Tzvetan Todorov

Tzvetan Todorov (1939-present day)

• Bulgarian philosopher
• suggested conventional narratives are structured in 5 stages which are:

1. State of equilibrium at the outset
2. Disruption of equilibrium by some action
3. Recognition that there has been a disruption
4. Attempt to repair the disruption
5. Reinstatement of equilibrium

Joseph John Campbell

Joseph John Campbell (1904-1987)

• Proffessor, author and lecturer
• Campbell came up with the theory of monomyth
• Monomyth - often referred to as the hero's journey
• Refers to pattern supposedly found in many narratives from around the world
• widely-ditributed pattern described by Campbell in his book 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces' (1949)
• Campbell proposed that there are three stages to every story, essentially a beginning a middle and an end, the stages are:
• Stage 1 (Departure) - Hero ventures forth on quest
• Stage 2 (Initiation) - Hero's adventure along the way
• Stage 3 (Return) - Hero returns home with new knowledge or powers acquired along the journey

Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp

Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp (1895-1970)

• Russian Theorist/Scholar
• Very interested in folktales and myths
• Propp specifically studied Russian folktales however, his theory applies to all storys so the fact they were Russian folktales is disposable
• Propp proposed the theory of Morphology, Morphology suggests that there are only eight character 'types' in the thousands of tales he analysed.  Propp also said that all story tellers in humanity are predictable
• Propp called the character types 'Spheres Of Action'
• Propp also believed that there were 31 fuctions in every tale which are as follows:

After the initial situation is depicted, the tale takes the following sequence of 31 functions:

1. ABSENTATION: A member of a family leaves the security of the home environment. This may be the hero or some other member of the family that the hero will later need to rescue. This division of the cohesive family injects initial tension into the storyline. The hero may also be introduced here, often being shown as an ordinary person.
2. INTERDICTION: An interdiction is addressed to the hero ('don't go there', 'don't do this'). The hero is warned against some action (given an 'interdiction').
3. VIOLATION of INTERDICTION. The interdiction is violated (villain enters the tale). This generally proves to be a bad move and the villain enters the story, although not necessarily confronting the hero. Perhaps they are just a lurking presence or perhaps they attack the family whilst the hero is away.
4. RECONNAISSANCE: The villain makes an attempt at reconnaissance (either villain tries to find the children/jewels etc.; or intended victim questions the villain). The villain (often in disguise) makes an active attempt at seeking information, for example searching for something valuable or trying to actively capture someone. They may speak with a member of the family who innocently divulges information. They may also seek to meet the hero, perhaps knowing already the hero is special in some way.
5. DELIVERY: The villain gains information about the victim. The villain's seeking now pays off and he or she now acquires some form of information, often about the hero or victim. Other information can be gained, for example about a map or treasure location.
6. TRICKERY: The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings (trickery; villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim). The villain now presses further, often using the information gained in seeking to deceive the hero or victim in some way, perhaps appearing in disguise. This may include capture of the victim, getting the hero to give the villain something or persuading them that the villain is actually a friend and thereby gaining collaboration.
7. COMPLICITY: Victim taken in by deception, unwittingly helping the enemy. The trickery of the villain now works and the hero or victim naively acts in a way that helps the villain. This may range from providing the villain with something (perhaps a map or magical weapon) to actively working against good people (perhaps the villain has persuaded the hero that these other people are actually bad).
8. VILLAINY or LACK: Villain causes harm/injury to family member (by abduction, theft of magical agent, spoiling crops, plunders in other forms, causes a disappearance, expels someone, casts spell on someone, substitutes child etc., comits murder, imprisons/detains someone, threatens forced marriage, provides nightly torments); Alternatively, a member of family lacks something or desires something (magical potion etc.). There are two options for this function, either or both of which may appear in the story. In the first option, the villain causes some kind of harm, for example carrying away a victim or the desired magical object (which must be then be retrieved). In the second option, a sense of lack is identified, for example in the hero's family or within a community, whereby something is identified as lost or something becomes desirable for some reason, for example a magical object that will save people in some way.
9. MEDIATION: Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched, hears call for help etc./ alternative is that victimized hero is sent away, freed from imprisonment). The hero now discovers the act of villainy or lack, perhaps finding their family or community devastated or caught up in a state of anguish and woe.
10. BEGINNING COUNTER-ACTION: Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action. The hero now decides to act in a way that will resolve the lack, for example finding a needed magical item, rescuing those who are captured or otherwise defeating the villain. This is a defining moment for the hero as this is the decision that sets the course of future actions and by which a previously ordinary person takes on the mantle of heroism.
11. DEPARTURE: Hero leaves home;
12. FIRST FUNCTION OF THE DONOR: Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc., preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor);
13. HERO'S REACTION: Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him);
14. RECEIPT OF A MAGICAL AGENT: Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters);
15. GUIDANCE: Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;
16. STRUGGLE: Hero and villain join in direct combat;
17. BRANDING: Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);
18. VICTORY: Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);
19. LIQUIDATION: Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revived, captive freed);
20. RETURN: Hero returns;
21. PURSUIT: Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero);
22. RESCUE: Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably, hero saved from attempt on his/her life);
23. UNRECOGNIZED ARRIVAL: Hero unrecognized, arrives home or in another country;
24. UNFOUNDED CLAIMS: False hero presents unfounded claims;
25. DIFFICULT TASK: Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);
26. SOLUTION: Task is resolved;
27. RECOGNITION: Hero is recognized (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
28. EXPOSURE: False hero or villain is exposed;
29. TRANSFIGURATION: Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc.);
30. PUNISHMENT: Villain is punished;
31. WEDDING: Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).

• The Eight Spheres of Action are as follows:
  
  1. The villain — struggles against the hero.
  2. The donor —character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
  3. The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
  4. The princess or prize — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. the hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain.
  5. her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.
  6. The dispatcher —prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
  7. The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
  8. False hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.
  One character could engage in acts as more than one role, as a father could send his son on the quest and give him a sword, acting as both dispatcher and donor.  Also, there can be more than one of each character, for example there could be two villains rather than one, or a princess AND a prize.

IRobot

Camera:
POV/handheld
whip pan
extreme close-up of will smith

Editting:
the transition between scenes i would call invisible editting - the change is that fast or we are too distracted by something to notice the editting change -

Sound:
Alarm Clock
Bubbles

Mise en Scéne:
metallic red in the centre of the bubbles - danger
gun - officer, dangerous, paranoid
product placement - purely for the advantage of sales a shot of a stereo on a glass cabinet, just the stereo
bubbles - lots of them, representative of the robot army, almost like a womb, thousands of eggs - bubbles - representing the robots displaying the birth of the robots perhaps?

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Camera:
pitch black then close up of rotting human body parts and corpses POV and handheld
pan out at a low-angle slowly revealing two dead body's artistically placed on top of some sort of monument

Editting:
there are bright camera flashes whilst the camera is on the body parts
during the title sequence there is a mixture of a red and black 'splodges' behind the titles, they reminded me of the Rorschach inkblot test, showign that their could be underlying pschiatric problems, the red and black was also symbollic to me in terms of colour meanings
Red: Rage, anger, wrath and malice, it is also the colour of blood and a danger warning
Black: isn't a colour, it is the absence of all colour, it absorbs all aspects of light, in a sense it conceals things, it can mean hidden, fearful or bad experience, it is almost like a threat of the unknown, it is also mysterious and alluring.

Sound:
Non-diagetic - sound of digging, high pitched camera sound, like scratching your nails down a chalk board, digging continues through titles and there's a mild whirring noise in the background representitive of a chainsaw

FINISH THIS OFF.

Knocked Up

Opening scene.
Camera:
Establishing shot - one story shanny, sofa outside, punchbag etc laid-back
handheld - being in the action
Pan woman alarm 7.30, organised, neutral colours
Editting:
Slow-motion on the man's celebratory dance, this is to add comedy to the shot
Sound:
non-diagetic - upbeat drumming, acoustic guitar
Diagetic- alarm clock
Mise en Scéne:
dirty pool water, sofa, table tennis, punchbag, umpires chair, camper van, beer is all in the males opening sequence this describes him as a person, stoners/slackers, a child at heart, you could describe him as having peter-pan syndrome
low-key golden light, awakes at 7, pristine room this is in the females opening sequence, this describes her as a person, organised, smart, well-presented, helpful, responsible.
Semiotics DO THIS AT SOME POINT!
Some facts on knocked up
made in 2007
directed by Judd Apatow
Plot
Ben and Alison have a one night stand, alison falls pregnant, tells ben ben tries to be supportive but fails, him and Alisons' brother in law pete go to Las Vegas high on mushrooms, realise their mistakes and return home, ben moves out of his house into an apartment with a childs room and gets a real job as a web designer, Alison takes ben back and goes into labour, their gynacologist is not in town causing a panic, they end up with a baby girl. (a baby boy in an alternate ending)

To be worked on!

hallowe'en

Opening scene.
Camera:
hand-held throughout, establishing shot two story house
track forward-kitchen draw-knife- jester suit arm.
hand-held/pov through house-front garden-kitchen-hall-landing-girl/bedroom
close-up michael track back
low angle creeping around & child (small)
Editting:
NO EDITTING.  consistent shot, very unusual for this genre of film. (child putting on mask, could be classed as editting however it's more of a plot device, it gives you details before they have happened, eg we now know michael to be the killer and we have seen through his eyes what happened.)
Sound:
non-diagetic- piano, minor key, repetitive, high-pitched, creepy, near end begins ticking, count-down to end of peoples lives? (this was heard during the titles)
diagetic (technically)- children chanting a song about hallowe'en.
Mise En Scéne:
pumpkin.
in a sense of semiotics (dennotations and connotations)
the pumpkin is a traditional symbol to represent hallowe'en.
sign - pumpkin
signifier (stands for) - hallowe'en
signified (meaning) - representation of time of year
however, refering to connotation and dennotation...
dennotation - pumpkin. (same as sign.)
connotation - a pumpkin was traditionally used to warn off evil spirits and souls on hallows eve (hallowe'en), it was a form of protection and was widely used on hallowe'en, this symbol has a deeper meaning because it is almost ironic how the people who are killed have these pumpkins that are protection and yet they still get harmed.
for mise en scéne there is also a knife and a mask simple props (narrative/plot device)
there is also a clown outfit
Clown Outift.
Sign - Clown
Signifier - happiness/childish/fear
Signified - child/something to be scared of
connotation - the clown is a representative of youth and childishness however it also strongly represents a fear in some peoples lives and is a common phobia, it is also a fear directors/writers/producers have used to their advantage for years.

Some facts on hallowe'en
made in 1978 ( feature of this era killer 'dies'; ie s/he appears to die but actually survives and is shown again in the next movie.


To be worked on!