Narrative as a Formal System - Essay Example

Book Summary Chapter Three: The significance of film form: In this chapter, the that the human experience of works of art is patterned and structured. Form is essential in any work of art because this is what the human mind craves. An artwork does not merely comprise random elements; rather they are organized into a system of elements that depend upon and affect each other. The authors clarify that when they are referring to form, they mean the overall system of relations that enables the perception of elements in the film. Form is not the opposite of content, it comprises the entire system the viewer attributes to the film. Form creates expectations within the viewer because it presents a picture of an entire whole into which the various elements fit comfortably; as a result when a work of art is incomplete in some aspect for instance, it appears unbalanced. Viewer’s perception of form in a work of art arises from within the work and from prior experiences . Emotions represented in film also fall within the category of form because they determine how a viewer is likely to respond to the depiction of emotion in the work. A spectator’s emotional response is also elated to form, because it will enhance or detract from the viewer’s perception of the meaning of the work of art. Meaning is a vital element of form and is important for the experience of the entire work. Every work of art is attributed a deeper meaning or significance based upon the overall context within which the work of art occurs; for example the form in the film Wizard of Oz is attributed on the basis of the meaning of transition into adulthood itself. Overall form has the following components: (a) function, i.e, the role of the element in the overall system (b) similarity and repetition of individual motifs in the film (c) differences and variations of elements in the film (d) the development and/or progression of elements and (e) the unity or disunity among the elements. As a result, form may be summarized as the specific pattern of relationships which is perceived within an artwork. Chapter 4: Narrative as a formal system: According to Beardwell and Thompson, narrative is the way that human beings make sense of the world. The narrative form of filmmaking tells a story and it is the most common kind of film narration format that is used. In essence, a narrative may be said to be a chain of events occurring in a cause-effect type of relationship over a period of time. The narrative form has three basic elements – causality, time and space. The narrative film format is like telling a story – it could be focused upon one particular character or move in to parallelism by examining more than one character in detail. The viewer tends to make sense of a narrative by identifying the major events which are taking place and linking them through cause-effect or in time or space. The narration is generally such that it focuses upon the major events, and the viewer tends to infer some of the intervening events which may not be explicitly presented. The cause-effect principle works by focusing upon characters, who cause events to happen and also react to them, thereby propelling the narrative forward. The characters could be complex ones, in which case they would have several different traits which play a role in the narrative, or they could also be minor characters. The filmmaker relies upon the phenomenon of causal motivation in the viewer; i.e, an event such as a murder occurs and the viewer is motivated by curiosity to know what its cause is. This is borne out for example, in the detective film format, where the desire to find out who committed the crime is the motivation for the viewer to watch the film and for the narrative to move forward. While the cause and effect is the basic theme propelling a story forward, every narrative also occurs in a particular time frame, and the film maker may create similar motivation to view the film by presenting events out of chronological order, such as for example, through the use of flashbacks. Generally, the location where the film is taking place forms the space element, but sometimes the viewer may also need to imagine other spaces. In a narrative type of film, the film opening sequences are important to establish the characters and their situations. As the plot keeps moving alone, it will be in accordance with the patterns of development. An example of this is when the character is placed in a problem situation for which s/he must find a solution. Finally, every narrative film will also have a definitive conclusion and will resolve the issues/problems that have been raised as a part of the plot/storyline. Chapter 5: Non narrative formal systems: Beardwell and Thompson have identified four broad types of non narrative form in works of art, i.e., categorical, rhetorical, abstract and associational. The categorical form divides the entire work into structured parts sub categories based upon repetition with slight variations. A work of art will typically have one large subject that determines its overall form and categories will be introduced to break up the form into segments. Generally, there would be an introduction, followed by the presentation of the categories and then ending with a summary. Films with such forms tend to be those which seek to inform their audience about a particular subject, for instance documentaries fall within this category. The rhetorical category of films is based in debate, i.e, it sets out a premise or an argument and then lays out the evidence which supports that particular argument. The tone of such a film is persuasive and is geared towards convincing the viewer about a particular position. The film maker seeks to present different kinds of arguments and evidence in order to demonstrate that his position is the strongest. The attempt being made is to convince the viewer to adopt the position that the film supports; as a result, such films may also tap into a viewer’s emotions in order to drive home a point or an argument and therefore, other points of view ill be presented only minimally. This kind of film presents abstract visual or sonic motifs which are arranged in the manner the film maker wishes. As opposed to the earlier two categories, the purpose is not to categorize items or to attempt to persuade the viewer to adopt a particular position; rather the theme of the film is supplemented through the use of motifs arranged in a random, complex fashion. As a result, the viewer is challenged to discover the underlying theme or principle that may or may not underlie such a film narration. The associational film makes liberal use of expressive qualities and juxtaposes images loosely such that an emotion or a concept is suggested to an audience. In this kind of film, different types of images are grouped together. These groups may not necessarily belong in the same category, neither do they attempt to present a persuasive argument, but this form of narration functions more like a metaphor or simile, where items and concepts are linked together to suggest an association between them. Images in such films are grouped together into sets, each of which forms a separate and unified part of the film and these are related to other groups which are similarly structured. Chapter 10: Style as a formal system The notion of style, according to Beardwell and Thompson, is the selection of various elements that are specific to a particular medium and systematically deploying these elements for the achievement of the desired purposes. Style essentially imparts a distinctive flavour to a film that sets it apart from other films. The classical style of film making involves the juxtaposition of various different elements, all working together independently of each other but with the ultimate objective of ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the narrative of the film. Some directors may deliberately deviate from the classical style in order to produce films that are original and memorable in their own right. The films of such directors are immediately identifiable because certain elements of the film product are clearly identifiable. The films of Alfred Hitchcock are well known for the way he creates suspense using close up shots, Style can be related to film form, because it would also constitute an integral part of film form; since form comprises the various elements of the film and style comprises the arrangement of those elements, they are related to each other. Style is especially important where non narrative film making is concerned, because in narrative film making, the elements of the plot and the causal motivation may in itself be sufficient to hold viewer interest. But in the non narrative format which is informative or disassociated from human characters, style could distinguish such a film and serve as a tool to snag viewer interest. Chapter 1: The work of film production: In this chapter, the author have examined the process of film making and how a film is produced. They discuss the actual movie mechanics of the medium, i.e, the science behind the concept of moving images which constitutes a film. This chapter also discusses the various tools of film making, such as the projector, the camera and the printer. It outlines in detail, the principles of physics behind film making and how the image is formed in a projector when the light from the source moves through the lens. The film strip on a black and white film is covered with an emulsion containing g rains of silver halide. Colour film on the other hand, contains certain chemical dyes, each one sensitive to a primary colour such as red, blue or yellow. There are additional extra layers which filter out other colours. The authors also discuss the process by which images are formed and the chemical reactions that take place in producing photographic film negatives that can later be printed. This chapter is therefore a summary of film production and the kinds of equipment that are used. Chapter 2: Types of films: The authors detail different genres of films such as horror, comedy, drama, musicals, thrillers and adventure films. These are films conforming to the narrative format and differing only in their subject matter. In addition, the authors have also discussed three other film formats, i.e., (a) documentary films which are not fictional but are targeted towards providing information (b) experimental films which tend to stray outside the prescribed boundaries for genres and (c) animated films that do not require people to act in them but are purely created out of graphics. Chapter 11; Film criticism: sample analyses: In this chapter, the authors have explained the process whereby a film can be critiqued and what to look for. They have critically analyzed three major films which were also very successful. One of the films they have critiqued is A street car named desire and in their analysis, the authors point out how the use of light in the film is also linked to character development. Subdued lighting is used throughout the film, especially when the main character Blanche, meets a potential admirer, because she does not want to reveal how old she is; an aspect that is vital to the character development; she turns out to be a woman who targets young adolescent boys for sex. A short history of film: Chapter 4: The Hollywood studio system: This chapter details the manner in which artists worked and the financial arrangements that were in place to engage artists for film production. The era from the 1920s to the 1950s is known as the golden age of Hollywood, when the studios were able to produce some very successful movies at a very reasonable cost. Unlike the present day, artists could not charge film makers what they felt was appropriate for engaging their services. On the contrary, most of the best known artists were under contract with the large studios, especially MGM which had most of the best stars. These artists were under contract with a particular studio for several years, during which time they received a fixed salary. The artists were obliged to star in any film that was produced by the studio during this time and could only refuse if the studio also consented in allowing them to refuse. Since the artists were contracted out at a fixed sum salary, films were not as expensive to make then as they are in the present day, because the star system did not exist, which in the present day, causes astronomical sums paid to artists, which is one of the most expensive, jacking up the cost of film making. As the authors point out, the studios reigned supreme during this era because they were dictating the terms and conditions of film making in its entirety. Chapter 6: Postwar challenges to the movies:i In this chapter, the authors have delved further into history and explained one of the milestones in film production, i.e., the decline of the studio system that came about due to developments during the war. Prior to the war, studios were in charge of both production and distribution of films and they controlled the entire process. However, two forces developed in the 1940s which caused the decline of the studio system, i.e., (a) an antitrust action at the federal level that resulted in a legal requirement that the production and exhibition of films was to be separated and (b) the birth of television, which provided a different medium for displaying films. During this period, the anti trust action came about because the studios were resorting to monopolistic measures and blocking the efforts of independent filmmakers to emerge into the business. When production and exhibition were separated, the studios were no longer able to maintain their iron grip and control of the market and production costs, while television proved to be a fiercely competitive medium because it was easily available in peoples’ living rooms and films and other material produced for this medium could be done inexpensively. The New Hollywood:i In this chapter, the authors detail recent developments in Hollywood which have changed dramatically from what they used to be during the studio system back in the 1930s. With the advent of the digital medium that allows films to be edited very cheaply and quickly, the overall expense of film making has gone down considerably. As a result, independent film makers have greater access to the facility of film making, since it is easier and less expensive for them to produce and edit films. In a globalized world, it has also become easier to advertise films using the Internet and the medium of technology, all of which contribute to reducing the expense of film making and allowing more independent film makers to enter the fray. Audiences are also more receptive to new material and fresh stories and it is no longer necessary to be a big studio with plenty of financial resources to produce a film. Hence, it appears that in the future, there are likely to be more and more films from independent filmmakers, and small films are likely to be more successful than the big blockbuster ones. The 1960s explosion: In this chapter, the authors detail the explosion of films by bright young directors in the 1960s, based upon the techniques they imbibed from European cinema. These included films by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, notable for their originality and technical wizardry. Film makers such as Martin Scorcese, Brian de Palma and others began to make films that collectively starred a bevy of young actors who would later go on to become very successful in their own right. These films also introduced techniques of film making that were different form earlier films, for example, the film noir which dealt with subjects delving into the depths of the human psyche rather than the light hearted fare that used to be dished out by the studios in the 1930s. Read More