What is the narrative of animation? What are the animation works with high narrative level?

The vernacular narration of animation is actually the way of telling stories, such as straightforward narration, narrative discussion, suspense, prose, freehand brushwork and so on. Over the years, those excellent animated film stories have been told wonderfully, and there are many works of this type.

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Types and characteristics of main narrative structure of animated short films

Liu Siqin

Read some books about narrative structure. In film and television narratology, there are some books that study the types of narrative structures. In these books, narrative structure can be roughly divided into five types: drama linear structure, drama paragraph structure, prose linear structure, circular nested structure and dreamy psychological structure. These narrative structures basically include the types of narrative structures used in the creative practice of most dramas on the market at present. However, there are few works that classify the narrative structure of animation, only some simple summaries. Moreover, due to the time limit of animated short films, the story structure must be simplified, which is a major feature of animated short films. Li divided the narrative structure types of animated short films into four categories: linear, prose, circulation and suspense. This paper will expand this argument and analyze the types and characteristics of the main narrative structure of animated short films.

Keywords: animated short film; Narrative structure; Type; trait

First, the linear narrative structure

Linear narrative structure, first of all, there are contradictions and conflicts in the whole narrative process, and only around a simple and powerful contradiction and conflict, from beginning to end, tells a complete narrative structure. For example, Pixar Animation Company's little jumping lamp animation, every time we watch Pixar's animated film, there will be this little desk lamp that has been obsessed with stepping on the letter "I". The whole process is full of plots. This little desk lamp is not like a lamp, but more like a shy and naughty boy, jumping into the screen step by step and then slowly raising his head. If we segment this dynamic logo, we can find that the duration of this dynamic logo is 14 seconds, and the whole process has only one complete segment, that is, from the very beginning, jumping light enters the picture from the right side of the lens, jumps in front of the letter "I", and then jumps and tramples on it until it finally succeeds, and the letter "I" is replaced with peace of mind. The whole process only revolves around a contradiction, without ups and downs, and it adopts a standard straight-line narrative.

Through the analysis of linear narrative structure, the following characteristics are summarized:

First, on the whole, using the dynamic symbol of linear narrative structure, there is only one contradictory clue in the whole narrative process, which is simple and clear, with straightforward emotions, highlighting a simple and unpretentious feeling, but it can directly hit people's hearts.

Secondly, in rhythm, because the whole process of linear narrative structure only describes one event, there is enough time to tell a story completely, which is lively, interesting or inspiring. Therefore, in the rhythm, it tends to be slow, peaceful but compact, and you can tell a good story without too much lens switching and skill display.

Thirdly, the creation of "aura" is the most important feature and the biggest advantage of linear narrative structure, just like Pixar animated short films. Before the audience watched the movie every time, the appearance of this "small desk lamp" immediately narrowed the distance between them, which made people laugh, not only brought them into the movie they watched, but also had emotional and dramatic signs, which immediately highlighted that Pixar Animation Company was not a cold and mechanical company.

Second, the narrative structure of prose

1. Linear Narrative Structure of "Scattering in Form and Gathering in Spirit"

In animation creation, the narrative structure of prose is to combine some fragmentary fragments and knead them into a complete work. For example, the Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit's animated short film "Father and Daughter" uses scattered structural expressions to weave an eternal and profound love between a daughter and her father. This kind of works is similar to prose, which pays more attention to the venting of emotions and the rendering of atmosphere. It is a poetic and natural emotion that is slowly revealed.

2. "The characteristics of prose narrative structure."

Prose narrative structure also has different characteristics from other narrative structures in the narrative process.

First, the works of prose narrative structure generally do not emphasize strong dramatic conflicts, but depict and express a kind of emotion or emotion that the author wants to convey through different fragments.

Second, the story is composed of discrete fragments, which may or may not be directly related and not necessarily logical, but it is an emotional pile-up and a rhetorical strategy.

Thirdly, the poetry in the works with poetic prose narrative structure runs through the whole work, from the picture to the dynamic and then to the rhythm. Just like the animated short film Father and Daughter, every composition, every scene, every shot and shot switch, and the dynamics of the characters all reveal an elegant and sad atmosphere, but they are natural and sincere and close to people's hearts. Although the structure is free, it can accurately convey the author's intention.

Third, the circular narrative structure

1. Weird circular narrative structure

The circular structure type is mainly put forward for those stories whose scripts are logically related from beginning to end. This structural type is attached to the story content, and it is an inherent logical way of thinking, which has been fixed since the creator conceived the story content.

2. The characteristics of grotesque circular narrative structure

Through the analysis of animated short films with circular narrative structure, these characteristics are summarized:

First, the works with circular narrative structure do not mean that the whole story is endless in time. The circular narrative structure here refers to the cycle within a narrative cycle, and the beginning and end of a single event all belong to one point. Create a sense of grotesque without beginning or end. It's like, "Is the egg laying the chicken or the chicken laying the egg?" This question is the same, there is no answer. This feature is also the most prominent feature in the circular narrative structure.

Secondly, in the works with circular narrative structure, the time sequence is chaotic, and the normal linear narrative structure has a progressive development model in time and is exclusive, but the circular narrative structure and narrative development order are destroyed, and the plot stickiness and plot focus are correspondingly reduced.

Third, we don't capture people's hearts with twists and turns, but we think about it with the ingenious arrangement of narrative level and the uncertainty brought by flashback of time.

Fourthly, because the causal relationship of this narrative structure is destroyed in time, its order and logic are chaotic. But it has its own strange logic, which is different from the general logical order in reality.

Fourthly, suspense narrative structure.

1. The circular narrative structure of The Truth

Hitchcock, a master of suspense, once told a simple example to illustrate "suspense": two passengers were chatting on the train, and suddenly, there was a loud noise and the time bomb hidden under the table exploded. At this time, the audience will only have a "ten-second shock", which does not constitute suspense. If the audience knows in advance that there is a bomb under the table, it will explode in five minutes. At this time, the audience will start to worry about the characters in the play and can't wait to jump in and tell the two passengers: run, or they will die soon. The audience's heart beats violently with the characters in the play, which is the ingenuity of suspense setting.

The narrative structure of suspense means that the development of the whole story is supported by only one suspense. Suspense is the embodiment of the main contradiction of the story, and it is also the traction of bedding. Attract the attention of the audience and drive the development of the story.

2. The characteristics of circular narrative structure

First, suspense is a kind of expectation, a kind of skill and means applied to works to attract the attention and expectation of the audience.

Secondly, suspense is usually created with suspense narrative structure at the beginning of animation, that is, throwing some information to the audience, creating an attraction of "hiding half her face behind her guitar in front of us" and quickly arousing the audience's interest.

Third, the suspense begins, but there will be different endings; Either perfect or unexpected; Or just an open ending.

References:

[1][ America] Rudolf arnheim, translated by Teng Xiaoshou and Zhu Jiangyuan. Art and vision [M]. Sichuan: Sichuan People's Publishing House, 1998.

[2] Li. Research on narrative art of animated short films [J]. Journal of Beijing Institute of Printing, 20 10.

[3] Yang Xianping. On the narrative mode of animation [J]. Film literature, 20 12.