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A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom
Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
2011
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| _version_ | 1867614017124564992 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Crous, Andre Johan |
| author2 | Hees, Edwin |
| author_browse | Crous, Andre Johan Hees, Edwin |
| author_facet | Hees, Edwin Crous, Andre Johan |
| author_sort | Crous, Andre Johan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | University of Stellenbosch |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6512 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:20.375Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publishDateRange | 2011 |
| publishDateSort | 2011 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6512 A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom Crous, Andre Johan Hees, Edwin University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama. Fictional worlds Realism in motion pictures Winterbottom, Michael -- Criticism and interpretation Dissertations -- Drama Theses -- Drama Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigates the notion of realism and in particular its applicability to the visual and narrative strategies employed in eight of Michael Winterbottom’s films. Realism is a term that has strong ties to the reality of the viewer, but this reality that governs the conventions for making a judgment on a work’s realism is in constant flux. Likewise, on the side of the film’s production, any number of tactics may be deployed to increase the viewer’s sense of realism and the research undertaken here looks at a variety of approaches to the creation and assessment of realism in a film. Many of the films discussed here are depictions of past events and the tension between the realistic reconstruction of the past and the necessary artifice that is inherent in such representations are studied in the light of the theories of possible and fictional worlds. Possible worlds are constituted by states of affairs that would be possible in the actual world; in the same way, realistic representations reflect the possibilities of the actual world without necessarily being an identical copy of reality. David Lewis’s concept of counterparts plays an important role in the analysis of filmic components, especially when these components are representations of actual entities. In addition to a consideration of counterparts, this dissertation will also look at the role of the “fictional operator” which facilitates discussion about fictional truths. While the fictional operator creates counterparts of actually existing entities and films remain always already fictional, the actual world retains an important role in fiction. In postmodern cinema the viewer is encouraged to use knowledge obtained from other worlds – either actual or imaginary – so as to enhance appreciation (analytical as much as emotional) of the film even more. The concept of realism has been thoroughly problematised, but many strategies continue to connect the events of the fiction either with the “real” world or with other worlds that rival the importance of the “real” world. It is suggested that the so-called “real” world used to measure realism can refer to any world outside the realm of the particular fiction. Realism can be a product of a visual style as well as the particular development of a narrative and in both cases the viewer measures the conditions against her own experience of other worlds. The world of the film is a fictional reality that is sometimes a representation of the actual world, but the relationship between the two worlds can never be completely transparent, in spite of the efforts that many filmmakers have made in this respect. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie proefskrif word die idee van realisme bestudeer deur veral te let op die term se toepaslikheid op die visuele en narratiewe strategieë wat agt van Michael Winterbottom se films op verskillende maniere aanwend. Realisme is gekoppel aan die kyker se werklikheid, maar hierdie werklikheid wat die konvensies bepaal vir enige uitspraak oor ʼn werk se realisme is gedurig aan die verander. Op soortgelyke wyse kan ʼn film enige aantal taktieke gebruik om by te dra tot die kyker se indruk van realisme en die navorsing wat hier onderneem is kyk na ʼn verskeidenheid benaderings tot die skepping en assessering van realisme in ʼn film. Talle van die voorbeelde wat hier bespreek word is uitbeeldings van gebeure uit die verlede en die spanning tussen ʼn realistiese herskepping en die noodwendige kunsmatigheid wat daarmee saamgaan sal toegelig word deur die teorieë van moontlike wêrelde en wêrelde van fiksie (fictional worlds). Moontlike wêrelde bestaan uit stande van sake wat in die aktuele wêreld moontlik is; op dieselfde wyse weerspieël ʼn realistiese uitbeelding die moontlikhede van die aktuele wêreld sonder om noodwendig ʼn identiese afbeelding van die werklikheid te wees. David Lewis se konsep van ewebeelde (counterparts) speel ʼn groot rol in die ontleding van hierdie films se onderdele, veral wanneer die ewebeelde voorstellings van werklike entiteite is. Behalwe vir ewebeelde, sal hierdie proefskrif ook kyk na die rol van fiksie-operators (fictional operators) wat die gesprek oor fiktiewe waarhede heelwat makliker sal maak. Hoewel die fiksie-operators ewebeelde skep van entiteite wat werklik bestaan en films uiteraard altyd reeds fiktief is, kan die rol van die aktuele wêreld in fiksie nie ontken word nie. In postmoderne films word die kyker juis aangemoedig om haar kennis te gebruik wat sy uit ander wêrelde – hetsy aktueel of denkbeeldig – opgedoen het en sodoende die film (op ʼn analitiese en ʼn emosionele vlak) meer te waardeer. Selfs al is die konsep van realisme reeds behoorlik geproblematiseer, is daar steeds baie strategieë om die gebeure van die fiksie te verbind met die “regte” wêreld of met ander wêrelde wat die belang van die “regte” wêreld ondermyn. Ek stel voor dat die sogenaamde “regte” wêreld wat gebruik word om realisme te meet eindelik kan verwys na enige wêreld buite die onmiddellike fiksie; realisme kan die produk van ʼn visuele styl of die ontwikkeling van die verhaal wees en in albei gevalle meet die kyker die toestande aan haar eiesoortige ervaring van ander wêrelde. Die wêreld van die film is ʼn fiktiewe werklikheid wat soms ʼn voorstelling van die aktuele wêreld is, maar die verwantskap tussen die twee wêrelde kan nooit heeltemal deursigtig wees nie, ten spyte van talle pogings wat filmmakers al in hierdie opsig aangewend het. Doctoral 2011-02-14T10:08:03Z 2011-03-14T08:14:31Z 2011-02-14T10:08:03Z 2011-03-14T08:14:31Z 2011-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/6512 en_ZA University of Stellenbosch 232 p. : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| spellingShingle | Fictional worlds Realism in motion pictures Winterbottom, Michael -- Criticism and interpretation Dissertations -- Drama Theses -- Drama Crous, Andre Johan A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom |
| title | A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom |
| title_full | A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom |
| title_fullStr | A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom |
| title_full_unstemmed | A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom |
| title_short | A certain idea of reality : possible worlds in the films of Michael Winterbottom |
| title_sort | certain idea of reality possible worlds in the films of michael winterbottom |
| topic | Fictional worlds Realism in motion pictures Winterbottom, Michael -- Criticism and interpretation Dissertations -- Drama Theses -- Drama |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/6512 |
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