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Story Elements

Story Elements. Difference Between Plot and Story. Story: is all events of the narrative: those shown and those inferred but not necessarily shown. Plot: comprises only the events shown in the film. Narrative Structures.

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Story Elements

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  1. Story Elements

  2. Difference Between Plot and Story Story: is all events of the narrative: those shown and those inferred but not necessarily shown. Plot: comprises only the events shown in the film.

  3. Narrative Structures • Linear Structure: runs chronologically (events occur in the order in which the characters experience them) • Circular Narrative: where the action begins and ends at the same point. • Flashbacks: narrative begins at the climax and then backtracks to develop the plot that leads to the climax. • Non-Linear Structure: structured seemingly random, but as scenes unfold, the audience pieces together events.

  4. Openings • “A film does not start, it begins” Bordwell and Thompson, 2004. • Establish some or all of the following: time, place, setting, mood, character, style, genre. • Openings include titles sequences, sound cues, establishment shots, voice overs. • Openings need to engage the audience, to hook them in and invite them on the narrative journey.

  5. Narrative Possibilities • At the conclusion of an opening, a range of narrative possibilities have been established. • The film maker wants the audience to be asking questions: Why are we in this location? How are these characters? What is that sound? Why am I feeling anxious? How will the narrative develop? • The different directions in which a narrative may develop as a result of the genre, style, mood, location, events, characters and narrative trigger established by the opening.

  6. Themes • Are conveyed through both story and production elements

  7. Character • There are three aspects to the study of character: establishment, development, motivation. • Audiences bring experience and expectation to their reading of characters, and it’s the directors role to reward this.

  8. Establishment of Character • Through the use of story elements, production elements and audience elements, characters come to life. • How does the audience first encounter a character? Does the camera linger? • If the camera lingers it is likely the character is significant. • Directors often use stock characters (good guy, loner, geek) so the audience has prior knowledge of similar characters. • The actor/actress chosen to star in a rolecontributes to part of a characters persona. (ieCateBlanchett, Jim Carey)

  9. Character Motivation • Character development is usually based on motivation combined with plotlines. • Production elements will be used to highlight aspects of motivations.

  10. Setting • The general location of the action. • It is an aspect of miseenscene and may be natural or constructed. • Settings usually reinforce the action, that is, they are designed to complement and strengthen that which the audience sees and hears.

  11. Structuring of Time • Few films occur in real time. While the duration of the story maybe days, weeks or years, the plot will only be hours. • Shot duration, reveals much about the importance of people, places and events. (Eg. Camera lingering on a character).

  12. Structuring of Time Cont. • Structuring of narrative time is made up of a combination of three elements: • Temporal Order: the order in which the story is screened, which may include chronological order, flashbacks and/or flash forwards. • Temporal Duration: the manipulation of time, from real time to reel time; that is foreshortening or expansion of time through editing duration of events on screen. • Temporal Frequency: the number of times an event or part of an event is shown to the audience.

  13. Temporal Duration • Usually involves foreshortening of the storyline to fit the length of a narrative. • Days, Months, Years are edited into a 2 hour time frame. • Foreshortening of time is created through editing codes & conventions that are elliptical editing. (eg. Character gets in a car- cut to next scene where they have arrived).

  14. Cause and Effect • Cause and Effect constructs a narrative progression, from the initial event that triggers a narrative, through a series of subsequent events. That develop the plot into a resolution. • Simplest type of cause and effect is that on which the plot depends on. They are responsible for the narrative progression. • Each individual character has cause and effects.

  15. Point of View • The term has two meanings: Story Element: refers to the point of view from which the narrative is presented. Production Element: refers to a shot that is taken from a character’s point of view. It is abbreviated to POV. In most narratives, one character’s point of view is privileged over others. More is revealed about this character than others through story and production elements such as narration, flashback, POV shots.

  16. Point of View Contd. • Characters will usually have more onscreen time and will undertake more personal activities. • The audience is positioned to treat the main character subjectively; other characters are constructed objectively. • Point of View maybe omniscient; that is the director gives the audience more knowledge than that of characters.

  17. Climax • The climax signals the beginning of the narrative closure. • It uses story elements- multiple storylines, character and plot development and combine this with production elements to create what the director hopes will be a moment of complete emotional engagement.

  18. Closure & Denouement • As important as the beginning of a narrative. • Audiences need time to settle after the climax, to reflect upon the links between narrative possibilities, the progression of the narrative and the audience. • Denouement- French term which means ‘untying. It unties the audience from a narrative, providing them space for them to disengage with the narrative journey. It provides narrative closure.

  19. Relationship between Opening and Closing Sequence • Often a relationship between visual and sound elements used in the opening of a text and those used in a closure. • Ideas, themes and issues are introduced, developed and resolved. • Colour, musical themes, location, acting are examples of production elements that can link the opening and closing sequences.

  20. Genre • A method of grouping texts according to story elements and production elements they have in common, including storylines, setting, character types, subjects and themes.

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