How & Why Does Narrative Cinema Provide Pleasure - Research Paper Example

 Introduction: Various elements within a film contribute to the level of impact upon audiences. It is not merely the narrative itself, but also the characterization, sound, length of shots, types of sequences and other aspects that affect the audience levels of attention and interest in the film. One of the most important elements that contribute to audience expectation about a film is the genre that it is categorized into. Genre allows a filmmaker to condition the nature of the responses to the film by audiences and critics. By deviating from the purported film genre through the incorporation of surprise elements that deviate from the said genre, the filmmaker can also introduce the element of the unexpected, the surprise twist that can boost the box office prospects of the film. Changes have occurred in film making styles, which have shifted from a focus on story telling to a greater emphasis on other effects and innovative filming techniques that impact upon the viewing experience. Film narration: The films of the 1970s, such as Jaws produced in 1975 and Star Wars produced in 1977 were targeted towards a younger audience, involved an enormous financial stake with escalated production costs and product tie-ins providing an extra source of revenue. Film narrative earlier comprises a story stricture that relied upon tensions, culmination and resolutions that were centered on a single protagonist. According to Howard, the narrative structure of film includes the tension which is a culmination of a film’s second Act, creating a new tension about what will happen, which in turn leads to the film’s overall resolution. (Howard, 2004: 52-54). Narrative cinema that is structured in this manner engages the viewer’s interest by involving him or her in the tensions and crises afflicting the main protagonist, providing the element of satisfaction when the conflict is satisfactorily resolved. Film narrative in the recent past has however evolved from its earlier form that generally focused on a single protagonist. The film media was relatively insular in earlier years, but there has been an emergence of multi media formats which have also influenced the nature and form of film making, which in turn have altered the forms from which the audience derives pleasure from the narrative. In the wake of films such as Jaws and Star Wars, the modes of media consumption have been altered and this is also reflected in the changing forms of film narrative. The financial success of a film has become associated with its most memorable set pieces, for example in the film The Matrix, the bullet time fight sequences are those geared to contribute the most to the film viewing experience. One important aspect through which the film viewing experienced has been enhanced is in the shortening of the Average Shot Length for films. David Bordwell (2002) terms this as an “intensified continuity” system that is especially at work in recent American films. Compared to films that were made in the 1960s, the ASL has reduced considerably and based his examination of over 100 films made in the 1990s, Bordwell concludes that while the average shot time for films made in the 1960s ranged from 6 to 8 seconds, "the ASL of a typical film in any genre [by 1999 and 2000] was likely to run three to six seconds." (Bordwell, 2002:17). Contemporary films are also characterized by aesthetic individuation of narrative. The parsing of films into such distinct units enables a focus upon the specific narrative identity – for example, a film becomes distinctive for certain constituent parts, such as its fight sequences or horror scenes. There is a conflict posed between the story telling and character development aspects of the narraive which received more attention in films made in earlier decades, versus those elements contributing to spectacle and attention grabbing measures within the film (Davis and DeLos Rios, 2006). These could include aspects such as special effects, cinematic techniques such as flashbacks, fight sequences, comedic elements or similar elements that may not always be fully integrated into the story but may be included in order to enhance the value of the film viewing experience by intensifying viewer pleasure. Movies such as Pulp Fiction seek to address what appears to be a stalemate between the natural tendencies arising out of the genre of a film versus the individuation dictated by elements tending to individuation, for example special effects, which in themselves provide a source of pleasure for the viewer. This film uses conventional story telling devices, for example, the unfolding of an amnesiac’s story, but the traditional narrative format is interspersed with elements that afre characteristic of the film noir thereby helping to enhance the visual and psychological impact of the film. (Davis and DeLos Rios, 2006). Cinematic techniques: The evolution of cinematic techniques have also enhanced the extent of pleasure that can be draw by a viewer from a film narration. Some of these techniques to enhance the viewer experience included using grainy stock, handheld cameras, direct lighting and split diopter focus, all of which were not as acceptable in the 1960s because they were considered to be anti-realistic.(Beck, 2002). All of these techniques however help to heighten the film viewing experience. As opposed to the grim reality of daily life, the film medium represents a fantasy world or a world where a non-conformity with reality may actually make the viewing experience more pleasurable by providing more a more tight and smooth flowing narrative structure. This may be demonstrated for example, in the innovative use of sound. Beck (2002) explains how the effective use of sound enhances the pleasure of the viewing experience in films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and Brian dePalma’s Blow Out. The central characters in both of these films are in the business of recording and manipulating sounds and the use of unnivative sound mixing has improved the overall viewer experience for both these films, although sound has been treated differently in them. The innovative integration of sound with the main body of the visual narrative requires the spectator to engage with the celluoid narrative on a more visceral level which improves the level of pleasure and involvement of the viewer in the film narrative. This can deepen the viewer experience and can provide a deeper, symbolic interpretation of the film that can enhance the film narration. For example, in the film The Conversation, one of the characters Harry Caul is a bugging expert who uses his skill with sound to reconstruct his surveillance tapes. In this film, Director Coppola has enhanced the narration through the underlying symbolic associations. One of these is the bugging carried out during the Watergate scandal, with the film being released around the same time that Nixon’s White House tapes were publicized. The character Harry’s inability to relate to the world around him is a part of the narration in the film story, but when viewed in the context when the film was released, i.e, the period after the Vietnam war, it reflects more deeply the sense of disconnection that was a part of American life in the 1970s. Henry’s disconnection from reality is depicted through his reliance on technology, hence visual devices and character development serve to heighten the narrative experience. Harry’s tapes contain a plethora of sounds, but the audience is not allowed to hear every one of these conversations separately; rather they only hear those which Harry chooses to communicate and must rely upon his perception of events. In this way, the narration is presented from a particular frame of reference, allowing the audience to move more deeply into the mind of a particular character. Another such example that may be cited for example, is the film “Children of a Lesser God”, where the narration revolves around the relationship between a teacher and a deaf student and their efforts to communicate. The film is presented from the perspective of the teacher and the character of the deaf student evolves within the frame of reference of the teacher, intermingled with the complexity of the deepening feelings of the teacher for the deaf woman. By presenting the film in this manner from a specific frame of reference, i.e from the perspective of the teacher, the audience understanding of the deaf character in the film is limited to the perception of the protagonist about the character. It provides a means for the audience to experience more deeply and closely, the experiences of the protagonist and his frustrations at the difficulties in communication that he experiences. His frustrations are vicariously experienced by the audiences because the film is presented in this manner and this highlughts the deeper significance and symbolism of communication problems between deaf people and normal hearing individuals. As a result it helps to heighten the narrative experience of the audience in so far as this film is concerned. Another example used by Beck (2002) of cretaive film techniques is that of Robert Altman’s use of “overlapping dialogue”. This technique enables the voices of several speakers in the film to be heard at the same time. The level and intensity of sound has nothing to do with how close or far away a speaker is from the microphone, rather all voices are heard diectly, without reverberations of any sort, and thus are heard with equal intensity. This technique allows viewers to follow several different conversations occuring at the same time within one scene, introducing a level of complexity into the narrative and the spectator perception and experience of the narrative. The male gaze: Laura Mulvey(1975) has made an important contribution to film theory, wherein she offers the view that the depiction of women in film narration is centered upon the lacanian “male gaze”. According to this view, the female body is an object of male voyeurism in traditional cinema narration. Drawing upon the views of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, Mulvey’s cinematic theory emphasizes the passivity of the male viewer, who derives a great deal of pleasure from viewing the objectified female body. Causal factors attributed for this phenomenon include narcissism, a misplaced fear of castration as well as an identification with the image on screen. According to Mulvey (1975), where men are concerned, woman symbolized the sexual difference and is both a source of threat as well as a source of visual pleasure. Hence the major focus of film narration becomes the male gaze and the notion of the female gaze, as exemplified in female audiences and the work of female directors is almost completely ignored through the application of Mulvey’s approach. Where traditional film narration is concerned, it may be noted that women are often presented as glorified sexual objects or as people that are subject to men and very little attempt is made to explore female subjectivity or to present filmic events from a female perspective. Other authors have however challenged this male centric view of film narration. One of these is Claire Johnston (1974), who also identifies the use of the female body as an iconic representation in movies and she is also of the view that women have been used as conduits for sexist ideologies of the dominant hegemony. But she challenges the notion that within the framework of this dominant male hegemony, female directors have had little or no opportunity for real creative expression. In this context, she points to films such as Ida Lupino’s Not Wanted which go against the normal grain of film narration by withdrawing a happy ending. She also points out that in the film Dance Girl Dance, the conflict generated in women between the desire to please men and the right to self expression is the underlying dialogic sub text of the film. Similarly, film critic Sandy Flitterman Lewis examines French cinema from the perspective of discourse on Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze as one of the focal points of film narration, and her findings suggest that there is a counter discourse that may be discerned in French cinema. She has examined the work of Germaine Dulac, Marie Epstein and Agnes Varda and according to Lewis, the counter discourse that “either at the margins or from the center of the structure itself, transcends distinctions of period and genre; and characterizes the very earliest efforts of French filmmakers to conceive of challenges to dominant cinematic representations from abroad.” (Lewis, 1990:4). This discourse suggests a pattern different from what Mulvey suggests that associates masculinity with activity and feminity with passivity. The notion of the male gaze as applicable in film narration has undoubtedly been changing over the years. One example that may be cited in this context is the film Erin Brokovich, where the protagonist is a typical example of catering to the male gaze. The character wears mini skirts and killer heels and has an eye popping bodice, all of which effectively captures the male attention and makes the female protagonist the focal point of that voyeuristic male gaze. Yet, the theme of the story deals with female issues, geared towards capturing female attention, such as for example, the character’s desire to fight independently and advance herself to take care of her family, her intelligence and dedication which bely her vamp like appearance. The sub text of the narration, a swell as the character’s vocal assertions make it plain that her appearance is her own choice rather than one that is adopted for the purpose of pleasing men and thereby associates itself with female subjectivity. The interpretation of narration: Grobel (1997) has provided some insight into how the process of reading and comprehension of a film that takes place in a viewer’s mind may be a function of the mechanisms that drive human cognition. According to Grobel, there is a tendency in our minds to receive messages from different sensory sources and to automatically integrate this information into an overall interpretation. When a filmmaker is able to manipulate the images and sounds in such a manner that a disparity is created in this interpretative process, then the interpretation and reading of the text can be different, for example, it may shift from a more objective view to a more subjective one when the soundtrack is silent but action continues, creating a dreamlike effect. The film Michael Clayton is an example of how filmic techniques can heighten the viewing experience and the underlying process of symbolic interpretation that takes place in the mind of a viewer. In this film, the slow, continuous editing, coupled with the mise-en-scene of expansive corporate wealth help to emphasize the underlying corruption and rot of the legal world under its rich and glitzy exterior. The film is a thriller, however the Director has chosen to bring about a resolution to the crises generated throughout the story largely through the use of skilful dialogue and judicious editing and filming of scenes. The theme of the film is the underlying role of wealth in misrepresenting the cause of justice. The Director adds his personal stamp to the film by choosing to actively engage the viewer’s intelligence and force him/her to make inferences – not necessarily through tense, action sequences but rather through the reactions of his characters, who are live, legal embodiments of the modern day legal complexities and parody of justice due to the element of corporate wealth. It is the wealth factor that is the prime mover in this film although it forms the underlying element rather than being directly revealed. For example, the climax of the film takes place in a set that is largely bare and austere, yet screams understated wealth in the ornate chandelier on the roof, the Persian carpets scattered at strategic locations, the French windows and the polished wood paneling. The vast expanse of area bare of furniture and the muted colors used throughout the set, except for the chandelier, epitomizes the apparent sobriety of legal professionals operating amidst great wealth. Character insight is provided through strategic filming devices. In the climax scene, for example, the Director chooses to film the character Tilda Swinton’s progress through intermittent cuts and blocking, as the intervening pillars block the character from the view of the audience, visually suggesting that she has something to hide. The use of fast cuts and close shots helps to heighten the drama and conflict between the characters in a very effective manner, helping the audience to become more deeply involved in the narrative experience. The cultural context and the specific historical period within which a film is produced is also an important element that will enhance or detract from the viewer pleasure in a film narration. They will condition the manner in which audiences and critics receive a film; for instance Freidman (2006) points out how the Maltese Falcon, which was released in 1941, was originally categorized as belonging to the detective film category, and was interpreted by audiences as such. But in retrospect, the interpretation of the film has changed as the historical and cultural context has changed and film discourse now also classifies the film in the genre of film noir. During the 1970s formalist and structuralist models were used to explain genres; these theories contended that the genre of a film is something that is self evident and self-referring. (Browne, 1998). But in recent years, the function of the genre has evolved as a response to or reaction against other genres with popular culture also playing a role in shaping the notion of what exactly constitutes a genre, so that it is no longer possible to neatly categorize a film into a particular genre because it may demonstrate the characteristics of more than one film genre. Alternatively, what constitutes a particular genre may reshape itself into another genre, such as for example, the creation of a particular genre for women’s films in the 70s, which has now reshaped itself into the genre of melodrama. (Browne, 1998). In a similar manner, the genre represented by the Western is now one that has almost vanished. Rick Altman who contends that the definition of genre as such cannot be restricted to the “essential properties” of a “corpus of films that share specific topic and structure”, rather it is to be understood on the basis of how different groups of people such as producers, spectators and critics interact with groups of films during different historical periods (Altman, 1999: 23-24). In several instances, films that may not be well received by audiences when first released may go on to become classics in later years, within a different historical context and culture when society’s views may have been modified or changed. This is the case with several of Alfred Hitchcock’s films; the director was never given an award during his lifetime but his films are recognized as trend setters in the suspense and film noir genres. The impact of genre: The genre attributed to a film may play a significant role in the manner in which the text of the film is interpreted. According to James Naremore, “the name of the genre…..functions in much the same way as the name of the author.” (Naremore, 1995, p 14). According to this genre function, there is less concern with the actual generic content of a film and a greater importance accorded to the perception that the genre label has in terms of interpretation of the text and content of the film. The perceived genre of the film will determine how viewers approach the film as well as the way they interpret the images, visuals, sounds and text of the film. For example, Shary (2003) explores the genre of the youth film, which is characterized as a genre in itself because its subject matter and styles are distinct from adult films. The youth film genre contains images that are in line with cultural attitudes of and to teenagers and portrays the fantasies they may entertain, thereby conditioning their interpretation to such films. These films are targeted at the young audience and largely deal with their concerns and problems; as a result there is a greater degree of appreciation elicited from the younger generation in response to such films. In general, spectators tend to interpret filmic events on the basis of cause and effect and the attribution of genre leads to certain audience expectations from the film, which also influences the way they react to the events of the film. In an action film for instance, audiences and critics may expect less by way of character development than they do in the case of films categorized as belonging to the genre of drama. The film “Run Lola Run” is purely an action film for the greater part of its duration and character development of its protagonists is limited to two brief interludes in between the running sequences. This does not however, detract from the audience experience and interpretation of the film; audience expectations are not disappointed because detailed character development is not expected due to classification of the film in the action genre. The expectations of the audience in connection with a particular genre will determine the pleasure they derive from the final product; in the film Run Lola Run as mentioned above, the expectation of action and the delivery of such action in the narration is likely to satisfy viewer expectations and enhance their pleasure in the film viewing experience. On the basis of the cognitive processes, Grodal (1997) has also examined how viewers accord reality status to what they see happening within a film, so that the perceived genre of a film will have a strong, positive correlation with their mental typologies. For example, the action film genre is associated with behavior that is largely directed towards the achievement of a goal or objective, while a passive approach and the perception of action being thwarted is associated with films that may be classed under the genre of melodramas because they create a moody, somewhat subjective atmosphere. According to Grodal (1997), viewers are able to accept certain events, which happen, as reality or objective images, while they may also recognize certain other images as being subjective ones that are shaped by feelings. Since viewers have the ability to distinguish between perceptions, illusions, wishful thinking, etc and reality, the inner cognitive make up of the viewer is innately equipped to accord different genres to sequences and images on film – documentary, action, drama, flashback and such cognitive interpretation is aided by the visual or other clues that are provided through the medium of film and the categorization of genre. In a similar vein, Friedman (2006), in reviewing two books on film genre, has detailed how certain films may be grouped on the basis of their generic identities, but it is such classification that leads the viewer to maintain certain expectations about the films, which are contravened as the films progress, leading to the twist ending. He discusses two films, “The Sixth Sense” and “The Usual Suspects”, the former being classed as a film belonging to the supernatural thriller or horror genre, while the latter belongs to the genre of the crime drama. He points out that these films are deceptive, in that they mislead the spectator by appearing to belong to a particular genre, which leads the viewer to make certain preliminary interpretations of the film text based upon the genre that the film purportedly belongs to. But at some point in the films, concealed evidence is presented which leads to a re-reading and interpretation of the narrative elements of the film in the light of the fresh evidence, so that the initial readings are revealed to be erroneous or incomplete. An example is the audience discovery in “The Usual Suspects” that the legendary character of Keyser Soze is none other than Verbal Kint, the character played by Kevin Spacey. The phenomenal box office success of films such as “The Sixth Sense” arise out of their ability to misdirect the viewer by attribution to a genre which fashions the manner in which critics and audiences will react to the films. The function of genre may rest in the way a film is interpreted by the viewer based upon cognitive and psychosomatic processes, as well as the manner in which the material is presented. With filmmakers adopting new and innovative ways to manipulate the film medium as well as the sounds and images that are presented therein, it appears that the ascribing of a particular genre to a film may of itself, create a perception within the viewer which will condition the nature of the reception accorded to the film, as well as the interpretation of the textual and visual images of the film. Thomas Schatz applies the work of Claude Levi-Strauss in identifying the structural influence in studies on film genre. He contents that film genres have a mythic function and that the conception of “the genre film as a unique functional structure is closely akin to the work of Claude Levi-Strauss in his structural analysis of myth" (Schatz, 1986, p 96). Increasingly, there is a tendency to not view film genres as separate, discrete units. For example, Wood states that the conception of genre theory needs to be reworked, because the tendency to treat genres as discrete units has been one of the greatest obstacles in arriving at a true understanding of it. He argues that by applying an ideological approach, genres “represent different strategies for dealing with the same ideological tensions.” (Wood, 1986, p 62). Contravening genre is also an aspect that may be attributed to Yoshimitsu Morita’s psychological thriller titled Mohou Han (Copycat Killers). This film is divided into three parts and utilizes a complex narrative strategy wherein the film veers from its purported genre to provide a distinctive viewing experience. In the first part, a family massacre takes place and the sole survivor of this massacre finds a severed arm in a park. Snapshots of torture victims are posted online and the killer’s electronically scrambled voice is heard during a call in TV talk show, tainting the hosts of that particular show. While the film appears to be typical thriller genre, Morita chooses to use a different method of solving the crime. Rather than portraying a protagonist who utilizes these clues and hunts the killer down, Morita chooses to tackle the crime solving using a group of individuals. At various points in the sequence, the survivor of the massacre, a journalist, the grandfather of one of the victims and other individuals piece together the various clues in the film to find the murderer, but none of these individuals conforms to the typical protagonist of the thriller. Contravening genre in this manner is largely responsible for the enhancement of audience enjoyment of the film through the surprise elements that are introduced, which run contrary to the audience expectations. In the first part of the film, the killers remain faceless, but in the second part of the film, one of the killers becomes the major focal point of the action that takes place by manipulating the media and the police and carrying out more murders. In a surprise twist, the killer who is the antagonist, in effect, becomes the protagonist, thereby enabling the audience to gain a deeper understanding into the character of the antagonist. By the time the third part of the film begins to play out, the audience is aware of the true identity of the killer. But rather than conforming to the thriller genre and filming scenes leading to the capture of the killer, Morita instead chooses to use a different technique to uncover the hidden motivations of the characters. There is a meeting between the killer and the grandfather of one of the victims in a part and a conversation ensues in which possible motivations are explored without the grandfather ever being aware that he is speaking to the killer himself. The notable aspect about the manner in which this part of the film is presented is the way it explodes most of the conventional myths about character. As opposed to the convenient pre-packaging of character and the explaining away of motivation, this film in its concluding section, only poses more questions, underlining the complexities and difficulties in finding easy solutions and explaining character. In this aspect, the film conforms more to reality and mocks the way in which motivations are conveniently provided for characters in films, that are much too simplistic. Conclusions: On the basis of the above, it may be seen that genre to a great extent, fashions viewer perceptions about a film and shattering such genre perceptions enhances the quality of the narration and viewer experiences. Additionally, film making techniques have also changed over the years, there is a deviation from the traditional story telling format with its focus on characterization towards providing a more aesthetically and viscerally pleasing film viewing experience. In reaching audiences, film makers are adopting innovative techniques, such as the repetition of the same sequence three times, each time with different outcomes in the film Run Lola Run. There is also a greater level of interest and attention being directed to individuation of the constituent elements of film, such as special effects, visual and sound elements, etc – all of which are geared towards improving the pleasure and visceral thrill derived from audiences from viewing a film. 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"Intensified Continuity: Visual Style in Contemporary American Film", Film Quarterly, 55(3): 16-28. * Browne, Nick, 1998. “Refiguring American Film Genres: Theory and History”, University of California Press. * Davis, Robert and de Los Rios, Riccardo, 2006. “From Hollywood to Tokyo: Resolving a tension in contemporary narrative cinema”, Film Criticism, 31 (1/2): 157-174 * Flitterman-Lewis, Sandy, 1990. “To desire differently: Feminism and French Cinema”, University of Illinois Press. * Friedman, Seth A, 2006. “Cloaked classification: the misdirection film and generic duplicity”, Journal of Film and Video, 58(4): 16-29 * Grodal, Torben, 1997. “Moving Pictures: A new theory of film genres, feelings and cognition”, Clarendon Press. * Howard, David, 1993. The Tools of Screenwriting. New York: St. Martin's Press. * Johnston, Claire, 1974. "Women's Cinema as Counter-Cinema: Notes on Women's Cinema”, Screen, (Pamphlet 2): 24-31. * Mulvey, Laura, 1975. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Screen 16(3): 6-18 * Naremore, James, 1995. "American Film Noir: The History of an Idea." Film Quarterly. 49(2), pp 12-28. * Schatz, Thomas, 1986. "The Structural Influence: New Directions in Film Genre Study." (Ed. Barry Keith Grant),University of Texas Press, pp 91-101. * Shary, Timothy, 2003. “Course file for “Film Genres and the image of youth”, Journal of Film and Video, 55(1), pp 39-58 * Wood, Robin, 1986. "Ideology, Genre, Auteur." (Ed. Barry Keith Grant), University of Texas Press, pp 59-73. Read More