Exploration into Narrative Media Theorists

Todorov:

Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern.

This pattern is as follows; the film beginning with an equilibrium, leading to a disequilibrium and then going back to an equilibrium. He suggested that this theory is structured in five stages.

1. A state of equilibrium at the outset.
2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action.
3. A recognition that there has been a disruption.
4. An attempt to repair the shown disruption.
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium.

This theory is very popular and can be applied to many 'mainstream' film narratives such as: 'The Incredibles' 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Spiderman'

Propp:

Propp's narrative theory was based on the idea of having defined characters and roles throughout the narrative such as:

• Hero
• False Hero
• Villain
• Prince/Princess
• The Dispatcher

Propp believed that the protagonist would act as the hero figure in the film and would have some kind of conflict with the antagonist of the film who would act as the villain.

This type of conflict between the two roles/characters is shown in this scene of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. The protagonist, Harry, battles with his enemy antagonist of the film, Voldemort.

Levi Strauss:

Levi Strauss believed in binary opposition throughout a films narrative. This is where a film would display evident contrasts between people, states of being or groups. For example:

• Good vs Evil
• Cats vs Dogs
• Life vs Death
• Boy vs Girl
• Peace vs War
• Strong vs Weak
• Black vs White

Levi Strauss used binary opposition as his theory was that all conflict was based around these oppositions and the majority of the time, the conflict between them would be the climax of the narrative.

An example of films that follow Levi Strauss' theory are below:

Planning the Narrative...

We created a mind map which displayed the ideas we had for our narrative 

Film companies that would produce our film

Thinking carefully about our target audiences and modern day society we discussed the idea of making our film accessible through the Internet. The main reason for this is because so many people stream movies and films via the Internet and sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

We were very interested in the idea of Hybrid distribution for our thriller film, this was because it would ensure we could get our film out there and accessible through many social media platforms.

  

Film 4 Productions and BBC Three were companies that we were interested in looking at to produce our film as these are rather independent but have a large audience watching their productions. They are both easily accessible on an online platform and could be then further distributed onto movie streaming sites such as ,Netflix.

These type of companies are also suitable for the genre of our film as I have conducted some research and found that there are quite a few films that have been produced by Film 4, for example, that are of the Thriller genre. 

A main reason for choosing online distribution platforms for our film was indeed that fact that the majority of our target audience use online film streaming sites, however, we did take cost into consideration. Smaller and more independent companies would've been significantly cheaper than the larger production companies that our our there producing films for cinemas such as, Odeon and Cineworld. Therefore, the hybrid disctrubtion of our film using smaller companies and online, social media platforms was a much more suitable idea to use in the production of our thriller film.

Differences between a British & Hollywood Film Production

I made these mind maps to highlight the main differences between British Films & Hollywood Films

British & American Production Companies

I found these useful slides on Slide Share whilst I was researching into production Companies.

Link to original source - Slide Share

The Secret Window Analysis

Write an analysis of the opening sequence to 'The Secret Window', paying particular attention to how it attracts and audience.

The Secret Window is a psychological thriller, written and directed by David keopp and staring Johnny Depp. The film begins with the protagonist, Mort Rainy (Johnny Depp) in a car looking frustrated but focused. He then enters a motel room and finds a man and women in bed. Automatically, the audience assume that the woman is Mort Rainy's wife.

The sequence opens with the production and director titles followed by a sound bridge. Initially the sound resembles a heart beat as it is a constant heavy thud. This grabs the audiences attention as they are intrigued to know what the sound actually is. The sound is then revealed to be the wipers on a car which slightly shocks the audience as it is not what they are expecting.

The opening shot is a close up which is focused on the male character who's facial expressions can clearly be seen. He comes across as being focused and aggressive which reflects that there is something on his mind. This creates a feeling of tension for the audience as they want to know what is going through his head. A director would use this camera shot in order to entice the audience and make them feel involved and connected to the characters thoughts and feelings, which are confusion and dispair as he doesn't know whats going to happen to his marriage. The camera stays focused on the main character, 'Mort Rainy', for a long time making the audience question what is happening and what is going to happen next. During this, a close up of Mort Rainy's wedding ring is exposed suggesting to the audience that something is going to happen which may affect his marriage.

The next significant shot of the film  is of the car reversing at speed. His driving reflects his mental and reckless state of mind, This is then followed by a medium shot which shows him looking at a desk to where the motel room keys are stored. This shot suggests to the audience that the character is focused on something and is considering doing something he shouldn't do. This shot also clearly reflects the juxstapositioning of the cold outside and the warmth of the inside making the audience want to watch more.

Usually, an establishing shot is used half-way through the scene to clearly show the location, setting, time and day/weather. The director would use this shot to inform the audience about where the film is set. Also, the fact that the film is set at a 'Motel' suggests that other people are there which draws the audience in, making them want to see who is inside.

The mise-en-scene id this film is interesting. The colour is monochromatic as it is a dark, cold, winters night. There are different shades of blue used, making the red motel doors and taillights stand out. The red that is used for the motel doors could connote danger in the rooms, making the audience feel uneasy about him entering the room.


The open door on his car suggests that he is only determined on one thing, leading him to drive erratically and leave the doors open of the car.

The non-digetic sound of the voice saying "Don't go back", entices the audience as we don't really know who is speaking. It makes the audience question whether someone is in the car with him or is it his conscious speaking. As the sound progresses we can infer that it is his thoughts that are spoke aloud, almost a 'voiceover' throughout non-digetic sound.

The digetic sound of the car is loud and overpowering. The audience can see and hear the car moving. The car screeches showing that he is driving out of control, reflecting his state of mind, this makes the audience question whether something dangerous is going to happen to him. This is also taken from the fact that he is driving very quickly in snow and icy conditions. The director portrays Mort Rainys state of being and his out of control attitude throughout his driving. 

It is evident from the opening of the film that there is a sense of continuity editing with slow cuts between each shot, particularly the first and second shot. This makes the audience focus on Mort Rainy making them feel focused just like him.

From watching the film, I have found one continuity error. This happens when Mort Rainy gets out the car and goes into the building. The audience can hear the car door being slammed shut, however, when the following shots shows the car again the door is seen to be widely left open.

Analysis of the opening of Cape Fear

Cape Fear is a psychological Thriller directed by J.Lee Thompson which was released on April 12th, 1962. The film was shot in the American state of California using the outdoor areas and Univeral Studios in Universal City.

The film is set in an urban American state where there is a sign of wealth and a busy working environment. Therre are lots of high rise buildings and palm trees which help to establish the setting and environment.
The film begins with a series of establishing shots in order to show the mise-en-scene which sets the scene of the film. The establishing shots also follow the male antagonist which creates the impression that the film is based around the male characters.
In the opening of the film males;in particular, the antagonist which is shown, are represented as having high authortiy and arrogance. The high angle shot on the stairs shows this by making it looklike the male character is looking down at the female character. This is then followed by the juxstaposed shot of a low angle, which represents how women feel in a male dominated environment.
The panning shots that are also used give the audience and insight into what the character is seeing and who he is in a room with. This is also established through a P.O.V shot, however, in the court scene for example, the panning shots cover a wider area of the room to ensure the majority of the characters in the scene can be seen in the one shot.The panning shot also continues to follow the antagonist as the etsbalishing shots did at the very beggining of the film.
The sound during the opening of the film subverts the traditional conventions of a thriller film. This is due to the sound being contrapuntal as even though the non-digetic stringed instruments can be heared,it is quite a cheerful tune to open a film of the thriller genre.
As the film opening progresses the non-digetic music increased speed resulting in a build of tension, this is more typical of what you would expect in a thriller film, therefore, the sound doesn't continue to subvert the conventions. However, the sound is still contarpuntal as the high pitched, tense stringed instruments don't match the action on the screen. This happens when the antagonist enters the court room. The tense music could foreshadow possible danger that happens in the court but in the present time it is contrapuntal.
There are a few digetic sounds that can be heared in the opening of the film such as, people talking and the cars passing by, this adds to the image that the area is quite a busy place and there is a lot going on. Digetic sound of people talking and moving about is also heared in the court scene.This adds to the realism of the film.
Continuity editing is very fluent in the opening to this film. Time flows uninterrupted and there is a persistant flow which follows the mian antagonist from outside on the streetrs into the court building. There are not really any quick cut edits so therefore, the editing is calm and well paced. This creates a feeling of verisimilitude.
Overall, Cape Fear intrigues the audience from the very start of the film due to subverting some of the traditonal conventions in terms of thriller music and editing. Also, the use of establishing shots that follow the antagonist draw the audience in and make them interested in the character shown.