Bordwell and Thanouli explore the discussion between classical Hollywood and art cinema narration. How are these categories useful in distinguishing between different types of films? What films that we’ve seen this semester seem to be usefully explained by these categories? And how do these categories relate to storytelling in television and videogames, if at all? (And remember to bring your thoughts & questions about Ndalianis’s essay to class on Tuesday.)

How do theories of narrators and authors help us understand Adaptation and Pushing Daisies? Or do these examples complicate the theories we’ve discussed? (And if you’re curious, there are two earlier drafts of Adaptation on this site – in the early drafts, there was a swamp ape in the third act!)

This week’s readings explore the concepts of narrators, authors, and implied authors. What’s your take on how useful these ideas are for moving image media? Where do you see the narrator or implied author being particularly helpful for analyzing examples we’ve watched? Are there examples where it’s not useful?

And FYI – here’s the cigarette ad that Chatman discusses at length:

Chatman & Niederhoff lay out the concept of focalization and related terms like slant, filter, center, and interest-focus. How do these terms and concepts help us understand Lone Star, West Wing, and Portal? Are there revisions that need to be made to account for moving image media more fully?

How does the concept of narrative complexity help us understand The Prestige? How does the conclusion of Torchwood highlight some of the concepts in narratology we’ve been studying this semester? Are there issues in the film and miniseries that these approaches neglect to address?

This week’s readings explore the concepts of narrative complexity and formal play. How do these ideas help explain various examples that we’ve viewed this semester? What particular pleasures might be important for viewers with such films and television shows? Are there concepts that seem more or less useful as part of our “theoretical toolbox”?

Ghislotti applies Bordwell’s ideas to Memento, tracing how we construct the fabula out of the film. Do you think there are other ways that the films manipulation of time and space help explain this week’s readings? Are there other points from the class that go beyond Ghislotti’s analysis to best comprehend the film’s storytelling strategies?

This week’s readings focus on how media use time and space in telling stories. What ideas seem most relevant to screenings we’ve done thus far? Are there key differences in these issues between film, television & videogames that are worth noting?