Investigating Alternative Narrative Structures in Film

From the time we get to primary school we are already well aware of the notion that stories must have a beginning, a middle and an end. This is the structure of our favourite fairy tales and our favourite children's books. The three act play has its routes in Classical Greek Tragedies and is as abundant in Shakespeare and Opera as it is in newspaper comic strips and low brow melodramas.

Film has always championed a conventional structure to narrative, and there are many films which fit into Todorov's five Stages of narrative like five fingers into a glove.

However there are also those that have challenged and deviated, baffled and confused - if Narrative recognition is an appeal to some audiences then surely narratives that don't conform will be an appeal to others?

 

Research Investigation

The essay will hinge on the case studies you choose to explore as you investigate the different approaches to telling stories. You may wish to make a comparison between two movies - one that is conventional and one that is unconventional.  You may wish to look at specific filmmakers and study their own approach to storytelling. The following list might prove to be valuable when slecting texts...

• David Lynch - Lost Highway and Mullholland Drive
• Quentin Tarantino - Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction
• Christopher Nolan - Memento and Inception
• Orson Welles - Citizen Kane
• Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo and Psycho
• Woody Allen - Annie Hall

Some of these films actively play around with what we understand about plot and audience positioning - others, such as the works of David Lynch, spiral round and in and out of one another, utterly confusing an audience but still retaining its own logic.

Once you know your chosen texts inside out and back to front (or front to back in the case of Nolan's Memento) you can begin to apply the narrative theory that you've researched.

Some of it will be extending the work of theorists studied in the AS course. Other points will require you to cast fresh eyes over theories that are new to you  and get your head's around ideas that are just a bit more complicated than stories that have a beginning, a middle and an end.

David Bordwell has written extensively about film narrative, as has Nick Lacey. All the theories are out there, as are the experimental films which bend and break the rules. It's your job to find it all and put it together.

Please always label research with your name and: Alternate Narrative in Film

Media Product

You must direct, film and edit your own trailer or opening of a film that uses an unusual narrative structure or system. Your idea must be original but at the same time you must show that there are links between your Research Investigation and the product. In the case of this project it should be fairly obvious which films you have used as your case studies. Not because you've copied their ideas, but because of the influence that their narrative has over your product.

Your film should also hold up to an academic analysis based on the theories of those you studied and researched when writing your essay.

Overall this needs to be of an excellent quality - the end result may well be a film which confuses, frustrates or shocks an audience - these things are all fine so long as that was the intention.

To create an intricate and intriguing narrative will require excellent planning, and this should be clear from the quality of your film, the following advice should be heeded at your own peril:

• Outline ideas
• Write a step treatment (scene by scene)
• Write a script
• Storyboard key action sequences
• Write a shooting script (the order you will do film things)
• Have read throughs with your actors and let them know exactly what your vision of this film is
• Watch the footage carefully and write put together a 'paper edit'
• Re-shoot anything that doesn't work
• Give yourself lots of time for editing.

This project is complex, involved and at times very difficult. Done well it can result in higher level thinking and a stunning looking creative project.




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The article was written by Emma Louise Howard and was published to MediaMagazine issue 33 in September 2010.  The article explores the use of flash-back and flash-forward and how it is used to exploit and manipulate narratives in different films. This article attempts to answer how a nonlinear narrative can still engage an audience, without following a cause and effect structure. Howard asserts that using flash-backs can be a way to engage an audience, as they can still work out the narrative. By using this device, filmmakers can show the audience that a nonlinear narrative can still depict reality, as everyone thinks back to the past and they don't always focus on the present or the future such as in conventional linear narrative films: "It's not unusual to have a character ponder their past memories to be presented for our viewing pleasure" This is clearly seen in films such as 500 Days Of Summer, that primarily tells the story through a series of mixed-up flash-backs about a heterosexual relationship and the journey from how the relationship started, to where it is in the present day. Throughout the film, the flash-backs are told in what seems to be a random order, jumping from different stages in the relationship, which is made evident to the audience through the use of numbers, 500 being the ending of the relationship and 1 being the beginning. By using this unusual device, the audience see that the narrative is nonlinear, by the film starting with a break-up scene. Initially we are confused, however: "the manipulation of time and alteration of conventional linearity are creative narrative devices; a means to keeping the audience intrigued, and confounding their expectations via the disruption of traditional structures". Even though the narrative has been manipulated to confuse the audience, we are 'intrigued', because our expectations of 'conventional linearity' are confused and we want to watch further to solve out what is happening in the film. This juxtaposes, with the view held in the book 'Film Art' written by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson: "Our engagement with the story depends on our understanding of the pattern of change and stability, cause and effect, time and space" which isn't always correct. As Howard states: "creatives can manipulate time any way they see fit, and whatever the intended effect upon the viewer", therefore a cause and effect structure is not the only way to keep an audience engaged, just because a nonlinear narrative may confuse the audience, it doesn't mean that they aren't engaged and intrigued by the film. 

Howard then raises the question: "What happens when a TV show or film brings time to the forefront?" which is what we see happening in Marc Webb's 500 Days Of Summer. She then answers this question: "it can be subverted, altering the story and its effect upon the viewer." Yet just because Webb plays with the films narrative, to confuse the audience and make them ask questions, it doesn't mean they aren't engaging with the film. The use of flashbacks arguably make his film more interesting and intriguing, because it challenges expectations and the flashbacks are enigma codes within the film. This would make the audience want to continue watching, for their questions to be answered, even if the film doesn't make complete sense. Also, after watching 500 Days Of Summer in its entirety, it becomes clear to the audience the story that was being told and makes the audience feel satisfied, because their questions are answered by the action codes. 

Narrative as a formal system article

I chose this article as it allows talking points to be made about the particular section. Points that can be deconstructed to have different meanings are good for showing how audiences can come to different conclusions and have opinions that differ from one another.

"We may now a great deal about the particular story the film will tell. Perhaps we ave read the book on which the film is based or we have seen the film to which this is na sequel too"

I agree with quote for a number of reasons. Our individual knowledge on a film can change the way we view it and therefore change the narrative. If we have read the book on which the film is based then it creates expectations amongst audiences who have read this particular text. The narrative can therefore be different for these people as they either have an idea on what will follow or know depending on how much the movie deviates away from the source material. Audiences who view films that are sequels as a stand alone will come out with different opinions and thoughts than audiences who have viewed the films predecessors. The phrase 'the more you know' comes to mind as the more insight you have on a particular text will effect how you view it. The narrative may confuse the person who hasn't saw the films predecessor whereas the person who has saw it will most likely fully understand it.

"Typically a narrative begins with one situation; a series of changes occurs according to a pattern of cause and effect"

Most films follow this particular code which allows me to agree with this particular quote.  A state of peace and tranquillity gets transformed into chaos by a series of events. Some films deviate
from this choosing to start with the narrative in full swing but this only really happens when there is the chance of the audience already having an insight to whats going to happen. For examples films that are connected to others or true historical based films. For example Saving Private Ryan starts with the D-Day landings and gets right into the action. This is because the film was released 56 years after the actual event so the majority of people who watch it will have a relatively good idea about whats currently happening.

 Overall this resource is very accurate on how Narrative is conveyed and also how narrative can be used to convey different things. It allows for readers to create their own opinions and own view points on what something means. The quote ' A random string of events is sometimes hard to follow ' can have different opinions attached to it depending on who the reader is.  One reader may agree saying that narrative needs to have a certain structure however another may say that  how much you know about the film influences this more than anything else. Overall it leaves its self open for debate which in my opinion is the best response as it leaves itself open for debate which will get people talking about the matter at hand.

Alternative structures part 1 by writing craft 

 The article delves in to the idea of how non linear narrative affects how a story is told and what impact it has on the individual as a result of This.

 "Episodic structure is a series of chapters or stories linked together by the same character place or theme, but also held apart by their own goals, plots, or purpose” 

"Traditionally, we’re used to thinking about structure as a mountain or a triangle with an escalating tension"

"Additionally, a story with a flashback can be considered part of a non-linear structure. However, some define flashbacks as a character thinking back on an event, and thus exist within a traditional linear-story timeline."

NON-LINEAR NARRATIVES: THE ULITiMATE IN TIME TRAVEL by Linda Cowgill The article explores how the effect of non linear narrative has on the audiences perception of the film and how it is received to the individual, it questions the idea that a non linear narrative takes away from the over all perception of the film and it makes the individual have to think more in order to understand the narrative its self.

"films often fall flat when they embrace a nonlinear structure" "This nonlinear narrative structure defies the conventional rules of plot construction and breaks apart the standard notion that a film's scenes must advance in chronological order from opening to climax." "Nonlinear film deconstructs a character, complicated event, situation, or a combination of these elements by reordering the time sequence and creating a new arrangement of time for dramatic, and thematic, purposes." Viewers understand by making cause-and-effect connections between the scenes. Each beat of information must relate to what comes before and after, even if a scene transcends the chronological order of time. When a nonlinear film explores a character, theme relates to the protagonist's inner need and emotional life.

Alternative Narratives in Film

Alternative Narratives in Film

What to Research
What defines an alternative narrative film? - possibilities and restrictions
Aristotle's narrative theory
Todorov's narrative structure 
SYD Feild- Paradigm 
Frey Tag Pyramid 
Propp's Narrative Functions 

Primary Texts
Inception 
Reservoir Dogs
Transformers  

Research
Definition 
Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique, sometimes used in literature, film, hypertext websites and other narratives, where events are portrayed, for example out of chronological order, or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured, such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream immersions or narrating another story inside the main plot-line.

Possibilities

• Allows for the film to be open to interpretation

Restrictions

• The movie may be seen as confusing or unnecessarily complex

Aristotelian Narrative Structure 

The concept of unity guides nearly all of Aristotle's proclamations about narrative structure. He explains that you can test the unity of a work by removing a part or reordering parts. If the plot's meaning and sense survive, the work is not unified; it has superfluous parts. In a good plot, every occurrence results from the previous occurrence. Every portion is crucial to the plot's development. Incompleteness is no better than excess, but if a plot has a beginning, middle and end, it is whole. This sounds like a relatively low standard, but Aristotle has specific definitions of beginning and end. They must be at opposite ends of the cause-and-effect chain that forms the substance of the play. A beginning has no determining cause; an ending has no effect.

Todorov's Narrative Structure
Todorov's theory is that in a film or story, the power is in a state of equilibrium (balance.) He believes that as the story progresses the state of equilibrium can change, giving one person more power or authority over another throughout the plot, keeping the audience entertained. Each story should start with an initial Status Quo/Power set up of a person or within a group. This person or group has authority over others. However, the equilibrium is changed after a disruption, resulting in a disequilibrium. The old equilibrium is broken, and therefore a new one must begin. This will repeat during the narrative until we reach a final equilibrium. 

He believes the theory to progress in five stages;
1. There is an equal balance and initial equilibrium.
2. The equilibrium is disrupted by an event. (Disequilibrium)
3. There is recognition of the disruption occurring.
4. There is an attempt to repair the damage done by the disruption.5. A return or restoration of a new equilibrium at the end of the narrative. 

SYD Feild- Paradigm
It starts with a setup and inciting incident, has regular turning points in the plot called Plot Points and Pinches in the middle and ends with a climax and resolution. The Paradigm describes both the external journey involving the attempt to achieve the story goal and the internal journey of the main character.  The main difference to the classic Three-Act plot structure - and what stands out about Syd Field’s The Paradigm - is the two Pinches during Act Two.

Frey Tag Pyramid

Gustav Freytag (1816-1895) analysed Shakespearean and ancient Greek drama; he developed a model based on his examination of the structure of those plays. The model, first published in his book Die Technik des Dramas in 1863, is known as Freytag's Pyramid. The German playwright and novelist’s concept of dramatic structure also goes by the names of Freytag’s Triangle or Dramatic Arc. Freytag’s analysis revealed a structural pattern in Greek and Shakespearean dramas. He found that the parts of plays fell into five consecutive components: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and dénouement. In a stage play, these parts often become the five acts that comprise the production.

Propp's Narrative Functions 

Although the plot is driven by the actions and choices of the hero (the protagonist), these narrative functions are spread between the main characters. Propp also defined these character categories:

• the villain, who struggles with the hero (formally known as the antagonist)
• the donor,
• the helper,
• the Princess, a sought-for person (and/or her father), who exists as a goal and often recognizes and marries hero and/or punishes villain
• the dispatcher,
• the hero, who departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to the donor and weds
• the false hero (or antihero or usurper), who claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like a real hero (ie by trying to marry the princess)

Inception

Bibliography

Links 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonlinear_narrative 
http://classroom.synonym.com/aristotelian-narrative-structures-3012.html
http://lucytownsendasmedia.weebly.com/todorovrsquos-equilibrium-theory.html
http://www.scriptboutique.co.uk/news/story-structure-part-3-syd-field%E2%80%99s-paradigm
https://www.videomaker.com/article/f04/17174-dramatic-structure-story-arc-freytags-pyramid
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/05/christopher-nolan-finally-explains-inceptions-ending  
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2010/08/06/inception-or-dream-a-little-dream-within-a-dream-with-me/
http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=propp
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/andreaseig734568.html

Books  & Magazines
Puzzle Films Complex Storytelling in Contemporary Cinema


Quotes 

Warren Buckland
The use of the term “complex” in Puzzle Films: Complex Storytelling in
Contemporary Cinema extends far beyond Aristotle’s term peplegmenos. The
“puzzle plot” is, I would argue, the third type of plot that comes after the
complex plot. A puzzle plot is intricate in the sense that the arrangement
of events is not just complex, but complicated and perplexing; the events
are not simply interwoven, but entangled.

Kristin Thompson
'In the meantime, I don’t see why we should get annoyed because Inception doesn’t contain rich, fully rounded characters. It’s clearly a puzzle film that takes the usual complicated premises of a heist movie and pushes them to extremes. Accepting the flow of nearly continuous exposition may remove some of the frustrations viewers face. After all, there’s no rule against it.'

Christopher Nolan 
"The way the end of that film worked, Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Cob - he was off with his kids, he was in his own subjective relative" "He didn't really care any more, and that makes a statement perhaps, all levels of reality are valid."

"In great tradition of these speeches [To Undergraduates], generally someone says something along the lines of 'chase your dreams', but I don't want to tell you that because I don't believe that, I want you to chase your reality." 

 Jean-Luc Godard 
'A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order.' 

Michael Paterniti
“In the end, it wasn't so much that there was an alternative narrative--there always was--but it came down to belief: Which one did you want to believe. Which one suited you best? Or, perhaps more to the point: Which one told the story you were already telling yourself?” 

Andrea Seigel
"Allowing alternative narrative modes in popular entertainment may seem obvious, yet when you turn a pilot into the people upstairs and the main character isn't after what she wants by the top of page two, you get treated as if you've failed at writing."