Week 5 - Narrative

During week five we discussed narrative. What is narrative? "Narrative is a structure that helps define content and form.  This can be applied to story, prose, poetry, music, painting, photography and any other form of visual art." Narrative is something we as photographers use to create a meaning behind our images. Something that helps to understand the image. Although the photograph we take can mean something specific to us, it can come across as something different to someone else.


During this class we were shown the end scene from the film 'Donnie Darko' where we had to watch carefully and look for devices used in the film to portray a narrative.

Through the beginning of the scene I feel the grid format is trying to break up the picture so that it starts to separate the images, helping you to figure out what is going on.


As the plane crashes into his room you start to think about how all the slow motion pictures, fireworks and voice overs start to link into him dying and maybe how they were showing a warning of his death coming in the next scene, or maybe the fireworks were symbolising a celebration of death, that Donnie was finally free from this evil rabbit type creature that was controlling him.


The scanning of people with the music on top has been produced to relate to the actions going on in the scene, the quiet, gentle music helps the audience to know how the characters are feeling and helps us to understand what is going on in the picture. The last part to the scene scans across the family with a pause on each character in between to emphasise how are they feeling and we can react on that. 


Sources


Moving On After Donnie Darko - YouTube. 2011. Moving On After Donnie Darko - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?vAif8Rfg9EzQ. [Accessed 23rd November 2011]


Narrative quote - Mycourse - Image lab - Week 5 - Narrative word document