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philmathews on 26 Aug 2021 at 7:00 pm
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Many thanks for this presentation, very interesting and lots of great ideas in here. The disruptive structures of No Country and Psycho are very well articulated and demonstrate your points well. I have a couple of questions that I would like to chat through and here your thoughts on. Can you explain the teleological alignment to art films versus mainstream films as the paradigms and manuals insist upon cause and effect, therefore purpose and design is inherent within them or have I missed the point. The other point was in suggesting that the empires strikes back is a conventional blockbuster which I would argue against as it sees all the protagonists fail in spectacular fashion and positions the climatic battle in the first act. Looking forward to discussions at the panel.

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  Chris Neilan on 8 Sep 2021 at 7:01 pm
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  Hey Phil, yeah it’s a good question! He seems to use the term in quite an oblique way, which I like. It makes me think of what he says in that same quote (which is in the presentation) about how the ‘art’ film, as he describes it, requires the viewer to work. That the engagement of the viewer on a more active level defines the form. That its function, if you like, is to engage the viewer on a more deep and active level, rather that to lull and entertain with spectacle. What do you think?
  
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philmathews on 26 Aug 2021 at 7:17 pm
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Another question sorry. How do tragedies play into the restorative model? are they restorative in terms of restoring moral or social expectation and conventions upon characters who transgress?

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  chrisneilanmmu on 8 Sep 2021 at 7:04 pm
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  Another good question 🙂 Yeah I think tragedies tend to restore order and meaning where there had been uncertainty and disorder. As in the Heat example – De Niro’s character dies because he breaks the rule he espoused at the midpoint, bringing a sense of completion and meaning to the story and story world. The ending of the French Connection is an interesting counterpoint.
  
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Janet Staiger on 27 Aug 2021 at 8:12 pm
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Thanks so much for the excellent presentation and a really great set of rationales for not following the routine 3-act structure format. I will re-watch these films, seeing new things thanks to you. Janet Staiger

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  chrisneilanmmu on 8 Sep 2021 at 7:05 pm
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  Thanks Janet, your work has been very helpful in my recently finished PhD project!
  
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Mike Gibas on 29 Aug 2021 at 1:35 pm
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This was a compelling presentation, and it does ask some big questions on how the screenplay really NEEDS to evolve. Do you see the longer form opportunities offered by streamers aiding the process in promoting unconventional and boundary-pushing screenplay structures? Or, as money talks, is it making things more entrenched in the conventional structures used by blockbusters?

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  chrisneilanmmu on 8 Sep 2021 at 7:10 pm
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  Well that would be ideal, and certainly the opinion seems to be that Netflix are keen to give money to filmmakers they like and let them make the projects they want to make, like The Irishman. However I don’t think the streaming world seems to lend itself, yet, to pattern-breaking – it seems much more, to me, like a realm of pattern reinforcement. More arthouse leaning streaming services like Mubi might change that? But the intention of the part of screenwriters and filmmakers to break patterns has to exist, and I think to grow that kind of culture we need, collectively, to push back against the conventionalising impact of the populist handbooks.
  
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Rose Ferrell on 30 Aug 2021 at 11:34 pm
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My apologies Chris, but I am not able to view your presentation. Perhaps the file size is larger than others? I live in a remote town in Western Australia, so maybe our internet is not quite up to it! – Just FYI. I look forward to the panel though!

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  chrisneilanmmu on 8 Sep 2021 at 7:10 pm
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  Oh that’s a shame Rose, if you drop me an email at c.neilan@napier.ac.uk I’ll send you a link
  
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SRN 2021

Neilan – Unconventional narrative structure in crime cinema

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