ABSTRACT

This article examines how documentary films begin. Narrative theory has identified the opening sequences of a narrative as where a lack calls for a response which then propels the hero to undertake various tasks to resolve problems posed by the lack. This often involves a quest and the construction of a complex course laden with obstacles and graced with assistance that allow the narrative to conclude by resolving the original lack. Attention, though, has focused both on narrative fiction and on the central portion of the narrative, where issues of gender, on the one hand, and focalization or voice, on the other, have received much attention. The beginning has received relatively slight scrutiny, especially in documentary. This paper addresses two primary questions: how exactly the beginning scenes in documentaries launch a narrative trajectory by altering our sense of time, and how these beginnings stress different narrative qualities from identifying a problem to establishing a mood. The article stresses the centrality of narrative to documentary and the vital role of the beginning plays to draw the viewer into a particular perspective on the historical world.

摘要

本文探讨了纪录片是如何开始的。叙事理论将叙事的开场序列确定为缺乏需要回应的地方，然后推动英雄承担各种任务以解决缺乏所带来的问题。这通常涉及探索和构建一个充满障碍并得到帮助的复杂课程，从而使叙述能够通过解决最初的不足来结束。然而，注意力集中在叙事小说和叙事的中心部分，一方面，性别问题，另一方面，焦点或声音，受到了很多关注。一开始受到了相对轻微的审查，尤其是在纪录片中。本文主要解决两个问题：纪录片中的开头场景究竟是如何通过改变我们的时间感来启动叙事轨迹的，以及这些开头如何强调从识别问题到建立情绪的不同叙事品质。这篇文章强调了叙事对纪录片的中心地位，以及开头的重要作用，以将观众吸引到历史世界的特定视角中。