Reader Question: What are some guidelines about “breaking the fourth wall”?

From Shaula Evans:

Another topic that I’m researching and coming up pretty dry on is breaking the fourth wall (making asides or speaking directly to the camera). My working premise is that this is just like flashbacks, voice overs, or other more stylized choices: it won’t work in all stories, it has to be executed well, it has to serve the story, and it has to be justified inside the story universe. That said, what does it take to make asides work well? What are the pitfalls to avoid? And what are examples of films that use asides effectively?

Actually, Shaula, you hit on pretty much every single consideration re breaking the fourth wall I have except one: Do I have to use this narrative conceit in order to tell this story?

I’m not sure there is a set answer to that question. We consider issues like entertainment, narrative, and most importantly for me character. Ultimately it comes down to a gut feeling on the writer’s part. In fact, let’s test that out. Look at these three examples of movies where the Protagonist breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the viewer:

http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=xtkF

http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=8WFDY

And if you think Woody Allen only broke the fourth wall with the introduction to Annie Hall, don’t forget this moment:

So consider the question: Why did the filmmakers decide they had to tell their story by breaking the fourth wall? Or frame the question like this: Would High Fidelity and Ferris Bueller worked as well without breaking the fourth wall?

Let’s see your thoughts in comments. I have a few observations of my own.

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