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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
Moving Image, NEA

moving image nea

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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

Moving Image, Production

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’
Moving Image, NEA

moving image NEA

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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.
Moving Image, NEA, Theory

Moving image nea

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In a film there are Tangible and Conceptual items that make it up

Tangible
Actors
Equipment
Set
Props
Costumes
Crew
Scenes
Dialogue

Conceptual

Plot
Soundtrack
Synopsis
Structural Devices
Pro/Antagonist
Emotional Attachment
Character Development
Empathy
Linearity
Sequential
Flashback(s)

A Synopsis is a short sentence about the film’s plot

Gustav Freytag

Peripeteia – A change in fortune
Anagnorisis – A moment of dramatic revelation
Catharsis – Realising yours’ and societies’ virtues

TODOROV

Tztevan Todorov states that most media has a beginning, middle and end. He calls these the “equilibrium”, “disruption” and “new equilibrium”. This is similar to Freytag’s pyramid, which also has the beginning, middle and end structure but instead calls them “Exposition”, “Climax” and “Denouement”.

Anachronic Devices – Flash forwards/flashbacks
These subvert traditional linear storytelling techniques and can provide moments of disequilibrium before equilibrium or can be used to disrupt the predictable nature of the three act structure.

Multiperspective narratives
Can be used to repurpose equilibriums as disequilibriums when the story shifts from one character to another.

Vladimir Propp
Propp suggests that there are 8 “stock characters” in a piece of media
1.Hero – The character completing the “Quest” of the story
2.Helper – Usually accompanies the hero on their quest
3.Princess – Usually represents the reward of the quest
4.Villain – Fights or pursues the hero & must be defeated to progress the story
5.Donor – Provides the hero with an agent to defeat the villain
6.Dispatcher – Sends the hero on their quest
7.Princess’s Father – Often sets the hero difficult tasks to prevent the hero marrying the princess (Other adaptations may be to prevent the hero from seeing their wife, family etc.)
8.False Hero – Performs a largely villainous role, usurps the hero’s position in the story

He suggests that these characters operate in “Spheres of action” to help move the story along

Claude Levi-Strauss
Strauss suggests that binary opposites in media can create conflict and drama, binary opposites are 2 opposing things on different sides of a scale e.g. men vs women or young vs old. This creates an ideology within a piece of media, audiences are encouraged to make a judgment about characters, groups, places etc.

“explore human experience using polarised themes: birth has to compete against death, success against failure”

“Character oppositions: audiences expect villains to battle heroes.”
“Narrative oppositions: media stories… are organised to construct moments of opposition”
“Stylistic oppositions: media producers also encode products using juxtaposed stylistic presentations”
“Genre-driven binary oppositions: some binary oppositions… entrenched within genres that they become a convention or expectation of that genre”

Seymour Chatman
Chatman suggests that stories are broken down into satellites and kernels, Kernels being key moments in the plot and Satellites being embellishments, developments and aesthetics. Kernels are important to the story, and cannot be removed easily without preventing the story from moving forward.

Roland Barthes
Proairetic Code: Action, movement, causation
Hermeneutic 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.

Moving Image, NEA

MOVING IMAGE

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In a film there are Tangible and Conceptual items that make it up

Tangible

Actors
Equipment
Set
Props
Costumes
Crew
Scenes
Dialogue

Conceptual

Plot
Soundtrack
Synopsis
Structural Devices
Pro/Antagonist
Emotional Attachment
Character Development
Empathy
Linearity
Sequential
Flashback(s)

A Synopsis is a short sentence about the film’s plot

Gustav Freytag

Peripeteia – A change in fortune
Anagnorisis – A moment of dramatic revelation
Catharsis – Realising yours’ and societies’ virtues

Moving Image, NEA

moving image nea

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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.

Moving Image, NEA, Production, Theory

moving image nea

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  1. Linear- where events are largely portrayed in a chronological order
  2. Chronological- the order in which the events occurred, from first to last
  3. Sequential- a series of scenes that form a distinct narrative unit
  4. Circular structure- the story ends where it began
  5. Time based-  is to watch it unfold over time according to the temporal logic of the medium as it is played back.
  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
  20. Anagnoresis
  21. Catharsis
  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– change in fortune

when javids dad ripped up his concert tickets

Anagnoresis– dramatic revelation

listening to bruce springstein for the first time

Catharsis– an emotional release

when he went to America

Synopsis–

There will be adventure to save the world and to save the world we must find the magic stone (stone of medeis) which is hidden in the forest. Ursuline took the stone for her own power but it must be restored by violet but obstacles lead her off track. The dark forest keeps a witch as its protector (Sabrina) and will manipulate violet into going to the dark side but violet must resist.

–

Todorov and Freytag–

Todorov was appointed to his post as a director of research at the French Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique in 1968.

 Freytag’s Pyramid exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement as illustrated below.

  • 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
  • Equilibrium
  • Disruption
  • New equilibrium

flexi narratives- long format television products deploy multiple three act structures in a similar pattern to be used as a master plot.

plot and sublots- media constructed by an overarching master plot accompanied by a series of subplots.

anachronic devices- subvert traditional linear storytelling techniques through time bending.

Vladimir propp:

  1. Hero
  2. Helper
  3. Princess
  4. Villain
  5. Victim
  6. Dispatcher
  7. Father
  8. False Hero
  1. PREPARATION
  2. COMPLICATION
  3. TRANSFERENCE
  4. STRUGGLE
  5. RETURN
  6. RECOGNITION

Propp suggests that stories use STOCK CHARACTERS to structure stories. 

-narrative functions-

Moving Image, NEA, Notes

MOVING IMAGE NEA

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  1. Linear – progressing from one stage to another, one after the other, sequentially
  2. Chronological – Events following the true order in which they happened
  3. Sequential – One after the other
  4. Circular structure – The story ends where the film begins.
  5. Time based –
  6. Narrative arc – the story a film follows along with a dramatic arc within it somewhere to keep viewers attention.
  7. Freytag’s Pyramid
  8. exposition – a comprehensive description of an event, story or idea.
  9. inciting incident – the event that sends the main character/characters on the mission/adventure.
  10. rising action – the bulk of the plot that ends at the end of the story/film.
  11. climax – everything that the plot leads up to.
  12. falling action – what happens after the climax and the plot/action calms down.
  13. resolution – a firm decision to do or not to do something.
  14. denouement – 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 of the stages in the story where it is explained about the condition that happens with a character.
  17. Disruption –
  18. New equilibrium – The beginning of the film where the characters life is normal.
  19. Peripeteia – A shift of good to bad in a characters life.
  20. Anagnorisis –  A moment of recognition or revelation in a story.
  21. Catharsis – Releasing strong emotions which leads to a realisation.
  22. The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place
  23. flashback / flash forward
  24. Foreshadowing – hinting towards a future event within the film
  25. Ellipsis – a jump/missing out certain events in films.
  26. Pathos – Getting the audience emotional due to something happening within the film or show, main emotions being 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 / non-diegetic – Things that emanates from the story world of the film, non-diegetic being things occur outside of the story line.
  29. slow motion – Slowing down the video playing so that the watcher can take in certain info or focus on certain aspects of the film.

Synopsis and statement of intent:

A British agent who thinks his father was lost at war investigates his fathers files and he never finds ever solid evidence, at long last he finds the last mission his father went on, “investigating and going undercover within a Nazi agency”, his son decides to go to the Nazi agency and try figure more about his father before his death. However when he’s in the agency people catch on that he seems to have incorrect German and is sneaking away without reason. But at very last, he finds out that his father…

Within my film I’m going to have a hero (being the main character who is looking for his father), a villain (being a Nazi operator catching onto the hero’s lies) and a victim, being a love interest of the main character being hurt by the villain. With the major plot discovery being a heartbreak for the hero I want the audience to feel attached and emotional for the main character, otherwise known as pathos. I intend the film to be for ages 15 and upwards due to the emotional and violent film, it would be a major film developed on a large budget by Warner Brothers and the poster would be a half and half, blue light vs red light (good vs evil) back to back displaying multiple characters along with a large title of the film, this way the viewers are intrigued to find out who the characters in the poster are. I will be taking photographs of myself with an army based uniform on, a pretend gun and standing tall to show the main character to be bold and brave, whereas the villain will be arms crossed and an angry friend.

My film is similar to the James Bond 007 films, marvels captain America and red notice. However the film takes place within WW2 which is like Captain America but it focuses on a real life undercover not a fictional sub-division working on technology that uses a all powerful stone. Its like 007 but the star isn’t a standalone character going after a baddy because its his job and picks up woman along the way, its a young soldier looking for his family by fighting the war.

Todorov:

  • Equilibrium – meaning normality and peace. (The beginning)
  • Disruption – The climax of the story causing normality to fade and a problem arising, within this section of the film the problem is solved by the main characters. (The middle)
  • New equilibrium – after the Disruption has been dealt with, everything is back normality and peace. (The End)
  • Todorov believes stories are always linear, following his idea of equilibrium, disruption and new equilibrium.
  • It is normal for media companies to have multiple equilibriums and disruptions.
  • Media companies tend to understand that viewers might have a low attention rate/boredom threshold so they propel immediate disruption to hook the viewers attention.
  • Devices like anachronic devices are like flash backs or peaks into the future so the viewer has context.
  • In TV shows and shows in general, the idea of Todorovs acts are either played out across one episode, a couple episodes or the whole season.

Vladamir Propp

  • Vladimir Propp believed in the idea that there is 8 different types of character, these 8 characters are,
  1. Hero
  2. Helper
  3. Princess
  4. Villain
  5. Victim
  6. Dispatcher
  7. Father
  8. False Hero
  • Most of the time these characters co-inside, with the Villain doing something to the victim and the hero having to fix it or make it correct.
  • However the characters don’t have to stick to their role and a role can be multiple characters, this is called a sphere of action. The different spheres of action can be divided into 6 sections, these sections being,
  1. PREPARATION
  2. COMPLICATION
  3. TRANSFERENCE
  4. STRUGGLE
  5. RETURN
  6. RECOGNITION

Moving Image, NEA, Production

MOVING IMAGE NEA

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Definitions

  1. Linear: progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential.
  2. Chronological: (of a record of events) following the order in which they occurred.
  3. Sequential: forming or following in a logical order or sequence.
  4. Circular structure: A story that ends in the same place it began is commonly called a circular or cyclical narrative
  5. Time based: used to describe payment that is related to the time you spend working, rather than the number of things you do, produce, etc.
  6. Narrative arc: A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, video games, and films with each episode following a dramatic arc.
  7. Freytag’s Pyramid: Freytag’s Pyramid is a five-part map of dramatic structure itself.
  8. exposition: a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.
  9. inciting incident: The inciting incident of a story is the event that sets the main character or characters on the journey that will occupy them throughout the narrative
  10. rising action: a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest
  11. climax: A key moment in a story that is filled with drama
  12. falling action: Falling action is what happens near the end of a story after the climax and resolution of the major conflict.
  13. resolution: a firm decision to do or not to do something/the quality of being determined or resolute.
  14. denouement : the final part of a play, film, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.
  15. Beginning / middle / end: different stages of a story
  16. Equilibrium: a state of physical balance.
  17. Disruption: disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process/radical change to an existing industry or market due to technological innovation.
  18. New equilibrium: Equilibrium is a balance between several different influences or aspects of a situation.
  19. Peripeteia: a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, especially in reference to fictional narrative.
  20. Anagnorisis: the point in a play, novel, etc., in which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances.
  21. Catharsis: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
  22. The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place: they require a play to have a single action represented as occurring in a single place and within the course of a day. These principles were called, respectively, unity of action, unity of place, and unity of time.
  23. flashback / flash forward: A flashbacks occurs when the writer decides to insert details from the past into a present narrative in order to provide necessary plot information or insight into a character’s motivation. A flash forward, on the other hand, is when some event that has yet to happen in the present narrative time intrudes.
  24. Foreshadowing: be a warning or indication of (a future event).
  25. Ellipsis: the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues.
  26. Pathos: a quality that evokes pity or sadness.
  27. Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
  28. diegetic / non-diegetic: Diegetic sound is sound that comes from the setting of the film. Non-diegetic sound is sound that comes from our world, such as the soundtrack or scoring
  29. slow motion: the action of showing film or playing back video more slowly than it was made or recorded, so that the action appears much slower than in real life.