Category: Narrative Structures & Film Language

Before I started writing the paper I had this rough framework

The structure and main points of the thesis were conceived:

I. Introduction
Background introduction: loop film as a film genre that breaks away from the traditional narrative approach.
Aim of the thesis: to analyse the narrative approach of circular cinema and its core themes.
Abstract: a summary of the research, presenting the key issues.

II. Origins of the Loop Theme in Literature and Art
The myth of Sisyphus: an artistic expression of cyclical suffering.
Translation into the cycle of events in cinema.

III. Application of time loops in film
Definition of the concept: the basic concept of the time loop.
Specific case studies:
“Run Lola Run”, “Groundhog Day”, “Source Code”.
The relationship between time loops and audience participation.

IV. Presentation and Characterisation of Spatial Loops
Definition and classification of spatial loops.
Case studies of films:
“Cruise of Terror”, “The Night the Comet Came”.
Character growth and reincarnation of fate in different time and space.

V. Causality and edifying significance of the plot cycle.
The concept and characteristics of the plot cycle.
Film cases:
“Witness”, “A Clockwork Orange”.
Endings and new beginnings.

VI. Impact of circular narrative structure on the film industry
Changes in audience demand for traditional narratives.
Circular Narrative as a Response to Complex Storytelling.

VII. Conclusion
Summarising the main points of the thesis.
Prospects for the future development of circular cinema.

VIII. Bibliography
Cite primary literature sources to ensure academic credibility.

This structure ensures that an in-depth exploration of circular cinema is developed progressively throughout the essay, while maintaining logical clarity and consistency of argument.

This lesson talks about the literature review, which can be described as an objective and concise critical summary of a published article and the basic principles of how to write a literature review, placing contextual information where it will be most helpful to the reader when writing a literature review, and some examples of literature reviews are provided later on

Literature search process and experience:
Read the abstracts and summaries in depth:
When reviewing the search results, based on the keywords in the title of the paper I can determine whether I need to go through it or not, and I pay special attention to the abstracts and summaries of the literature. This helps me to quickly determine whether the literature fits my research topic, which saves me a lot of time.

Searching for cited literature:
When reading relevant literature, I pay special attention to the citation section of it. In the important literature that I used as a reference study, I also made a cursory viewing of its citation section, and these citations provided me with more relevant literature that expanded the scope of my research.
Through this in-depth search journey, I managed to accumulate a wealth of literature resources that provided a solid foundation for my film-themed dissertation. This exploratory process not only enriched my research horizon, but also stimulated my desire for a deeper understanding of film themes. Next, I will read these literatures in depth to provide a more comprehensive and profound argument for my dissertation writing.

In this lesson, we talked about animation design narrative structure and film language, where the narrative structure is linear.

Next, a few points on how to write critically and a few points on descriptive writing were covered, followed by an explanation of the difference between these two
Exploring the narrative of a film on the subject of time loops

Short paragraph on themes and objectives.
I study the narrative approach of time loop films and analyse in depth its application in filmmaking. I am fascinated by this field because time loop films challenge the traditional viewer experience through their unique narrative structure, provoking deep thought and reflection. I pursue an understanding of how this form of cinema affects the viewer’s perception of life, fate, and time itself.

Keywords.

1. circular film
2. time loop
3. film narrative
4. social issue cinema
5. Contemporary cinema explorations
6. Audience participation

Examples of key literature/sources.

Katz, Stephanie E. Here we go ‘Round In circles’: the definition of Circular Narrative as a new narrative typology.(University of Birmingham. Ph.D. 2023).
Carroll, Sean, From Eternity to Here: the Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time (New York City: Dutton, 2016)
Brooks, Peter, Reading for the Plot: Design and Intention in Narrative (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984)
Herman, David, James Phelan, Peter J. Rabinowitz, et al, Narrative Theory: Core
Concepts & Critical Debate (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 2012)
Keen, Suzanne, Narrative Form (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015)
Malgrem, Carl, Worlds Apart: Narratology of Science Fiction (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991)
Yang Xiaolin Chen Manqing: Originally published in Contemporary Cinema, No. 4, 2021.(NPC Reprint Materials, Film and Television Art 2021)

These key documents have provided me with an in-depth understanding of the narrative approach to time-looped cinema, which in turn has constructed the framework for my research on this topic.

In this lesson we talked about narrative structure, there are important these points a successful narrative requires the skilful use of gas to present a series of events that engage the audience all narratives that send up characters require the actors to be appealing stipulate that the director creates the appeal extracting the potential performance of the actors to convey the story. A three-part story of events i.e. every poem or play, must have a beginning middle and an end.
Animated film scripts have much in common with live action films and use many of the same methods used in live action script development. The steps that support the development of a narrative are understanding your theme, building a challenge to find a resolution characterisation, creating a structure to tie the action will events together considering sub-plots and sub-actions and several aspects of the scene that need to be interpreted.
Film: Your Name

Storyline Breakdown:

1. introduction: the two main characters live in different cities and do not know each other.
2. Sudden event: the two begin to exchange bodies with each other in their dreams, but only remember vague details.
3. Objective: The protagonists begin to search for each other’s identity and explore the cause of this strange phenomenon.
4. Frustration: Despite brief exchanges, the two never meet in the same time and space.
5. Turning point: Through a series of clues, they learn that there is a time and space gap between them.
6. Climax: The protagonists decide to co-operate and find each other by breaking down the barriers of time and space through various means.
7. Resolution of the conflict: During a mysterious natural disaster, the destinies of the two intertwine, revealing hidden truths.
8. Ending: The protagonists finally meet in reality and understand their feelings for each other, leading to a happy ending.

Character Breakdown:

1. Hollow Takagi (Taki Tachibana): a city boy who searches for the true identity of the girl of his dreams.
2. Mitsuha Miyamizu: a country girl who swaps bodies with Hollow.

Main Character Timeline

1. Hollow Takagi

• High School Life
• Body-swapping in a dream

1. Mitsuha Miyamizu

• Rural life
• Swapping Bodies in Dreams

1. Merging timelines

• The two main characters begin to influence each other’s lives and find each other.

This makes up the storyline breakdown, character breakdown, and protagonist timeline of the Your Name film.

In this lesson we talked about character positions and compositions as well as scene context and settings for shots in animation.
Why Screen Orientation Matters One of the rules of continuity power editing and the power method is that the movement of another edited shot of the same edited shot must remain consistent in screen orientation. On-screen continuity requires that once the picture is established it must be maintained in every shot. The subject is free to move very quickly across the screen, and as long as the camera does not cross over in the direction of the action, the movement is always complete.
Afterwards, a large number of scenes from animation were shown, as well as examples of characterisation of the characters.
Regarding the advancement of my thesis, I started to search for some foreign literature on the Internet, and I focused on academic search engines, including Google Scholar, PubMed, etc. These platforms gather a large number of academic journals. These platforms gather a large number of academic journals, papers and research reports, which is an ideal place to obtain high-quality literature. Here I searched for a large number of papers that I ideally wanted to read. At first I searched for papers on a wide range of topics, but after reading them it helped me in how to write.

I found a paper that was very helpful to me, it’s over 300 pages the file is too big for me to upload so I’m uploading images。

In this lesson we need to think about what makes up an animated documentary What are the implications of using animation in a non-fiction context? What issues arise from the use of animation in a documentary film.
We also need to consider the use of animation as a representational strategy in documentaries, what are the implications of the ways in which animation is used in animated documentaries, and other questions about animation.

Animated documentaries play an important role in theoretical discourses that explore legitimacy. By delving into this area, we find that animation as a mode of expression offers unique perspectives on social issues. Among other things, the identification of key authorities involves animators who are orientated towards deep insights and social awakening.

In the case of animation works that seek to address issues of equality, diversity, and social injustice, the evidence suggests that creators with a social concern and a mission for change, such as the Japanese animators Hayao Miyazaki and Toshi Ima, possess key authority in this area. These directors present deep social insights with their work, challenging theories of legitimacy and delivering powerful messages through the medium of animation. By creating thought-provoking characters and plots, these animated works provoke viewers to think about social injustice, prompting them to ask questions and expand their own perceptions. As such, these animated works serve as an important part of the legitimacy theory discourse, providing a unique and effective platform for addressing social issues.

In the class, it was talked about the duties of a director as both a technician and a stylist. In the course that followed, it gave us a better understanding of directing, about how to define a director and other more descriptive aspects of directing.
Auteur theory is about the role of the film director in the production of a film, his/her decision-making process and his/her control over the overall expression of the work. For Hayao Miyazaki, he is not only an animator, but also a director, who has shaped a unique directing style through his works and influenced the whole animation industry. Miyazaki is known for his unique visual style and profound storylines. Through the criteria defined in the lecture, we can consider him as an auteur because his work demonstrates a clear identification of authorship and a unique style that is reflected in every frame.
In Miyazaki’s work, we can find a deep concern for nature, humanity and social issues. His ideology is expressed through the camera, while his themes and aesthetics are embodied through the portrayal of delicate images and emotional depth. This is in line with the lecture’s definition of the director’s personal contribution.
Experimentalist Definition of Personal Contribution: Miyazaki’s animation work often involves experimental attempts at traditional animation, including novel treatments of set design, character development, and plot presentation. He pushed the boundaries of animation through his experimental approach and brought innovation to the field.
Through this lecture, we define Miyazaki as an auteur because his work is not only the creation of animation, but also the skilful application of various aspects of auteur theory. By looking at his unique identity, personal style, thematic concerns and experimental contributions to the field of animation, we can clearly recognise his notable contributions to the field of auteurism.

In this class we talked about the concept of abstraction, the Futurists Surrealists, Tartarists, Cubists, all left their own innovations in the form, language and conceptual approach to film.
Nigel left us with many links and documentation of experimental film.

A short film that fits the definition of experimental is Witness. From a classification point of view, this film could be considered an experimental animated short. It may relate to art animation in terms of genre, with an emphasis on emotional expression and viewer interaction with the story.

In terms of form and function, this film is presented in a non-traditional narrative form, constructing the plot by repeating scenes in such a way that the viewer is plunged into a cyclical experience. Through this form, the artist attempts to convey themes about time, fate and cycles. At the same time, the audience’s participation is emphasised in the work, as they need to observe the nuances in the cycle to reveal the truth of the story.

In terms of process, the film employs special animation techniques and styles, such as scene design in the form of a Möbius loop. These techniques not only provide a unique visual experience, but also reinforce the work’s themes of endless loops and time. The artist’s goal seems to be to challenge traditional animation narratives and convey deeper philosophical and emotional messages through experimental techniques.

Overall, Witness, through its experimental format, deep themes and technical innovations, engages the viewer in an animated experience that transcends the traditional while watching the film.

Before I begin, I clearly define the thematic area of film that interests me as narrative studies of circular cinema. This subject matter was so evocative to me in the films and television series I had previously viewed that I decided to research it, so the theme was defined in such a way that it helped me to narrow down my search and make it easier to find literature relevant to my research objectives.
Since I had majored in graphic design prior to this, I had read fewer papers in animation, so I first set out to read papers in the direction of either film or animation.
Keywords: cyclical cinema, narrative structure, modern cinema, narrative style, experimental cinema

In the second lesson, form was talked about, form refers to three dimensional objects and in the world we live in is almost made up of forms, so we must have a strong understanding of form. In order to create the illusion of form when painting we can understand how light reacts on an object.
After that it talks about colour, which is the element of art that reflects light, we need to understand that colour theory can be divided into three parts colour wheel settings and colour schemes, understanding colour theory allows us to better understand the importance of it in our creations. The colour wheel has three different colours consisting of primary, secondary and tertiary colours. The primary colours are red, yellow and blue, the secondary colours are orange, green and purple and the tertiary colours are made by mixing.
The second part of colour theory is colour value, which refers to the darkness or lightness of a colour.
The third part of colour theory is colour schemes monochromatic colour schemes are made up of one colour, and its shades and tints complementary colours are colours that are directly opposite to each other on the colour theory triads are made up of three colours on the colour wheel. Finally colour theory terms and definitions.
The element of art – space – is covered next. Our goal is to create the illusion of space. The use of space in art was covered There are six ways an artist can create the illusion of space on a two-dimensional surface.
Next, we talked about some of the terms used in art, such as positive space, negative space, illusion of form, illusion of depth, and perspective.
This was followed by texture in the elements of art, which refers to the way an object feels when we touch it when it is touched, and several descriptions of texture were introduced.
This is followed by line in the elements of art, which in art is now considered to be a moving point can be used in jade combing, line is most often used to show the end point of an object, line can also be used in painting to create the illusion of form, and can also be represented by crosses, shadows and shapes, next several types of lines are introduced, vertical lines, horizontal lines, straight lines, jagged rows of straight lines curved line variations, textured lines, and directional lines.
Next is shape, this line creates a shape when it is closed, shape is one of the expected elements of art, shapes play an important role in the creation of art, they contribute to the complexity of drawings and paintings influencing composition all shapes are two dimensional which means they only have a length and a width all shapes can be categorised into two types geometric shapes and regular shapes the shapes defined by an object are positive shapes the shapes defined around the object are negative shapes.
Value is one of the expected elements of art, colour value relates to light and dark.