Narrative

Todorov's Theory

Todorov’s theory recognises the usual pattern for a storyline. This can often be applied to the vast majority of films.

One film which clearly complies with Todorov’s theory is “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952)

The beginning equilibrium is that the main character, Don Lockwood, is a silent movie star who can just tolerate his co-star, Lina Lamont, and they pretend, for publicity to be romantically involved. Their films are very successful, and are both very famous actors.

The disruption of the film is that “The Jazz Singer”, a film with sound, has been very successful so all film companies are now using sound in their movies.

The recognition is that there is success from sound films, so there is no option but to turn the next Lockwood and Lamont film into a “talkie”. The problem is that Lina’s voice is not seen as suitable for the sound.

The repair for the disruption is for Kathy, Don’s love interest to talk over Lina’s acting, so it sounds like Lina’s voice. However, the audience’s find out that it is Kathy’s voice not Lina’s and she is “the real star of the film”.

The new equilibrium is Don and Kathy to star in their sound film together, “Singin’ in the Rain”.

Levi Strauss' Theory

Another recognises theory is Levi Strauss’ theory, of there being binary opposition. This is clearly visible in Titanic (1997).

Some opposition are:

Rich vs. Poor: Rose’s family expect her to marry into her own class, not someone who is of a lower class.

Male vs. Female: There are clearly to main characters, and Rose is supposed to act like a typical “woman” of that era.

Good vs. Bad: Jack is a good man, and Rose’s true love, which is against Cal, who is a conman who does not want to be humiliated.

Propp's Theory

Propp’s theory relates to both characters and narrative.

He outlined the different roles in films, which is obvious in the film Bridesmaids (2011):

Hero= Annie

Villian= Helen

The Princess/Prize= Lillian, her best friend

The Donor= Rhodes

The Dispatcher= Helen

The Mentor= Annie’s mother

Bridesmaids also relates to Propp’s theory of narrative.

Preparation: Annie lives in Wisconsin, near to her best friend. She has a job and lives with two room mates.

Complication: Lillian is getting married and moving away. Helen, is Lillian’s good friend who makes Annie feel threatened. Annie meets a police officer, Rhodes, who she explains her troubles to.

Transference: Annie is given the chance to be maid of honour and on several occasions, ruins the plans for the wedding preparations.

Struggle: Lillian and Annie are now barely talking, she is forced to move in with her mother, who is helping her life get back on track, after losing her job. Annie is no longer speaking to Rhodes who had become her love interest, and on the day of the wedding Helen tells Annie that Lillian has gone missing.

Recognition: Rhodes helps Annie find Lillian. Lillian and Annie make up and Lillian gets married. Rhodes and Annie then make up and she is now happy to have her best friend back.

Personal Opinions on Opening Sequence

I believe that our opening sequence has the ability to create enigma and capture the audience in order to make them interested in watching the rest of the film.
I like the idea of the film being in the thriller genre, as there are lots of different possibilities for a story line in this genre, and our idea of a stalking/kidnapping will hopefully be able to create an interesting story line. I believe that one weakness we may have to deal with is the confusion of the male character and how he is involved in the story, we will have to make it clear of his intentions. Another area of weakness may be the CCTV scenes, which we plan to differentiate from the other "normal" scenes by using black and white, instead of having them in colour.

Continuity Editing

Continuity editing is a technique used where cutting is used to create a clear narrative to the audience. Shots such as establishing shots, two shots, and cross cutting is often used in continuity editing.

During the clip from EastEnders, Who is Kat’s lover, there is evidence of master shots, of four characters, Kat, Max, Derek and Jack. This builds suspense for the audience, because they are now aware of all four potential lovers but do not know who Kat was just talking to. During the Spooks sequence that Kiah, Laura and I constructed we placed the shot of the location first, or the establishing shot first, because this is traditionally used at the beginning of a sequence so the audience are able to recognise where the action is taking place. 

We also put an establishing shot of the office in, before a cutaway to some action, which then cross-cut to some action of the “thieves”. This was to avoid a jump cut, because we then put a re-establishing shot of the office in as it cut back to the action in the office, which was happening at the same time.

In both our sequence of Spooks and the original version parallel and intercutting occurs, which is used to show action happening at the same time, as well as to build suspense amongst the audience. In both the EastEnders sequence and the Spooks sequence, as these are professional sequences both the 180 degree rule and the 30 degree rule would not be broken. During both our Spooks sequence and the professional Spooks sequence a two shot is used to establish the primary characters in the office to the audience.

During the EastEnders sequence, the only dialogue is Kat speaking on the phone. 

Typically in continuity editing, characters is conversation is a classic example of reverse shots and dialogue, as when the characters speak the camera will focus on either characters, either for a reaction or to see what they are saying.


Our Spooks sequence has correctly used the establishing shot, two shots and re-establishing shots, as well as the use of intercutting. However, the sequence would not work as some of the shots happen before others, and the narrative had been mixed up.

Our Spooks sequence

Group Discussions 20/12/12

In this lesson today, we finished story boarding our opening sequence. This allowed us to think of different, and appropriate camera angles that could be used. 
We decided on the most appropriate location and also began to think of the dialogue that may be used.

Synopsis of Opening Sequence

Our opening sequence is in the thriller genre. The opening sequence starts with a young girl, around the age of 15-17 who is in her home. It then cuts to a man in his car, however we cannot see his face or what he is doing. We then realize he is stalking her, as there are lots of photos of her in different settings in his car. 
He has put cameras in his house to watch her, (which will be shown through the use of black and white), and is watching her whilst she relaxes in her home. We then hear someone ring the door bell, and she gets up to get the door. As she opens it, she says hello, with an over the shoulder shot, before it cuts to the title of the film.

Research into Similar Media Texts

As part of my research I looked at three opening sequences. In them, I examined various aspects of them.

The first opening sequence was Juno.

• We immediately have an indication of genre is a “coming of age” film, as we are immediately introduced to the main character, a teenage girl. This is also indicated through her costume, as she wears jeans, a jumper and trainers, she looks very casually dressed.
• During the title sequences Juno is seen walking down a street, with the rural location becoming a cartoon. This hints at the fact the main characters are young adolescents. This also indicates her state of mind whilst walking down the street as if she is daydreaming, before the setting soon becomes normal again, and she returns to reality. This also focuses the audience’s attention on Juno, that she is the main character.
• The credits and text are bold as they are coloured in red, however it indicates and reflects youth, with a hint of immaturity, like the characters.
• The music used in the title sequence is folk-style and is quite upbeat. It does not seem parallel with the mood that Juno has previously created, but fits well with the scene of her walking down the street.
• There are many different camera angles used in this opening sequence, and starts with an establishing shot, to show the audience the main setting and location. There is also the use of close ups as Juno whispers in Paulie’s ear, which is used to build tension, as there is a prolonged pause between their speech. 
• During this opening sequence, the titles comes after the establishing shot and the main introduction to the characters. It is not until Juno is walking down the street the main titles and credits occur. 
• Mise en scene in this opening sequence: all characters are very casually dressed, indicatingthis is a normal day. The scene: the location, Juno's home, gives the impression that they live a very normal lifestyle, she does is not majorly wealthy.
• The target audience for this film is indicated through the age of the main characters.
• Women: are represented through Juno. She seems slightly immature, however the stereotypical female is not indicated through her clothing. Men are seen as being quite passive, however there is a male business owner.  

Group Discussions 19/12/12

In today's lesson, Kiah and I began to storyboard our opening sequence. This allowed us to incorporate more detail into the opening sequences, as we discussed things such as camera angles, mise en scene and location.
We will carry on with our storyboard next lesson.
Photos of the completed storyboard will be put onto our group blog but here they are too.

Group Discussions 17/12/12

Ideas for Possible Storylines

Today in the lesson Kiah, Laura and I brainstormed different storylines for our opening sequence. Our initial idea was for the protagonist and antagonist to be adolescents, seeing as our target audience for our opening sequence is between 15-24.

As our two possible genres are Thriller and Horror, we started to brainstorm all the possible ideas or typical plots that feature in these films.

As we progressed, we decided on a plot of abduction, with the antagonist potentially being a stalker. The next lesson we plan on story boarding our idea.

We also came up with our production name, and decided on "Phoenix Productions".

Photos of today's work will be put on the group blog.

Gender Representation in Thriller and Horror films

Males

Both genders are very stereotyped in in horror and thriller films. Men are usually portrayed as being very physically and mentally strong, especially protagonists, or the “hero”. Men tend to be less emotional than women. Men tend to take more active roles, and more of a team leader than females. Males in horror and thriller films tend to be brave and usually clever, however usually come across as mysterious, and often battle their own inner                                   “demons”, especially in thrillers. For example, Alex Cross’ character in "Along Came a Spider" is portrayed as mysterious, and very intelligent. Alex Cross is also African American, which is a representation of ethnic minorities, which are usually side lined in horror films, apart from in urban horrors such as Attack the Block. There has also been a rise in Afro-Caribbean male protagonists in thriller and horror films, such as Denzel Washington in "Training Day".

Male characters are often seen as the “lone hero”, and have a lot of independence. Alex Cross eventually loses his female sidekick, and manages to solve the crime alone. This is also true of male antagonists, who are often portrayed as isolated but have power. Males often restore the new equilibrium at the end of the film.

Females

Women in thriller and horror films often portray a variety of roles, younger females tend to have a sense of purity and innocence, and however older women are portrayed as having great sexual appeal and can be mothers.

In 1953 thriller "Niagra", Marilyn Monroe portrays an adulteress who plots to kill her husband. This character is seen as seductive and sly, and not a great contributor to the society, and is someone who is not in a role to restore the equilibrium at the end.

Women in thriller and horror films are usually portrayed as being passive and dependent upon men. Women usually are not the protagonist, or feature any characteristics that would help to solve the issue, such as intelligence. There is usually a “final girl” in horror films, who is seen as “virginal” and does feature some masculine traits, such as independence, and a unisex name.

 The “final girl” in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is Sally. She is portrayed as young, beautiful and possesses the male characteristic of being strong-willed. She is the character who survives in the end, and helps to restore the equilibrium.
Both genders are greatly stereotyped as however in very different ways. Men are usually portrayed as being very masculine and the heroes, whereas women are seen as being very passive and not independent.

Genre

Horror Films

Horror films are generally used to seek emotions such as fear and suspense in the viewers. They will often deal with the viewers’ anxieties, or issues deemed as “scary”, and having a running theme of violence throughout them. Horror films are usually popular with a younger audience, of around 16-24 year olds.

One convention of horror is usually the use of colour. Two main colours in horror is red, which symbolises blood and danger, and black, which is not only because horror films are usually set during the night, but clothing of antagonists are usually black too, as it symbolises death.

Another convention of horror is the use of secluded settings. Horror films are usually away from mass people. Horror films will often be set in the home, such as in "Halloween", or isolated places, such as in "Psycho".

Horror films often feature high and low camera angles. These camera angles allow certain characters to have power over others; this gives them a certain status. Horror films also use point of view shots, especially to show the perspective of the villain; this technique is used effectively in "Halloween", when the antagonist has put a mask over his face.

Thriller Films

Thriller is a very popular genre, not only in films but in other forms of art too, such as literature. It aims to bring out tension, suspense and excitement in the viewers.

One of the main conventions of thriller is the use of camera movement, mainly starting with a pan or tracking shot to establish the setting. Another camera angle used in close ups which are very common, allowing the audience to see the emotions of the characters, as well as highlighting any important detail the audience should take note of.

The use of non-diegetic sound in thriller films is usually common, with certain music or soundtracks building suspense or tension. However, silence is also an effective technique to also build tension, often before some sort of conflict and confrontation takes place, or something shocking has happened or been revealed, such as in "Along Came a Spider", where one of the main characters shoots another main character, who has just revealed to be also an antagonist.

Another convention of thriller is the use of black and white. It helps to highlight shadows of characters, and will appear to the viewers as scary, or dark. An example is in Alfred Hitchcock’s "Psycho", as she is in the shower and a shadow appears on the shower curtain.

         

Phantom of the Opera: Mise en Scene

In Phantom of the Opera mise en scene is very important in order to make the audience feel as if they are watching a drama set in France, 1919.

The opening credits are pictured in gold writing. The gold colour may have been used due to the fact that gold is often connected with wealth and success, and often operas are usually attended by the Upper class, or those who have money.

The film begins in black and white: which represents the present day. This, to the audience also gives the impression that the film is not set in the last 20 years or so, it was in fact set almost 100 years ago, where media was in black and white.

The shot of the theatre contains low key lighting, which creates a dark and mysterious atmosphere. Also adding to the mysterious atmosphere is the cobwebs and insects flying around the spacious theatre, which indicates it is abandoned and not many people visit it.

During the auction, there is a white light which shines down onto the man in the wheelchair and the monkey toy. This indicates that this man may have some significance to the film as a prominent light shines onto him, as well as the toy which also may have great significance.

All the characters in the scene are all dressed in suits or grand clothing. This is important to emphasize the time period it was set in and the class of the people: the prominent speaker, the man on the podium is very well spoken. All males are dressed in suits and top hats, and the female wears a dress, hat and over coat. This could indicate their social class and wealth.

As the chandelier lifts into back into the ceiling, and the dust sweeps away the cobwebs, the primary colours used in the theatre are gold, and red. These colours represent warmth, wealth and royalty. This creates a vibrant and exciting atmosphere, it indicates how grand and spectacular the theatre once was.

As the camera cuts to a shot of Paris in the 1800s, the street is very clean and a horse and carriage pulls up. Horse and carriages often are associated with royal families, and the characters that get out are dressed in fine clothing which is connected to the time period. During the 19^th and 20^th century people who had wealth often dressed more extravagantly than what they do today.

Spooks Sequence

11)      In this sequence, workers at MI5 are in the office encrypting profiles on a computer. There are only two people that can be seen in the office.

2)      We are given short information of the encrypting profiles on the computer: and it all looks to be very rushed. It also seems very secretive, of what can be seen, there are two people in the office, the lights are slightly dimmed so there is a more sinister feel to the sequence.

3)      We are not shown why these people are in a rush: and who the people are on the screen and why they are concerned with them.

4)      This sequence is important because it has a sense of tension and suspense and brings a lot of questions to the minds of the audience as to why these people are being secretive.

5)      We need to see other sequences in between this one because the audience wants a build-up of tension, as this gives more interest, if it keeps cutting away before coming back. The audience want to see the “heroes” against the “villains”, and want to get a full picture of the action.

6)      We see this action so that the audience understand why the people at MI5 seem rushed, and also build tension creating an eerie atmosphere. It also keeps the viewer’s drawn as to what is going on.

7)      Initially, I thought that the thieves were about to let off an explosive, or there would be some sort of fight as they are in a dark warehouse, and there is more than one person inside. There seems to be a feeling of tension between the characters too.

8)      Shot number I made me wonder why there is a chain in a box, before they cut away and then to K, where we see a phone in the box, which made me suspect that they have used the phone to make suspicious calls, and want rid of it.

9)      We see less of the thieves so the audience feels more tension and makes the thieves seem more intimidating because we can’t see them. It  also brings interest to the audience because they are unsure of what is going to happen.

10)  It takes long to see what the thieves are doing because it makes the audience more frantic, and builds suspense as the audience are unsure of what is happening. It brings a sense of uncertainty as it is dark, and we are unsure of what will happen next, and why the characters are in silence. 

Institution: Distribution and Production Companies

Distribution

Distribution is an important aspect of the film industry. Distribution companies only pick films which they feel will make money, as important to target their audience and the different markets such as cinema and DVD in order to make the most money.

One well established Distribution Company who has distributed many successful films in the past is Revolver Entertainment. They operate not only in London but in Los Angeles too, and often distribute thriller films.

Some notable films are:

• ·         William and Kate
• ·         Anuvahood
• ·         Sherlock Holmes
• ·         Kidulthood

 

Production

Production companies are accountable for the production of a film. They are responsible for the scripting, scheduling, post production, distributing, marketing and budgeting of a film. Production companies are often in contract with a film studio, who acts as a “parent” company to the production company.

One major production company is Pinewood studios. They often are involved with action-thriller films such as James Bond films, and Superman films.  

Feed the Fish Preliminary Task

Evaluation of Feed the Fish

In my preliminary sequence one of the biggest strengths was the match on action. During the sequence there are two examples where math on action is used effectively: both when character one is seen entering a door. Match on action was used in order to speed up time, and did not create any “dead space”.

Another feature in the preliminary sequence was the use of special effect at the end where character 2 turns into a completely different person. This not only creates enigma for the audience, it is also used for a comical effect, and helped my group and I to understand how to use “Final Cut” more effectively than just cutting the shots and outing them together.

The use of framing and camera work during the preliminary sequence I felt was of a satisfactory standard, sometimes during the filming we did not ensure enough shot were taken so it prolonged the editing. We made an error of using jump cuts on more than one occasion, which will not happen in the final piece.

I felt that if we were more organised with the filming times it would have allowed us to use the same location, as we filmed on different days which meant that not only did Characters 1 and 2 change costume, but we had to change room edit it to look as if the locations was the same room.

The use of music in my preliminary sequence created a comical effect, due to the fact that the music was very energetic, however it was too atmospheric for the time being created and the visual.

Overall I think that there were some strengths in the opening sequence, such as the special effects and that we used different camera positions, however I feel we needed to use different music for the visual and better preparation would have meant no costume changes.

Harry Potter Opening Evaluation

Harry Potter Evaluation

What style or feel of music did you use for the credit sequence and why?

I felt that the most appropriate music to use for the credit sequence was to be one that set the mood and tone for the rest of the film. The opening gives the audience the overall impression of what the film will be like. Laura and I wanted to use eerie music at the beginning, to set the dark atmosphere, which would be parallel to the visuals, of the dark grey and gloomy clouds. The music was at a slow pace as it travelled through the credit sequence and into the sky. We altered the pitch of the music as the sun’s light shone brighter, at which point the music became louder.  

Rating: 8

What style or feel or music did you use for the playground sequence and why?

For the playground scene we wanted to use music to create a very “every day” and neutral mood to the scene. We used the same sort of music in the opening sequence, the chimes creating a mysterious and ominous effect. The music used was repetitive, which matched the repetition of the roundabout which carried on going round. However, as the group of boys head over towards Harry, the music changes, almost like the echoes of someone’s screams, this music hints to the audience there may be a confrontation as the music has caused the atmosphere to change: from neutral and sombre to dark and anxious. This also reminds the audience of the music from the opening credits, and the adventure and mystery theme of the overall film.

Rating: 7

What style or feel of music did you use for the sequence when the Dementors appeared and why? How do you feel the music changed? To what extent did you manage to convey the mood?

As the Dementors appeared the music changed drastically: we used a hard, crashing sound as the sky changed to a dark and gloomy grey. As we can see the wind blowing rubbish surrounding Harry and Dudley, the music changes and becomes piercing, and sounds like someone screaming. We wanted to create the effect that something bad was about to happen, and to create a frantic feeling amongst the audience. As the boys run away, the music changes and the pace becomes a lot faster, which is parallel to the visual as the boys are running hysterically. Once in the tunnel, the music changes back to the scream again, and the pitch much higher. This is to create the effect that they are surrounded by danger and enclosed in the tunnel. There is also a repetitive thud, which sounds almost like a footstep coming closer. This creates a dark and nervy feeling amongst the audience, and builds the suspense.

Rating: 7

How pleased are you with the final sequence overall?

Overall I am pleased with the final sequence overall as I believe the music captures the mood of the opening sequence. The different sounds at different times I believe created the appropriate feel and effect of each scene. The sound and music used was parallel to the visuals in order to create the sombre and mysterious atmosphere of used in Harry Potter films.

Rating: 8

Harry Potter Sound Extract

 October 2012

Harry Potter sound extract