Urban space and its narrative influence on fictional cinema: an applied methodological proposal

The aim of this article is to contribute to the study of the use of urban spaces as film locations and narrative settings. The attention is focused on the analysis of the narrative function and dramatic relevance of urban spaces.The study has been structured in two complementary phases. First, we selected a sample of four emblematic and recognizable places in the city of Madrid, to study its relationships with the films shot in these locations. Second, we have conducted a comparative textual analysis on two films: La virgen de Agosto (2019), filmed in a less iconic Madrid, and Nieva en Benidorm (2020), on the Mediterranean coast. Particularly, we have payed attention to the denotative, connotative, symbolic and narrative attributes of the represented or recreated cities through which we can understand the interaction between the physical and narrative space. This provides a valid epistemological method of understanding the cinematographic story.