Narrative is another word for ‘story’. Stories are very much part of human existence and something we all love to share. The need to tell stories crosses over cultural boundaries as it has from ancient times been the means from which we learn about our origins and look toward the future.
The media tell us all kinds of stories, sometimes for entertainment and sometimes to also make us think. What is important to remember is that in the media these stories are never really natural. They have been constructed as a result of media processes. Often as an audience we don’t stop to consider this because we are so drawn into the story.
The study of narrative involves looking at how meaning is constructed through certain elements – production elements and story elements.
Introduction to Fictional Narratives
When we watch a film we are caught up in the story that it is telling and accept everything that happens on the screen as natural. In fact, everything that we see has been carefully chosen and arranged, on the screen and within the story, to have a specific effect on the audience watching the film. The camera is moved and people and objects positioned in the frame.
What people wear is carefully chosen and the settings selected and prepared. After seeing a film we might tell a friend what it was about. We would tell the ‘story’ of the film. But the film is much more than just its story. The filmmaker has constructed the events to tell the story and told that story in a particular way. Each person who sees the film will interpret it in a different way depending on what they bring to the film in terms of their interests, tastes and experiences, both first-hand and through other films they’ve seen or books they’ve read.
The same story could be told in different ways by different filmmakers: the way the story is told may depend upon the audience for which it is intended. After all, the film industry needs audiences to pay to watch films. The narrative must meet the needs of that audience. Sometimes, this will mean making them laugh, or cry, or jump out of their seat with fear.
All of these responses can be collectively defined as audience engagement.
The media tell us all kinds of stories, sometimes for entertainment and sometimes to also make us think. What is important to remember is that in the media these stories are never really natural. They have been constructed as a result of media processes. Often as an audience we don’t stop to consider this because we are so drawn into the story.
The study of narrative involves looking at how meaning is constructed through certain elements – production elements and story elements.
Introduction to Fictional Narratives
When we watch a film we are caught up in the story that it is telling and accept everything that happens on the screen as natural. In fact, everything that we see has been carefully chosen and arranged, on the screen and within the story, to have a specific effect on the audience watching the film. The camera is moved and people and objects positioned in the frame.
What people wear is carefully chosen and the settings selected and prepared. After seeing a film we might tell a friend what it was about. We would tell the ‘story’ of the film. But the film is much more than just its story. The filmmaker has constructed the events to tell the story and told that story in a particular way. Each person who sees the film will interpret it in a different way depending on what they bring to the film in terms of their interests, tastes and experiences, both first-hand and through other films they’ve seen or books they’ve read.
The same story could be told in different ways by different filmmakers: the way the story is told may depend upon the audience for which it is intended. After all, the film industry needs audiences to pay to watch films. The narrative must meet the needs of that audience. Sometimes, this will mean making them laugh, or cry, or jump out of their seat with fear.
All of these responses can be collectively defined as audience engagement.