Narrative theories – Todorov

Todorov, a Bulgarian theorist of Literature, also developed a narrative theory based on the structure of many common fairytales/stories. His theory is based around the idea that all stories contain an idea of equilibrium, they start with a state of equilibrium (there is no force stronger than any other) until an event disturbs this equilibrium, there is a power struggle between two forces or characters to obtain higher power before other events occur to restore the equilibrium and all forces become equal again.

Narrative theories – Vladamir Propp

 

Vladamir Propp was a Russian Literacy scholar who studied the structure of many Russian fairy tales commonly told to children and developed a theory about the common components within them. He concluded from his detailed study that there are 31 stages common to each fairytale which make up the storyline. He also discovered that there is a group of characters which are common to all fairytales, these characters are:

• The hero
• The villain
• The false hero
• The donor
• The princess
• The father
• The helper
• The dispatcher

This theory can be applied to many modern day films, a very obvious example of Propp’s theory in practice is finding nemo, it adopts each character role suggested in the theory and also follows the 31 stages suggested by Propp.

BBFC age ratings

The British Board of Film Cassification (BBFC) are resposible for protecting viewers of British film whi may be considered as ‘Vulnerable’ I.e. young children, they aim to protect these groups from themes within films which could potentially pshycologically damage them or alter their behaviour. It is also believd that groups of young people are particularly at risk of these themes affecting them as their character and ‘normal behaviour’ is still forming.

After research into the guidelines which my film trailer is likely to fall within, I have decided that it will not be suitable for viewers under the age of 15 based on the presence of weapons and intent to use them to harm another person, similarly, the theme of the film also  contributes majorly to the decision to restrict my potential audience as it involves kidnapping and violence.

Here are the official guidelines for the age 15 restriction of British films, this is from the BBFC website, the ages range from; U, PG, 12, 12A, 15, 18 and 18R.

 

Dead men running – final idea

Dead men running from JordanBell95

Target audience questionnaire results

Targetaudienceresearch 120404053958-phpapp02 from JordanBell95

Research into the conventions of my genre

The main reason why I chose to create a promotional package for a film from the revenge-thriller genre is that it is relatively easy to capture and utilise the conventions common to many of  the existing films within the genre. This allows me to create an effectove film package which has the desired effect on the viewer. In this case, I intend to attract viewers and capture my audience through the used of darkness and the creation of tension.

There are various ways in which I can build tension and represent the dark mood of the film storyline within the filming and editing processes. Here is a list of techniques I can employ to do this during filming:

• I can scout for a location which has the desired natural lighting in order to film or take still images for my magazine cover or film poster.
• I can use artificial light in order to create the desired effect.

Here are the techniques which I can employ to help during the editing process:

• I can reduce the brightness or contrast of the footage/still image using clip adjustments on Imovie or on photoshop(if it’s a still image).
• I could use one of the effects available already on photoshop/imovie to create the idea of darkness i.e. ‘Black and white’ .

It may prove difficult to find a location which provides the desired natural lighting so the lighting will have to be created in editing once the filming is complete.

After my extensive research into films of this genre I have identified several conventions common to each trailer/film I have watched, these conventions all add up to a desired effect on the audience, this is the same for all film genres however, it is only the desired effect on the audience which changes. For this genre, the idea of the trailer is to create tension but at the same time  creating excitement and enticing the audience. Here is a list of conventions common to the revenge-thriller genre:

• Lengthy shots of approximately 5 seconds each with slow transitions during the opening of the trailer which gives the viewer a brief idea of the storyline, usually establishing character personalities and their role within the story.
• Weapons are usually involved within these films as they provide excitement and a sense of danger which will immediately attract viewers who enjoy these films.
• Short, quick shots towards the middle part of the trailer, they become no more than 3 seconds long and usually contain scenes of violence or action/chases.
• Cars are normally involved in these films as a getaway vehicle or they are involved in chase scenes, they add to the adrenaline of the viewers whilst they are watching.

The Sweeney (2012) – Trailer/film poster analysis

 

Trailer deconstruction

Total run time: 02:09

0-20 seconds: The trailer begins with a series of short shots with quick transitions in order to briefly establish the characters and the setting of the film, in this case, the city of London.

 

 

20-40 seconds: At this stage of the trailer there is a series of short, quick shots which contain scenes of violence and action, the shot transitions at this point are approximately 1 second long fade-to-black.

 

 

40-60 seconds: At this point the shots become much more extended to roughly 5-6 seconds long, long fade-to-black transitions of 3-4 seconds, this is to draw attention to important parts of the trailer.

 

 

60-90 seconds: short 1-2 second shots with 2-3 second fade-to-black transitions, transitions add to darkness of the scenes of violence displayed in this section of the trailer.

 

 

90-120 seconds: Quick shots, 1-2 seconds long contain violence and car chases, no transitions, straight cut to next shots, causes excitement amongst the audience as the trailer reaches its end.

 

Harry Brown – Trailer/film poster analysis

Trailer deconstruction

Total run time: 02:02

0-30 seconds: A series of relatively lengthy shots on average 5-6 seconds per shot, slow fade-to-blach transitions between shots, this part of the trailer gives us a brief understanding of the characters and the storyline. The non diegetic sounds are very low-key, similar to the lighting throughout, it shows that the film is set in a very dark and threatening place.

   

30-50 seconds: Fast-paced shots of approvimately 1-3 seconds each contain scense of carnage and violence and establishes the problems which face the community that the film is set within the non diegetic sound conveys panic, however ‘Harry Brown’ appears calm throughout showing an element of control.

  

50 seconds-01:10: Cuts back to longer shots (5-6 seconds each) with slow fade-to-black transitions as this part of the trailer is extremely important within the storyline and the length of the shots reflect that the audience should pay close attention to this.

  

01:10-02:02: A mixture of shots, the more important shots are longer with longer transitions and the less important action shots are quicker with quicker transitions to draw the viewers attention to the important shots and to convey panice with the action shots.

 

Taken – Trailer/film poster analysis

Trailer deconstruction

Total run time: 01:58

0-20 seconds: A series of quick shots which fade to black in quick transition, these shots are mainly of the family of characters within the film to give the viewer an idea of their personalities and establish their positions within the family. A snapshot of the father’s relationship with his daughter is also shown in these shots. There is also an establishing shot of Paris, where the film is initially set, this sets the scene of the film and shows the sheer size of the city. The non diegetic sound in the background is quite calming but at the same time the quick shot transitions give the idea that something bad is about to happen.

  

20-50 seconds: The pace of the shot transitions speed up and the length of the shots decrease, at this point the shots are down to approximately 1-3 seconds each. These quick shots give the idea of panic whilst the split screen effect gives both points of view; what the father is seeing and doing and what the daughter is seeing and doing.

  50 seconds-01:58:A series of fast paced action shots are used in this part of the trailer with a voice over of the the father on the phone to his daughter’s kidnappers, this shot sequence then ends with the kidnapper replying with “Good luck”, the voice over then finishes and the audience are left to wonder what is about to happen. The credits at the end of the trailer are then diaplayed with a heartbeat sound effect being played in the backgroung, giving the viewer a feeling of excitement.