Factors that lead to the creation of narrative films
Content
1|Page
Muhammad Yar Khan FLM 201 30222 Factors that lead to the creation of narrative films 18/10/12
“He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator”, such were the words of Francis Bacon. These words broadly apply to all new inventions, but are
1
2|Page
a fitting statement for the ageing theater and stage that had entertained people for so long and were replaced by films and cinemas. Narrative films when introduced were a form of modern art with respect to that period of entertainment. “We can consider a narrative to be a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space... Typically, a narrative begins with one situation; a series of changes occurs according to a pattern of cause and effect; finally, a new situation arises that brings about the end of the narrative (Bordwell, 2008).” Through the advent of the kinetoscope by Edison in 1891 the long era of film had begun even though the kinetoscope was a baby step forward in the world of narrative films. In this research paper I will be discussing the major factors that lead to the creation of narrative film, specifically technological ,economic, ideological, artistic and finally cultural.
Technology plays an important aspect in all fields and industries. In the creation of narrative film this is perhaps the most important of all the factors. Had the camera not been created that allowed people to view motion pictures the idea of a film can be forgotten. It is true that before the creation of Edison’s kinetoscope and kinetograph there were devices that gave the viewer illusion of motion. To begin with, zoetrope is a cylindrical structure with vertical slits through which one sees consecutive drawing on the inside. As the cylinder gains momentum and speed the drawings appear to flow one after the other and trick the eye into seeing objects move, e.g., bird flapping its wings. A more common object of illusion would be a flip book where drawings are stacked together and when they are flipped they give the perception of continuous motion. In 1891 Edison in his Edison Manufacturing Company developed the kinetoscope with the help of William Kennedy Dickson, who also later was the person in Edison’s movie of a person moving his hat from one hand to the other. In 1891 both the kinetoscope and the kinetograph were shown
3|Page
exhibited for the first time (Isreal, 1998). The kinetoscope was a device with reels flowing in the inside and the spectator who could only be one at a time was viewing the film. The films in the kinetoscope were short and so never really caught up so by the 1895 had become little more than just being a novelty. Just as Edison’s kinetoscope failed Lumiere brothers stepped into the game, their first film projection device, cinematograph, was seen as having a greater prospect. Lumiere brothers’ first screening was in 1895 and soon this form of film viewing experience took-off. With the Lumiere brothers’ projectors gaining fame brought the creation of Nickelodeons, these were institutions that offered a modern day cinema experience. The reasons for technology catching-up were that the invention process was a global race, numerous inventors in different countries working for a unified target. The inventors were building on each other’s inventions they were able to communicate their success through a quicker means of telecommunication and were able to integrate many different technologies to achieve perfection. Coin-operated kinetoscopes were profitable but not to a huge extend, they would be present in carnivals and “entertainment venues”. Inventions of Jean Marey, Friese Green, Lumiere Brothers and Robert W. Paul lead to the application of widely used projectors in Nickelodeons and other major film houses in order to generate huge profits and bring the film industry to new heights. It was the success of the narrative film industry that attracted the attention of investors into the financing projectors, cameras, scripts and most importantly the colossal sets that had to be prepared for shooting. It was the universality of the film entertainment that made films a tradable commodity but more profitable where the administration of cinemas. The centralization of the production process allowed for the industry to boom, films would then be distributed nationwide
4|Page
and in certain cases worldwide to audiences afar. The presence of an effective distribution system made certain a huge prospective market would be ready. Furthermore, individuals had contracted an addiction to films in the time period between 1900’s and 1920’s. After the disbandment of the MPPC (Motion Parent Pictures Company), which comprised of most of the big names of film houses, the market had become competitive and more attention was heeded to research and development of the type of movies that were to be produced. Following experimentation on the market it was decided that longer films had more demand than others and it was noted by entrepreneurs. These longer films required the use of more larger and more expensive set, but that wasn’t a real concern as the cinemas were able to raise ticket price. By 1913 films were shown as ‘road show’. This meant “travelling companies of projectionists, publicity personnel and administrative staff” would travel from city to city renting theaters or other facilities to show their movies until the profits saturated and then move on (Neale, 2012). The shift of the major film producers to the west due to its weather started the migration of many to the west; this could well be defined as the second gold rush. The profits were massive in all industries related to the film industry. The study of narratives has acquired an improved approach towards explaining the origins of films in America. Since the year 1907, narrative has stood out to be the pre-dominant mode of filmmaking. A general perception would be that there is no narration without the presence of a narrator; however, in narrative films the presence of a narrator would impose problems rather than simplifying the narration. Film itself is primarily a multifaceted form of entertainment that communicates several characteristics at the same time. Throughout the history, narrative films have tried to explain certain ideologies and showed preferences towards a culture through their aesthetic communication. The narrative in film is described through a series of linked sequences,
5|Page
which connect the movie together (Branigan, 1992). In order to analyze the history of narrative film, it is imperative to conduct a textual analysis of the film. For instance, when the Motion Picture Parent Company launched the movie “A Drunkard’s Reformation” by Griffith, it displayed the many aspects of narrative filmmaking in those times. To begin with, the film attempted to combine the artwork within the social context and included subtle interventions which related to a specific ideology (Gunning, 1994).So a narrative film could actually be a visual and oral representation of story –telling and the most effective one too. A film turns out to be both narrative and dramatic. This is the feature of the film made it more attractive than any form of entertainment media; it was meant to be performed before an audience. From 1907 to 1913, structural organization in cinema industry led to the creation of narrative films. The attribute is given to David Wark Griffith, who was pioneer in bringing the narrative films into limelight. The basic motivation behind the film was to create a continuous discourse that was to be viewed as a coherent and interrelated set of events without including any lapses of time or space. This gave rise to the classical Hollywood narrative filmmaking, which has reigned over the cinema for quite a number of years. The mere art of storytelling is taken to another level with the help of a narrative film. The writers and directors become the narrators while the acting is carried out by the skillful actors. The narrative films have been markedly affected by certain ideologies prevailing in the past. Many movies, such as the one mentioned above displayed a certain connection with a particular ideological background, displaying that movies drew upon the current issues and ideologies and every narrative had a particular message to be given at the end. The ideological perspective of the narrative came out from the question of a particular discourse in the narration. There is always a message, a theme to a story so it was expected that the narrative film would build on
6|Page
that central big idea as well. This was true, as the narrative films produced in those eras would never go without imposing the mind with certain ideology. They all depicted asset of ideas, some of which were quite rebellious. Nonetheless, the movies built upon those ideologies and sustained them through the era. The transformation of the film industry gave rise to a new form of filmmaking. This was followed by a newly founded ideology, which served to identify the new image of the film. The way film was produced, sold and its specific target audience, everything changed for the new ideology. These changes were followed by internal response, which led to organizational restricting. But it was not simply the restricting of the organization. In fact, the film industry has to partake in improving on its ideology or in certain cases creating one. The critics of narrative filmmaking argue that in order to visualize the artistic side of the film, it is imperative to analyze it individually. The artistic aspect of the film can only be justified with it not being connected to an economic or social factor. However, with the advent of narrative filmmaking by Griffith, it became difficult to analyze any aspect of the movie without considering the social, economic and cultural factors attached to it. In a way, he introduced a new era of films. From an artistic point of view, the narrative film’s biggest asset was the narration itself. From the precise discourse of the text to the actual arrangement of events in a sequential manner, every action within the movie explicitly related with the film’s ideology and exuded a cultural link with the masses. It was not something that could be alienated from the society of that time. In fact, the narrative films enveloped the social and cultural factors prevalent in society at that time; one of the biggest reasons why narrative films were so much popular with people is that they could relate with the conditions of the people. The concept of narration is useful in nature, which means that it can be transformed amongst various types of media with
7|Page
ease. The reason why this concept is so easily related is because of the double nature of storytelling. This was the reason the same movie could be seen differently by two people. They could be said for a different purpose by the narrator while the viewers can take it entirely differently. Nonetheless, taken from this perspective, there are fundamental differences between literature and film. These differences are derived from the distinctive signs of language used by each medium. Literature, for instance, in a film would always center on a key figure, a representation of ideology that the film is depicting. This aspect elevates the very status of film for the viewers who are aspirational. Another key difference between both medium is that in literature, telling is everything, the narrator has only this weapon to flaunt his imagery. In contrast, film can show as much as it can tell. In truth, however, both media seem to signal at each other through a link and that link is story telling or a narrative. There are many theories, which have served to identify certain cultural traits within a narrative film. For instance, in the early years of its inception, the role of women was quite stereotyped in all narrative films, an excellent example would be the role of Lyudmila Semyonova in the movie Bed and Sofa. This made the feminists to concentrate on identifying the stereotypes and then trying to remove it. However, the feminist theory’s concentration has been shifted to the types of roles and gender placement within the narrative film. The cultural tone of the film is set once it is realized who is telling the story. However, often viewers do not take the film from the viewpoint of the storyteller and decide on the theme of film from their concepts of ideologies. The close interaction of narrative film with the culture can be seen in the classical Hollywood movies. In order to find the cultural linkages of the film it is important that the film be divested across its text to analyze the natural discourse of the film. The whole process works as a system which the narrative streamlining with the big idea and cultural traits are included as part of making the film
8|Page
seem as reality based a possible. An important cultural factor observed in the narrative films was the role of women in films. This incited the feminist theories who set out to concentrate on eliminating the stereotypes associated with gender at that time.
The film industry has its roots from a mere coin-operated fair attraction, kinetoscope, it expanded globally drastically within a short time period and surpasses the growth rate of any entertainment form hitherto. The road to technological advances was filled with innovators from all over the world that improved on each other’s creations to perfect the filming and the presentation part of the filming experience. Films and cinemas were synonymous to gold mines, they attracted investors world over and gave them chances to multifold their capital investments. The sets of longer films despite being expensive were constructed as the market demand for longer movies was more that shorter ones. The transformation of the film industry gave rise to a new form of filmmaking that was followed by a newly founded ideology, which served to identify the new image of the film. The way film was produced, sold and its specific target audience, everything changed for the new ideology. The artistic aspect of the film can only be justified with it not being connected to an economic or social factor. From an artistic point of view, the narrative film’s biggest asset was the narration itself; narration in the movies was a means of flaunting the imagery and to allow the viewer more enjoyment than that which came from literature. The narrative films enveloped cultural factors prevalent in society at that time; one of the biggest reasons why narrative films were so much popular with people is that they could relate with the conditions of the people.
9|Page
References A.Cook, D. (2004). A History of Narrative Film. NewYork: W.W.Norton. Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2008).Film art: an introduction (8th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill. Branigan, E. (1992). Narrative and Comprehension . USA: Routledge. Gaines, J. (1992). Classical Hollywood Narrative: The Paradigm Wars. USA: Due University Press. Gunning, T. (1994). D.W. Gritffith and the Origins of American Narrative Film. USA: University of Illinois. Israel, P. (1998). Edison: a life of invention. New York: John Wiley. Neale, S. (2012). The classical Hollywood reader. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Muhammad Yar Khan FLM 201 30222 Factors that lead to the creation of narrative films 18/10/12
“He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator”, such were the words of Francis Bacon. These words broadly apply to all new inventions, but are
1
2|Page
a fitting statement for the ageing theater and stage that had entertained people for so long and were replaced by films and cinemas. Narrative films when introduced were a form of modern art with respect to that period of entertainment. “We can consider a narrative to be a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space... Typically, a narrative begins with one situation; a series of changes occurs according to a pattern of cause and effect; finally, a new situation arises that brings about the end of the narrative (Bordwell, 2008).” Through the advent of the kinetoscope by Edison in 1891 the long era of film had begun even though the kinetoscope was a baby step forward in the world of narrative films. In this research paper I will be discussing the major factors that lead to the creation of narrative film, specifically technological ,economic, ideological, artistic and finally cultural.
Technology plays an important aspect in all fields and industries. In the creation of narrative film this is perhaps the most important of all the factors. Had the camera not been created that allowed people to view motion pictures the idea of a film can be forgotten. It is true that before the creation of Edison’s kinetoscope and kinetograph there were devices that gave the viewer illusion of motion. To begin with, zoetrope is a cylindrical structure with vertical slits through which one sees consecutive drawing on the inside. As the cylinder gains momentum and speed the drawings appear to flow one after the other and trick the eye into seeing objects move, e.g., bird flapping its wings. A more common object of illusion would be a flip book where drawings are stacked together and when they are flipped they give the perception of continuous motion. In 1891 Edison in his Edison Manufacturing Company developed the kinetoscope with the help of William Kennedy Dickson, who also later was the person in Edison’s movie of a person moving his hat from one hand to the other. In 1891 both the kinetoscope and the kinetograph were shown
3|Page
exhibited for the first time (Isreal, 1998). The kinetoscope was a device with reels flowing in the inside and the spectator who could only be one at a time was viewing the film. The films in the kinetoscope were short and so never really caught up so by the 1895 had become little more than just being a novelty. Just as Edison’s kinetoscope failed Lumiere brothers stepped into the game, their first film projection device, cinematograph, was seen as having a greater prospect. Lumiere brothers’ first screening was in 1895 and soon this form of film viewing experience took-off. With the Lumiere brothers’ projectors gaining fame brought the creation of Nickelodeons, these were institutions that offered a modern day cinema experience. The reasons for technology catching-up were that the invention process was a global race, numerous inventors in different countries working for a unified target. The inventors were building on each other’s inventions they were able to communicate their success through a quicker means of telecommunication and were able to integrate many different technologies to achieve perfection. Coin-operated kinetoscopes were profitable but not to a huge extend, they would be present in carnivals and “entertainment venues”. Inventions of Jean Marey, Friese Green, Lumiere Brothers and Robert W. Paul lead to the application of widely used projectors in Nickelodeons and other major film houses in order to generate huge profits and bring the film industry to new heights. It was the success of the narrative film industry that attracted the attention of investors into the financing projectors, cameras, scripts and most importantly the colossal sets that had to be prepared for shooting. It was the universality of the film entertainment that made films a tradable commodity but more profitable where the administration of cinemas. The centralization of the production process allowed for the industry to boom, films would then be distributed nationwide
4|Page
and in certain cases worldwide to audiences afar. The presence of an effective distribution system made certain a huge prospective market would be ready. Furthermore, individuals had contracted an addiction to films in the time period between 1900’s and 1920’s. After the disbandment of the MPPC (Motion Parent Pictures Company), which comprised of most of the big names of film houses, the market had become competitive and more attention was heeded to research and development of the type of movies that were to be produced. Following experimentation on the market it was decided that longer films had more demand than others and it was noted by entrepreneurs. These longer films required the use of more larger and more expensive set, but that wasn’t a real concern as the cinemas were able to raise ticket price. By 1913 films were shown as ‘road show’. This meant “travelling companies of projectionists, publicity personnel and administrative staff” would travel from city to city renting theaters or other facilities to show their movies until the profits saturated and then move on (Neale, 2012). The shift of the major film producers to the west due to its weather started the migration of many to the west; this could well be defined as the second gold rush. The profits were massive in all industries related to the film industry. The study of narratives has acquired an improved approach towards explaining the origins of films in America. Since the year 1907, narrative has stood out to be the pre-dominant mode of filmmaking. A general perception would be that there is no narration without the presence of a narrator; however, in narrative films the presence of a narrator would impose problems rather than simplifying the narration. Film itself is primarily a multifaceted form of entertainment that communicates several characteristics at the same time. Throughout the history, narrative films have tried to explain certain ideologies and showed preferences towards a culture through their aesthetic communication. The narrative in film is described through a series of linked sequences,
5|Page
which connect the movie together (Branigan, 1992). In order to analyze the history of narrative film, it is imperative to conduct a textual analysis of the film. For instance, when the Motion Picture Parent Company launched the movie “A Drunkard’s Reformation” by Griffith, it displayed the many aspects of narrative filmmaking in those times. To begin with, the film attempted to combine the artwork within the social context and included subtle interventions which related to a specific ideology (Gunning, 1994).So a narrative film could actually be a visual and oral representation of story –telling and the most effective one too. A film turns out to be both narrative and dramatic. This is the feature of the film made it more attractive than any form of entertainment media; it was meant to be performed before an audience. From 1907 to 1913, structural organization in cinema industry led to the creation of narrative films. The attribute is given to David Wark Griffith, who was pioneer in bringing the narrative films into limelight. The basic motivation behind the film was to create a continuous discourse that was to be viewed as a coherent and interrelated set of events without including any lapses of time or space. This gave rise to the classical Hollywood narrative filmmaking, which has reigned over the cinema for quite a number of years. The mere art of storytelling is taken to another level with the help of a narrative film. The writers and directors become the narrators while the acting is carried out by the skillful actors. The narrative films have been markedly affected by certain ideologies prevailing in the past. Many movies, such as the one mentioned above displayed a certain connection with a particular ideological background, displaying that movies drew upon the current issues and ideologies and every narrative had a particular message to be given at the end. The ideological perspective of the narrative came out from the question of a particular discourse in the narration. There is always a message, a theme to a story so it was expected that the narrative film would build on
6|Page
that central big idea as well. This was true, as the narrative films produced in those eras would never go without imposing the mind with certain ideology. They all depicted asset of ideas, some of which were quite rebellious. Nonetheless, the movies built upon those ideologies and sustained them through the era. The transformation of the film industry gave rise to a new form of filmmaking. This was followed by a newly founded ideology, which served to identify the new image of the film. The way film was produced, sold and its specific target audience, everything changed for the new ideology. These changes were followed by internal response, which led to organizational restricting. But it was not simply the restricting of the organization. In fact, the film industry has to partake in improving on its ideology or in certain cases creating one. The critics of narrative filmmaking argue that in order to visualize the artistic side of the film, it is imperative to analyze it individually. The artistic aspect of the film can only be justified with it not being connected to an economic or social factor. However, with the advent of narrative filmmaking by Griffith, it became difficult to analyze any aspect of the movie without considering the social, economic and cultural factors attached to it. In a way, he introduced a new era of films. From an artistic point of view, the narrative film’s biggest asset was the narration itself. From the precise discourse of the text to the actual arrangement of events in a sequential manner, every action within the movie explicitly related with the film’s ideology and exuded a cultural link with the masses. It was not something that could be alienated from the society of that time. In fact, the narrative films enveloped the social and cultural factors prevalent in society at that time; one of the biggest reasons why narrative films were so much popular with people is that they could relate with the conditions of the people. The concept of narration is useful in nature, which means that it can be transformed amongst various types of media with
7|Page
ease. The reason why this concept is so easily related is because of the double nature of storytelling. This was the reason the same movie could be seen differently by two people. They could be said for a different purpose by the narrator while the viewers can take it entirely differently. Nonetheless, taken from this perspective, there are fundamental differences between literature and film. These differences are derived from the distinctive signs of language used by each medium. Literature, for instance, in a film would always center on a key figure, a representation of ideology that the film is depicting. This aspect elevates the very status of film for the viewers who are aspirational. Another key difference between both medium is that in literature, telling is everything, the narrator has only this weapon to flaunt his imagery. In contrast, film can show as much as it can tell. In truth, however, both media seem to signal at each other through a link and that link is story telling or a narrative. There are many theories, which have served to identify certain cultural traits within a narrative film. For instance, in the early years of its inception, the role of women was quite stereotyped in all narrative films, an excellent example would be the role of Lyudmila Semyonova in the movie Bed and Sofa. This made the feminists to concentrate on identifying the stereotypes and then trying to remove it. However, the feminist theory’s concentration has been shifted to the types of roles and gender placement within the narrative film. The cultural tone of the film is set once it is realized who is telling the story. However, often viewers do not take the film from the viewpoint of the storyteller and decide on the theme of film from their concepts of ideologies. The close interaction of narrative film with the culture can be seen in the classical Hollywood movies. In order to find the cultural linkages of the film it is important that the film be divested across its text to analyze the natural discourse of the film. The whole process works as a system which the narrative streamlining with the big idea and cultural traits are included as part of making the film
8|Page
seem as reality based a possible. An important cultural factor observed in the narrative films was the role of women in films. This incited the feminist theories who set out to concentrate on eliminating the stereotypes associated with gender at that time.
The film industry has its roots from a mere coin-operated fair attraction, kinetoscope, it expanded globally drastically within a short time period and surpasses the growth rate of any entertainment form hitherto. The road to technological advances was filled with innovators from all over the world that improved on each other’s creations to perfect the filming and the presentation part of the filming experience. Films and cinemas were synonymous to gold mines, they attracted investors world over and gave them chances to multifold their capital investments. The sets of longer films despite being expensive were constructed as the market demand for longer movies was more that shorter ones. The transformation of the film industry gave rise to a new form of filmmaking that was followed by a newly founded ideology, which served to identify the new image of the film. The way film was produced, sold and its specific target audience, everything changed for the new ideology. The artistic aspect of the film can only be justified with it not being connected to an economic or social factor. From an artistic point of view, the narrative film’s biggest asset was the narration itself; narration in the movies was a means of flaunting the imagery and to allow the viewer more enjoyment than that which came from literature. The narrative films enveloped cultural factors prevalent in society at that time; one of the biggest reasons why narrative films were so much popular with people is that they could relate with the conditions of the people.
9|Page
References A.Cook, D. (2004). A History of Narrative Film. NewYork: W.W.Norton. Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2008).Film art: an introduction (8th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill. Branigan, E. (1992). Narrative and Comprehension . USA: Routledge. Gaines, J. (1992). Classical Hollywood Narrative: The Paradigm Wars. USA: Due University Press. Gunning, T. (1994). D.W. Gritffith and the Origins of American Narrative Film. USA: University of Illinois. Israel, P. (1998). Edison: a life of invention. New York: John Wiley. Neale, S. (2012). The classical Hollywood reader. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
