and we connect events and make interpretations based on those connections. In everything we seek a beginning, middle and an end.
Tzvetan Todorov, a Bulgarian theorist, discovered that folk talks and fairy stories all followed a similar structural pattern. This is known as the classic narrative pattern and is directly applicable to films and TV dramas today.  The Classic Narrative Pattern works in five stages:

•  There is a state of equilibrium  (all as it should  be)
• A disruption of that order by an event
• A recognition that the disorders has occurred
• An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption
• A return or restoration of a new equilibrium

Todorov argues that narrative involves a transformation. The characters or the situations are transformed through the process of the disruption.

There are also archetypal characters in every narrative. These are:
1. The Villain - opposes the hero.
2. The Donor - helps the hero by giving him a magical object.
3. The Helper - helps the hero.
4. The Princess - is normally the reward for the hero and needs to be protected from the villain.
5. The Father - recognises the hero and is normally sought after in the narrative.
6. The Dispatcher - sends the hero on his task.
7. The Hero - reacts to the donor and gets the princess.
8. The False Hero - takes credit for hero's actions or tries to marry the princess.

We can apply this theory to the film of Mean Girls (2004)

1   1)      Equilibrium: Cady has just started a new school, she is getting along with her friends, she is settling in, making friends

2    2)      Disruption: When ‘The Plastics’ get involved into Cady’s life the narrative is disrupted because her life becomes miserable and a state of disequilibrium begins.

3    3)      Recognition: Numerous events occur which unsettle the narrative before it is concluded, mainly attempting to bring 'The Plastics' down in the school hierarchy whilst Cady realises that she is being one of mean girls herself.

4    4)      Repair: Cady tries to repair and bring back her old self again by changing her clothes and hairstyle to what she used to wear

5    5)      New Equilibrium: The film narrative ends in a state of equilibrium similar to the beginning of the film therefore completing and confirming Todorov's narrative theory.

You can also apply Propp's theory of archetypal characters to the characters in the narrative of Mean Girls. 
1. The Villain - Regina George/Gretchen Weiners/Karen Smith
2. The Donor - Janis Ian/Damien
3. The Helper - Gretchen Weiners/Karen Smith
4. The Princess - Aaron Samuels
5. The Father - Ms. Norbury
6. The Dispatcher - Janis Ian
7. The Hero - Cady Heron (main character) 
8. The False Hero - Regina George

Trailer for Mean Girls:

 

Little Red Riding Hood- Example

• A Villian: The villain in Red Riding hood would be the wolf as he wants to do bad on the hero 
• Donor:  Meant to prepare the hero for their adventure This doesn’t really feature in most versions of Red Riding Hood
• Helper: Normally helps or saves the hero and solves the problem In Red Riding hood this would be the Lumber jack
• Princess who exists as part of the goal: This character doesn’t really feature in Red Riding hood, however the Grandmother could be considered as this as she needs saving
• Dispatcher: this would be Red Riding Hoods mother as she sends her to give her grandmother gifts
• Hero: This would be Red Riding Hood
• False Hero: There isn’t really a false hero in red riding hood, however ridng hood is considered the main hero even though the lumberjack kills the wolf

The Classic Narrative Pattern of this example is as follows:Equilibrium: 

• Equlibrium: The beginning of this fairy tale is in a state of equilibrium. This features Little Red Riding Hood walking happily through the woods when she is told by her mother to visit her grandmother and she is merely carrying gifts with her
• Disruption: An event then disrupts the equilibrium; this would be the wolf kidnaping her grandmother and disguising him as her.
• Recognition: The main protagonist or hero then realises the equilibrium has been disrupted, this would be when Riding Hood notices that her grandmother is in fact the wolf in disguise.
• Restoration: A protagonist then attempts to restore the equilibrium, usually by defeating the villain, in red riding hood this would be when the lumberjack kills the wolf with his axe
• New Equilibrium: Everything is fixed and the story ends happily. However, the villagers in the wood know they aren’t safe so this sets for a new equilibrium which repeats this. 

Opening Sequence- Twlight

Camera movements

• Establishing shot of the forest- establishes the whole setting which is important to this film and we also focus on the animal-grabbing our attention
• POV (Point Of View)- running after the deer, the camera shots change really quieckly and we gets a sense of pace and action, gripping us right from the start but also inclusing us as we feel as though we are chasing after it. 
• Continuity editing shots smoothly cut one shot to another to create a sense of fluidity which makes the action more realistic. The fast shots also go well with the fantasy genre which creates an exciting feeling.
• Tracking of the deer running along the forest we are able to follow it allong closely but the blurring action in the background highlights the speed at which its going.
• Close-up shots to see the character's facial expressions, escpecially as Kristen Stewart is narrating at the beginning we follow her expression as she narrates.
• Air view shot with the title credits which show us the whole of the setting which is important to the movie. We gain insight of what the place is like which appears extremly cold- effective because it echoes the vampires and one of their many qualities is being cold, sparkling ice creatures.

Mis-En-Scene

• The make-up of the main character is very limited and neutral to create a sense that she is a normal, ordinary girl. This is also important for us to see the contrast from her and Edward Cullen, who is a vampire. 

Setting

• A lot of green scenary and wildness which contemplates well with what the stroy is about and the use of vampires.This can be effective because it goes well with the ramntic and fantasy genre of the twilight series. 

Music

• The music at the title credits is relaxing which creates a warm feeling to the openness of the movie and makes us feel relaxed. This is also good for the type of genre of the movie as they are important qualities.

Task 3- Editing Analysis of clips

Haven - (TV Show) - A conversation over dinner

•       Establishing shot- opens up the scene and introduces us to where the action of the characters is taking place. We then have a master shot so we see the name and the exact place of restaurant, adding more information.

•       We then have a long shot of all the characters and tables which is effective because we are shown all the places to establish the setting before we actually see the main characters.   Then there is a cut of the two characters and this is shown through a long shot so we gain information of what they look like/ what they are wearing.

•       Through the invisible editing we then cut to a close-up shot of her taking out a tag sticker out quickly and then moves back to the full long shot of the table. This can be an example of continuity editing called match on action because the shots are all different but seem to flow like one together.  

•       There is then the use of parallel editing where we see a different location of a man in the kitchen while we are still hearing the man at the table talking to the women. This does make the scene more unique but also ads some suspense as to why we are being shown this.  This is also interesting as we can still see the man when we are shown a mid close up shot of the women. She appears to be slightly on the right which enables our view of the man in the kitchen- this may mean that he is important to the plot.

•    We then get the shot-reverse shot of them having a conversation were as we see the women speaking we see his shoulder and the same happens in reverse. This creates a sense of intimacy as we feel that as an audience we are part of the two character’s conversation and the fluency of the shots reversing makes it more realistic.

•       There is more parallel editing when we are shown from the mid close-up of the table scene, to the kitchen scene and then long shot of restaurant tables again creating more curiosity that the main two characters may actually be involved with the man they keep showing behind the restaurant.

•     The rest of the scene mainly remains in shot-reverse shots as we gain detail of what they are talking about and are able to see their facial expressions and some of body language. The fluidity of this also enhances our interest and does not make it boring to watch. 

Task 3- Editing analysis of clips

Eastenders - Kat - Who is her lover?

•      The beginning of this scene starts off with a close-up shot so that we are introduced to both of the characters. The camera slows moves towards them to connect us more with them and for us to see their expressions better. The shot then changes from this close-up shot to a medium shot of half the bed by the technique of invisible editing so that we get a sense of fluidity.   As the character t gets up, the camera pans from him sitting on the bed to him standing up and moving along his bedroom. This is effective because we are able to follow the action closely.  This is similarly used when the women gets out of the bed- the camera pans upwards this time and follows her as she goes to check up on the baby, again keeping viewers close to the action. The shot used is a medium close-up so we are able to see the women’s facial expressions and we get a sense that she appears fed up and annoyed, making us curious as to why that might be.

•      We are then shown a different location and the shot first introduced to us is the close-up shot of the flowers so that we can see the action of the character ripping out the petals showing her anger. Her anger is further showed when the camera pans up to a mid close-up of her talking on the phone and we see her facial expressions as being anguished.

•      The camera on the next location tracks behind some objects which obscures our view from seeing the character in detail and adding more curiosity. The track is fairly slow at a speed which can exemplify that that’s the way the character is feeling: moody and depressed. The shot is then focused on his phone which appears to be a mid shot, so we get the impression that he may want to receive a phone call from someone, drawing us in as we want to find out who that person may be. The scene ends with a shot from his hand to a close-up of his annoyed face and by using continuity editing this makes it effective because it makes it realistic from the fluid editing. This can also be a match-on action because the two clips between his phone and his face may be shot a year apart but because of the invisible editing, it connects them.

•       We are then shown a long shot of where the next scene is taking place which appears like a hallway and we are introduced to the next character. This shot is also filmed from a long angle and this normally makes the character higher status but in this case it could be a way of must making the scene more visually interesting because we then track closer to his face.  We end up with a mid close up shot which shows his facial expressions and we are able to interpret his feelings/thoughts.

•      This shot begins with a low angle shot of a women’s feet which is effective because we focus on what the character is focusing on to and get a sense of being part of the film- again making the programme feel like reality. We then finish with an establishing shot so that we can get a sense of where exactly we are, drawing importance to the setting.

Continuity Editing

Continuity editing

Continuity editing is also referred to as invisible editing, is a technique of cutting used to maintain clear and continuous action by following a set of rules. This is all done in the post-production stage.  I think this is very effective because it creates a sense of fluidity when the viewers are watching a film/ programme and so they barely notice the edits.  One reason that this is used is to try and make the film as real as possible and so the audience can be drawn into a world which is realistic and not obvious that they are watching a film.  
What is also effective and unique about this type of editing is that it allows the audience to see a wide shot cut to a close-up shot; something our eyes cannot do in real life. Without continuity editing, the film may not be as fluent to watch but this type of editing allows the viewers to fully immerse and follow the story.  

This is an example of continuity editing from an episode of Eastenders because a lot of the shots can be from a close-up shot to a long-shot etc and change really quieckly without actually noticing the editing techniques. This is used as a way of retaining our concentration and making us merge in with the characters and the way they are feeling/reacting. It allows us to feel like it is reality and not like we are actually watching a programme, making us want to watch more and more.

Match on action 

This is also an editing technique for continuity editing where one shot cuts onto the other portraying the same action as in the first shot.  This creates the impression of a sense of continuity and fluidity which draws the viewer’s attention away from slight cutting or continual issues. All this says to the audience is that when one shot ends another will pick up where the other left off making the reality of the film fluid and continuous.

The clip above from Victor Flemings The Wizard of Oz (1939) shows an example of this match on action. Miss Gulch is seen riding her bicycle, moving to the right, for the majority of the short clip., then at the cut we see her riding her bicycle coming in the direction towards the viewer. The speed at which she is riding does not change, which adds to the continuity and flow of the one shot to the next. These shots may have been recorded at different times but the match on action technique makes them flow and connects them more. We know that while the camera cut to a different angle of view the entirety of the clip shown is meant to be taken as a single action (riding the bicycle) happening at the same point in time.

Establishing Shot

This type of shot may be basic but is actually most commonly used. It is a way of establishing a scene so that the audience are aware of where the action is taking place.

The above clip comes from Shashunk, where is shows an overview of the prison. We as an audience are able to see where this is set and as we focus more into the shot we can see the prison, which the main building where the majority of the film is set so we need to be familiarized with it, demonstrating the importance of this setting.

POV- Point of View Shot

This shot tries to place the camera as a character, making the audience have physical mass inside of the film reality and creating tension because we feel most of the time we are spying on a character.  
For example, at the end of the clip from Halloween we get a POV where we feel that we are entering the house ourselves.  The eerie music and hearing the sound of the footsteps adds to the tension and we except some violence to happen as this is a thriller movie.

Often this effect is employed to help the audience empathize with the main character, or to restrict their view strictly to that of the characters.

Eye-line Match

This is where we see the character looking at something but we as an audience do not know what this is, adding tension because we are eager to find out what it is that we’re missing out. Then the camera shows a shot of what the character was looking at, matching their eye-line.
The clip below shows a good example of an eyeline match where we see the character looking at something which she appears to be extremely shocked but the audience have not seen it yet. 

Shot-reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is a continuity editing technique used mainly in conversations of characters. This shot shows what the character is supposedly looking at (either at a POV or filming from their shoulder) and is followed by a reverse shot of the character themselves looking at the person talking to them. Shot reverse shot often ties in with the 180 degrees rule to retain continuity by not distorting the audience’s sense of location of the character’s in the shots.

An example is the clip below where we see a shot reverse shot of one of the characters talking to another person filmed from the shoulder of each character. 

Parallel Editing

Parallel editing is a technique of alternating two or more scenes that often occur simultaneously but in different locations. This is effective because it creates suspense and is just more visually entertaining and interest to watch than if they were shown in order of what happens. It also gets the sense that it is a high budget film where thought is being put into the editing process and in return has a great effect of being visually interesting.
The following is a popular and famous example of parallel editing from The Silence in the Lambs. Many different scenes are shown one after the other to create the climax and draw the viewers in because they see action from different locations and gain more information about what is happening.