Audio-Visual Narrative Character Construction PDF

AUDIO-VISUAL NARRATIVE [email protected]  Characters (contents) CHARACTER CONSTRUCTION – Stereotypes – Identification – Characters and identities – Individual vs collective characters – Object of desire – Stardom NARRATIVE STRATEGIES TO BUIL...

AUDIO-VISUAL NARRATIVE [email protected]  Characters (contents) CHARACTER CONSTRUCTION – Stereotypes – Identification – Characters and identities – Individual vs collective characters – Object of desire – Stardom NARRATIVE STRATEGIES TO BUILD CHARACTERS – 1) Universal arquetypes – 2) Universal functions – 3) The hero’s journey – 4) The character arc – 3) Flat and Round characters ELEMENTS TO IDENTIFY CHARACTERS FILMS WITHOUT CHARACTERS 3 CHARACTER CONSTRUCTION 4 Character construction Narrative devices to build characters in cinema Representation of a collectivity through concrete characters 5  Interdisciplinary approaches Anthropology – Folk studies – Mythology Literary criticism Psychology 6  CHARACTER CONSTRUCTION Character construction in film implies both a simplification and a fragmentation, because there is very few time for the spectator to get to know the characters and be familiar with their characteristics. This will serve to identify the character throughout the film. 7 Babel (2006, Alejandro González Iñárritu). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2JpldeELLg 8 Stereotypes 9  Stereotypes A common device which portraits some aesthetic characteristics (such as clothes) or psychological characteristics (such as behaviour). If the characters don't have a big importance for the story more stereotyping devices are used. 10  Identification Empathy Built through narrative: – Point of view – Character construction 11 Characters and identities 12  Characters and identities Stereotyping and subjectivity create problems related to IDENTITY A lot of studies criticise the representation of specific collectivities (national, gender, etc.) because of the narrative role they perform in the films 13 Individual/Collective characters 14  Casting figurants (extras) Faites sortir les figurants. Sanaz Azari https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoWj3jeIh3o 15 Individual/Collective characters You can build characters in 2 ways: – Individual: the spectator feels more empathy (shares the problems/preoccupations of the character) – Collective: we don't approach the character's subjectivity 16 Object of desire 17 Stardom 18 NARRATIVE STRATEGIES TO BUILD CHARACTERS 19  Strategies to build characters If we want to use a classic narrative, there are some strategies to build characters: – Universal arquetypes – Universal Functions – The hero’s journey – The character arc – Flat and Round characters 20  Bibliography PROPP, Vladimir (1928) Morphology of the Folktale. [Morfología del cuento]. CAMPBELL, Joseph (1949) The Hero with a Thousand Faces [El héroe de las mil caras] JUNG, Carl (1959). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious VOGLER, Christopher (2002) The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers [El viaje del escritor] 1. Universal arquetypes 22 Arquetypes  1. UNIVERSAL ARQUETYPES Assumed roles of each character to fit the structure the story) They appear in almost all stories They are imposed in commercial films (such as Hollywood and Disney productions) Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) (classic example) 24 Vladimir Propp: Characters and Functions  Propp’s character types Source: file:///Users/a/Downloads/PLAYING%20WITH%20THE%20CARDS%20OF%20PROPP_0-1.pdf  Arquetypes The hero Shadows (villains Other and enemies: The archetypes antagonist) – Shapeshifters Herald – Tricksters Mentors – Allies Threshold guardians – Jester/clown 27  The hero Central figures in stories. Everyone is the hero of his or her own myth. The protagonist Drives the action and the spectator tends to feel identified with him/her The hero has a goal which must be achieved. This goal is stated at the beginning of the film Anti-hero would be a protagonist, but which would have no clear objective or his/her personality is not the “accepted one” within a culture (“politically correct”). E.g. House (tv series) 28  Villain / Shadows Villains and enemies, perhaps the enemy within. The dark side of the Force, the repressed possibilities of the hero, his or her potential for evil. Can be other kinds of repression, such as repressed grief, anger, frustration or creativity that is dangerous if it doesn’t have an outlet. This is usually the hero's enemy His/her values are usually those considered negatively in the producer's culture/society His/her goal is to prevent the hero from getting his/her purpose 29  The herald One who brings the Call to Adventure. Could be a person or an event. Catalyst A character who provokes a change in the initial situation Proposes a goal to the character or takes him/her out of their ordinary world It's a narrative excuse to start an adventure 30 Mentor 31  Mentor The hero’s guide or guiding principles. Yoda, Merlin, a great coach or teacher. Helps the hero and tells him/her what to do. Gives advise Normally is an old an experienced person 32  Threshold guardians The forces that stand in the way at important turning points, including jealous enemies, professional gatekeepers, or your own fears and doubts. Doesn't let the hero get his/her goal Puts obstacles 33  SHAPESHIFTERS In stories, creatures like vampires or werewolves who change shape. In life, the shapeshifter represents change. The way other people (or our perceptions of them) keep changing. The opposite sex, the way people can be two- faced. 34 http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero%27s_journey.htm  ALLIES Characters who help the hero through the change. Sidekicks, buddies, girlfriends who advise the hero through the transitions of life. 35 http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero%27s_journey.htm  TRICKSTERS Clowns and mischief-makers 36 http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero%27s_journey.htm Jung: Literary criticism Collective unconscious / individual unconscious Archetypes determine the form and function of literary works A text's meaning is shaped by cultural and psychological myths. Archetypes are the unknowable basic forms personified (..) in recurring images, symbols, or patterns These may include – motifs such as the quest or the heavenly ascent, – recognizable character types such as the trickster or the hero, – symbols such as the apple or snake, – or images such as crucifixion (as in King Kong, or Bride of Frankenstein) are all already laden with meaning when employed in a particular work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_archetypes 37 The 12 Archetypes (Carl Jung) Ruler Creator/Artist Sage Innocent Explorer Rebel Hero Wizard Jester Everyman Lover Caregiver 38 39 2. Universal funcions 40 41  Propp’s functions Source: Dogra, Sapna. The Thirty-One Functions in Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale: An Outline and Recent Trends in the Applicability of the Proppian Taxonomic Model. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities (ISSN 0975-2935), Vol. IX, No. 2, 2017 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v9n2.41 Full Text: http://rupkatha.com/V9/n2/v9n241.pdf 42 Source: Dogra, Sapna. The Thirty-One Functions in Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale: An Outline and Recent Trends in the Applicability of the Proppian Taxonomic Model. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities (ISSN 0975-2935), Vol. IX, No. 2, 2017 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v9n2.41 Full Text: http://rupkatha.com/V9/n2/v9n241.pdf 43 44 45 3. The hero’s journey 46  The Hero's journey (Vogler) 48 http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero%27s_journey.htm 4. The Character Arc 50 51  CHARACTER ARC Types of characters related to their evolution A character arc is the status of a character as it unfolds throughout a narrative. A character begins the narrative with certain viewpoints that change through events in the narrative, in part because they must adapt to changes throughout the storyline. 52 53 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23IPdgjjkME 54  Character arc In many narratives, the main characters or protagonists seem unable to resolve their problems because they lack the skills to overcome the forces of antagonism that confront them. This flaw is a driving element of the story's plot In order to improve their predicaments, – they often learn new skills – but also must arrive at a higher sense of self-awareness and capability. They can only achieve such awareness in contact with their environment and usually mentors and co-protagonists aid them. T The new awareness changes who they are or are becoming. A character arc affects the protagonist in a narrative, though other characters can go through similar changes. 55  CHARACTER ARC 2 kind of characters: Simple characters (don't change throughout the film) Complex characters (change and evolve when facing and solving problems through the film. They learn in the process). Example: Don Quijote 56 5. Flat and round characters 57  Flat and Round characters Flat characters are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. By contrast, round characters are complex and undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader. The two types are described by E.M. Forster in his book Aspects of the Novel (1927). Examples: – flat character: Mrs. Micawber in Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield (1849–50) – round character: Becky Sharp in William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair (1847–48). https://www.britannica.com/art/flat-character 58 ELEMENTS TO IDENTIFY CHARACTERS 59 ELEMENTS TO IDENTIFY CHARACTERS Leitmotiv Physical aspect Actions s/he makes The space Defining moment Initial situation: presentation 60  Leitmotiv A music/song which is heard whenever the character appears Helps to identify the character Acts in a subliminal way 61  Leitmotiv https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJqKKghJAbU 62 Physical aspect 63  Physical aspect If there is something special about the physical aspect of our character, it is easier to identify him/her Including physical aspect, clothes, etc Normally we avoid to use similar characters to avoid confusion of the spectator 64  Actions Some characters are associated with a specific action / job E.g.: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) Sam always plays the piano 65 Defining moment 66  Defining moment Initial situation. What does the character do the first time he/she appears in the film? 67 The space 68  The space We associate a character to a concrete space Feminist studies (private / public) 69 FILMS WITHOUT CHARACTERS 70  Films without characters Koyaanisqatsi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJxAdcgfM_E 71 Baraka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSfFHxyYJJA  Films without characters Some films don't have characters Normally these are experimental or poetic documentaries (such as Koyaanisqatsi, Godfrey Reggio, 1983) In this cases narrative is not built on the character's actions, but is built through sensations and abstract visual experiences 72  Bibliography PROPP, Vladimir (1928) Morphology of the Folktale. [Morfología del cuento]. CAMPBELL, Joseph (1949) The Hero with a Thousand Faces [El héroe de las mil caras] JUNG, Carl (1959). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious VOGLER, Christopher (2002) The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers [El viaje del escritor]