Who's the narrator of your story?

Narration has often played a significant role in shaping our opinions of characters in a movie or TV show. We are often driven to follow a particular direction in a story through specific narrative tools and as someone who is in love with storytelling, it is extremely interesting to see how our perspective can easily change with changing tools.

Narrator as the protagonist

The easiest way for audiences to connect with a character is when he/she is the one narrating their story. An example of this is Ted Mosby in How I Met your Mother, who takes the viewer along on his journey of meeting his future wife through 9 seasons of ups and downs. Since he is the one telling the story, we develop a natural affinity for him and are as excited as him for the big reveal. Him telling his story allows us to look at ideas of perfection, destiny and fate through his lens, because we are essentially in his shoes. There are some instances where Ted is not a 'nice guy', like when he cheats on an ex or forces a potential partner into his version of a happy relationship irrespective of her feelings or desires, we understand where he comes from; and WANT to look over these not-so endearing qualities. That’s because we never really hear about the side of the story from these ladies and instead hear Ted’s turmoil and by the construct of the show, associate with him. 

A dark side of this trope is when the narrator is unreliable and is actively deceiving us. Amy Dunne in Gone Girl is a classic example: Throughout the first half of the movie, we believe her to be an innocent girl and blame Nick, her husband for her potential murder. Amy, and by extension the movie, carefully constructs the world in the way SHE wants us to see her i.e. through her diary. It is not until the midpoint of the movie when we actually meet her, that the movie changes the question from ‘Who killed Amy’ to ‘How did Amy plan this’, ‘Will she get away with this?’ A character who is all about image, from Amazing Amy which she was unwillingly coerced to compete with, to the Cool girl she became for Nick, and now the Pregnant, abused victim; the movie uses her manipulative nature to cloud our perception of Nick and Amy.

Despite the morally dubious characters like Amy with flaws more explicit than a more lovable character like Ted, we feel drawn to her because we see her suffering, her anger from her point of view and to some extent, can justify her going over the edge and exacting her revenge.

The protagonist being the narrator is the easiest way to access and associate with emotions we would not have experienced otherwise, and naturally, one thing you want is for them to win, for the better or worse.

Narrator as the protagonist’s friend/mentor/associate

The protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption is undoubtedly Andy Dufresne- the movie starts with his trial for the murder of his wife and follows his experiences in prison and his subsequent escape, but we hardly know his real personality throughout the whole movie. We have not had a chance to hear his story in his words, but someone else.

That person is Red, his best friend and fellow convict at Shawshank. Andy’s initial struggles in the form of assault by the Sisters, friendship with Red’s gang, rise as a librarian and personal accountant of several prison officers, and finally his grand escape, are all narrated to us by Red. Andy remains an enigma to us even by the time the movie ends. This is especially important because the movie does not want Andy’s intention of escape to be clear to the audience, so we know only as much as Red knows, making the escape as much a surprise to us as is to Red. 

Using Red as the protagonist instead of Andy allows an aura of mystery to surround his real personality. It also allows us to focus on the larger themes such as the poor prison conditions, the institutionalization of criminals after having been isolated from the world through the eyes of someone who does not know how to break its shackles - and that person is Red, not Andy. 

As is described by Red, Andy seemingly has a shield around him which isolates him from the world he is living in. He is shown to stroll around the prison as if he were in a park and has an almost blind faith in his quest to freedom. The harrowing journey in prison and the life which follows it even after freedom could never be captured appropriately by Andy, who is already cut off mentally from the world.

On the other hand, Red is a realistic person and is unnerved by Andy’s optimism, which is an unusual thing in the prison walls.

It is Andy’s story through Red’s narrative which allows us to see these very different characters help each other evolve and survive. 

Red supports Andy through the tough years at Shawshank and becomes his trusted friend, and Andy helps Red lead his life in a direction different from Brooks (who commits suicide) and gives him hope; and by the end, the story is as much that of Red as it is of Andy. 

This storytelling tool actually makes space for another unexpected protagonist and allows us to culminate both stories and themes into one fulfilling narrative.

Camera as a narrator

Shows that use a third person such as a camera or an actual narrator often want the audiences to focus on specific people and scenes that they want to draw attention to; but leave some room for the audience to draw their own conclusions. 

1. The Office uses a mockumentary format to drive home who the protagonists of the series are. Throughout the show, the camera follows the love story of Jim and Pam and in effect, we are more invested in their characters than any other. Jim’s constant interaction with the camera helps the audiences feel they are part of the crazy antics which his colleagues often unleash, whether it is Andy’s anger or Dwight’s ridiculousness. He is a proxy to the audience, and an unofficial narrator of the story with focus on his reactions and interpretation of events.

2. Another way this technique works is to allow us to compare the characters’ words to their actions. For example, even when Jim has a girlfriend Karen in season 3 and seemingly is happy with her by repeatedly telling her that; we know that his actions signify something else. Jim is a character who does not like to show his vulnerability to the camera, so he kisses Pam when he thinks no one is there or tells the camera he is happy with Karen. But the camera, against his knowledge, captures his emotions, his playful banter with Pam and the conflict on his face about his head and heart, so we the audience know that the words don't match up to his true actions.

3. This also helps build suspense. Case in Point- Jim does not tell Pam about having taken a job at Philly which the camera and audiences know - so we can anticipate the tension brew between them as a result. Same is the case with Dwight and Angela's affair and Andy's ignorance of it. It allows audiences to almost predict what is to come in the future and when characters are being deceitful.

   

4. Since the camera is usually a known, visible entity in the day to day of the staff at Dunder Mifflin, it can be really interesting to see which characters play up or dial down their personalities and what does that say about them. Biggest example of this is of course, Michael Scott, who wants to appear as a beloved, wise boss but in reality, is often oblivious and annoying. He consistently uses words beyond his vocabulary when speaking to the camera or looks sideways into the camera when he thinks he is committing a noble act or has established his superiority over someone. We don't need to be told that he loves attention and validation, it is clear in his demeanour.

While the camera above is a known presence in The Office, it is an unseen presence in Succession. The scenes are often framed as if the camera is a person itself, suddenly zooming into or out of focus. It represents the mockumentary format without explicitly being one. It can make us feel like we are part of the Roy world, sitting at the table. But this is a world beyond our reach, so 0.01%, that we are there incognito, as is the camera. A great video on this is by Thomas flight in his Youtube video here.

Even when the characters are not directly looking into the camera, we are often nudged to be drawn to certain characters, like Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders. Right from the first scene, we are asked to observe his body language, his facial features and his dressing style. We are shown how the other characters perceive him- a mixture of awe and fear, and with clear acknowledgement of his authority. The camera requires the audience to take notice of his charisma and complexity and journey, without needing to say it out loud.

Hiding the truth is a great way to use the camera effectively. In The Sixth Sense, we are shown an expositional scene of Malcolm’s background and his link to child psychology through an uncured patient Vincent, after which the camera i.e. the narrator chooses to jump over time and follows Malcom on his journey with his next patient Cole. In this case, the unreliable narrator trope applies not to Malcom, but to the camera that chooses to leave out crucial information. The movie asks audiences to assume that Malcom recovers in this time gap and the scene’s only purpose was to link Cole’s story with that of Vincent. Since the camera only focuses on objects Malcom sees- a door which cannot be opened, a dinner to which his wife is late, and a meeting with Cole while he waits with the latter’s mother; we are unable to see the truth and connect the clues which are laid right in front of us, truly obscuring the truth when it was right in front of our eyes.

The omniscient narration with a hero

Unlike the narrator style, this trope allows us to see the full picture rather than the character in isolation. Shows like Bojack Horseman and Mad Men allow us to both empathize with the protagonist by providing us with maximum screen time with them while at the same time allowing us to see the ramifications of their negative actions. I take these two examples because they focus on the hero without condoning his actions or allowing him a free pass for destroying other lives along the way.

Bojack Horseman

Don Draper

While the camera spends its time to explore the subjective experience of Bojack, the narrative does not let our love for Bojack cloud the consequences of his decisions. He is forced to confront even seemingly insignificant characters like Sharona and face how her life goes downhill because of his actions. Instead of the glorified hero of the show, these characters are actually shown as real people who inflict pain on those around them and suffer the consequences of their actions sooner or later. We are allowed to empathize with the character itself, whether it is Bojack’s self-hatred and wit, or Don Draper’s charm and intellect, all while recognizing the damage they inflict onto themselves and others. 

The narrative itself is self-aware and treats all its characters as human too (which is odd for a cast of mainly animals in Bojack). At a point, Bojack tells the audience of his show Philbert's premier that perhaps it is okay to be the way he is, that his suffering justifies in some way the pain he inflicts. But that is not the takeaway the show wants you to have. It forces Bojack to face real prison time and have a very public and negative showdown with an interviewer. Both Don and Bojack confront their real cause of unhappiness and instead of running away, learn to just live even if life is a bitch. The all-knowing narrator gives the picture closest to reality and uses its protagonist's experiences to gives both him and us a more rounded perspective.

All these narratives are a great way for storytellers to show the version of the story they want to tell. The same stories told another way would probably create very different perceptions of the same characters. Choosing the right way to drive the element of mystery, romance or realism is the thing that makes all the difference.

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