Chapter 5 Personal Expression and Studio Production 189Narrative versus Non-Narrative Sequences
Earlier, we discussed fi lm language and the Kuleshov eff ect, through which
Soviet fi lmmakers investigated how we fi nd meaning from the relationships
between shots. In narrative motion pictures, we view the images that we
see with some literal cause and eff ect with relation to time and space. In a
non-narrative fi lm, sequences do not construct a narration of linked events
but instead fi nd their meaning through the structural techniques described
above. If the structures are not clear to us, we might say “How random!”
However, other viewers might point out the meanings or feelings they get
from watching that motion picture.
For example, imagine you are going to shoot a short motion picture
involving the Agriscience program at a school. Here are two possibilities for
the short project:- We see the following images: a student checking water quality in
a large fi sh tank; a rabbit; a hedgehog; a diff erent student watering
plants in a greenhouse; a snake; a chicken; a tulip; a student hosing
down a cage; a fl ower arrangement. - We see a few people enter a greenhouse and begin tending to the
plants. Two students water and care for a variety of plants. Another
puts fl ower arrangements in a refrigerator. Th e group moves on to a
room with large fi sh tanks, checks the water, feeds the fi sh, turns off
the light, and leaves. Th ey proceed to animal areas and continue with
their work, where we see them take care of a variety of warm- and
cold-blooded creatures. Th ey fi nish their work, turn off the lights,
and leave. We see the animals in the dim light of the room aft er the
work has been completed.
Th ese two short motion pictures both provide a portrait of simple
functions performed by students in this program, but the fi rst uses a non-
narrative approach and the second uses a narrative approach. In the fi rst, we
interpret the images through the connections we can make between them,
although none of the shots indicates any sequence of cause and eff ect. We
can guess that we are seeing a portrait of a place where there are a variety of
animals and plants and a series of related activities that occur regularly. We
can understand the images by association, particularly if stylistic choices
such as lighting and framing are designed to indicate that these fi gures and
actions exist in a similar setting.
With the second example, we link the events together because we see
a chain of events that have a cause and eff ect relationship. Naturally, it is a
very simple narrative. To enhance the level of interest generated by the story,
the author can introduce character development and apply basic elements
of drama or comedy.
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