BordwellThompson/Narrative Form (Discussion)
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Revision as of 15:21, 12 January 2009 by Jeremy Butler (talk | contribs) (→Classical Hollywood cinema: added characteristics)
Form
- How do Bordwell and Thompson (B/T) define "form" in its general sense? And how is film a "system"?
- Apply B/T's four principles of film form to Ordinary People:
- Function: What function do Conrad's dreams/fantasies serve?
- Similarity and repetition: What is one motif that recurs in the film? (And what is a motif, according to B/T?)
- Difference and variation: How does the film make use of variations?
- Development: B/T note, "Another way to size up how a film develops formally is to compare the beginning with the ending." So, how would you say the beginning and ending of Ordinary People signals the film's development?
Conrad's nightmare:
http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T440/OrdinaryPeople/thumbnails/OrdinaryPeople041_jpg.jpg
First shot:
http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T440/OrdinaryPeople/thumbnails/OrdinaryPeople001_jpg.jpg
Last shot:
http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T440/OrdinaryPeople/thumbnails/OrdinaryPeople112_jpg.jpg
Narrative form
B/T define narrative form as "...a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space." Discuss/define each phrase of this definition, providing examples from Ordinary People:
- a chain of events in cause-effect relationship
- occurring in time and space
Plot and story
- What is the difference between "plot" and "story", as B/T are using those terms?
- Describe the plot and the story of Ordinary People. How do they differ?
Classical Hollywood cinema
- What are the five or six principal characteristics of classical Hollywood cinema, according to B/T? List them.
- Actions stem from individual character's desires.
- Desire sets the story in motion.
- Plot change develops through cause and effect chain.
- Goal oriented.
- Appointment/deadline used to motivate character interaction.
- Narrative closure; goal is achieved or definitely NOT achieved.
- Does Ordinary People qualify as a classical film? Why or why not?
Bibliography
- David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction, 8th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007).
External links
- Frame grabs from Ordinary People.