The term ‘breaking the fourth wall’ is used in film, theatre, television, and literary works. It refers to a character directly addressing an audience, or actively acknowledging— through dialogue or breaking character— their fictional reality.
Fourth-wall-breaking cinema requires purposive thought and preparation. Annie Hall (1977), Ferris Bueller’s day off (1986), Fight club (1999), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Deadpool (2016) are a few films involving fourth-wall-breaks, box-office success, and critical acclaim.
The researchers studied a total of eighty-three fourth-wall-breaking scenes from ten English-language feature films (including aforementioned films) using a multipronged-framework-backed narrative-analysis (Qualitative Method). These films feature characters, especially the protagonist, who address the audience in at-least four scenes. Special care was taken to apply this analysis to the nuances of films’ diverse genres-&-contexts.
This research borrowed some elements from Tom Brown’s book “Breaking the Fourth Wall—Direct Address in the Cinema”. These were: the number of fourth-wall-breaking characters, their confessions, their honesty, and their effort to build an emotional connection. The researchers formulated additional elements to suit the specific needs of the research. These were: characterization, the attempt to retain attention, the effort to entertain, the significance of the scene, and the placement of fourth-wall-breaks in the scene.
The study garnered pivotal insights into the quintessential narrative elements of fourth-wall-breaking cinema. These elements are agency, characterization, engagement, ingeniousness, intimacy, showmanship, significance, synergy.
The research quantified the multifaceted usage of fourth-wall-breaks, and undertook a nuanced examination of their intricacies. Patterns, range, and uniqueness emerged among the chosen films.

Authors:
Aparaajith Sharmaa, Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication Studies, India
Rohan Dasgupta, Savitribai Phule Pune University, India

About the Presenter(s)
Currently studying links between Pop-Culture, Identity, Public Policy. A Media-&-Culture Researcher & Content-Strategist with 13 years comprehensive experience in diverse spheres like: Communication,Academia,Entertainment,Journalism,Advertising,& PR.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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