Summary of narrative Theories
The three art ideals are welcomed by the audience because the classical hero is invigorating and serves as a positive figure that helps the audience live strongly in reality. Unconventional characters lead unexpected storylines and attract the audience with their unique taste. Modern/contemporary media tends to favor tragic or open endings, satisfying the modern living conditions (pessimistic attitude of working class) and leaving room for imagination.
In media res/flash forward and backward: deliver an immediate crisis to hook the audience. Provide more information at a faster pace than the traditional linear narrative. Utilize condensed equilibriums to display conflicts, as suggested by Levi Strauss, who believed that stories are formed by conflicts.
Weird: The AL Yankovic story
2022 American biographical parody film directed by Eric Appel
The film begins with a non-diegetic narration, delivered by a deep and weighty male voice, stating the line 'Life is akin to a parody of your favorite song; just when you believe you know all the lyrics. Surprise! You actually know nothing.' This establishes the central theme of the film, which asserts that life is consistently unpredictable and brimming with surprises.
It then presents a J-cut, followed by a harsh siren (Barthes, symbolic code of forthcoming danger and emergency). This sets the chaotic situation while displaying dramatic tension. The opening uses a condensed equilibrium (Todorov) that includes starting in media res, presenting sequences of proairetic codes of the doctors rushing into the room and giving emergency treatment to our protagonist, which immediately hooks the audience. The conflicts created in this scene lead to a compelling narrative (Levi Strauss). The application of fast cuts and handheld camera builds up the tense condition; additionally, the bloodstain (symbolic code of injury) on his face also increases the verisimilitude of the event.
The scene is set in a cold tone (Barthes-post production effect) to suggest lifelessness and the unnerving atmosphere of the hospital. After a sequence of using the defibrillator and an insert shot of the machine, it shows that the man has died. However, when the man then sits up with a dramatic roar, this is usually not realistic for someone on the edge of death. This gives the audience their first clue that the genre of the film is not serious. The line "quick! I need some paper and a number two pencil" is also nonsensical in this context as the audience has no idea about the plot. In fact, this absurdism might be a genre-driven motif (Levi Strauss) for comedy purposes.
Furthermore, the narration cuts in again with a dramatic pause that stops on the shot of the man staring at the doctor. The line "But... maybe I am getting a little ahead of myself" suggests that the narrator changes his mind, showing no authority but rather an unreliable narration. The sound effect of a tape recorder pausing is used here to create a framed story and fits into the genre of a biographical film (Steve Neale).
"Let's start from the beginning," said the narrator, accompanied by a fast reversing sound and high-speed montages to indicate a flashback (Todorov's anachronic devices that provide engaging plots). Now it becomes evident that the remainder of the film will explain how our protagonist reached the stage presented in the opening. It doesn't reveal many clues about the actual story, but through our protagonist's actions, his erratic behavior suggests he is not ordinary but rather insane. The curly and untidy hair also aligns with Stuart Hall's classical stereotypical portrayal of a 'joker' or psychopath.
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