jueves, 14 de julio de 2011

Narrative and Narration

What drives narrative?
Cause and effect one event causes another to happen
E.g. Psycho
Marion and Sam have little money; Tom Cassidy has a lot of many and gives it to her for her to put it in the bank.
The initial events occur more or less independently to the main characters
She is quickly killed and the film continues without her.

North by Northwest (1959)
The cause-effect logic all relates directly to Thrornhill
Narrative development also has to be seen in relation to the characters themselves who motivate the cause-effect logic
The forward momentum of North by Northwest is driven by the needs and wishes of Thornhill. The film is about him proving his innocence

Narrative is also much more than just a series of cause-effects events
The overall narrative strucuture of a film comprises in the vast majority of cases, a beginning, am middle and an end
More technically:
  1. A state of equilibrium
  2. Disruption to that equilibrium
  3. Successful restoration of the equilibrium

In North by Northwest this means
  1. Thornhill meeting his friends for a drink
  2. He is being mistaken for the agent Kaplan and struggle to prove his innocence
  3. Proving his innocence

The liminal period
The middle part of the film is generally the most dynamic
It is sometimes refered as a liminal period this is when narrative transgresses normal social events before the equilibrium is restored the happily ever after
A satisfying film is guaranteed if the main character ends up with more than he began 

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