CIAUD - FAUL

This is a working paper, created by Nuno Alão in co-authory with Carlos Figueiredo at the Technical University of Lisbon - Faculty of Architecture, within the Cinematic Narratives course lectured by Carlos Figueiredo, as part of the Architectural Doctoral Degree."

Seemingly contradictory statements such as Jean-Luc Godard - the cinema is the truth at 24 frames per second (Merten, 2011) - and Rainer Fassbinder - the film is a lie at 24 frames per second -  (Merten, 2011) seem to be irreconcilable. However, if we replace the word "lie" with "illusion", it seems to emerge a meaning from these statements.
In experiencing the narrative and the fictional space of a film, the viewer experiences sensations and emotions that are real to him-self, even if they are induced by means of an experienced fictional narrative. Among the most frequently induced emotions is anxiety that announces an imminent experience of an unknown nature.
The idea of "premonition" of impending unrest convinced of something imminent, in an approach of a sense of awe that is closely related to anxiety. (Emanuel, 2010, 9)
Fundamental in the suspense film and its narrative, it affects the way of feeling. Anxiety  intends to convey anticipation of an event that extends forward in time, that is guessed but delayed, and of which the outcome is unknown but is presumed to be adverse. The viewer feel the close proximity of danger and adversity, in an agony that extends in time.
Analyzing three thrillers, "The Shining" from  Kubrik, "Cape Fear" of Scorcese and "Vertigo" of Hitchcock, it is apparent the construction of space to build tension, created by the design of scenery, light, camera angle and composition, in the synthetic construction of the space and progress of the action which takes place in it, along sequences of suspense and anxiety.
The idea of "premonition" of impending unrest convinced of something imminent, in an approach of a sense of awe that is closely related to anxiety.
Fundamental in the suspense film and its narrative, it affects the way of feeling. Anxiet  intends to convey anticipation of an event that extends forward in time, that is guessed but delayed, and of which the outcome is unknown but is presumed to be adverse. The viewer feels close proximity of danger and adversity, in an agony that extends in time.
Analyzing three thrillers, "The Shining" from  Kubrik, "Cape Fear" of Scorcese and "Vertigo" of Hitchcock, it is apparent the construction of space to build tension, created by the design of scenery, light, camera angle and composition, in the synthetic construction of the space and progress of the action which takes place in it, along sequences of suspense and anxiety.

Keywords: Anxiety, Emotion, Suspense, Space, Narrative
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This text concerns three kinds of use of Film´s Fictional Space as a Storyteller will be displayed in analyzing three paradigmatic movies: Shining as the use of "Premonitory Space", Once upon a time in the west as "Ruler Defining Space" and Inception in the study of "Space as a Mind Extension".
Premonitory Space: anticipation of events and actions of plot's fiction, by means of emotions induced by subtle and converging use of signifiers created by combined use of syntax in composition, motion, light, color, space, camera use, sound or action.
Ruler Defining Space: the use o space as a fictional defining characters and plot potential place and actions in it, creating strength lines, boundaries of "material" and "visual" space, as stage for action support and constrain, selector and ruler of characters moves, positions and actions, sense, coherence and credibility tool for action and plot. Fiction space and place construction can determine all the logic, display, feels and sense of developing plot's action and drama.
Space as a Mind Extension: the space that talks about Events happening in the Self. Space can echo inner life and character events, reacting to inner characters thoughts, feelings and fates. Behaving this way, space portrays itself signs of the events and inner life related to central characters of the fictions and plot.

Fictional cinematic worlds and spaces, either experiential reality or collective imaginary based ones, contribute to the construction of their characters towards a high level of transparency in the emotional discourses they convey. A character's personal space becomes the sum of all characters' personal, social and cultural spaces, an illusion that cinema creates by integrating props and costumes from interwoven environments, in a combination of similarities, contrasts, familiarity and novelty. Memories are alluded and, moreover, dreams of a far future come true, surprisingly involving the spectator in a dream-like reality, experienced like a real one. Dematerialization and the rising wish of the human being to sense out of body experiences, by visual, sonorous and tactile means, places cinema as an art that truly awakes our five senses. Now, more than ever, cinematic visual narratives and technological interfaces for augmented and virtual reality experiences influence each other, mutually boosting new advances and languages. By analyzing movies that comprise real or virtual ways of the fictional representation, such as Avatar, The Matrix, or Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace, we can interpret both tangible and intangible approaches to body in corresponding mise-en-scènes that sound out the mysteries of the brain and that stress the importance of costumes' somatic role in fictional dramas. Costumes bridge reality and fiction, past and future, space and subject, especially in movies with heroic characters who cross border between universes, clearly promoting intense emotional bonds with the spectator and his/her immersion in those plots.

We do have memories, concepts, identity, experiences, building a self-inner world that gives us the notion of the reality about ourselves and the world we live in. Each of us have a differentiated reading of what surrounds us, of our environment, a self-consciousness that is unique, an “intuitive” sense of what is true or not, reality or fiction, before our eyes.
What are the foundation of our concepts and notions we use to allow our discernment capacity between reality and dream-illusion-hallucination? How are we aware and understand the features and concepts of different worlds and their meanings?
Different Films convey all range of contrasting times, concepts and realities, about our world and alternate ones, that coexist in a same film fiction. In these, we are immersed in the plot and telling, the characters´ inner lives, their feelings and in the fictional world they live on. But the tools we use to decide if we – and the characters – are experiencing reality, “dream time”, “mind time” or a “out of this world” reality are the same.
What are the foundation types where our concepts and notions are rooted? The ones that allows us to decide what is reality and what is not? This inner reality capacity of judgement also make alternative universes presented understandable and readable.
We consider three major families of these foundations: Dream Time - Mind Time, Scientific and Metaphysical based concepts types.

How do we accept or reject, in our and other alternate worlds, events and features as realities? We have memories, concepts, identity, experiences and collective imaginary, building in us an inner world. We have a self-consciousness that is unique, an "intuitive" sense of what is true or not, reality and fiction, understandable or unreadable before our eyes. In films, viewer is immersed in plot, storytelling, characters inner life and fictional world where they live. They tell us time and space in an enormous range of concepts and realities about alternative universes and their borders. We have been considering three major Foundations families sources, in which our concepts and notions are rooted, that we use to enable our capacity of dis-cernment: Mind/Dream, Scientific/Knowledge and Metaphysical based concepts types. We have chosen relevant scenes in the film "Interstellar" related with the subjects in this study.

What is the foundation or notion that participates in our discernment capacity between reality and dream-illusion-hallucination? How to handle percepts and events refused to accept or understand from us as belonging to reality? How are we aware and understands the features and concepts of different worlds and their meanings? In a Film, the viewer is immersed in the plot, charactersínner lives and their feelings and in the fictional world they live on. The viewer must decide about what is shown to him: are characters experiencing reality, " dream time " , " mind time " or it is an " character´s out of world reality " experience? Different Films do convey all range of different times, concepts and realities-and their boundaries-that coexist in a same film fiction, plot and telling. Some of these paradigmatic films, will be picked and analyzed, being a tool and case study for this reflection.