JCM212/Narrative Analysis
From Screenpedia
Assignment
- Choose a movie or a single episode of a TV show, but not one we've watched in class.
- Segmentation: Break it down scene-by-scene.
- Number each scene and write a very short description of it.
- Identify each of the narrative elements (from lecture; see below) in your movie or TV episode. Which scene (provide the number) fulfills each element?
- If your film or TV episode is missing an element, discuss the impact of its absence.
Sample segmentation
Scenes:
- Rachel quizzes Joey about Chandler and Monica.
- Credits
- Central Perk: Ross reveals that Emily is getting married; expresses frustration at being single.
- Chandler's office party: Chandler and Rachel are there as a couple. Chandler laughs too hard at boss' jokes--his "work laugh."
- Central Perk: Chandler reveals that Doug wants to play tennis with Chandler and Monica. Rachel grills Monica.
- Joey and Ross' apartment: Ross is angry at Emily.
- Tennis court: Monica is overly competitive.
- And so on...
Classical film narrative elements
- Single protagonist
- Exposition
- Motivation
- Narrative enigma
- Cause-effect chain
- Climax
- Resolution
TV-episode narrative elements
These are the elements for a series. Remember that a serial handles these elements slightly differently.
- Multiple protagonists
- Exposition
- Motivation
- Narrative problematic (and individual episode's enigma or enigmas)
- Cause-effect chain
- Climax
- Resolution