1. NARRATION
AND NARRATORS

2. Three aspects of narrative
1. Narrative as representation
(cinematic world, diegesis, characters,
realism?)
2. Narrative as structure
(plot vs. story, plot as pattern)
3. Narrative as act of presenting the story
(narration, subjectivity, point of view)

3. Narrative
the story
Narration
the act of
telling a story
Narrator
who or what
tells the story

4. Narrator
who or what
tells the story;
A) Voiceover (character or
nondiegetic narrator)
B) The camera

5. Narration
the act of
telling a story;
the flow of
story information,
moment by moment,
over the course of
the movie

6. Unrestricted
vs. Restricted
NARRATION
Range of Story Information

7. Unrestricted (omniscient):
we know more,
see and hear more,
than any character
Restricted:
we don’t know, see or hear
more than the main character

8. Unrestricted (omniscient)
narration has unrestricted access
to all aspects of the narrative. It
can provide any character’s
experiences and perceptions, as
well as information that no
character has. The viewer knows
more, sees more, and hears
more than any of the characters.

9. His Girl Friday’s unrestricted (omniscient) narration
alternates between scenes of many different
characters. We know more, and see more, than any
one character.

10. We know about Walter’s plans to keep Hildy
from going to Albany.

11. We know how Walter schemes to get Bruce
in trouble.

12. We know that the governor has given Earl
Williams a reprieve.

13. We know that Hildy is hiding Williams in the
desk.

14. What are the advantages of
unrestricted narration in His Girl
Friday?

15. Restricted
narration limits the information it
provides the viewer to things
known only to a single character.
This approach encourages the
viewer to identify with the
character’s singular perspective.

16. Restricted narration in Juno limits the
information it provides viewers to
Juno’s perspective.

17. Narration in Juno is not entirely
restricted to one perspective.

18. What are the advantages of
restricted narration in Juno?

19. His Girl Friday Juno
(unrestricted narration) (restricted narration)
viewer viewer
Walter Juno
Hildy
Bruce
The higher someone is on the scale, the greater his or her knowledge.

20. Unrestricted or Restricted?
Do the Right Thing
Road to Perdition
Raiders of the Lost Ark

21. Objective
vs. Subjective
NARRATION
Depth of Story Information

22. Objective Narration:
focus on external behavior,
what characters say and do
Subjective Narration:
focus on what characters
see and hear;
representation of mental state,
interiority

23. Objective Narration Subjective Narration:
Hildy’s POV
His Girl Friday

24. Objective Narration
Subjective Narration:
Jake’s POV
Chinatown

25. Subjective Narration:
Alicia’s mental state
Notorious

26. Subjective Narration:
Marion’s thoughts
Psycho

27. Juno
Subjective Narration:
What Juno sees and hears

28. Subjective Narration:
Harry puts the puzzle together
Objective shot of Harry
Montage: Harry’s thoughtsThe Conversation