Achieve nonlinear storytelling in a documentary - Narration

Citation:

• Rosenthal, A., & Eckhardt, N. (2016). Writing, directing, and producing documentary films and digital videos (Fifth ed.). Southern Illinois University Press.
• Rosenthal, A. (2016). The documentary diaries: Working experiences of a non-fiction filmmaker. Manchester University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv18b5hv5

Annotation:

• In Chapter 15 of the book, the author discusses how narration can quickly establish the film's authentic background, providing the audience with essential information about characters, time, and space. This approach not only helps the audience quickly become engaged but also lays a solid foundation for the story's development, enabling viewers to better understand the film's context and setting.
• Furthermore, narration can define the film's narrative direction, facilitating smooth transitions between different scenes and guiding the story's pace in new directions to bridge temporal gaps. This technique contributes to a more structured film, allowing the audience to follow the storyline more clearly and to perceive the changes in the narrative's rhythm and emotional dynamics.
• 在书的第15章中，作者提到，旁白能够快速且轻松地建立电影的真实背景，向观众提供关于人物、时间和空间等重要信息。这种方式不仅帮助观众快速入戏，还能够为故事的发展奠定坚实的基础，使观众能够更好地理解影片的情境和背景。
• 此外，旁白还能够确立电影的叙事方向，帮助影片在不同情节之间平滑过渡，从而将影片的叙事节奏引向新的方向，完成时间上的跨度。这种技巧使得影片的结构更加有序，观众可以更清晰地跟随故事的发展脉络，感受到故事节奏的变化和情感的起伏。

Film Citation：

• Low, C., & Koenig, W. (Directors). (1957). City of Gold. National Film Board of Canada.

Annotation:

• In this film, the director skillfully merges memories with the present through the use of narration.
• Theme: The film centers around Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush, establishing the tone and content of the movie.
• Details: Instead of relying on extensive textual introductions, the film uses detailed descriptions to evoke the beauty of the past, seamlessly transitioning into the father's memories.
• Personal Memory: The narrative interweaves history with personal memory, using the father's recollections to drive the story forward, offering viewers a deeper understanding of the period.
• Story Development: As the memory sequence concludes, the narration shifts to describe the winter of 1897, with the visuals transitioning to footage from 1897, effectively bridging different time periods.
• The film employs narration combined with archival photographs and camera movement to achieve smooth transitions in narrative time, making the story more coherent and engaging.
• 在这部影片中，导演通过旁白的叙述将回忆与现实巧妙地结合在一起。
• 主题：影片围绕克朗代克淘金热期间的道森市展开，这一主题奠定了电影的基调和内容。
• 细节：影片没有通过大量的文字介绍，而是通过细腻的细节描写展现了美好的过去，同时自然地引入了父亲的回忆。
• 个人记忆：影片交织了历史和个人记忆，通过父亲的回忆推动故事的发展，使观众更深入地了解当时的情境。
• 故事发展：在结束回忆部分时，旁白讲述了1897年的冬天，镜头画面随之切换为1897年的影像资料，巧妙地实现了时间的转换。
• 影片通过旁白的引导，结合档案照片和镜头运动，成功地完成了叙事时间上的转换，使得故事更加连贯和引人入胜。

Film Citation:

• Tornatore, G. (Director). (1988, November 17). Cinema Paradiso. Titanus.

Annotation:

• The film uses the ringing of a bell to transition the protagonist Duoduo from adulthood back to childhood. The bell, a sound familiar from Duoduo's childhood, is depicted in a special way by the director, linking the present with the past. Through the use of this sound, the film achieves non-linear storytelling effectively, making the temporal shifts feel natural and emotionally resonant.
• 影片通过铃铛的响声实现了主人公多多从成年到童年的时间转换。铃声作为多多童年时期最熟悉的声音，导演通过对铃声的特别描写，将现实与过去巧妙地联系在一起。通过这种声音的运用，影片完成了非线性叙事，使得时间的跳跃更加自然且富有情感。

Test In My Film:

• In my film, I also use narration to achieve temporal and spatial transitions.
• At the beginning of the film, I introduce the diary through narration as the starting point of the story.
• Next, through narration and some past videos and photos, I introduce the background and explain the film's theme—wanting to have a meaningful conversation with my father.
• Then, the narration transitions to the memory section, recounting all the stories before returning to the country. This process drives the story forward, allowing the audience to follow the narrative more clearly and feel the changes in the plot and the emotional ups and downs.
• When the scene cuts back to the café and the diary, the narration says, "I feel I am getting closer to the truth I am seeking." After the narration ends, the film's camera transitions from the café to the scene of my return to the country, completing the temporal and spatial transition and achieving nonlinear storytelling.
• Regarding the temporal and spatial transition after the narration ends, I did not directly state that I was returning to my hometown.  Instead, I borrowed the method of using sound transitions from "Cinema Paradiso."  I used the announcement from the train station to shift the timeline from the café to the scene of my return to Xuzhou on May 1, 2024.  By using ambient sound, I achieved the transition smoothly and naturally.
• 在我的电影中，我也通过旁白来实现时间和空间的衔接。
• 影片开头，我通过旁白引出日记本，作为故事的起点。
• 接着，通过旁白和一些过往的视频与照片，介绍背景并阐述影片的主题——想和父亲好好沟通一次。
• 然后，旁白将叙事切换到回忆部分，讲述回国之前的所有故事。这个过程推动了故事的发展，让观众可以更清晰地跟随故事的脉络，感受到情节的变化和情感的起伏。
• 当画面再次切回咖啡厅、回到日记本时，旁白说：“我觉得我离我想寻找的真相越来越近。”旁白结束后，电影的镜头从咖啡厅切换到我刚回国的场景，完成了时间和空间的转换，实现了非线性叙事。
• 在旁白结束后的时空转换方面，我并没有直接说出我要回国了，而是借鉴了《天堂电影院》里通过声音转换时空的方法。我通过火车站的广播报道，将时间线从咖啡馆切换到2024年5月1日回徐州的情景。通过环境音的巧妙运用，实现了时间和空间的转换，使叙事更加自然和连贯。