Analyse the Narrative structure of the film Memento
This may seem like the most obvious element to study when it comes to this film, it's back to front and upside down - however as students of film the first thing that you must acknowledge is that the only reason this story seems so strange is because as an audience we have become so familiar with what is 'normal'.
Therefore before we can make sense of a movie that seems to break so many of the rules we must understand what the rules are and how they usually apply to movies.
To write this essay you will complete the following tasks...
1. Read and makes notes on an essay about conventional film narrative
2. Watch the film and make notes using your research as a guide
3. Apply the research from your essay to the film by selecting a sequence of clips from the film
4. Use an additional piece of research to add to your findings
5. Write several paragraphs (totalling no more than 1000 words) answering the question above
Task 1.
The essay below will be your main piece of Secondary research. It is from David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson's excellent book Film Art: An Introduction.
- Read through the chapter
- Whilst reading, highlight key points
- Annotate the pages to put points into your own words
- Write out a dozen key quotations from throughout the chapter - each one should go on a separate Research Log sheet - found below the chapter.
- Summarise what the chapter has been about in your own words
Here is the aforementioned research log - you are going to need LOTS of these!
Task 2.
Watch Memento - but you must keep notes, these should be based on the things that you have read about from the chapter on narrative.- Keep your summary of the chapter in front of you, as well as the quotations you've copied out. (have these written out separately from your research logs).
- Write very (very) brief summary of each scene as it appears in the movie
- Whenever something happens that either reinforces or challenges the points you've written down, make a note of it
- Throughout the movie write down anything that happens that you feel answers the question in any small way
- As soon as the film is finished, write down your immediate response to the film in relation to the question you are trying to answer
Task 3.
From your notes on the film AND the notes you've made from the chapter - think about any key sequences that would be worth analysis in answering the question. Find clips from the film on YouTube that you can look at again. Here are some clips that might help...This opening sequence includes a first shot that is over a minute long. Whilst there is no dialogue, the sequence is reveals significant information about the form of the film as well as the plot. How does this relate to narrative?
The black and white sequences move forward as opposed to the colour scenes - however do they drive the plot forward? Do they raise more questions than answers? Do they fill in any gaps in an audiences knowledge? What is their function in regards to the narrative?
This sequence reveals elements of characterisation and also unifies certain themes that recur throughout the film - at the same time there is as always elements of plot exposition. Remember that character actions and dialogue is not the only way to reveal character and plot...
Nolan discusses the importance of the ending of the film in regards to understanding the whole. This scene is a great example of how various ideas and themes are explored in the film and how certain moments and lines of dialogue only have significance once you've seen the entire movie. How does this factor in when studying narrative form?
This scene is where we see the 'join' of the two parallel narratives - does this moment stop the film from being two linear films? How does it alter our perspective of time as well as how we understand cause & effect? There's so much here - choose the bits that matter...
Task 4.
Search for another piece of research relating your topic area - it can even be specifically about the film itself, a review of the film, an interview with Nolan, an essay or an article - write down some quotations that are interesting, even if you disagree with them.
You don't have to search too far to find Secondary research specifically written about Memento - however this isn't always useful for every research project.
Without a new angle or a new perspective the question will always remain:
Why write something if it's already been written?
For our purposes this is just a practice so it's fine, but the point made is important for you to remember - don't worry if you can't find the exact academic writing that answers your question, find the writings on the subject you are investigating and use it - that's where you get the marks in this essay.
Once you have read some different sources you can write them up on a research log like the one you have in your coursework booklet.
Task 5.
This is the hardest part but the most essential. Putting everything together. In no more than 1000 words you are going to write the essay at the top of this page. Using all of the elements that you've collected together in Tasks 1-4. This should be as simple as fitting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle - follow these steps and you should be able to answer the question:
Analyse the Narrative Structure in the film Memento
- Choose one of the sequences you thought would be interesting to discuss and provide a short textual analysis.
- Find a quotation from your academic research that either proves or is at odds with the point your textual analysis makes.
- Explain the quotation and why it either proves or challenges your textual analysis.
- Give your own opinions
...alternatively...
- Find a quotation from your academics research that makes a statement about the representation of women in film or the media, or summarises a theory
- Write a textual analysis from a section of the film which either proves or disproves your point
- Explain what your own thoughts are on this area.You MUST include quotations from your research - whichever way you do this!
Either of these two options are useful and may be combined when writing the paragraphs of your own essay. The second option might require you to do additional textual analysis. The first option might require you to do extra reading. However, if both your Textual Analyses and Academic research is thorough then you should be fine.
Sample paragraph
Whilst there are many aspects of the narrative that make Memento unique, challenging and perhaps even confusing, it still has a coherence that an audience can attach themselves to. That is to say that Memento does not completely rip up the narrative rule book. In some ways, particularly the impact of characters' actions on the plot, the film meets an audience's expectations of conventional narrative films:
"In any narrative film, either fictional or documentary, characters create causes and register effects. Within the film's formal system, they make things happen and respond to events. Their actions and reactions contribute strongly to our engagement with the film."
(Thompson/Bordwell, Film Art: An Introduction, p78)
Every action of every character seems to have a profound effect on all of the characters and of the overall direction of the film. Even the most simple actions such as Leonard's note reminding himself to 'shave left leg' has a knock on effect which results in a chain of events that lead to Teddy's death at the start of the film. However this film is more interested in causes that it is in effects, so whilst the audience are already aware of what will happen because Leonard prepares himself for a tattoo, because we already know the path that the tattoo will lead him down; we become more intrigued by the cause of the original action. We want to find out exactly how he got the information that lead him to tattoo the next fact on his leg.
If you want to see some examples of how essays have been written well then click here.
