Cause & Effect

Cause and Effect

Narrative can be defined as "a chain of events in cause‑effect relationships occurring
in time and space". It typically begins with one situation, a series of changes occur according to a pattern of cause and effect; finally a new situation arises that brings the end of the narrative. Todorov's narrative theory is based on this; an equilibrium is set up which is then disrupted, causing disequilibrium, which is resolved into a new equilibrium by the end of the tale.

When we are watching a film we try to connect the events to make sense of what is happening, to see a line of cause and effect. This is by far the most important factor in narrative because even if there is no obvious connection, we still try to make one. This is a natural reaction because making connections is how we make sense of the world around us, for example looking for a reason for feeling sick and concluding that we ate an undercooked sausage. What we are actually doing in film terms is connecting the images that we see in both time and space and creating a causal effect between them.


How does the director manipulate cause and effect?

The director can create a mood or atmosphere by choosing certain shots in a certain order, to build a picture in our minds. We automatically link what is happening in one shot with what happens in those either side of it, as this is what happens in real life. Thus, by showing us a window frame and then a shot of a house, we presume the house is what you see out of that window. In this way we are interacting with the film.

Some directors have exploited this idea to extremes. Lev Kuleshov, a Russian filmmaker in the 1920's experimented by showing people shots of an actor in between shots of different objects ‑ food, a dead woman and a child. The audience interpreted the actor's expressions (although it never changed!) as being hungry, sad and. affectionate. This is because our brains try to make continuitive sense of what we see. This placing together of images is called montage.

Sergei Eisenstein, another Russian filmmaker of the same era, believed that it was more effective if consecutive shots were not obviously linked as the audience were forced to think and interact more to make the mental jump from shot to shot. Montage can be used effectively in propaganda, where the filmmaker wants the audience to believe in a certain idea or concept. In a more light‑hearted way it is used today in pop videos and advertising, to encourage us to make associations and link ideas.