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Todorov

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Most narratives can be broken down into beginning/middle/end. Todorov’s theory states that the beginning is the equilibrium where everything is ‘normal’ and balanced and around the middle there’s a disruption where things become unbalanced and by the end of the film there becomes a new equilibrium and everything becomes balanced or ‘normal’

condensed equilibriums- contemporary audiences have a much lower boredom threshold so to engage these viewers films must not focus on the initial equilibrium too much at the start and instead deliver action and immediate disruption to hook the audience

Multiple equilibrium sequences- contemporary media products often try to produce a roller-coaster effect for their audiences by deploying multiple disruptions before resolving them in a final transformation. This offers audiences multiple moments of narrative calm and excitement.

Metanarratives- audience are drawn attention to the fact that they’re watching a story (4th Wall Breaks)

Vladimir Propp

Todorov was hugely influenced by the Russian literary theorist Vladimir Propp and his highly influential 1929 book, Morphology Of The Folktale, in which Propp arrived at the conclusion that folk tales drew from a highly stable list of characters whose roles and narrative functions he defined:

These characters are known as Stock Characters and structure the story/narrative. These stock characters are as followed:

  1. The villain — an evil character that creates struggles for the hero.
  2. The dispatcher — any character who illustrates the need for the hero’s quest and sends the hero off. This often overlaps with the princess’s father.
  3. The helper — a typically magical entity that comes to help the hero in their quest.
  4. The princess or prize, and often her father — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her as a consequence of some evil or injustice, perhaps the work of the villain. The hero’s journey is often ended when he marries the princess, which constitutes the villain’s defeat.
  5. The donor — a character that prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object, sometimes after testing them.
  6. The hero — the character who reacts to the dispatcher and donor characters, thwarts the villain, resolves any lacking or wronghoods and weds the princess.
  7. The false hero — a Miles Gloriosus figure who takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

‘these are not separate characters, since one character can occupy a number of roles or ‘spheres of action’ as Propp calls them and one role may be played by a number of different characters’

Stock character’s roles can be organised into

  1. PREPARATION
  2. COMPLICATION
  3. TRANSFERENCE
  4. STRUGGLE
  5. RETURN
  6. RECOGNITION
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  1. Linear – Progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential.
  2. Chronological – In order of which they have occurred.
  3. Sequential – Forming or following in a logical order or sequence.
  4. Circular structure – The story ends where the film begins.
  5. Time based – Over a period of time.
  6. Narrative arc – A path that a story follows.
  7. Freytag’s Pyramid – A paradigm of dramatic structure outlining the seven key steps in successful storytelling: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.
  8. Exposition – A comprehensive description or explanation to get across an idea.
  9. Inciting Incident – The event that sets the main character or characters on the journey that will occupy them throughout the narrative.
  10. Rising Action – This action starts right after the period of exposition and ends at the climax.
  11. Climax – Where a final action needs to be taken to resolve the problem/issue/conflict.
  12. Falling Action – Is what happens near the end of a story after the climax and resolution of the major conflict.
  13. Resolution – The ending of the story. Occurs after the climax.
  14. Denouement –  Is an aspect of narrative that gives context and resolution to a major theme, relationship or event in a story.
  15. Beginning / Middle / End – Different stages of a story.
  16. Equilibrium – One (First) of the stages in the theory of narrative structure of Todorov’s theory. It is explained about the condition that happens with a character. Is the beginning of the film, and the characters life is normal.
  17. Disruption – This is the second stage of Todorov’s theory, where a characters life is about to change / have interference.
  18. New equilibrium – The final stage of Todorov’s theory where a characters life goes back to normal. Is the ending of the film.
  19. Peripeteia – The turning point in a drama after which the plot moves steadily to its denouement. A shift of good to bad in a characters life.
  20. Anagnoresis – A moment of recognition or revelation in a story, where the characters life switches to a reversal of fortune.
  21. Catharsis – The release and relief of strong or repressed emotions and often leads to a resolution.
  22. The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place – Action (a play / film should have one unified plot), Time (all the action should occur within one day), Place (a play / film should be limited to a single locale / location)
  23. Flashback / flash forward – A interruption of a character remembering past tragic events.
  24. Foreshadowing – An indication or hint of what is to come.
  25. Ellipsis – A jump or purposely missing out events to advance the story.
  26. Pathos – The persuasive technique that appeals to an audience through emotions and to gain an emotional effect from the film. The quality of pity and sadness.
  27. Empathy – The ability to sense other people’s emotions and to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.
  28. Diegetic – Things that emanates from the story world of the film.
  29. Non-Diegetic – Things that occur outside the story’s line / world.
  30. Slow Motion – An effect either performed or edited to look as if a character / thing or object is slowed down. As well, so that the audience can take in certain info or focus on certain aspects of the film.
  31. In Media Re – Starting in mid-action
  32. Metanarratives –

Synopsis : Film Idea

a girl is kidnapped and entered into a sex trafficking ring and transported to Mexico this film is about her journey.

Statement of intent : for my two psotyer

Within my posters i intend to creat two advertising posters for my film “the captive” – which is about a 19 year olds journey whislt being tkaen and sold to a sex trafficking

the genre of my film would be a horror as well as a mystery because there are incidents of physical violence and psychological terror but also revolves around the solution of a problem

Todorov’s Theory :

Equilibrium – One (First) of the stages in the theory of narrative structure of Todorov’s theory. It is explained about the condition that happens with a character. Is the beginning of the film, and the characters life is normal.

Disruption – This is the second stage of Todorov’s theory, where a characters life is about to change / have interference.

New equilibrium – The final stage of Todorov’s theory where a characters life goes back to normal. Is the ending of the film.

Todorov recognises the stories are constructed and that stories are always linear – pg 32

Todorov’s theory can be manipulated into multiple equilibrium / disruption sequence, meaning that media companies try to produce a roller coaster effect to give the audience calmness and excitement.

multiple equilibrium/ disruption sequences – roller coaster effect for their audiences by developing

metanarratives – provide audiences with moments that draw attention to the idea that they are watching a story. Metanarration might knowingly refer to the product as a media construct or speak directly to audiences. drawing attention to the process of storytelling.

condensed audiences – contempory audiences often have a much lower boredom threshold, expecting products to deliver action or disruption quickly. producers therefore propel narratives towards moments of immediate disruption to hook audience engagement from the outset.

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp suggests that stories use stock characters to structure stories.

Propp argued that stories are character driven and that plots develop from the decisions and actions of characters and how they function in a story.

Vladimir Propp was a Soviet folklorist and scholar who analysed the basic structural elements of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible structural units.

CHARACTERS FUNCTION TO PROVIDE NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:

  1. Hero – seeker hero and victim hero
  2. Helper – accompanies the hero on their quest, saving them from their struggles
  3. Princess – represents the reward of the heros quest
  4. Villain – fights or pursues the hero
  5. Victim –
  6. Dispatcher
  7. Father
  8. False Hero

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  1. Chronological-the order in which the events occurred, from first to last
  2. Sequential-series of scenes that form a distinct narrative unit
  3. Circular structure– story ends the same as how it began
  4. Time based– is to watch it unfold over time according to the temporal logic of the medium as it is played back.
  5. Narrative arc–  the story a film follows along including a dramatic arc somewhere to draw attention from the audience
  6. Freytag’s Pyramid– the structure outlining events in a story
  7. exposition- a comprehensive description of an event, story or idea.
  8. inciting incident,
  9. rising action,
  10. climax-  everything that the plot leads up to
  11. falling action– what happens after the climax and the plot/action calms down
  12. resolution
  13. denouement 
  14. Beginning / middle / end– the idea that every storyline is split into three components
  15. Equilibrium
  16. Disruption
  17. New equilibrium
  18. Peripeteia– change in fortune
  19. Anagnoresis– dramatic revelation
  20. Catharsis–  the idea that we are freed by consuming something
  21. The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place
  22. flashback / flash forward
  23. Foreshadowing– the idea of hinting towards events further on in the storyline
  24. Ellipsis– a jump/missing out certain events in films.
  25. Pathos
  26. Empathy
  27. diegetic / non-diegetic
  28. slow motion

Physical Internal Structures:

Technical equipment (lighting, sound), actors, set, camera crew, software, writers, props, special effects, director, editors and costume designers

Theoretical Internal Structures:

Storyline, performance, generating emotions, events, characters, themes, genre, antagonist/ protagonist, linear/circular, start middle and end, time based, chronological, sequential and freytag pyramid.

Synopsis– A girl goes missing on a night out, her family and friends are all worried about her and file a missing police report. We are shown the trauma they go through. 2 years later her dead body is found, her ‘ghost’ haunts her family and friends. They then discover the body was not her. A group of her friends form together to be detectives and figure out that the ‘ghost’ was actually her asking them for help. They go on a quest to find her and end up finding her however she is very mentally damaged.

Todorov– presents a three part structure (beginning,middle,end). He recognises that stories are constructed in ways that test and subvert the three act narrative structure outlined.

Equilibrium-the story constructs a stable world at the outset of the narrative. Key characters are presented as part of that stability.

Disruption- oppositional forces. The actions of a villain, perhaps, or some kind of calamity. Destabilising the equilibirum.

New equilibrium- when the disruption is repaired and stability is restored.

  • the stage of equilibrium
  • the conflict that disrupts this initial equilibrium
  • the way / ways in which the disruption looks to find new equilibrium
  • the denouement and/or resolution that brings about a new equilibrium

Vladimir Propp– Famously analysed hundreds of Russian folk stories in attempt to uncover underlying narrative structures. He also suggests that stories use stock characters to structure stories and that not all characters listed have to be used.

  1. Hero
  2. Helper
  3. Princess
  4. Villain
  5. Victim
  6. Dispatcher
  7. Father
  8. False Hero

The idea that there is normally a villain who has done something bad to a victim, meaning that they need a hero, who may be accompanied by a helper that is sent out by a dispatcher to fight the villain. The dispatcher or similar donor, for example a father figure, prepares the hero in his quest by giving them some form of magical object. The hero generally then meets the princess as part of his quest which usually provides a happy ending. During the narrative we (and the princess) can be presented by a false hero.

Claude Levi-Strauss:

Suggests that narratives are structured around binary oppositions eg: good v evil. Creates a dominant message of a film, TV programme, advert, music video, animation. Can be seen to either support the dominant ideologies of a society, which would make it a reactionary text ,or to challenge, question or undermines the dominant ideologies of society, in which case it could be seen as a radical text.

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ANALYSIS OF FILM POSTERS

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Semiotic Analysis of Film Posters

  • Poster 1
  • Poster 2
  • Poster 3
  • Poster 4
  • Poster 5
Poster 1 – Annette (2021)– Logo of premier film festival
– Names of 3 starring actors
– Title of film as the dominant signifier (colour match to jacket of the female character on poster)
– Background of signifiers to do with rough seas and waves, connotes a sinister setting and foreshadows possible events in film
– Name of director (‘A film by…’)
– Production company name (‘Amazon Original Movie)
– Anchorage: Small print of key people and companies involved and information on when it can be seen in cinemas.
– Signifer of Prime video logo
Poster 2 – Blinded by the Light (2019)– Dominant signifier/ main image of the protagonist (still image from action within the film)
– Strapline anchorage (‘For anyone who has ever wanted to dream, you’re not alone’)
– Review comment and person/ company it is from (‘Guaranteed to make you feel better than any other film this year’)
– Small print of companies and key people involved such as the producers, editors.
– Reference to the director and her previous work (‘The director of Bend it like Beckham’)
– Title
– Colour scheme matches colour on the protagonist’s costume and themes within the film (Red, white and blue)
Poster 3 – The Fault in our Stars (2014)– Simple design (not overly populated) that introduces both protagonists and alludes to the key themes within the narrative.
– Denotative main image of a boy and girl lying on grass.
– Synthetic personalisation through the use of the font in the title that is made to look like the handwriting of one of the characters.
– Link to the book it is based on (‘Based on the New York Times best seller’)
– Strapline anchorage (‘One sick love story’). Connoting to the ‘sickness’ in the plot
– Information on release date
– Realistic image without use of image layering and special effects to connote to reality within the narrative.
Poster 4 – The Prom (2020)– List of actors starring in the film at the top of the poster
– Strapline anchorage (‘Everyone deserves a chance to celebrate’)
– Background of a night sky and key location within the narrative
– Title
– Dominant signifier of the two protagonists holding hands, alludes to themes and new equilibrium at the end of the narrative.
– Netflix logo, to display which streaming platform the audience can watch it and information on release date.
– Small print providing the director, composer etc.
Poster 5 – Titanic (1997)– Names of actors starring in the film
– Dominant signifier of the ‘Titanic‘ ship, the centre plot line.
– Strapline anchorage (‘Nothing on earth could come between them’)
– Title
– Soft focus/ layered image of two protagonists at the top of the posters, in the background of the ship.
– Information on the director and previous work
– Small print displaying the key people and companies involved.
– Website link and logos of production companies such as ‘Twentieth Century Fox’ and ‘Paramount’
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  1. Linear – Progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential.
  2. Chronological – In order of which they have occurred.
  3. Sequential – Forming or following in a logical order or sequence.
  4. Circular structure – The story ends where the film begins.
  5. Time based – Over a period of time.
  6. Narrative arc – A path that a story follows.
  7. Freytag’s Pyramid – A paradigm of dramatic structure outlining the seven key steps in successful storytelling: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.
  8. Exposition – A comprehensive description or explanation to get across an idea.
  9. Inciting Incident – The event that sets the main character or characters on the journey that will occupy them throughout the narrative.
  10. Rising Action – This action starts right after the period of exposition and ends at the climax.
  11. Climax – Where a final action needs to be taken to resolve the problem/issue/conflict.
  12. Falling Action – Is what happens near the end of a story after the climax and resolution of the major conflict.
  13. Resolution – The ending of the story. Occurs after the climax.
  14. Denouement –  Is an aspect of narrative that gives context and resolution to a major theme, relationship or event in a story.
  15. Beginning / Middle / End – Different stages of a story.
  16. Equilibrium – One (First) of the stages in the theory of narrative structure of Todorov’s theory. It is explained about the condition that happens with a character. Is the beginning of the film, and the characters life is normal.
  17. Disruption – This is the second stage of Todorov’s theory, where a characters life is about to change / have interference.
  18. New equilibrium – The final stage of Todorov’s theory where a characters life goes back to normal. Is the ending of the film.
  19. Peripeteia – The turning point in a drama after which the plot moves steadily to its denouement. A shift of good to bad in a characters life.
  20. Anagnorisis – A moment of recognition or revelation in a story, where the characters life switches to a reversal of fortune.
  21. Catharsis – The release and relief of strong or repressed emotions and often leads to a resolution.
  22. The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place – Action (a play / film should have one unified plot), Time (all the action should occur within one day), Place (a play / film should be limited to a single locale / location)
  23. Flashback / flash forward – A interruption of a character remembering past tragic events.
  24. Foreshadowing – An indication or hint of what is to come.
  25. Ellipsis – A jump or purposely missing out events to advance the story.
  26. Pathos – The persuasive technique that appeals to an audience through emotions and to gain an emotional effect from the film. The quality of pity and sadness.
  27. Empathy – The ability to sense other people’s emotions and to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.
  28. Diegetic – Things that emanates from the story world of the film.
  29. Non-Diegetic – Things that occur outside the story’s line / world.
  30. Slow Motion – An effect either performed or edited to look as if a character / thing or object is slowed down. As well, so that the audience can take in certain info or focus on certain aspects of the film.
  31. In Media Re – Starting in mid-action
  32. Metanarratives –  Drawing attention to the process of storytelling.
  33. Quest Narratives – A character is on a mission / determined to completed an objective.

Synopsis with statement of intent : Film Idea – The Informal Messenger – 1916

A young British soldier based in London, takes on a task to deliver a critical message to a Lieutenant Commander of Platoon 7 in Leicestershire. Not realising an ambush was about to take place.

My film will include a main character as the young British soldier, also known as the hero, as well as a victim who will be duped with the solider. Giving my ‘hero’ two roles within my film. This being a mid ranged Netflix film, consisting of a large amount of action and blood, leading to an age rating of 16+. I intend to create a poster with a male standing side on and looking away, in a position of restfulness and shock. Behind the picture, the background will be created as a desolate battleground, with ruined infrastructure. My other idea for my poster is having a male character, point a gun towards the camera, forcing the camera to look down the barrel and be positioned in the centre of the photo. I hope to put lighting directly on the gun to put emphasis onto the weapon. Either picture I choose will be placed at the bottom of the A4 print and will be centred correctly. Above this, I will have white text for the name of my move – “The Informal Messenger” with a quote below “There is only one way this war ends” or “Time is the enemy”.

My film is very similar and is based around the film 1917. My film is different to 1917 by the location it is being based in as well as the difference in genders between my film (1916) and 1917. On top of that it is between different years.

Todorov’s Theory :

  • Equilibrium – One (First) of the stages in the theory of narrative structure of Todorov’s theory. It is explained about the condition that happens with a character. Is the beginning of the film, and the characters life is normal.
  • Disruption – This is the second stage of Todorov’s theory, where a characters life is about to change / have interference.
  • New equilibrium – The final stage of Todorov’s theory where a characters life goes back to normal. Is the ending of the film.
  • Todorov recognises the stories are constructed and that stories are always linear – pg 32
  • Todorov’s theory can be manipulated into multiple equilibrium / disruption sequence, meaning that media companies try to produce a roller coaster effect to give the audience calmness and excitement.

Vladimir Propp :

  • He believed that stories were constructed with 8 different stock characters such as the:
  1. Hero – 2 significant types of hero (seeker-hero) who relies more heavily on the donor to perform their quest and (the victim-hero who needs to overcome a weakness to complete their quest.
  2. Helper – A typically magical entity that comes to help the hero in their quest.
  3. Princess – The hero deserves her throughout the story and is seen as a prize for the hero.
  4. Villain – An evil character that creates struggles for the hero.
  5. Victim – A character who is in the middle of a quest / a fight between the hero and villain. Is caught in the cross fire.
  6. Dispatcher – Sends the hero on his or her quest at the start of the story.
  7. Father – The person who typically doesn’t allow the hero to marry the princess / daughter as he needs to show his worth by completing a quest or saving the princess if she is in danger.
  8. False Hero – A figure who takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.
  • Propp was a soviet folklorist and scholar who analysed the basic structural elements of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible structural units.
  • The different stock characters can be divided into categories such as:
  1. PREPARATION
  2. COMPLICATION
  3. TRANSFERENCE
  4. STRUGGLE
  5. RETURN
  6. RECOGNITION
  •  ‘These are not separate characters, since one character can occupy a number of roles or ‘spheres of action’ as Propp calls them.
  • The stock characters are called this because they have a function.
  • Propp published a book in 1929 called ‘Morphology of the Folktale’.
  • He also suggests that stores do not necessarily require all character types as well as organising narrative structures into a combination of 31 defined plot moments, that he called ‘narratemes’, also referred to the starting points of a story.
Narrative, Notes, Theory

Internal Structure Analysis

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Narrative Structure – Key Words & Theories

Linear/chronological – when a story is told in the order it happens

Sequential – when one event comes after the other chronologically

Circular structure – when a story ends how it begins

Time based –

Narrative arc – refers to the chronological construction of the plot in a story

flashback – when a chronological sequence is interrupted by an event that happened previous to the specific moment in a narrative

flash forward – when a chronological sequence is interrupted by an event that happens after the specific moment in a narrative

Foreshadowing – when an event that occurs in a narrative is hinted at earlier on

Ellipsis – a device which excludes a portion of the sequence of events

Pathos – when a narrative is written in order to generate and appeal to an audiences emotions

Empathy – when an audience is able to share a feeling or perspective with a character or moment

diegetic – refers to the internal world created by the story that the narrators/characters themselves experience and encounter

non-diegetic – refers to the things we see and hear in a narrative that come from the external world of a story which do not actually experience and encounter the story

slow motion – a motion picture where that action has been altered to make it appear to have occurred slower than it actually did in order to create dramatic effect

fast motion – a motion picture where that action has been altered to make it appear to have occurred faster than it actually did in order to create dramatic effect

Freytag’s Pyramid:

paradigm of dramatic structure outlining the seven key steps in successful storytelling: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.

  • exposition – the background information that is given at the beginning of a story about the characters, setting etc…
  • inciting incident – the narrative event which launches the main action
  • rising action – the bulk of the plot which builds up to the climax
  • climax – the turning point or crisis in a narrative which is often the highest point of interes
  • falling action – when the climax begins to resolve
  • resolution – when the climax is resolved
  • denouement  – when conflict in a plot is resolved and the plot concludes

Tztevan Todorov – Tripartite narrative structure:

Beginning / middle / end – the most basic organisational framework of a story

  • Equilibrium – when all forces or moments acting upon a narrative are balanced
  • Disruption – when an incident or trivial story disrupts the narrative flow
  • New equilibrium – when order is restored
  • plot/sub-plot – a narrative often has as overarching master plot accompanied by a series of sub-plots
  • multiple equilibrium/ disruption sequences – when a narrative deploys multiple equilibrium/disruption sequences in order to produce a roller coaster effect
  • flexi-narrative –
  • condensed equilibrium – when a narrative propels a moment of immediate disruption to instantly hook the audience rather than building up to it

Aristotle:

Poetics –

  • Peripeteia – the turning point in a narrative after which the plot moves steadily to its denouncement
  • Anagnoresis – the moment in a narrative when a character makes a dramatic revelation
  • Catharsis – a moment of emotional release as a result of a resolution being made

The 3 Unities –

  • Unity of Action – a tragedy should have one principle action
  • Unity of Time – that action of a tragedy should occur over a period of no more than 24hours
  • Unity of Place – a tragedy should exist in a single physical location

Seymour Chatman – Satellites & Kernels

  • Kernels – key moments in the plot/narrative structure – the narrative would not work without them
  • Satellites – embellishments, aesthetics, and developments in the plot/narrative structure – the narrative would be able to work without them

Roland Bathes – Proairetic and Hermenuetic Codes

  • Proairetic code: action, movement, causation
  • Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development
  • Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information

Vladimir Propp – Stock Characters

  • Villain – causes some form of misfortune, damage or harm, their evil action will, of course, lead to a fight or another form of struggle with the hero
  • Victim/Victim Hero – the character who is taken, harmed, injured, or killed by the villain
  • Hero – the major character who is the person around which the story is told. There are two types of hero’s: the seeker hero relies agrees to liquidate the misfortune suffered by another character, the victim, and so heavily on the donor to perform there quest, whereas the victim-hero directly suffers from the action of the villain and therefore needs to overcome a weakness to complete their quest
  • Helper – usually accompanies hero on the quest and aids them in struggles encountered on their journey
  • Dispatcher – Sends the hero on the quest
  • Donor – provides hero with with a magical agent or advise to help him defeat the villain
  • Princess – usually represents the reward of the hero’s quest
  • Princess’s Father – often set’s the hero difficult tasks to prevent them from marrying the princess
  • False Hero – a character who appears to be good but it quickly becomes obvious they are corrupt once they are unmasked (usually towards the end of the narrative)

Claude Levi-Strauss – Binary Opposites

  • The idea that we need binary opposition to create drama and interest in a narrative structure
  • This creates a dominant message (ideology) – So in this way audiences are encouraged to make a judgements about characters, groups, places, history, society etc.
  • texts can be seen to either support the dominant ideologies of a society, which would make it a reactionary text ,or to challenge, question or undermines the dominant ideologies of society, in which case it could be seen as a radical text.
CONCEPTstrongly
agree		agreeneutralagreestrongly
agree		OPPOSITE
CONCEPT
GOOD✔BAD
REACTIONARY✔RADICAL
FEMALE✔MALE
IN CONTROL✔OUT OF CONTROL
WHITE✔BLACK
URBAN✔REGIONAL
RICH✔POOR
HAPPY✔SAD
ROCK✔REGGAE
QUIET✔LOUD
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Practical Elements of producing a media product include:

  • Actors
  • Set
  • Props
  • Technicians
  • Post Production Teams
  • Equipment
  • Scriptwriters
  • Producers
  • Musicians

Conceptual Elements of producing a media product include:

  • Storyline
  • Performance
  • Emotions
  • Events
  • Characters
  • Themes
  • Protagonists/Antagonists
  • Linear/Cyclical Structure

Key Terminology

  1. Linear – A straightforward structure with a very smooth progression and a definitive beginning/middle/end.
  2. Chronological – An order where events pass in an order of time.
  3. Sequential – When a media product is following a logical order or sequence.
  4. Circular structure
  5. Time based
  6. Narrative arc
  7. Freytag’s Pyramid
  8. exposition,
  9. inciting incident,
  10. rising action,
  11. climax,
  12. falling action,
  13. resolution,
  14. denouement 
  15. Beginning / middle / end
  16. Equilibrium
  17. Disruption
  18. New Equilibrium
  19. Peripeteia – A drastic and sudden change in fortune.
  20. Anagnoresis – A sudden dramatic revelation, usually occurs within the protagonist.
  21. Catharsis – The idea that we as humans can feel and absorb emotions from consuming a piece of media.
  22. The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place
  23. flashback / flash forward
  24. Foreshadowing
  25. Ellipsis
  26. Pathos
  27. Empathy
  28. diegetic / non-diegetic
  29. slow motion

Peripeteia in Blinded by the Light – When the tickets are ripped up.

Anagnoresis in Blinded by the Light – When his father is badly hurt.

Catharsis in Blinded by the Light – At the end when Springsteen’s music is played by his father in the car.

My Film Synopsis:

A kid who lives an average life keeps waking up in a slightly altered reality, when things take a turn for the worst he becomes obsessed trying to find a way back to his reality but then in the midst of this madness, he realises his new life may not be as bad as he initially thought.

Statement of Intent:

I intent to produce a Mystery/Thriller film where a 16 year old’s average life is disrupted by an uncanny occurrence where his reality is slightly changing around him, one day at a time. Suddenly, when things take a turn for the worst he becomes certain of what has been happening to him even after the people around him deny anything that he’s saying so he decides to find a solution alone.

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Film Synopsis & Statement of intent

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A man moves to New York from Louisiana for his new job, and finds it isnt what he hoped it would be. In search of new meaning in his life, he finds happiness with what would become his family. Years later the man is diagnosed with an unseen illness and has to go around the world to find the cure for it, he has only 1 week before its all over.

I want to create drama/action film about a man travelling the world to find a cure for his unknown illness, Whilst I want there to be suspense and drama to have some heavy hitting scenes, I also want there to be action throughout to take some pressure off of the audience. I want my film to be targeted towards people aged 16+ to allow for the drama to be effective. For my posters for the film, I want one poster to show the dramatic side of the film, with the main character on his own enveloped in darkness with just a glimmer of light to represent his hope. For the other poster, I want to show the action side of the film – to do this I want to include the main character as a silhouette carrying a gun.

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FILM SYNOPSIS (STATEMENT OF INTENT)

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A guy who has a curse casted on him where every time he meets a person with a very common name he gets a letter added to the hangman (sticky note), he gets confused every time he goes back to the hangman with a letter being added with every person he meets who has a common name, its meant to spell out death (Dan, Ethan, Adam, Tim, Harvey), he tries to completes it thinking it means something else, until he realise its all a dream and wakes up to a serial killer at the end of his bed.

Statement of Intent: I am going to make a horror / drama film where a guy called Kaiden (The name Kaiden is primarily a male name of American origin that means Fighter.) has a curse casted on him whereby he touched a piece of cheese to get it and then he gets serve insomnia for hating people who have common names due to his childhood bullies (Dan, Ethan, Adam, Tim and Harvey). He meets each person as time goes on and instead of resolving his issues he makes things worse with each person. Every time he goes back to his house a sticky note pops up with a letter added to it. He is confused and tries to make it spell something else each time, until he is on his last letter where he eventually realises what it spells and is terrified (the last person keeps appearing out of nowhere haunting him) and he tries to make things right by going to his bully and tries to make things better. The curse is broken and he eventually falls asleep.

For the first poster I want someone to be looking away from the camera holding up a sticky note with dashes on it (underscores) with the film name being cheese touch, going for a dark metal theme with metallic text. For the other poster I am going to do it similar to this:

Production

synopsis

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Jake is alone in the classroom at night doing extra work. The lights above him begin to flicker and the trees outside start to sway violently. Jake, feeling scared reassures himself its his mind playing tricks. All of a sudden Isabella walks in the room, making Jake jump. Questioning him, she asks why he is so freaked out. They both laugh after Jake explains its because of the wind. Suddenly they both hear a blood-curdling scream comes from outside. Shaken, however not suspicious Jake and Isabella decide its best they head home. When walking outside they see Honor, dead. My characters can be labelled as e.g. Jake and Isabella are both the dispatchers rescuing Honor, the victim.

STATEMENT OF INTENT

Don’t Go Outside

I intend to create a film plan of which tells a story effectively. I wish to produce a gripping trailer of which leaves the audience wanting more. Poster number 1 will consist of a dark lighting, with a singular, harsh white-light, highlighting the main two protagonists (Jake and Isabella). The white lighting will signify the mysteriousness of the movie is dark itself. I intend to have both protagonists look scared because of the looming fear of the unknown, they both possess. The cover will be set in a classroom as this is where the movie mostly takes place.

Poster two will consist of Jake and Isabella sat back to back on the floor with papers surrounding them. The papers signify the reseda h both protagonists have to go to, in order to try solve the mysterious case. I will use a more golden lighting for this poster, with the intention of portraying an ‘eerie evening’ look.

Genre: Thriller

I chose this genre, because I think it has the audience articulating clues and scenes themselves. Although horrors provide edge-gripping feelings for audiences, thrillers allow for fear to be taken over by a drive to solve mystery.

predictable expectations– always behaving or occurring in the way expected.
reinforced-strengthen (an existing feeling, idea, or habit)
amplify -enlarge upon or add detail to
repertoire of elements– features of a film that are repeated within a genre
corpus– a collection of written texts, especially the entire works of a particular author or a body of writing on a particular subject
verisimilitude-the appearance of being true or real
realism– the accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of nature or of contemporary life
construction of reality– a phenomenon that we know and is independent, that is, does not depend on the existence of a particular individual
historically specific– Historical people, situations, or things existed in the past and are considered to be a part of history
sub-genres– genre that is part of a larger genre
hybrid genres– they share the conventions of more than one genre.