Can Film Be Non-Narrative: Discussion

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A film represents a unique combination of different techniques (video, sound and plot structure) which has a visual and emotional impact on a viewer. In guiding the appraisal the plot makes use of all conceivable cinematic means. The elements of the primary appraisal are provided directly by the film; those of the secondary appraisal are at the very least supported by it. The major elements of the situational meaning structure are made conspicuous and redundant by such technical means as acting, staging, framing, montage, camera movement, use of props, and selective amplification of the sound. Some critics admit that a film can be non-narrative based on visual images and sound effects. Thesis Narrative is an inevitable part of any film which can be constructed as thoughts and actions, memories and transition stages.

Narration is only possible by virtue of disparity of knowledge, that is, knowledge that is concerned with the fictional world (Braudy and Cohen 33). At the end of the film the viewer is aware of all relevant aspects of a complete episode that has taken place in that fictional world. The knowledge that is conveyed, and the manner in which it is conveyed, are characteristic of narratives. Ellis and McLane (2006) describe the most important parameters of the narrative for the classical feature film. These include communicativeness, the measure in which the narrative divulges knowledge, and the depth of the knowledge divulged, in other words, the degree to which the viewer is informed about the inner life of the characters. Man with a Movie Camera by Vertov vividly portray that a narrative is inevitable part of a film driven plot development and a conflict. In the review Tracey underlines:

Vertov reveals more mechanical reality as he juxtaposes a woman getting her hair washed with another washing clothes, and then shows a barber shaving a man, and sharpening a razor’s edge. The sequence ends with newspapers rifling along a printing press, and a young woman packing cigarettes, watching the machine’s quick slap pressing, while smiling at her labor” (Tracey n.d.).

In this movie, the narrative determines both the nature and the intensity of emotions through a careful dosage of information by means of these parameters. But emotion is played upon first and foremost through the presentation of ongoing change. The description of this function of film narration, the presentation of ongoing change in the fictional situation, can be approached in various ways. In principle, all the theories of plot structure are important to such a description. in the movie, it is not sufficient to highlight the major facets of the changes in the situation in the fictional world, without claiming to be exhaustive (Braudy and Cohen 92). According to many theorists (Stain and Miller 34), the most elementary formula to which a story, that is, a series of events in a fictional world, can be reduced is a characteristic course of events. This involves a systematic change brought about by a process of cause and effect. The change is enacted as follows: the overall organization of the story is reflected in the characteristic emotion of the viewer, likewise conceived as an overall process (Stain and Miller 34),

Narrative is an inevitable part of any film because all films are also about something, and they can teach viewers a great deal about reality, as is clear from the reviews of feature films. Following Stain and Miller (76) what feature films actually say about reality and how they do so is difficult to explain; this is a special aspect of the problem of reality in art. The psychoanalytical viewpoint, according to which the film provides access to an inner reality, that of repressed fantasies, wishes, and fears, has already been dealt with at length.

“Vertov transforms not only reality, but traditional narrative cinema. He moves outside of Hollywood storytelling (three-act structures, goal-oriented characters), and closer to an absolute language of cinema” (Tracey n.d.).

The cohesion may be attributed to the following characteristics of the classical narrative style: (a) a limited number of characters are involved in separate and independent actions, (b) if there is more than one plot line, which is generally the case, these lines are integrated; thus the action line and the romance line of the story always converge, and (c) in the end, causality is based on psychological features of protagonists acting in a rational manner (Braudy and Cohen 33).

Godfrey Reggio’s ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ is a classical example of a non-narrative film. thus, it is important to note that a ‘narrative’ means a sequence of images and sounds which create a certain meaning and reflect subjective experiences. Reggio’s ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ reflects experiences and evokes feelings in viewers. The sequence of images and sounds can be interpreted as a form of narration which supports plot development and drives viewers (Ellis and McLane 54). There are countless interpretations of films that are based on their symptomatic meaning–indeed, too many to examine here. The relationship between film and reality may well be the subject on which the classic film theoreticians differ most. Stain and Miller (92) underline that a film should portray reality as it is. It should, however, be noted that they entertain very different views on what reality actually is. Stain and Miller (99) believe that film, because it is capable of registering change, is the ultimate answer to a human being’s cherished desire to create a perfect analog on of reality. Reality and images can be seen as a narrative.

All the views in ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ attribute to art the power and teach the viewer something about reality. They invariably call up the question of interpretation. Interpretation is itself something that must be learned. It cannot be assumed that the natural viewer of the traditional film will automatically discover those hidden meanings the critic is so adept at identifying. Insofar as they go unnoticed, this cannot be said to be a motive for watching feature films. One may well ask whether what art has to say to the critic or the expert is always understood by the untrained viewer (Ellis and McLane 51). The traditional views on art often imply that there is a considerable reward in store for the beholder who is prepared to invest a certain degree of effort. In return for the effort required to come to a disinterested contemplation–a visit to a museum, say, and the perusal of certain background information–there is assumed to be some exceptional value in the form of insights gained. On the other hand, it is argued, narrative films, as products of the entertainment world, are able to reveal more simple truths at a lower cost and therefore have a greater appeal for large groups of viewers (Hutchings et al 72).

A narrative is inevitable part of the film because it helps to construct reality and add meaning to the film. Following Hutchings et al (65) the reality plays out in front of the camera as no more than the raw material that has yet to be processed, with the aid of filmic means. The degree to which these imperfections are visibly exploited rather than camouflaged determines the artistic value of a film. The narrative can be seen as the main resource the filmer has available to recreate reality. A narrative presents the work of art as a closed microcosm that can be contemplated from a distance (Hutchings et al 73). What is unique about films is the fact that the viewer is given an opportunity to enter that microcosm and to identify with the characters portrayed through a narrative. Stain and Miller (22) underline that cinematic art is by no means limited to the recognized experimental and avant-garde genres.

In both Dziga Vertov’s ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ and Godfrey Reggio’s ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ there is a second quality, complementary to involvement, which likewise contributes to the appeal of films, a characteristic common to all forms of fiction. It is important for a film to be understood not only as a representation of something else, a fictional world–but also as an independent construction or theme. For the viewer, the most important elements of the film as unique theme are plot and style expressed through verbal or visual narratives. The plot is generally constructed in such a way that the viewer is presented with an often complicated sequence of events in which the fictional action alternately progresses and stagnates. As a result, the viewer, who is constantly striving for a more complete overview of, and a better insight into, the overall action, is alternately frustrated and rewarded. The so-called mystery plot is the most obvious manifestation of this construction, but all narrative films create uncertainties that are put before the viewer at selected intervals and in selected doses (Hutchings et al 73).

In ‘Koyaanisqatsi’, the intensity of the emotion is also determined by the parameters of the situational meaning, which the cinematic technique allows to attain a maximum value: these include not only objectivity but also such aspects as closedness and proximity. There are countless other examples of the affordances that are directly observable as part of the primary appraisal steered by the film technique (Stain and Miller 74). In non-narrative films, it is difficult to grasp the surface structure of the film, bit perceive only those aspects that are immediately observable, if they are to understand the plot. In some cases, however, this surface structure is enjoyable in its own right. There may be a special appeal in the way a certain scene is filmed, regardless of its importance for the development of the plot. Hutchings et al (87) underline that the average viewer is not necessarily intrigued by the technical and stylistic details in themselves: the length of a dolly shot, say, or the ingenious shift in focus within a single shot. Certain qualities of the immediate correlate to the film stimulus, the image, that is, the impression that is the result of those technical manipulations of which one is unaware, cannot fail to strike regular film viewers (Hutchings 17).

Narrative is an inevitable part of any film because preferences are determined by specific film characteristics. Films are subject to historically determined conventions with respect to the mode of narration, from plot to stylistic choices such as Dziga Vertov’s ‘Man with a Movie Camera’. Tracey (n.d.) describes this part as:

The film’s middle section captures some of the absolute language of the kino-eye. The sequence begins with a low-angle canted shot of a traffic light turning. Then from on high, the camera visible frame right, kino-eye overlooks a busy Moscow street. Cut to a joyous couple walking into a municipality, where they sign a wedding registration.

Non-narrative, as part of the film, correspond to attitudes, that is, affectively charged preferences on the part of an audience, that have been formed during a learning process encompassing a great many films (Stain and Miller, 66). Films or film types may be seen as systems of norms, while audiences are groups of spectators characterized by certain attitudes. Norms and attitudes are geared to one another by means of a historical process of selection. From the perspective of the film, critics say that each film or type of film has its natural viewer; critics take this to mean the viewer who has a preference for the film or type of film in question (Hutchings 98). Strictly speaking, the results of empirical research into the way a particular film is experienced can only be generalized with reference to the population of its natural viewers. The results must be obtained by means of a random sample from that population, that is, all those persons who consider it conceivable that, if the opportunity presented itself, they would choose to see that film.

Non-narrative parts are presented in films and widely used by film makers. A non-narrative film presents itself almost exclusively as the theme; it does not provide access to a fictional world in which viewers can lose themselves, at least not in the sense of a fantasized presence in that world. The traditional film is by definition good at realizing involvement, which in general fits in with the motivation of its natural audience. A narrative adds the regulation of affect on the part of the viewer, a small-scale emotional impact, admittedly in the most limited and specific sense of the word (Stain and Miller, 61). A narrative film creates a specific emotional tension but then goes on to resolve that tension. This has been demonstrated most clearly by the work of Dziga Vertov.

In non-narrative films, the contemplation of the subject is almost entirely replaced by the sensation that one is not only faced with, but also literally–indeed, physically-present in the fictional world and is witnessing the action taking place around one. As regards the appraisal of the situation, one result of the unique effect is that the objectivity of the situation is exceptionally high. This crucial aspect of the situational meaning may be seen as indispensable to the evocation of an emotion. The situation in the fictional world is appraised as “spontaneous”; the subject experiences himself or herself as “affected and passive.” (Stain and Miller 21). In film viewing, this is due primarily to the fact that the viewer relinquishes control over the stimulus, allowing it to pass to the film, that is, the narrative process, but also to the nature of the fictional world. That world exists and is independent of the viewer, or so it appears. It was there before the viewers made their entrance, and it will continue to exist when the film is over. What does end is the viewer’s opportunity to play out his or her own role of witness to the events of that world. What happens there is governed by a kind of logic that cannot be influenced, although it can to a considerable extent be understood. Events do not befall viewers physically, nor even as participants in the fictional action (Stain and Miller, 63).

Just as in the traditional novel and traditional drama, the events in the fictional world are determined by characters who act in a more or less purposeful fashion and whose mental life is more or less comprehensible to the viewer (Hutchings et al 23). A narration is inevitable part of the film because through it the film maker addresses viewers in their imaginary role as witnesses to the events of the fictional world. And it is to this situational meaning structure that the components are related. It signifies that in the eyes of the viewer it is high time that something is done by or on behalf of the protagonist with whom the viewer sympathizes, regardless of whether the protagonist himself or herself shares that urge. The component controllability is always minimal: the viewer can do nothing (Stain and Miller, 62).

The line of the foreground and background of the visible action, which is done by means of framing, focus, and the exact staging, will depend on what it is important for the viewer to see at that particular point in the action. Of all the sounds that are part of the scene, what viewers hear are those considered important for them at that moment. Even the music, which clearly comes from outside the fictional world, is governed by the fictional events taking place. It fades away during dialogue, and forward and back reference functions are used only sporadically (Hutchings et al 44). Even within a continuous scene, the action is compressed almost invisibly, so that only that which is dramatically important appears on the screen. What is dramatically important is determined by the situational meaning structure, that is, the meaning of the story event that is related to a certain emotion. Fantasies and active interest then in turn increase the likelihood of exposure to programs that may be expected to feature sexual themes. In the second place, the perception that media users have of the gratifications obtained does not necessarily reflect the gratifications they actually draw from that use.

While the plot controls the situational meaning structure, this does not necessarily mean that the viewer is allowed to see and hear everything. Control may mean that certain inferences or representations are forced upon the viewer. For example, a few minor but highly expressive consequences of an accident or act of violence may be shown (Ellis and McLane 62). The very inescapability of the conclusion renders it more tangible. A familiar variation on this theme is the case where the viewer hears only a series of noises, and yet is capable of conjuring up a detailed visual representation (as in the case of the off-stage sounds of blows striking a body). Nor does control of situational meaning automatically mean that the viewer is conscious of the relevant characteristics of the situation, at least in the case of primary appraisal. A feature film is a story, which means that knowledge is conveyed (Hutchings 98). Yet the film audience is barely aware of the process by which this takes place. Only rarely is there an overt narrator, and even then he or she often recedes into the background. The narrative process is concealed behind the unique effect, or more precisely, behind the apparent objectivity of events (Braudy and Cohen 54).

In sum, narrative is an inevitable part of any film constructed as thoughts and sequences of images. Without a narrative, the events in the fictional world create uncertainty, which by the end of the film has been resolved. In general, any hedonically negative affect has by then been reversed. At the same time, however, the initially chaotic structural organization of the theme, in particular its systems of plot and style, requires a mental effort on the part of the viewer and creates a desire for order. If the argument put forward thus far is sound, then the most important motive for viewing feature films may well be of an affective nature. The most important primary motivation lies in the expectation of undergoing a highly specific emotional experience. A narrative is an inevitable part of the film, presented in images and thoughts, which create meaning and sense of the film, and connects viewers to a particular them and notion.

Works Cited

Braudy, L., Cohen, M. Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. Oxford University Press, USA; 5th edition, 1998.

Ellis. J. C. McLane, D.A. A New History of Documentary Film. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006.

Hutchings, P., Jancovich, M., Hollows, J., McDonald, A. The Film Studies Reader. Hodder Arnold, 2000.

Reggio, J. Koyaanisqatsi. n.d. Web.

Stain, R., Miller, T. Film and Theory: An Anthology. WileyBlackwell, 2000.

Tracey, G. Man with a Movie Camera: Video Reviews.n.d. Web.

Vertov, D. Man with a Movie Camera. n.d. Web.

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Can Film Be Non-Narrative: Discussion

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