Analysis of how Hell or High Water’s narration works to facilitate the viewer’s understanding of the fabula (story) from its syuzhet (plot) and stylistic systems.
Please REVISE your Essay #1 analysis of how Hell or High Water’s narration works to facilitate the viewer’s understanding of the fabula (story) from its syuzhet (plot) and stylistic systems. Reminder, you should construct a strong and clear central thesis that considers the film’s narration as a whole (a global approach), while also identifying specific moments, scenes, and/or sequences (a local approach) to support your thesis. As we have discussed, a film’s narration uses specific devices to guide the viewer in their understanding of the fabula, so you should consider how the concepts we’ve worked with in class function here to cue and/or constrain information in particular ways. This involves connecting broad narrational strategies, such as range and depth of knowledge, to more specific narrational strategies. Finally, your thesis should also include a statement on the film’s stylistic system and how it interacts with syuzhet processes at both local and global levels.
Remember, for your analysis, you will need to understand and apply the following concepts:
Differentiate and discuss the different types of “gaps” of information, delays, or repetition of information that may be relevant to the film’s narration in helping to create the fabula;
Discuss how information is restricted/unrestricted (range of knowledge); the degree of subjectivity/objectivity of information (depth of knowledge); the self-consciousness and/or communicativeness of film’s narration in organizing the cues that create the fabula;
Demonstrate that fabula and narration/syuzhet are different things (though related);
Show you understand and can analyze how the film’s style (e.g., mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound) works as part of the narration to help create the fabula;
Select and apply the concepts that are most relevant for this assignment’s analysis;
Undertake a detailed close reading of parts of the film and relate them to the whole;
Understand that analysis of the film’s narration is not the same as a plot summary.
Remember that you are not writing about everything in the film. A well-crafted thesis shows that you have an understanding of the overall narrational process and that you have a specific claim you want to make about this process. Then, you choose key examples from your close readings through which you can analyze the film’s process of narration. And in doing that, you connect instances, patterns, formal elements to the process. You should ensure that your argument is clearly organized, with focused paragraph topic sentences and cohesive paragraphs that connect back to the central idea being argued.
This should be a full 6-7 page essay, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and written in 12-point Times New Roman font. Number your pages, and do not use a cover sheet. Submit your essay to the assignment portal on Canvas using a .DOC file only (no PDFs or Pages). Always keep a saved copy of your work in case of technical difficulties. This assignment is due to Canvas on Friday, September 1st, by 11:59pm. At the end of your 6-7 page paper, you should include a short 150-200 word (⅓ page) paragraph that briefly describes the key ways that you revised your paper. This 150-200 word (⅓ page) paragraph is in addition to your 6-7 page word count. I.e., if you write a 7 page paper, your total paper length, including the paragraph describing your revisions, will be 7 ⅓ pages. Do not exceed 7 ⅓ pages.
A revised essay should:
Go beyond Paper 1 – this is another draft and should involve substantial work to push your paper and argument further. Implementing your TAs feedback is the bare minimum you should do. Interrogate your analysis, sharpen your examples, clarify your argument, polish your prose, etc;
Have a proper title;
Be structured by a thesis;
Be clearly organized, with focused paragraph topic sentences and cohesive paragraphs that connect back to the central idea being argued;
Demonstrate the analysis (support your claim) with evidence from the film (all of the elements in the film are your evidence) based on close reading of shots and sequences;
Provide an understanding of the prevalent pattern(s) used by the film’s narration;
Demonstrate that you have a global (overall understanding) and local (detail-oriented) understanding of how the film’s narration works;
Avoid too much plot summary; focus on analysis of formal structures;
Provide an appropriate conclusion.
We will grade your papers based on the following:
Revises Paper 1 effectively and implements the feedback from your TA to improve your first draft;
Formulates a strong enough thesis for the argument;
Demonstrates an understanding of the concepts and terms learned in class through the effective selection and application of them to the analysis of the film;
Effectively analyzes the strategies of narration in Hell or High Water (including the formal and stylistic patterns found throughout the film);
Supports the analysis with appropriate evidence from close reading of the film;
Clearly organizes ideas in a structured argument;
Utilizes correct spelling and grammar.
Requirements: 7 pages
The Depth of Love
Film viewing employs narration techniques that enable viewers to create shared fabula. The narration in Hell or High Water film takes an approach that gradually releases bits of information, enabling a viewer to comprehend key aspects of the fabula. The syuzhet is developed to restrict critical information at certain scenes and reveal the information at later times, building up to the climax. The broad narration strategies, specifically the narration’s range and depth, inform the relationship between the brothers’ actions and their experiences. The interdependent relationship between the experiences and their choices in the film creates an interchange between restricting and unrestrictive information. The film starts objectively, but showcasing Toby and Turner’s experiences brings subjectivity to the fabula. The film builds up to an unrestrictive range and subjective depth as the syuzhet unfolds with more information. The narration uses styles such as cinematography, sounds, editing, and setting to emphasize the broad narration strategies of the plot by establishing an environment that corresponds to either the actions or activities of the two brothers. The shift in narration patterns is especially evident when assessing the similarities and differences in the scene where Toby and Tunner appear at a bank and start robbing against the scene where Toby interacts with the ranger and shares about his sons never undergoing the same life he experienced. The film’s narration alternates between restricted and objective concepts and unrestricted and subjective concepts supported by cinematography, sounds, and other stylistic elements throughout the plot to enhance the viewer’s comprehension.
Restricted and Objective Concepts
The film begins with a restricted range of knowledge, whereby the viewers witness the robbery being committed by the brothers. The narration further reveals the violent nature of one of the brothers through how he treats his victims (Mackenzie & Sheridan, 2016, 04:24). The beginning seemingly takes an objective approach that quickly shifts to a subjective depth of knowledge as the viewer can share in the brothers’ personal lives. The film’s style emphasizes the subjectivity of the narration by using both widescreen and close-up shots to show the setting and characters (Tan, 2018). The widescreen engages the viewer with the brothers’ environment and how they conduct their lives, while the close-ups enable the viewer to focus on the brothers’ expressions (Kawin, 1992). This narration builds up the viewer’s curiosity about why the brothers engage in robberies. The editing and sounds in the scenes work in a manner that appeals to the viewer’s emotions as the narration presents bits of information on the brothers’ experiences (Tan, 2018). The brothers’ movements in their home, such as the hesitation by Tanner to enter his mother’s room and the way he touches her things are subjective. A viewer empathizes with the two brothers as they momentarily indulge in their emotions.
Unrestricted and Subjective Concepts
The range of the narration in the scenes is a constant switch between restraining and giving cues which are maintained throughout the film. The opening scenes reveal that the brothers have robbed two banks. In the second robbery, one of them specifies to the cashier not to give them bundles. The viewer does not know how much the brothers have robbed until the film transitions to the two rangers at the station who state that the robbers have stolen a few thousand. Another display of switching between restricting and giving up information shortly after is evident when the brothers talk about their dead mother (Mackenzie & Sheridan, 2016, 11:50). Before this scene, a viewer knows little of the robberies and why they are taking place; however, as the film unfolds, a viewer begins to understand that there could be a reason behind the stealing and easily commits to wanting to know this reason. The props, such as the hospital bed, the little room, and the furniture around the house that similarly is shown to be old and small from the outside, all come into play in reinforcing the cues in the narration (Tan, 2018). The state of the home, reinforced by parts of the conversation between the brothers, offers a significantly good amount of information, yet not enough to answer key questions that arise within a viewer’s mind.
Gaps and Communicativeness in Narration
The constant alternation between restrictive and unrestrictive information patterns relates to the degree of communicativeness of the film. The narration gradually builds to communicativeness by revealing information that eventually enhances the viewer’s understanding (Baboulene, 2017). The information presented to the viewer creates knowledge gaps that are a significant part of creating the fabula. The viewer’s understanding is made easier by the privilege of information which is, however, restricted as a viewer cannot easily decipher the knowledge in the information (Baboulene, 2017). As the syuzhet progresses, a viewer learns that Toby has two boys but does not understand several important factors like where his family lives, their age, and their role in the fabula. As the film progresses, a few scenes reveal that it has been over a year since Toby last saw his family, but no exact reason is revealed to the viewer (Mackenzie & Sheridan, 2016, 18:07). As Tanner encourages him to see them, Toby is reluctant and offers money issues as the reason, but the viewer is quickly notified that owing to their recent events, he has the capabilities. The knowledge gaps create a more satisfying story for the viewer once the narration presents complete information for the fabula.
Patterns in Narration
The patterns of the narration interchange between restrictive and unrestrictive ranges and objectivity and subjectivity. The viewer gets to experience these patterns because the film is an interplay between the brothers’ personal lives and activities. The beginning of the film has a restrictive range that interplays with objectivity. This pattern exists because the viewer’s information on Toby and Tanner is restricted. In the opening scene, Toby and Tanner are two robbers who rob their victims at gunpoint (Mackenzie & Sheridan, 2016, 02:14). Tanner also cruelly hits the man at the first bank and breaks his nose. In this scene, the narration presents the brothers in a manner that places them as the enemy. As the range progresses to unrestrictive, the depth becomes subjective, and the viewers see the two robbers as people with a regular life. The two brothers resort to stealing because of their experiences. Several scenes in the film reveal that the brothers are poor and have most likely not had a pleasant childhood. Toby has been caring for his mother over the past few months while Tanner has been in jail for stealing.
The alternating patterns are further witnessed when the two brothers decide to steal from a big bank. The onset of this scene ushers in a restrictive range of knowledge for the viewer. The viewer knows that the brothers will steal again, but no further information is provided about this action. The viewer is therefore left in anticipation of whether the two brothers will hit the same bank that the rangers keep an eye on. Consequently, in this scene, the narration changes from subjective to objective. Although their earlier plans had been sabotaged, Tanner convinces Toby that they should continue their plans and steal from a big place (Mackenzie & Sheridan, 2016, 01:03:04). The risk of stealing at Postman is bigger, and both brothers are aware. A viewer is forced to look at the situation objectively when a shootout occurs, and Tanner cold-bloodedly kills the security at the bank. Tanner removes the machine gun and shoots at the people tailing them from the bank. The narration takes a subjective approach when Toby defines poverty as a disease recurring in each generation as he admits his son will get to live a different life.
Stylistic Elements in the Narration
The setting and cinematography are significant tools in changing the narration to be objective and unrestricted. In the scene building up to the climax, the film’s setting is a large bank with more people. The cinematography shows the audience the faces of the regular citizens who have visited the bank searching for services and are now caught in the brothers’ actions. The cinematography raises awareness that civilians could get hurt as there are both young and older adults (Mackenzie & Sheridan, 2016, 01:07:09). The uncertainty on the brothers’ faces is a cue that, unlike other robberies, the situation at this bank could swiftly and efforlesly escalate, and people would be hurt. It is also a cue that they might have to shoot at people when circumstances require that. The narration uses the setting to quickly the perspective of the viewer by allowing them to see both sides of the story.
Conclusion
To sum up, as the film develops, the brothers gradually reveal to the viewer that the robberies are happening to serve the bigger purpose of securing their home from the bank. The viewer understands that Toby and Tanner have been stealing from different branches of the bank their mother borrowed from. Toby explicitly states that the generation after him will not encounter similar hardships as it is evident to the viewer that the brothers have achieved their goal. The film alternates between the viewer empathizing with the two men’s situation and comprehending life’s realities. A most important realization for the viewers is the role of relationships in a person’s life.
References
Baboulene, D. (2017). Knowledge gaps in popular Hollywood cinema storytelling: the role of information disparity in film narrative (Doctoral dissertation, University of Brighton).
Mackenzie, D & Sheridan, T. (2016). Hell or High water.
Tan, E. S. (2018). Psychology of the film. Palgrave Communications, 4(1).
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