Production Elements

Narrative is the first outcome of Unit 3 in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). Two feature length texts are studied. Generally these two texts need to have some sort of ability to be compared. A good starting point is to pick texts from the same genre but from different time periods. For example Singin in the Rain and Moulin Rouge have a very similar story structure (both are musicals, each has a love triangle, each has a major change in the use of the main location - the film studio moving to sound/the changing of the Moulin Rouge from a brothel to a legitimate theatre). However, as the texts were made 50 years apart, there are substantial differences in their production methods and the difference in time will .)

A narrative is simply a story. Most of our language revolves around telling stories. Motion picture films have been in existence since the 1880s and since that time we have developed a language to explain how those 'filmed texts' are built and interpreted by audiences. You have probably been watching filmed texts since soon after you were born and those who studied Media in Year 10 will have had an introduction to this outcome. Broadly speaking we will be looking at three groups of elements that create the foundations of studying narrative.

This page give basic explanations for terms you should be aware of with links to more detailed explanations and examples:

Narrative texts can be broken into three groups of elements Story, Production, and Audience.

Production Elements.

These elements are ones which come from the actual making of the text. These can be sub-grouped into Pre-Production, Production, and Post Production.

Acting

This should not be confused with Character. Acting relates to the person playing the character. Actors bring their own personalities and physical appearance to a character. Perhaps the best way to think of how an actor can change a role is characters that have been played by different actors. This could be a series such as James Bond with over 20 films played by 6 actors, and Doctor Who - 45 years of programmes 11 actors. Another example of how a character may be changed by a different actor is in a remake or spin off. (Bewitched - Elizabeth Mongomery vs. Nicole Kidnman, Get Smart - Don Adams vs. ***) Finally a different actor may take over a role when the original actor leaves. (Bewitched - Dick York vs. ***, Spin City - Michael J. Fox vs. Charlie Sheen.)

Camera

Shot types. The type of shot used in a scene can have a profound effect of the audience reaction. Shot types are generally decided upon in pre-production and are story boarded so that everyone involved knows what do when it is filmed. The shot selection can influence how an audience reacts to the action. A low angle (looking up) shot of a person will give that character power. Conversely a high angle shot will reduce the power of the character.

Camera Movement. This includes panning, tilting, tracking, craning, and combinations of camera movements. By moving the camera in a certain way we obviously follow the action. However, no movement (static shot) can be used to concentrate the audience on the action (rather than being a part of it), or to calm the audience. Few texts are completely made up of static shots (even the 1901 version of The Kelly Gang has panning.) Audience expectation plays a part in this. An audience expects a moving picture to, well, move.

Focus. This can be a complex relationship. Generally we want the point of action to be clearly seen. This means that the camera is focused on something. However, the amount of focus (depth of field) is determined by the length of the lens, the aperture used and the size of the film/sensor. (Shutter speed is fixed depending on the number of frames per second 24, 25, 29.9, or 50.) A telephoto lens will compress the image bringing the background closer, whilst a wide angle will expand perspective and create distance between objects. Telephoto lenses will have less depth of field than a wide angle lens set at the same aperture.

 

Editing

Editing is a post production process. It involves putting together all the filmed material, sound, and special effects. Almost all editing today is done on computer as opposed to actually cutting up pieces of film and taping them together. Although it was possible to speed-up and slow down action using a computer has simplified the process. Although much of the planning is done in pre production and storyboarding, the editing of a text can alter the finished product. The length of time a shot stays on screen may be shortened, or kept out entirely, shots may be rearranged from the original plan to make a more coherent story and so on. Special effects (sound and visual) may be added at this stage as are titles, credits etc.

Film Stock/Electronic

Although some video camera's such as Red are very close to approaching the resolution of film, film remains the predominant method for making a feature text. Furthermore, film is still the preferred method of screening a text in a theatre. Film looks different to even the highest definition video. Audiences prefer to see a slightly soft, but saturated film to the harsh sharpness of video. This will rapidly change over the next 10 years or so, just as digital still capture has more or less replaced film in still imagery.

Lighting

Lighting sets the mood for any given scene in a text and can contribute greatly to the mise en scene. Lighting can also be directly associated with genre. For example, film noir is characterised by its dark moody lighting, the antagonist is of shown in the shadows rather than full light, romantic comedies often have lighting which emphasises and flatters the main characters, musicals have bright lighting to emphasise happiness (Musicals also required bright lighting to capture the fast action of the dancers.)

Sound

Sound is a given in modern texts, however prior to 1927 silent films (usually accompanied by recorded or live music) were the norm. Technical difficulties (mainly inconsistent motors) meant it was very difficult to to synchronise voices and lips (lip synch). Music, facial expressions and intertitles carried the story. Modern editing equipment can have unlimited audio tracks and audiences expect a Hollywood action blockbuster to have be crammed with sound effects. It is often the sound track of a that can alter the text feeling. Turn off the sound on a TV show and play different music to see how the mood can be changed.

Special Effects

Not all texts rely on special effects. However, all texts use camera angles and lighting and sound to create illusions. Nevertheless, when we discuss Special Effects we are generally talking about something that has been "added" that would not normally be possible. The earliest special effects were simply illusions. In visual terms, a train coming toward the audience from a perspective they had never before seen, even mounting a camera on the front of a train were special effects. The term is later defined as some form of stunt such as crashing a car (or even a train in Buster Keeton's The General). Today it encompasses CGI (Computer Generated Imagery).

In sound Special Effects are often emphasised natural sounds such as creaking doors, foot steps dragging chains, or explosions. These are recorded by specialised people. People who record natural sounds for the sound track are called Foley Artists.

The texts we are studying in 2009 may at first viewing be free of special effects. However, both North by Northwest and Fargo do have special effects. North by Northwest uses mattes to create the illusion that Roger Thornhill is being swooped by the crop dusting plane. Fargo uses special effects when people are shot and fake limbs to put the leaf shredder.