Narration and Monstration in Rescued by Rover
How does director Lewin Fitzhamon use both monstration (what appears within a single shot) and narration (how shots are connected) to construct and clearly convey the narrative of Rescued by Rover? Fitzhamon, very deliberately, makes use of narration and monstration to move the story of ‘Rescued by Rover’ onwards. Within this essay, I will prove how narration and monstration are used consciously by the director to subconsciously affect the viewer, in a way which provides them with an understanding of time, location and happenings inside the film. Firstly, the use of narration is obviously apparent when viewing the three ‘running’ scenes (Rover seeking the baby, Rover returning to his home and Rover and the Father finding the baby). Crucially, the camera’s location is identical in each scene. Still shots are used in each scene, from the same viewpoint. This establishes a sense of familiarity, making the viewer aware of the exact location of both the family house, and where the baby is being hidden. On Rover’s return to his home, the same shots are used, although of course he is running in the opposite direction. The narration of these shots implicitly tells the viewer where Rover is going, since they have already seen him run the same route in reverse. Rover once again returns to the location of the baby, this time bringing the Father. Once the viewer sees the same connection of long shots, the immediately realise exactly where Rover is taking the Father.
Once the viewer has this sense of place, dramatic irony is created by the Father’s ignorance of his child’s location. "Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more than one or several of the characters onscreen, a condition which pushes audience attention into the future because it creates anticipation about what is going to happen when the truth comes out. That anticipation is known as ironic tension” - (Paul Gulino, Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach. Continuum, 2004). Lewin Fitzhamon’s creation of
Once the viewer has this sense of place, dramatic irony is created by the Father’s ignorance of his child’s location. "Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more than one or several of the characters onscreen, a condition which pushes audience attention into the future because it creates anticipation about what is going to happen when the truth comes out. That anticipation is known as ironic tension” - (Paul Gulino, Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach. Continuum, 2004). Lewin Fitzhamon’s creation of