Achieve nonlinear storytelling in a documentary - Text Use

Citation:

• Bernard, S. C. (2016). Documentary storytelling: Creative nonfiction on screen (Fourth ed.). Focal Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203756317

Annotation:

• In this chapter, the author discusses the pivotal role of effective narration and voice-over in advancing a story. These elements not only recount the narrative but also furnish the audience with supplementary information, such as the current time and place or the forthcoming challenges faced by the characters. 
• John Else posits that content which might necessitate a prolonged ten-minute interview or video introduction can often be more efficiently conveyed through a meticulously crafted fifteen-second narration.
• The article further explores the "Strategic Utilization of Text" to convey information. This approach can serve dual purposes: establishing time and place or serve as a bridge connecting different times and spaces within the story. Additionally, it can create suspense and facilitate the story's progression. However, it is crucial to ensure that each textual narration communicates only the story point required for the subsequent synchronized material. Overextending the narrative may result in the audience losing track of the conveyed information.
• 在这一章中，作者讨论了有效的叙事和画外音在故事发展中的关键作用。这些元素不仅叙述了故事，还为观众提供了补充信息，比如当前的时间和地点，或者人物即将面临的挑战。
• 约翰·艾尔斯认为，那些可能需要10分钟的采访或视频介绍的内容，往往可以通过精心制作的15秒叙述来更有效地传达。
• 文章进一步探讨了语篇传递信息的策略运用。一方面可以建立时间和地点，或变成故事内连接时空间的桥梁。另一方面可以设置悬念，推动故事的发展。但要注意的是每一个Text的叙述应该只传达到下一个同步素材所需要的故事点，如果讲的太远，观众就会失去对信息的追踪。

Film Citation:

• Blitz, J. (2002). Spellbound . In ThinkFilm. ThinkFilm.

 

• IBurnat, E., & Davidi, G. (Directors). (2011, November 23). 5 Broken Cameras. Kino Lorber.

Annotation:

• In "Spellbound," the director utilizes text to introduce the narrative, including background information, characters, and events. Clear and concise titles provide the audience with a comprehensive understanding of the film's content.
• In "5 Broken Cameras," the director integrates time markers into the subtitles, with each time period corresponding to a specific camera, and each camera documenting the child's growth. These cameras function as diaries of the child's development. At the conclusion of the film, the director presents these cameras sequentially to the audience, and incorporating footage of the child's past joyful moments. By juxtaposing the child's mature understanding of war with their earlier naive perceptions of soldiers, the director effectively merges past and present footage to illustrate the impact of war on children and families.
• 在《Spellbound》中导演通过Text来介绍故事，包括背景，人物，事件等。简介明了的标题可以让观众知道影片所讲述的内容是什么。
• 在《5 Broken Cameras》中，导演在字幕中加入了时间标记，每个时间段对应一台相机，而每台相机记录着孩子的成长。这些相机就像孩子成长的日记。在影片的最后，导演将这些相机一一展示给观众，并加入了一些孩子曾经快乐的录像。通过对比孩子长大后对战争的认知和他们年幼时对士兵的天真看法，导演将过去与现在的素材结合在一起，影片通过非线性叙事的方法展现了战争对孩子和家庭的影响。

Test in my film:

• Regarding the use of subtitles in "Spellbound," I began by showing the audience the purpose of the film right from the start: it is a documentary about self-redemption.
• In "5 Broken Cameras," subtitles indicating the passage of time were used.  After the opening narration ends, the scene shifts to me in the present.  I take out my diary and, through my dialogue, inform the audience that I am documenting the story of the documentary in my diary.  As I flip through the diary, I start narrating the events of the year.  At the beginning of each time period, a subtitle appears on the screen in the form of a sentence from the diary, allowing the audience to understand the dates when the events occurred.
• Unlike "5 Broken Cameras," which connects past and present footage to bridge time and space, in my film, apart from piecing together past materials, I also bridge time and space by closing the diary and presenting stories outside of the diary (i.e., an objective perspective).  Simultaneously, I include subtitles stating "hidden footage by me," followed by revealing details previously concealed in the story, which are crucial to the process of self-redemption.  Through this method, I achieve non-linear storytelling in the documentary, clearly highlighting the film's main theme: through this pursuit, I realized the necessity of reconciling with the past to move forward into the future.
• 关于《Spellbound》中字幕的运用，我在影片一开始就向观众展示了影片的目的：这是一部关于自我救赎的纪录片。
• 在《5 Broken Cameras》中对时间字幕的运用，开头旁白结束后，画面切换到现在的我，我拿出日记，并通过我的台词告诉观众，我将纪录片的故事记录在日记里。翻开日记，我开始讲述这一年发生的事件。在每个时间段的开头，我都会以日记开篇的一句话形式在画面中展示对应的字幕，让观众明白故事发生的日期。
• 不同于《5 Broken Cameras》通过结合过去与现在的素材来完成时空的衔接，我在影片中除了拼接过往素材外，还通过合上日记并展示日记之外的故事（即客观视角）来完成跨越时空的衔接。同时，我在字幕中写到“被我隐藏的素材”，然后展示之前故事中被我隐藏的细节，而这些细节正是自我救赎的过程。通过这种方法，实现了纪录片中的非线性叙事，并点明了影片的主旨：通过这次追寻，我明白了需要与过去和解，才能走向未来。