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!

Codes and Conventions of Horror

Codes and Conventions of Horror
The second genre i shall cover is Horror
In this post i shall cover the codes and conventions of this genre focusing on:

• opening
• marketing (posters/DVD and CD covers)
• camera/editing/sounds/mise en scéne
• narrative
• connotation and dennotation

i shall include examples of British and American horrors.  These include

• Hallowe'en
•  

So these are the codes and conventions of Horror (i shall make a post for the other films this is a generalisation of horror)

Opening.The opening to a horror tends to be very traditional and in line with what is popular during this era (eg 1978 hallowe'en begins with children chanting and eerie music very similar to nightmare on elm streets chanting children, both from the same slasher -sub genre of horror- era).  Just like rom-com horror will start  with a production or distribution logo occasionally editted to fit in with the film it is representing.  There is also sometimes a prequal (again the example of hallowe'en showing michaels first murder), A prequel is something shown before the movie, to explain a back story behind anything from characters or a symbolic object.  During prequels characters i feel are normally kept to a minimal as the fewer characters you introduce the more tense and sucked in you become during the film.  I also think that this is used because you can focus purely on the characters introduced whether they're a killer or a victim.

Marketing.
Marketing for horror films is essential, if the horror film genuinly appears frightening it is more likely to appeal to it's target audience, whereas if it looks happy ie yellow sunshine smiling, it is more likely to attract the wrong target audience, it also needs to stay minimal so it doesn't give away too much of the plot before it has started (eg the rom-com knocked up refered to in a previous post clearly states the general plot before hand allowing the audience to watch the film and watch for how it happens and what the outcomes are in a bigger picture, this can occasionally work for the horror genre, however dependant on how the story actually goes effects whether or not you can do this effectively).  Here are a few examples and analysis' of DVD/CD/posters that will explain what i mean by it's importance


To be worked on!

the orphanage (el orfanato)

Film Background:
The Orphanage (Spanish: El Orfanato) is a 2007 Spanish-language horror film and the debut feature of Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona. The film stars Belén Rueda as Laura, Fernando Cayo as her husband, Carlos, and Roger Príncep as their adopted son Simón. The plot centers on Laura, who returns to her childhood home, an orphanage. Laura plans to turn the house into a home for disabled children, but a problem arises when she and Carlos realize that Simón believes he has a masked friend named Tomás with whom he will run away. After an argument with Laura, Simón is found to be missing.

Opening scene.
Camera:
During the memory sequence at the very beginning of the opening scene the camera will always follow the same little girl, which we later find to be Simóns mother, she remains at the centre of focus throughout the flashback, however there is a moment of shot-reverse-shot between Simóns mother and a woman who works at the orphanage.  The dream sequence begins with an establishing or master shot which sets the scene and foreshadows where the action will take place, there is then a vertical track down towards the girl hitting the tree and counting
During the opening credits we see a very clammy grey coloured arm reach in slowly revealing more flesh and a grey sleeve the hand of this person, which can be assumed to be a child as it looks like the arm of a young girl, however, that is a personal opinion, is seen to then scratch at the grey wallpaper background revealing a bright crimson and gold wallpaper with the same design there are also tears and cracks in the wall, i will talk about this more and discuss the connotations and semiotics of such a shot later in this article
The camera uses a conventional horizontal track which goes through the wall while the woman is heading to tend to her adopted son Simón, (we do not know it is Simón at this point however).
Editting
The editting used in the beginning of this film was seamless or continuity editing, this is where the cuts between shots are fluid and barely noticeable, however there are a few slow cuts but music is played over the top of the cut to mask the edit, this is a media technique
Sound:
The music begins very sweet and innocent during the memory sequence but then once the opening credits begin the music builds up causing tension and has an eerie sense to it
Mise En Scéne:
A big house close to the sea (lighthouse depicted during Simóns nightscares)
The scene starts in a birght summer place looking very picturesque, completely opposite to the conventions of English and American horrors
Now i am going to talk to you about Semiotics as forementioned
Sign - Orphans in grey dresses
Signifier - Represents school? Group? Shows uniform
Signified - they belong in that set group and that this is a part of them, also the grey conveys a sense of unhappiness
Sign - Wallpaper, Grey-Crimson/Gold
Signifier - The ripping of the paper, the fact that something is not right
Signified - The ripping hints at something being broken or changed, or even that something has been covered up by this grey paper, there is also the colours to consider the red is known to be symbollic of - rage, anger, courage, longing, malice and wrath all things which could be portrayed in this film, and the grey symbolises unhappiness and has a dull sense about it, you could also talk about the gold pattern meaning wisdom, however again that is a  personal opinion

Introduction & Codes And Conventions Of Romantic-Comedy

This is a blog that contains all the media work i have carried out over my AS year, it is going to contain my class and study notes and detailed descriptions of three different film genres - romantic-comedy, thriller and horror
The first genre i shall cover is Romantic-Comedy
In this post i shall cover the codes and conventions of this genre focusing on:

• opening
• marketing (posters/DVD and CD covers)
• camera/editing/sounds/mise en scéne
• narrative
• connotation and denotation

i shall include examples of British and American rom-com.  These include

• P.S I Love You
• Knocked Up
• Cars

So these are the codes and conventions of romantic-comedy (i shall make a post for the other films this is a generalisation of rom-com)

Opening.
The opening to a rom-com can be varied.  It can either begin with a production and/or distribution logo, sometimes edited to fit the genre of film i.e it could be made red and pretty for love, or it could break in half (like a heart, rom-com).  Then in some rom-com's there's also a prequel.  A prequel is something shown before the movie, to explain a back story behind anything from characters or a symbolic object.  This is a narrative device, (however you could argue that if it uses a symbolic object it is a plot device as props are plot devices).  During prequels a variety of characters tend to be shown majority of whom will be the main focus throughout the plot, the prequels introduces them quickly and immediately allows the audience to know what this character or characters are like.

Marketing. 
Rom-coms are marketed in a variety of ways and each advertisement shows us it is a rom-com and why here are three examples (the three mentioned previously)

This is a poster from the film P.S I Love You (2007) the writing is shown as a messy handwriting, which hints to the background of the film, i.e a letter.  The writing is also written in red which shows love and passion, which again backs up the film genre.  The writing underneath the title reads "sometimes there's only one thing left to say", which again informs the reader what this film is going to be based on, the imagery also shows a couple happy together, so they are obviously the couple in love.  There are however things that occur in the film that you wouldn't expect based on the genre being shown, which is shown in the poster but unless you know the background of the movie would not fully understand.

 This poster is for the film Knocked Up (2007) the title is very big and bold grabbing your attention, in slang most people would know that 'knocked up' is a term used in reference to pregnancy, however, the image and terminology shows that this is not a happy or planned pregnancy as the couple involved look distant and awkward with each other.  Another piece of imagery that hints towards the pregnancy for people who aren't familiar with the slang term used is that they are in a waiting room together, and there is an image of a growing baby inside the womb behind them.  This film goes completely against the stereotypical rom-com genre, but still contains all of the necessary codes and conventions of the genre.  The small writing located in the top left corner reads "From Judd Apatow, Director of "The 40-Year Old Virgin" comes a comedy about a one night stand, that became something more."  This again hints to the plot of the story, without completely telling the story before it has happened.

This is a poster for Cars (2006), although initially this sort of film would class as a childs film i felt that it suited the codes and conventions of rom-com perfectly, it involves a car who gets waylaid from his bid for greatness and ends up in radiator springs, there he meets the town folk and at first they all get off on the wrong foot, McQueen is forced to help out around the town as a sentence for ruining the road and while finishing his work he befriends the towns folk and becomes very close to sally.  I thought i'd add cars into my Rom-Com's so i get a wider view of Rom-Coms, as now i have two for a more adult audience and one for a younger audience.

Camera, Editing, Sound and Mise En Scéne.

CameraInitially in a rom-com i have noticed that they like to use establishing shots to show where they are, for example P.S I Love You is set in New York and shows an establishing shot of the golden gate bridge, and Knocked Up shows two establishing shots, one of the males house and one of the females house, showing the differences between them, they also use a lot of close-up shots with one of two people focused on, this is to show the relationship between two people, and their closeness.  In some rom-coms they also use close-up shots of props as a plot device, such as an engagement ring or in P.S I Love You a tape recorder and letters.

Editing

Shot-reverse-shot is also used in alot of rom-coms to show relationships and conversations between characters and invite us into their private moments, cross-cutting is also often used as well as sometimes match-on-action.

Sound

Diagetic and Non-Diagetic sounds are used throughout rom-coms like most films, the can be anything from a door closing and high heels, to music over the action to show the current mood in that situation.

Mise En Scéne

Mise En Scéne is vital to a rom-com as it can completely set the scene within seconds it can tell you whether a man is having an affair in a hotel room, or if he's on a date with his wife, it can tell you everything about what is going on and helps us to understand the story further by keeping us informed of the actions.  For example, if a man were to be having an affair, and we weren't yet sure on who these characters are, the mise en scéne can hint towards it before it's even been announced.

Narrative.
The narrative of a rom-com is simple..boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, girl and boy split, girl and boy receive closure.
So, in a little more detail, two people shall meet and form feeling for each, they shall then spend a wide amount of time enjoying these feeling they then break up for whatever reason and then they meet up at the end to either create a happy ending for the audience or a sad one depending on whether or not they get back together.
A rom-com isn't a genre in its own right, it is a mixture of two separate genres with their own codes and conventions, rom-com is a sub-genre mixing comedy and romance and is also often referred to as a 'chick flick'

Connotation and Denotation
Connotation is a literal meaning of something being shown, whereas denotation is the underlying meaning.  This is used often in rom-coms as it can help the audience to understand what is going on and the deeper meanings for example in knocked up there is a start scene where there is a husband and wife, the wife is in the bed and the husband is on the floor, in connotation, this could show that there is trouble in the relationship, in denotation, this could show that the trouble between them has been going a long time and is testing the values of their current relationship.