Hollywood’s Commercial Aesthetic:
Commercial aesthetic can be thought of in the context of turning pleasure into a product we can buy-this includes films. Maltby and Craven (1995) argue that films are made up of many different elements, such as a script, story, director and so on. They say these elements are then intertwined together by producers and production companies to satisfy the current needs and wishes of consumers at a given point in time. Storytelling style is an important part of achieving the commercial aesthetic, and Hollywood responds to what audiences want by taking a more ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ approach (Maltby 469). The major features of Hollywood narrative style are clarity, simplicity, …show more content…
It can be used to summarize and narrate, and let us know where we are at in the narrative. It is commonly used in films that have been adapted from novels, as it helps to reinforce the novel (McDonnell, 2017). Often voice over is used sparingly in a first person tone, so we get to experience a characters point of view. In Girl, Interrupted the main character Susanna narrates in a cool, unemotional voice at times throughout the film, where she talks about her perceptions of the other female patients and her mental state. Her emotionless tone provides evidence for the detachment she feels from the world around her, and a wish to leave certain conclusions to her audience. Voice over is also used in To Kill A Mockingbird. The opening credits feature the hands of a young girl colouring in, so the audience straight away recognises that we are being introduced to the child strand of the film. Soon the camera cuts to a front yard, and an older woman’s voice is heard, describing her observations of the town Maycomb. By introducing the social and spatial context to the audience, the narrator sets the scene and provides “a frame for the whole” (Shackelford, 1996). Audiences may at first not realize who the narrator is, but when Scout appears playing in the yard, we assume the voice over is her now reflecting back as a much older woman. The camera then zooms down to focus on Scout before changing to the general objective narration style most common in
Commercial aesthetic can be thought of in the context of turning pleasure into a product we can buy-this includes films. Maltby and Craven (1995) argue that films are made up of many different elements, such as a script, story, director and so on. They say these elements are then intertwined together by producers and production companies to satisfy the current needs and wishes of consumers at a given point in time. Storytelling style is an important part of achieving the commercial aesthetic, and Hollywood responds to what audiences want by taking a more ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ approach (Maltby 469). The major features of Hollywood narrative style are clarity, simplicity, …show more content…
It can be used to summarize and narrate, and let us know where we are at in the narrative. It is commonly used in films that have been adapted from novels, as it helps to reinforce the novel (McDonnell, 2017). Often voice over is used sparingly in a first person tone, so we get to experience a characters point of view. In Girl, Interrupted the main character Susanna narrates in a cool, unemotional voice at times throughout the film, where she talks about her perceptions of the other female patients and her mental state. Her emotionless tone provides evidence for the detachment she feels from the world around her, and a wish to leave certain conclusions to her audience. Voice over is also used in To Kill A Mockingbird. The opening credits feature the hands of a young girl colouring in, so the audience straight away recognises that we are being introduced to the child strand of the film. Soon the camera cuts to a front yard, and an older woman’s voice is heard, describing her observations of the town Maycomb. By introducing the social and spatial context to the audience, the narrator sets the scene and provides “a frame for the whole” (Shackelford, 1996). Audiences may at first not realize who the narrator is, but when Scout appears playing in the yard, we assume the voice over is her now reflecting back as a much older woman. The camera then zooms down to focus on Scout before changing to the general objective narration style most common in