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Narrative Films

Terms in this set (47)

narrative
the art and craft of constructing a story with a particular plot and point of view
screenwriters
created film scenarios or scripts either by using original stories or by adapting short stories, novels, or other sources
screenplay
standardized the elements and structures of movie narratives
intertitles
printed words inserted between the images
story
the subject matter or raw material of a narrative, with the actions and events ordered chronologically and focused on one or more characters
characters
those individuals who motivate the events and perform the actions of the story
plot
orders the events and actions of the story according to particular temporal and spatial patterns, selecting some actions, individuals, and events and omitting others
narratology
the study of narrative structure
classical film narrative
one action or event causes another action or event
character coherence
the product of different psychological, historical, or other expectations that see people as fundamentally consistent and unique
character depth
a way of referring to personal mysteries and intricacies that deepen and layer the dimensions of a complicated personality
character grouping
the social arrangements of characters in relation to each other
protagonists
characters who identify as the positive forces in a film
antagonists
characters who oppose the protagonists as negative forces
archetype
the figurative character appears as a reflection of a spiritual or abstract state or process
stereotype
when a film reduces an otherwise realistic character to a set of static traits that identify them in terms of a social, physical, or cultural category
character development
the patterns through which characters move from one mental, physical, or social state to another in a particular film
internal change
measures character changes from within
progressive character development
occurs with an improvement or advancement in some quality of the character
regressive character development
indicates a loss of or return to some previous state or deterioration from the present state
external change
typically a physical alteration in a character over time
diegesis
the entire world that a story describes or that the viewer infers, indicates the characters, places, and events shown in the story or implied by it
nondiegetic
material used to tell the story that does not relate to the diegesis and its world
credits
introduce the actors, producers, technicians, and other individuals who have worked on the film
linear chronology
the selected events and actions proceed one after another through a forward movement in time
flashback
a story shifts dramatically to an earlier time in the story
flashforward
leaping ahead of the normal cause-and-effect order to a future incident
deadline structure
adds to the tension and excitement of a plot, accelerating the action toward a central event or action that must be accomplished by a certain moment, hour, day, or year
parallel plots
the implied simultaneity of or connection between two different plot lines, usually with their intersection at one or more points
narrative frequency
how often plot elements are repeatedly shown
narrative duration
the length of time an event or action is presented in a plot
historical location
the recognized marker of a historical setting that can carry meanings and connotations important to the narrative
ideological location
spaces and places inscribed with distinctive social values or ideologies
psychological location
suggests an important correlation between a character's state of mind and the place they inhabit at that movement in the story
symbolic space
space transformed through spiritual or other abstract means related to the narrative
narration
the point of view that emotionally and intellectually shapes how plot materials appear and what is or is not revealed about them
first person narration
narration identified with the voiceover commentary of a single individual, usually someone who is a character in the story, one person's subjective point of view
third person narration
narration that assumes a more objective and detached stance about the plot and characters, seeing events from outside the story
narrative frame
a context or person positioned outside the story to bracket the film's narration in a way that helps define its terms and meaning
omniscient narration
a version of third person narration in which all elements of the plot are presented from many or all potential angles
restricted narration
a limited third person perspective that organizes stories by focusing on one or two characters
reflexive narration
call attention to the narrative point of view of the story in order to complicate or subvert their own narrative authority as a consistent perspective on the world
unreliable narration
raises crucial questions about the truth of the story being told
multiple narrations
use several different narrative perspectives for a single story or for different stories in a movie that loosely fits these perspectives together
postclassical narrative
films that began to appear in the decades after world war 2 and that strained but maintained the classical formula for coherent characters and plots
alternative film narrative
film narrative that deviates from or challenges the linearity of the classical narrative, undermines the centrality of a main character, questions the objective realism of classical narrative
classical Hollywood narrative
film narrative that centers on one or more central characters who propel the plot with a cause-and-effect logic, plots develop with linear chronologies directed at certain goals, employs an omniscient or a restricted narration that suggests some degree of realism
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