: Narratives control the audience's experience by manipulating: Quantity : Withholding or overloading information.
: Often prioritizes character interiority and ambiguity over a clear plot, using fragmented structures to reflect complex psychological states. Narration in the Fiction Film
: Using flashbacks or non-linear structures to create curiosity or suspense. : Associated with early Soviet cinema, focusing on
: Associated with early Soviet cinema, focusing on collective action and ideological messaging rather than individual psychology. : Associated with early Soviet cinema
: Where style becomes the dominant factor, often repeating stylistic patterns for their own sake rather than to advance the story (e.g., the works of Jean-Luc Godard). Functions of Explicit Narrators
Filmic narration varies historically and stylistically, categorized into distinct "modes" that set audience expectations:
: Modern theory, particularly that of David Bordwell, argues that spectators are not passive "victims" of a story but active participants who use "schemata" (mental frameworks) to test hypotheses and draw inferences about the plot.