Questions+and+Answers+about+the+Narrative

=Back to: HEAVENLY CREATURES - YEAR 13 VISUAL TEXT= = Plot Structure Questions = Narrative or plot **structure** is the term used to describe the order in which a story is told, and the way in which different strands of the story are linked. The most common ways in which stories are told are     in **chronological** order, i.e. the order in which the events happen;     using **flashbacks**, i.e. earlier events are included later in the story     with a **frame** of later time, and the whole story a flashback (book-ending)     with **flash forwards**, in which future events are included earlier than they actually happen. 1.   Which of these descriptions best fits the structure of this film? Give details to show this. 2.    Why did Jackson and Walsh decide to structure the film this way? An important aspect of storytelling is **point of view**: who tells the story, from whose perspective the events are shown and/or seen. 3.   From whose point of view is the story told in this film? Is that consistent throughout or are other points of view shown? ** Time ** is always an important consideration in a screenplay; a feature film may cover days, weeks, even years of real time, so ways of showing time passing are needed. 4.   Jackson and Walsh had to compress the events of 18 months into a two-hour film. How do they do this? Some of the ways the **passing of time** may be indicated include: 5.   What techniques are used in this film to show time passing?  6. What is the time line of the narrative? Examine the plot events and construct a timeline of the plot.  7. What does the film tell us about the real-life events?  8. What does the film say about the girls' trial?  9. What is said about the fate of other characters?  Chronological, flashbacks, frame of a later time The film deals with the events of the 20 months between the meeting of Pauline Rieper and Juliet Hulme and their murder of Honora Rieper. It follows a chronological, episodic narrative structure, book-ended by a ‘flash-forward’ to the actual murder. The events of the film fall neatly into three acts, with a “prologue”:    Prologue: the travelogue and the few moments immediately after the murder.    Act 1: the girls meet at school and become friends; their friendship intensifies until they are sharing the same fantasy world. Ends with “the key to the Fourth World”    Act 2: They retreat more and more from the unhappiness of their lives; parental interference threatens separation and they decide to murder Pauline’s mother. Ends with the decision to kill Honora Rieper.    Act 3: planning and executing the murder. Ends with the murder – none of the subsequent criminal proceedings are included in the film. There is no attempt at suspense; apart from the fact that the subject of the story is no secret, the reality of the murder is emphasised at the start. The film is concerned less with this violence than with the reasons for it. The film is constructed less like a modern thriller – which it isn’t - and more like classical tragedy or //Romeo and Juliet//, where we are told the outcome of the story before it begins. In this case the facts of the case are no secret, but even if they had been, the film is not out for cheap thrills, but is rather a study of human behaviour. The focus is on why this dreadful murder happened, not on whether or how. By establishing the facts at the beginning, every word and action in the film is imbued with great resonance, through powerful foreshadowing.  The narrative is almost entirely that of Pauline Rieper. The film may, in fact, represent Pauline's version of reality, and hers alone. This makes the film very subjective throughout, as it asks us to share and feel the emotions of the two girls and live the story through their point of view. In this way, the film-makers hope we will better understand their peculiarly obsessive relationship and what they did as a result of their mutual passion. This subjectivity is hinted at before being dramatised fully. Screen text gives Pauline's actual diaries as a main source for the film’s story details; early in the film we see her being given a diary for Christmas (1952). From that point on, Pauline's voice-over narrates parts of the story in words taken from the diary. ** 4. **  ** Jackson and Walsh had to compress the events of 18 months into a two-hour film. How did they do this? **     selection of events – one event can represent several real ones    montage – school, holidays, cycling etc    simplification of real situation – one episode with John-the-lodger, not three    V.O. of diary entries    their extensive writing – letters and diaries – are compressed into Pauline’s voice-overs and a few letters while Juliet is in the sanatorium  == 5. What techniques did they use to show the passage of time? ==      length of hair, especially Juliet’s    montage – as above    Christmases and new diaries    changing the drawings in Pauline’s room    new lodgers at the Riepers’    developing sophistication of the fantasy world    letters when Juliet is in sanatorium    our natural assumption of time passing when times and dates are mentioned – four months, etc  <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">The narrative is told in a 'wrap-around' time line. The opening scene in the prologue takes place at approximately 3:30 p.m., on Tuesday June 22, 1954, and covers the moments following the murder of Honora Rieper. [This time comes from trial testimony, not the film.] <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">The narrative returns, through the titles and opening credits, to 1952 and the day Juliet first arrives at Pauline's school, Christchurch Girls' High. [We know from trial testimony that this was in October, though this is not explicit in the film.] <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">The rest of the film follows a straightforward, linear, but uneven time line, with two brief flashbacks - the girls in hospital when young, and Bill Perry’s arrival at Ilam. <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';"> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';"> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">By means of screen titles, the film informs the audience that Pauline Parker kept a detailed diary and that the voiceover consists of quotations from Pauline's writings. <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">At the end, further titles inform the audience of the conviction of the girls for Honora's murder, the terms of their imprisonment and the date and terms of their eventual release from prison. It also explains the discrepancies between the names used by characters in the film and those mentioned in the prologue and epilogue. <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';"> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">Nothing. <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';"> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">The end titles mention that Hilda Hulme was living abroad at the time of her daughter's release from prison (though it does not give her new name at the time, or where she was living). No other information is provided about the fate of any of the other central characters in the film.
 * <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;">    fades or dissolves  || <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;">     dates or times on screen  ||
 * <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;">    changing light  || <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;">     seasonal differences – winter to summer  ||
 * <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;">    showing a clock or a calendar  || <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;">     references in dialogue  ||
 * <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;">    a montage of brief symbolic or typical images.  ||
 * <span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings;">    cuts to the same scene at a clearly later time, e.g. from full plates to empty, or the same people with different clothes or hairstyles, or in different places.  ||
 * Plot Structure - Notes **
 * <span style="font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> 1.    ** ** Which of these descriptions best fits the structure of this film? Give details to show this. **
 * <span style="font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> 2.    ****  Why did Jackson and Walsh decide to structure the film this way?  **
 * <span style="font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> 3.    ****  From whose point of view is the story told in this film? Is that consistent throughout or are other points of view shown?  **
 * <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> 6.  ****<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">What is the time line of the narrative? Examine the plot events and construct a timeline of the plot. **
 * <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> 7.  ****<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">What does the film tell us about the real-life events? **
 * <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> 8.  ****<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">What does the film say about the girls' trial? **
 * <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> 9.  ****<span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho';">What is said about the fate of other characters? **

_ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> = Close Reading the Text – a Checklist = When you watch the film for the second time, you will need to look much more closely and analytically. The purpose is to identify and understand the techniques that film-makers use to manipulate audience responses. As you watch each scene or sequence, look for the following, and make notes of what you see. Not all questions will need to be answered for every sequence.   What does the scene contribute to the way the story is being told?   If time has passed, how do you know?   Would it matter if the scene had been left out? Why/why not?   ‘Drama is conflict.’ Is there conflict in this scene? Between whom? Is it resolved or will it lead to more conflict further on?   Where is the scene set?   Is this a new setting or one seen before?   If new, do you know where it is? How?   Are there any significant details that may prove important?   Are any details included to provide local colour i.e. to make the setting realistic and convincing?   What time of day is it? How do you know? Is that significant?   What is the weather like? Is that significant?   Has the director used contrast, colour? How?   Is there anything in the setting that affects the characters?   Is there anything about the setting that provokes a response in you? What kind of response?
 * Plot/narrative **
 * Setting **

Characters
  Are there new characters in this scene, or only ones we have met already?   If new, who are they? How is their identity established?   Do we learn anything new about the characters? What? And how?   Look at the costumes. What do they tell us about the characters, the situation?   Contrast is an important technique in characterisation. Are any of the characters contrasted? How? To what effect?

Cinematic Techniques
  Consider the //mise en scène// – which is a film term meaning everything in a particular scene, and how we are shown it.   How is the scene filmed? What kind of lens (zoom, wide angle), shots (size, angle etc), movement? What is the effect of this?   How is it lit? Natural or artificial lighting? directional? colour filters?   Listen for sound effects and for ambient and Foley sound. What do they contribute?   How is the dialogue treated? Is the treatment appropriate?   Look for colour, use of repeated motifs, use of visual symbols.   Look for links between scenes – outpoints and inpoints; listen for aural bridges
 * There are many other questions you could ask yourself as you watch each scene. To begin with, focus on a few that you can manage; as you get better, you will be able to deal with more difficult ones. **