INTRODUCTION TO FILM: QUEST NARRATIVE

PLEASANTVILLE ANALYSIS PART I

ARCHETYPAL NARRATIVES

AND STORYTELLING

ARCHETYPAL NARRATIVES are signposts to meaning. They lead, guide, support,

and launch the viewer through a series of connected events that the viewer

recognizes. They accomplish this task through the use of conventional

symbolism that taps in to the viewer’s unconscious. These signs are embedded in

our memories and experiences.

The art of STORYTELLING involves the use of the signposts and guidelines

established by ARCHETYPAL NARRATIVE as a structure, and adds creativity.

Stories host a moral or ethical fabric that has the power to evoke instant reaction.

This reaction is measured by the strength of the story and its relevance to the

audience. It is the story that impacts, that resonates, not the archetype.

Stories possess the ability to offer their readers an authority, a right to interpret

and reinterpret. Good STORYTELLING involves active sharing between storyteller

and audience. It’s the emotional ownership of a story that engages audiences and

allows them to invest in the meanings beneath the story’s surface.

INTERACTIVE

STORYTELLING

Writers, directors, and cinematographers need to consider how audiences will interact with the

content they create. More than immersing themselves in the story as a form of escape –

people will want to engage further. Viewers want to create meaning. Stories do not belong to

their writers, they belong to their audience members. That ownership is key to creating

effective stories and films. With archetypal narratives, such as the QUEST, the storyteller

works within the guidelines of a defined structure that the audience will know in their

unconscious. This allows them to form expectations and engage in the process of

interpretation. It is the job of the storyteller to extend beyond the prescribed structure and

create a story worthy of interpretation.

QUEST NARRATIVE

Stories that are based on ARCHETYPAL NARRATIVES root emotion in a structure.

In a QUEST NARRATIVE, the structure involves a commitment to progression.

There are a few key fundamental elements included in the basic QUEST

NARRATIVE:

• Protagonist (unhappy with ordinary world – called to adventure in special world)

• Conflict (often in relation to cultural/social values or standards)

• Mission (protagonist is inspired to act, to address the conflict and improve/better the world)

• Challenges / Tests & Trials / Opposition (Enemies) (often in different shapes, with different symbolic meanings)

• Comrades / Characters who aid the protagonist (ALLIES who learn from the protagonist and help him on

his/her journey)

• Ethos (the characteristic spirit of a culture or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations) (Ethos is

evident – sometimes questioned – sometimes one dissolves and another takes hold)

• Longing (characters experience a yearning for something different)

• Evolution / Progression of CHARACTER and STORY (main characters are not static; protagonist and

sometimes allies experience a transformation)

• Impact (the progression results in actual change in the community)

• Story Arc: Normality – Disruption – Resolution

QUEST NARRATIVE

All of these factors drive the protagonist to move forward. These

elements shape the individual story, AND drive audience

engagement. The QUEST should encourage curiosity in both the

protagonist and the viewer: the challenges of the quest need to

establish a promise for the protagonist and inspire the viewer or

leave him/her with a sense of wonder/awe; the viewer’s

positioning as an authority must be evident to the viewer and the

protagonist’s position as an authority must be evident to the

protagonist; the ethos – guiding beliefs that characterize the story

or the characters in it prompt the protagonist on his/her journey

and ensure that the viewer remains engaged; the longing of the

protagonist to achieve a goal and the longing of the viewer to see

it fulfilled bring the journey toward an end.

QUEST NARRATIVE: THE

MAN WHO WALKED

AROUND THE WORLD

Watch the following brief QUEST story created as a Johnnie Walker

marketing campaign. While viewing, think about what elements of the

narrative relate to the QUEST, and what aspects exemplify effective

storytelling.

THE MAN WHO WALKED

AROUND THE WORLD

The QUEST NARRATIVE at the heart of this story is fairly simple

–to progress and fearlessly impact the whisky world/industry. It’s a

journey rife with personal tragedy, industry innovation and

steadfast grit and determination. The “Keep Walking” campaigns

represented the quests of everyday life, love, happiness, success

–anything that required a challenge to overcome. In 2009, the

company took this exploration deeper with the “Walk with Giants”

– real life storytelling campaign. It was a collection of real life

stories that echoed the Johnnie Walker ethos and encouraged

others to do the same. Through the use of the QUEST

NARRATIVE, the company invited audiences to take on a new

frame of mind, a positive resilience that alluded to strength,

character, and survival – the key attributes of their own brand

story.

QUEST NARRATIVE:

“CHASE” CAMPAIGN

Coca Cola also used the QUEST NARRATIVE in their “Chase”

campaign. The brand was already well-established. They

needed to give their audiences a way of influencing narrative,

a means of owning a piece of the story themselves. As

opposed to allowing viewers to interpret a story that already

existed, they created an interactive campaign that required

audience participation to write it. They simply presented

familiar, clichéd character and QUEST NARRATIVE

archetypes, and asked the audience to envision what

happened next in the story. It allowed viewers to shape the

storyline.

“CHASE”

QUEST NARRATIVE

PLEASANTVILLE AS A

QUEST NARRATIVE

In the film Pleasantville, writer/director Gary Ross uses the QUEST NARRATIVE as a guide to telling the story. He too makes use of conventional / familiar journey archetypes. For example, as discussed in class, he uses the HERALD character (the TV repair man), the SUPERNATURAL AID (the remote control), the protagonist who is unhappy in his ORDINARY WORLD (contemporary times) and is called to a SPECIAL WORLD (Pleasantville), etc.

Ross then alters the archetype. He has the protagonist move away from the quest that was defined by the HERALD and move onto his own journey. Ross allows the other characters to go on the journey with the protagonist; it is not merely Bud’s/David’s quest. In this way, Ross uses the shifts in the QUEST NARRATIVE ARCHETYPE to convey one of the driving themes – that people should live their lives as they want to – with a balance of emotion and intellect – without blindly following the dictates prescribed by any others. Man should live as an individual.

Ross follows the traditional story arc of NORMALITY – DISRUPTION –RESOLUTION, but allows the audience to participate in the story process. There is much open for interpretation, and a great deal for audiences to attach to personally – allowing for an interactive experience.

ANALYSIS OF THE FILM

THEMATIC TOPICS

• Order vs. Chaos

• Fear of the Unknown vs. Curiosity of the Unknown

• Shame of One’s True Self vs. Acceptance of One’s True Self

• Social Identity vs. Personal Identity

• Conformity vs. Non-Conformity

• Moral Absolutism vs. Moral Ambiguity

• Sanctity of the Individual vs. Sanctity of the Group

• Freedom / Encouragement vs. Control

• Prescribed Social Roles (gender, race, parent/child)

• Censorship

• Race

PLEASANTVILLE

ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT #1

Working with your partner/group, identify how Pleasantville

fits the QUEST NARRATIVE ARCHETYPE and serves as an

example of great STORYTELLING. Return to slide # 4, which

lists the fundamental elements of the QUEST NARRATIVE.

For each element, describe how Pleasantville includes all

aspects of it. Discuss the ways in which Pleasantville

incorporates ARCHETYPAL NARRATIVE and

STORYTELLING. Identify the fundamental element (the

signpost )and then explain how Gary Ross’s individual

STORYTELLING adds meaning. Engage with the story.

Interpret it. Please review your notes on Andrew Stanton’s

Ted Ed Talk on what makes a great story for help.