Narration

Question 1

What is narration?

Answer 1

Narration is the plot’s way of distributing story information in order to achieve specific effects. Narration
is a moment-by-moment process.

Question 2

Range of narration:
Unrestricted

Answer 2

as an audience, we know more than the main character does, by showing us more than
the main char. is aware of; this may be referred to as omniscient (“all-knowing”) narration

Question 3

Restricted:

Answer 3

as an audience, we are limited to only knowing what the main character knows

Question 4

Advantages/Disadvantages

Answer 4

Each alternative offers certain advantages, depending upon the type of story one is trying to tell.

Question 5

Combination

Answer 5

A single film may employ either strategy at different times, because narration is a moment-by-moment
process. We may still argue overall that a given film tends to favor one strategy or the other.

Question 6

Depth of narration:

Question 7

Objective:

Answer 7

the plot confines us to observing the characters from a third-person perspective

Question 8

Subjective

Answer 8

-the plot lets us see through a character’s eyes, as though we are them (first-person),
-or lets us “see” inside their mind (images are shown onscreen of what they’re thinking about), as though we are them

Question 9

perceptual subjectivity

Answer 9

point-of-view (POV) shots give us access to what the
character sees, as though it is through their eyes

Question 10

mental subjectivity

Answer 10

we see a character’s depicted memories, dreams, hallucinations,
or, if not images, then voices they hear from inside their mind

Question 11

The narrator:

Answer 11

-uses a specific agent who purports to be telling us the story (rather than the filmmakers)
-it may be a character, or a non-character narrator
-either sort of narrator may give us any range or depth of knowledge