urban stories_revision lesson 3_formal comparison

7/30/2019 Urban Stories_revision Lesson 3_formal Comparison

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URBAN STORIES

Revision lesson 3

Formal Comparison


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What are the formal elements?

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Narrative Theory

What is narrative? The structure given to a story or plot

Achieved through the editing of different shots together

Why do you need to know narrative theory?

The structure chosen directly affects the nature of storytelling

Can impact on the messages and values of the directorespecially in terms of narrative endings

Can affect our involvement with and enjoyment of a film

Is constructed through the use of formal elements

FOR EACH OF YOUR CASE STUDY FILMS YOU NEED TO BEABLE TO CONFIDENTLY IDENTIFY HOW THE NARRATIVESTRUCTURE, NARRATIVE TYPE, NARRATIVE CODES &

NARRATIVE ENDING EFFECTS THE MESSAGES ANDVALUES IN THE FILM.


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PROPP

Analysed folk stories in Russian film. Some stock characters have a narrative

function & provide structure for the text. The Hero a character that seeks something The Villain The Donor who provides an object with magical properties

The Dispatcher who sends the hero on his quest The False Herowho disrupts the heros success The Helper - aids the hero The Princess acts as the reward for the hero Her Father

Specific actions that perform a narrative

function are: Preparation / Complication / Transference / Struggle / Return /Recognition

HOW DO THE FILMS YOU HAVE STUDIED SUPPORT ORCHALLENGE THE STOCK CHARACTERS IDENTIFIED BY

PROPP? CAN WE SEE ANY OF THEM IN FILMS?


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TODOROV

All narratives follow a three part structure.

1. Equilibrium - everything is balanced, progress and thensomething comes along and creates

2. Disruption to the equilibrium, events occur in response

to the disruption to finally reach a3. Resolution, when equilibrium is restored.

The narrative is usually a chronological / LINEARsequence of themes, motives and plot lines

The plot explains why the storys events occur.

HOW DO THE URBAN STORIES WE HAVE STUDIEDSUPPORT OR CHALLENGE THIS STRUCTURE?


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NARRATIVE TYPES

A RESTRICTED NARRATIVE We experience the story through the senses and thoughts

of just one character.

Almost always the main character

The narrative cannot tell the audience things that the focal

character does not knowAN OMNIPRESENT NARRATIVE a panoramic view of the world of the story

looking into many characters and their experience withinthe plot

not just one characters point of view, tells the feelings ofevery character.

Looks into the broader background of a story, from anumber of contexts.

Used for stories in which the context and the views ofmany characters are important


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Barthes - NARRATIVE CODES

ENIGMA Codes This is also known as The hermeneutic code

any element in a story that is not explained exists as an enigma for the reader, raising questions that

demand explication. Most stories hold back details in order to increase the

effect of the final revelation of truths.

Audiences tend not to be satisfied by a narrativeunless all "loose ends" are tied;

A complex narrative can frustrate the early revelationof truths, offering the reader "snares" (deliberateevasions of the truth),

the audience have to keep watching until the enigmais solved.


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Barthes - NARRATIVE

CODESACTION codes

Also known as The proairetic code An Action code refers to any action that implies a further

narrative action (one action causes another in response) Eg: a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the resolution of

this action will be. We wait to see if he kills his opponent or is wounded himself.Suspense is thus created by action rather than by a reader's or a viewer's wish to havemysteries explained.

ALLOF THE FILMS WE HAVE STUDIED RELYHEAVILY ON ACTION CODES TO DEVELOP THENARRATIVE CITIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH

ACTION AND THEREFORE THE ACTION THATOCCURS IN THEM LEADS TO OTHER ACTIONSTHAT OUR PROTATAGONISTS ARE CAUGHT UP IN

AS CONSEQUENCES...WHAT ARE THE MAIN ACTION CODES THAT OCCUR

IN EACH FILM & HOW DO THEY DEVELOP THENARRATIVE?


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NARRATIVE ENDINGS Open endings

Open Endings are a great way to infuriate an audience! As a story-telling technique, they are unsatisfying for most audiences:

the pay-off of the films conflict never arrives (especially if it is driven byenigma codes)

Writers using this device often do so because there's no real possibilityof a solution to the problem and conflict the film explores.

By leaving any major conflict unresolved, the writer can force theaudience to confront the themes in a film.

Closed endings Most commonly found narrative ending in films. Films generally exist as one unique story They contain a beginning, middle and an ending. A story is unravelled before an audience, and then ultimately brought to

a conclusion.

WHAT IMPACT DOES THE NARRATIVE ENDINGHAVE ON EACH OF THE FILMS YOU HAVE

STUDIED? HOW DOES IT AFFECT THEMESSAGE OF THE FILM AND HOW WE FEEL

ABOUT THE PROTAGONIST(S)?


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Directors visual style

Why is awareness of the directors visualstyle important? It tells us something about the directors

approach to film making

Can reflect the way in which they construct themessages and values of wider themes in their film

How do I address this in the exam? Identify and offer reasons for how choice of

certain camerawork, sound, editing and mise-en-

scene: Construct a specific narrative

Construct a specific characterisation of the city & maincharacters

Communicate certain messages and values about power,poverty and conflict.


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As Tears Go By, Wong Kar Wai OVERVIEW

First full length feature film

Tale of two low key gangsters Mean Streets of Hong Kong in Late 1980s

NARRATIVE Mostly linear narrative structure but time elapsed not clear due to

extensive use of ellipses

Combines gangster / romance genre

Characters are anti-heroes who face tragedy in some form as a

consequence of environment (John Woo influence) FORMAL STYLE (Begins to establish a signature style to his story-

telling) Slow / accelerated motion

Jump cuts & use of ellipses

Use of musical cues to denote characters and emotions / mixes 80sWestern pop culture with Cantonese songs

Step printing (filming at lower frame rate and then speeding footage up) Mise-en-scene evokes energy of city East meets West / 80s Pop Culture /

seedy & violent life of the Triads

Subdued / minimal lighting

RECURRENT THEMES (Establishes early themes in his work) Pain of loss and remembrance

Exchange of goods & services as basis of relationships

Relationships as transient they come and go with passing of time partof our history


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La Haine - Matthieu Kassovitz Overview

Neo-realism politically committed 1st feature length film

Narrative

Fragmented narrative structure over 24 hours but follows linear pattern

Open ended and narrative driven by action codes

Formal style

Sound use of hip-hop & rap juxtaposed with French songs to reinforceurban youth sub-culture

Sound dialogue lexicon / expressions TECIsilenced through sub-titles less political impact on foreign viewers as a result

Mise-en-scene banlieus, costume reflects urban youth sub-culture,graffiti tags, high rise estates, concrete, masculine & male dominated

Editing disruption of time through elipses, juxtaposition of long takeswith quick pace

Camera spatial constraints through framing and choice of shot types-juxtaposition between wide angled long shots and tight framed mid shots,close ups and 2 or 3 shots / use of the zido to bring background &foreground together back to the eiffel tower as it zooms in reinforcestheir disassociation from Paris as a beautiful City

Recurrent themes

Xenophobia ; unemployment; social fracture of the have & have nots

Suburban youth culture of the ghettos facing ruling ideology of Frenchculture.


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Gegen die Wand, Fatih Akin Overview

1st feature length film / 7th production Hamburg based production company Corazon Internationa

1st Generation German Turk , driven by themes rather than stylisticexperimentation

Narrative Linear narrative structure but time elapsed unclear due to use of ellipses

Open ended Driven through action codes

Formal style Sound cultural mix of Turkish and Western soundtrack to show music

can offer forms of multicultural bonding

Mise-en-scene Cities of Istanbul & HamburgWe never really seeHamburg landmarks, it could be any European city estates, high rises,bars & nightclubs, hospitals, buses, cars etc...grey and dingy, a place ofescape for Cahit and Sibel. Istanbul as one of cultural tradition, genderdivides, kebab shops but with a darker subversive side similar toHamburg. Mersin as utopia and a place of cultural roots.

Editing characterised by lots of jump cuts & quick pace, juxtaposed withlong takes and long shots with wide frames when Cahit arrives in Turkey

Camera spatial constraints through framing and choice of shot types

Recurrent themes

Idea of multi-culturalism and the importance of finding a balance betweencultures.


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Lilya-4ever - Lukas Moodysson Overview

4th

film Importance of realism & use of actors

Interest in Christianity

Narrative

Linear narrative, unspecified time scale through use of ellipses

Closed narrative ending

Narrative driven by action codes

Can apply some of Propps stock characters an ironic take on thefairytale

Formal style

Camera handheld documentary style, lots of long and extreme longshots to show environment juxtaposed with close ups to show Lilyasfeelings about her environment.

Mise-en-scene reinforces the realism though use of high rise estates,

evident material poverty, derelict buildings to show former imperialism ofSoviet Union, grey and overcast sky, birds, roads and cars, basketball,drugs, cash important props

Sound reinforces the realism & drama of the film and mostly non-diagetic/ Russian pop music in the clubs and use of German metal to give feel ofbeing hit by a bulldozer

Recurring themes

Realism, issues around Christianity, idea that life on earth for some peoplecan be hell and death is a preferred option


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Similarities in formal Style Narrative

All films rely primarily on action codes life in the city as active

and characters face consequences of actions that occur in their

environment

ATGB & L4E closed ending / LH open & closed / HO open ending

L4E begins with flash forward but other 3 films all linear in

structure but feel fragmented as time elapsed is unclear and

extended use of ellipses reinforces this

Camera Hand held cameras in all 4 films, give sense of realism

Very tight frames used on close ups and medium shots to give sense of

entrapment

Wide angle shots and extreme long shots to show relentlessness of the

City and prevalence of high rise estates and houses of the cityscape

Lots of tracking and movement contrasted with still long takes, sense of

the fast pace of city life but how it can be boring or characters want to stop

LH and ATGB experimental with camera style & shot types LH microlite

to get ariel view of banlieu / zido of Eiffel Tower ATGB varied choice in

film stock used / extended tracking shots in snooker hall / juxtapositon ofhigh & low angles


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Similarities in Formal Style

Editing Play with passing of time through ellipses only in LH is length oftime passed clear through use of sub-titles suggests we can

loose track of time in the city / there is a lot to do in a short space

of time

Juxtaposes pace very fast quick cuts with very long takes and

moments of stillness life in the city as fast paced and continuous

but the cycle of activity can be boring

Lots of jump cuts city life as uncertain and spontaneous

Sound Use of sound to reinforce the realism & drama in the films

Diagetic and non-diagetic sound reinforce the context of time and place

and ideas of conflict

Sound tracks also reinforce youth / sub & popular culture in the films

Reliance on sub-titles for foreign audience silences the dialogue & some

of the context as we rely on sub-titles for meaning.


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Mise-en-scene Location

Concept of an alternative location to the city as a place of ideal

escape LH = the banlieu and the City of Paris / ATGB = Kowloon

& Lantau Island / HO = Hamburg / Istanbul & Mersin / L4E = Estonia& Sweden (or America) only Cahit in HO is able to escape.

Settings

Run down city apartments / high rise blocks / derelict buildings /

Cities & related suburbs / police stations or offices of those in

positions of authority

Costume

Reflects realism of lives of the characters ATGB = reflects status

in Triad Hierachy / LH reflects their participation in French youth

sub-culture / HOreflects Cahits anarchy & depression / L4E =

reflects her material poverty


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Mise en scene continued: Props

recurring props of significance guns, cars, police cars, money,

cigarettes, alcohol and drugs also specific material possessions

that offer insight into the characters. Trees, bars, walls, grafitti androads as props that characterise the city

Lighting

Mostly used to reinforce realism of the films dull, grey, gritty life in

the City LH in b&w / ATGB use of lighting filters - yellow, blue,

red- to reinforce emotion Composition

Use of rule of thirds, very tight frames to offer feeling of entrapment

for the characters or the feeling of city as a place full of strangers

Wide angles and shots of the sky to hint at a restricted freedom

the mass of the city but the expanse of the sky above to offer somehope.


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Exam questions

What is the importance of mise-en-scene and / or

sound in creating meaning and generating a

response in the films you have studied?

How far does the impact of the films you have

studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of

film techniques?

Explore how stylistic choices contribute to the

representation of the urban experience in the films

you have studied for this topic

urban stories_revision lesson 3_formal comparison

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