In all films we see the use of a narrator. A narrator is not necessarily a person distanced from the film or someone giving the audience their view, it could be something as simple as which character the films’ point of view is established. This can have a big effect on the story, for example in the Terminator if the film was from the point of view of the machines, the Terminator would have been the protagonist. There is also at the beginning of the film narration by Reece. This is done mainly to inform the viewer and to give them some insight into the story.
In films symbolism is often used to represent something important to the narrative. Meaning can be derived from the object/place/sign etc, whatever is the symbol. And it is often repeated to show its significance. For example in the Terminator in the futuristic setting when the machines tracks crush the human skulls, this is a visual metaphor of the crushing of mankind by the machines.
Levi-Strauss and his ‘Binary Opposites’ theory are very apparent in The Terminator. Good vs. Evil, Machine vs. Man, Future vs. Present and Destruction vs. Love, are all apparent binary opposites in the Terminator. Ideology is also a very important part of narrative structure. Films are always a product of their time and values and beliefs will always be promoted through the film. In the Terminator the basic ideology is Man vs. Machine. Critics have claimed that through the Terminator James Cameron is voicing a liberal concern of America’s dependence on machines and the USA’s ‘Starwars’ satellite defense system.
Vladimir Propp studies Russian fairy-tales, and identified that in all narratives there are certain characteristics that are the same. These can be applied to film analysis. He said that in each narrative there are certain types of characters, and in the Terminator, we can see examples of nearly all of these. Terminator is the villain and the false hero. Reece is the hero and the donor, Sarah is the Princess and the hero, John Connor (who is not featured in the film) is the dispatcher and the donor, and the police are the false hero, donor and the princesses father.
The Terminator, being a Hollywood Blockbuster, is a high concept film. There are certain aspects that are apparent in all high concept films. For example there are simple plot and characters, we can see this in the Terminator to some extent as much of the film is action and therefore there is not much of a chance to deepen the characters. There are often A-list stars employed who can be used to sell the film, for example Arnold Schwarzennegar. There is often fast paced action, with false endings, which are definite features of the Terminator. A dependence on special effects and a hybrid of genres. For example The Terminator is both a sci-fi film and an action film.
The way a scene in a film is represented is done by the mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene are the way elements are staged in a scene, the lighting, colour, setting and props. The way all of these are presented can dramatically change the scene. For example, the lighting in The Terminator, once the chase begins and Terminator finds out where Sarah is, it is all set in night time LA. The director has purposefully done this as it increases the tension throughout the film. It makes the narrative more sinister. Also we can see the use of colour in the Terminator, when the flashforwards are used the colours in the scene are blues, and metallic silvers. This is done to make the scene feel more harsh and cold, and to give it a more robotic feel, so it can emphasize the fact that the robots rule. Light can also be used to give softer effects, such as dim/soft lights could be used in a love scene, such as when Sarah and Reece make love. Throughout the Terminator we see that light is cast behind Schwarzennegar to make his physique more powerful and definite, to emphasize this machine-like perfection about him.
Shots and camera angles are also important to the way an audience views a film. For example if a character is shot from the ground then it gives them a position of power, and although it may be subconscious to the audience they will recognize this sense of power, this is done constantly throughout the Terminator. Also the distance of shots can have an impact, for example in the intro the human soldier is shot from distance, and this gives him a sense of vulnerability and hopelessness.
By the use of framing we can see what is important to a certain scene, for example if nighttime view of a city is shown as a backdrop for characters we know it is important, but if it is cropped form the scene it is not important. Editing is how the film is put together, for example continuity editing is used so that the joins of a film don’t show and it looks natural, this is a typical feature of a high concept film. Jump cuts are another editing feature that can be used but it makes the audience realise that they are watching a film and so it is mainly used in more high brow films that focus more on ideology than the narrative itself. 180-degree rule is also another comman feature of the classic narrative that is used often in the classical narrative.
Sound is an extremely important part of film. Music in a film can determine whether the scene is a success or not, it can totally change the atmosphere. Digetic sound is located in the actual film, people talking, background noise etc. Non-Digetic is a musical score that is external to the film and has no obvious source, and is created to accompany the images on screen.
So as we have seen there are many ways in which a film tells a story. Through its narrative devices and the cinematic elements located in the film. We have also seen that there are typical features of classic narratives and also high concept films, that are apparent in all of these types of films. James Cameron’s The Terminator is an excellent example of one of these films.
