Syd Fields 3 act plot Structure.

Act 1
It is in the first 10 minutes of a film when an audience decides whether or not they like it. Therefore it should contain a reason , a or question they will want answered only to be shown later in the film , or a hook. His theory then states for the next 20 of the first 30 minutes to the film the audience is shown the nature of the problem faced

Point 1
Importants points and disruptions which alter the dynamic of the film. Plot point occur 3 times in between acts and once in the middle.

Act 2
More and more problematic situations arise in which he main characters helplessly fight their enemies.Next the situation seems to improve, but the story is still a long way off from a resolution.

Plot point 2 - THe protagonist relises teir approach to tackling the problem is flawed which leads to Act 3

Act 3
The hero is in control and battles the villain on their own territory or with their own plan etc.

Applying Narrative Theories

Levi Strauss's Theory : The below are binary opposites exhibited in Fatal Attraction



Day v Night

Love v Lust

Truth v Lies

Marriage v Affair

Fear v Happieness

Good v Evil

Normality v Abnormality

Calm v Turbulence

Wife v Lover

Freedom v Entrapment



Vladimir Propps Theory: Below are the characters in Disturbia who fill the 8 common roles :


The villain : Robert Turner

Who becomes close to Kales mother, to disguise his twisted intentions.

The hero : Kale Brecht

Who saves the day by uncovering the murders.

The donor : Kale's Mother

Conviscates his gadgets which make him bored, so he is made to notice more about his surroundings.

The Helper : Ronnie

Conducts all the searches Kale asks eg searching the garage.

The princess : Ashely Carlson

Kale likes her , and wants to impress her, he does eventually when we find out he was right.

The dispatcher : Kale's Father

The fathers death means Kale is under house arrest, and eventaully leads to Kale looking out the window, and notcing things.

Also Ashely. Who initiates the stake out, and encourages Kale to continue watching.

The false hero: Officer Gutierrez
He is told about the murders and Kales theory, but ignores it. Also when he does go into Robert turners house , he does not save the day but is killed.


Barthes Action and Enigma Codes in Disturbia

Action:

We see something and want to know what happens- we sort of know but have to check
Car Crash
Kale Punching The Teacher
Kale Under House Arrest
When Kale and Ronney are caught by Ashley spying on her
Voyeurism
Woman In Turners House screaming
Turner seeing Kale spying
Turner warns Ashley in Car
Turner Kidnapping Kales Mother
Ronney Searches Garage and car

Enigma

We are shown something but we wonder why
Why is the house joined up
Why does Robert Turner buy a shovel
Why is Ronnie in the closet
Why are there blood smears on Turners house
The bunny
Dents and scratches on Turners car
Other murders on the news


Todorovs Narrative Structure in Midnight Express

In Midnight Express the state of equilibrium is when Billy Hayes and his girlfriend Susan , are tourists visiting Turkey, about to fly home. They have had a good holiday, and pass through airport security about to board the plane home.

The disruption to this equilibrium is caused by the event when Billy is arrested after turkish police search all passsengers on the plane they are about to board due to a terrorist threat. Billy is found to be smuggling drugs (hashish) out of the country and is arrested and given a court date.

The recognition that the disorder has occured, comes when Billy is sentenced to just over 3 years in prison, in Turkey for his crime.

An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption comes when Billy attempts to break out, his attempt is unsuccessful due to the informents within the prison who work for the guards and tell of his plan to escape. Consequently his sentence is then reviewed and extended to 40 years. Billy then becomes mentally ill and is submitted to the prisons mental asylum.

A return or restoration of a new equilibrium arrives when Billy attempts to bribe the prison officer, to let him go. This fails but in a series of actions Billy kills the officer, and takes his uniform , then manages to walk straight out of the prison and returns home to America 3 weeks later. The equilibrium is not the smae however, as he no longer has his girlfriend, and his mother has died, plus he is also now a completely different person.

Summarising Narrative Theories

Claude Levi-Strauss’ Oppositions:

Levi-Strauss said that every element of a story was paired with another within the same story as adirect opposite.

Some common examples are:
fear v happiness
male v female
humanity v technology
nature v industrialisation
East v West

Within genres there are also stereotypical binary opposites.


Roland Barthes action/enigma codes:

Barthes decided that every film is made up of a narrative code that consists of action and enigma codes which are used to create suspense.

Enigma codes are the parts of the plot that leaves the viewer questioning the events.

Action codes refer to actions which cause other actions.

Tzvetan Todorov’s narrative structure:

His theory states that every film has three stages:

The film starts in a state of equilibrium
The equilibrium is disrupted
A new equilibrium is created by the end of the film
There are then five stages the narrative goes through:
Equilibrium where everything is normal
Disruption of equilibrium
Recognition of the disruption and its consequences
An attempt to repair the disruption
The restoration of a new equilibrium
This theory creates a circular structure to the film, not a linear one. However the equilibrium reached at the resolution of the film is different it has been altered by the events that occured in the film, eg a bomb destroying something, or a characters death.


Vladimir Propp's Character Types:

Propp identifies the main character types:
The villain
The hero - usually motivated by the lack of something (love, money etc.) and not always conventional
The donor
The helper
The princess
"Her father" character
The dispatcher
The false hero

Running Scared : Studying The Opening Sequence

I have chosen to analyse this film opening sequence because of the sylised way it is shot, as well as the time in the narrative the film opens, as well as how the credits are incorporated to the scene and narrative. It also has a vast variety which can help inspire me.

The film starts with one credit that fades on to the screen. it has a grungy , grimy background. Which suggest to the audience from the start that the film is going to be set in an industrilaised or urban area. The white text over the dark background links to the theme of innocence and children that face dark problems at home. In this case the character of Oleg, who has a violent father, who beats him and his mother. The splatters on the background also suggest impeeding violence or blood, from an innocent victim.

The screen then fades to black, and the writng Media 8 presents, warps and fades with it. Perhaps this warp is meant to signify that the opening to the film is warped in time, and is not from the beggining.

The scene then fades in, and Paul Walkers character Joey Gazzelle is pushing open a door with his shoulder, as he carries out an injured child, with blood on him ( Oleg ) . The camera here tracks forward and pans around Joey's face highlighting his fixed gaze to the distance. It is a smooth shot, and shot with steadycam.

The shot then dissolves ( to show that time has passed) and we see a long shot of Joey placing Oleg into his car. The camera then again tracks forward and pans around Joey as he rushes to get to the drivers side.

Another title then fades in. This time the background to it is a tyre tred, but it is green. THe green i think is to signify to the audience that it is a gangster film, so money is involved, and US money is green. The title itself says, "A Media 8 / Tru Grit Production" . The Tru Grit part linking to the tyre, and the tyre signifying speed may be impending as well.

The title fades out, and there is red on screen. This shot is infact an extreme close up on the red light from a set of traffic lights. But is there to signify the danger, and bloody violence the fim is about.

The next camera movement i think is extremely stylized, but really like. Suddenly we zoom out and and track a little bit from the red, and it is revealed we were seeing traffic lights, the camera then sharply drops down ( like a crane shot) and the car Joey and Oleg are in zooms right into centre shot from behind, and the camera then tracks behind them as if it is fixed to the boot.

There are then close ups, to show the emotion on teir faces, as well as showing signifiers of the genre, such as the magnum gum. It is also cut with quick cuts and fades to white, which i think is meant to show te danger, confusion or pain of Joey , as he may be almost passing out.

The remaining creadits then come in. These credits are different to other gangster thrillers, such as Layer Cake, as they are purely animation, and ar not superimposed over footage. The credits are animated in a style similar to cartoon drawings in a childs comin book, or fairy tale. The animation going on is infact parts to the story that have created the scene in the car. There are characters shown and events that take place in the narrative of the film, and i really like how the credits are done in this film, as it makes it more individual to other films in the genre and is less generic.

This Opening Sequence also impacts on the audience because it starts with immediate action, and someting that has gone wrong. I personally like films when they commence with some form of action, if it is used effectively. For example in Running Scared we have a boy who has blood on his clothes, and a man who looks in real pain. When i first watched this i was immediately gripped, because it made me question why they were in this situation, and what had caused it. Answers i had to watch the rest of the film to recieve. What is also good about the place in the narrative it starts is when you finally come to the resolution of the film, we pick up from this scene again and all is resolved in the following sequences. Which takes the film in a full corcle and makes for good viewing, and at the end a sense of accomplishment for the viewer as they realise what the significance to the opening sequence was.

The first part or shot of this scene is also slowed down, this is uncommon as it is normally used to show a resolution, and not normally at the start of a film. However i think it is effective here, as it shows the distress of the characters and the emotions they are going through. It also creates a sense of urgency and has a positive dramatic effect.

I also like the music as it is not distracting or overpowering of the scene.

This opening sequence has helped me develop some rough ideas. I am thinking of starting my film somewhere in the middle of the narrative, and using some form of action, or death to shock the audience, as it will be unexpected and thus hopefully increase teir interest in the film with unanswered questions.

For the credits i am going to use, i would also really like to have them similar in style to the ones in Running Scared, especially if i am going to use a grugny or grimy urban setting, with a gangster theme.

Analysing connections in Psycho and Why Hitchcock’s Psycho and the Shower Scene are such a Thriller Icon ?

Analysing connections in Psycho and Why Hitchcock’s Psycho and the Shower Scene are such a Thriller Icon ?



Firstly Psycho is the most written about and analyzed film of all time. Hitchcock used the film to tap into the American psyche exploring themes and obsessions of loneliness, loss of identity, sexual ambiguity, passivity, voyeurism, the triumph of evil, and the oppressive weight of a dead past. In all of Hitchcock’s films randomness and the occurrence of random events play a large role in the developments of the narrative. Hitchcock, uses randomness from the start in Psycho to portray his belief that the world is indifferent to our suffering.


The random movement of the camera at the beginning of Psycho where it passes past the window where Marian Crane and Sam Loomis are having their affair is consistent through to later in the film by the random movement of Norman Bates hand as he reaches for Marion’s room key. As he has chosen the key for cabin one, Norman dooms Marion to death, because he will spy on her, therefore becoming aroused, consequently leading to his guilt or the mother side of his personality killing her. Hitchcock uses these two random movements in connection, as if the camera had not passed that window, then we would not have endured the suffering that occurs from watching psycho. Techniques such as this help build up the narrative of the film, and are touches which make Psycho so effective.


The manner in which we are made to empathise with the protagonist in the story ( Marion ) also contributes to why Psycho is so highly redeemed. We are first placed on Marion’s side in the scene when she gets back to her office. She is sat at her desk when the staggering bully Cassidy sits on he desk and is waving his $40 000 . This character is shown as immensely unlikeable. The angle the camera takes here right behind Marion , shows us how unpleasant it is to have a person stare right at you, and be able to do nothing about it. Especially this arrogant and rude bully ( Cassidy). The technique that Hitchcock employs here is to make Marion’s decision to steal the $40 000 seem as little her choice as possible to disguise the fact she herself is a villain in the story, and increase the empathy of the audience towards her.


Audience understanding to Marion’s emotions is cleverly increased by Hitchcock. In the first driving sequence Marion’s inner confusion and discomfort are made manifest in her reactions to the harsh lights of cars. The increasing stress Marion is feeling Hitchcock then mimics in the camera moves closer and closer to her darkened, back lit face, as well as the rain ( holding symbolic values of tension also) and slashing wiper blades ( a deliberate hint at the later slashing of Marion with a knife ). This use of shots along with developing reactions acted by Marion heighten audience understanding.


Overall I think Psycho is so highly revered, is because it twist audience expectations, which makes it more suspenseful and captivating. The film is so effective as a thriller due to the protagonist who we are very early on cleverly endeared to is killed half way through the film, which is shocking for the audience and challenges their expectations.


So Why is The Shower Scene so effective and a thriller icon ?



Firstly the shots types themselves make the scene so effective.
The sequence starts with a frame within a frame from the POV of Norman Bates , as he spies on Marion undressing. This shot makes the audience feel uncomfortable with what they are watching, unnerved and makes the shot voyeuristic.


The actual killing itself is shot from 71-78 different angles , and includes 50 different cuts. Most of the shots are extreme close ups , except for medium shots of the shower directly before and after the killing. The camera also doesn't remain on Marion's dead body, instead cutting to the blood swirling down the plughole and the curtains ripping. This leaves the killing to the audiences imagination. The combination of the close shots with the short duration between cuts makes the sequence appear longer, and add to the subjective, they also make the event seem more controlled, and more violent than the images themselves if they were from a wide angle. The use of music, screeching violins, ( Hitchcock originally wanted the scene to be silent accompanied with no music) vastly intensifies the scene and adds to the terror. The purpose of the shower scene is shock the audience with not only the event of the murder itself but also the brutality of Mary’s murder. He dramatically switches the pace of the scene from the slow entrance of the dark figure to the quick cuts of the murder It’s as though Hitchcock’s exaggerated use of cutting was an intentional reference to the cutting of poor Mary.

What i really like about Physcho is the clever techniques that Hitchcock uses to tie completely different events togethor to overall add to the narrative of the film. In particualr the shower scene. From watching and analysing this , i am thinking of possibly using a similar technique to this in my Thriller. I would maybe like to use a lot of different shot angles with some quick cuts, and clear shocking and defining music to accompany it in someway. Although this would be very time consuming, and a possible problem for continuity, but i would like to take some inspiration from the way this scene is shot and cut into my own thriller none the less.

Disturbia and Rear Window

Narratives

Similarities:

Both of the films are from the heroes point of view. In both films the character is believed by friends but not by the police. Both use technology coherent with the time periods. Both films are not very enigmatic as we know all the protagonist does, which is a lot. There are dead animals in both, a dear in Disturbia and Dog in Rear Window. In both films there is also a case of mistaken identity. A party is also in each , which detracts form the killer.

Differences:

Disturbia has multiple murders where as in Rear Window there is only one. Rear window is an urban based film, and is mainly in one setting. Disturbia is suburban and there is use of more than one setting, e.g. the inside of the killers house. There is more action and a faster moving plot in Disturbia compared to Rear Window.

Themes

Similarities:

Both films are based on entrapment, i.e. being housebound.
There are also themes of suspense, murder, fear, suspicion, claustrophobia, voyeurism, technology, right and wrong, good and evil, sexual attractions and justice, and police.

Differences:

In Rear Window the reason for being housebound is a broken leg, but in Disturbia it is house arrest. In Disturbia the characters believe and are trusting of the protagonists beliefs from the start, but in Rear Window he has to persuade and provide evidence for them. There is also parental relationships shown in Disturbia with the death of his father and a single widow mother etc.

Iconography

Similarities:

In both films, artificial lightin is used, e.g street lamps, house lights etc. There are also a lot of frame within frame shots, for example through binoculars. The settings are also normal places, and therefore tap into societies fears of what happens behind closed doors. Knives are also in both films as murder weapons.

Differences:

Different dress codes in each film are clear, due to different time periods. The set is larger for Disturbia and uses the villains house, and multi rooms within a house, Rear Window is based in one room of a flat. Rear Window is urban, Disturbia is Suburban. The main character in Disturbia is a slacker, who is to blame for his housebound ness, whereas in Rear Window the lead has a job and is unfortunate to be in the situation.

Characters

Similarities:

In both Films there are the same number of main characters, the housebound, sidekick and female character, who is also in both films is seen as a sex symbol. All the main characters become very involved in the plot in both films. Also the victim in ech film is a female. In both, the villain is also played by a man, who also appears to be of similar age in each film. The main protagonist is untidy in appearance, and appears not to be bothered with it. The female is contrastingly well dressed, in fashionable expensive clothing, and also differs to the common damsel in distress character, but is brave ( in both films). The films are also set within the period they were filmed, thus to play on the current fears of society.

Differences:

The films are however set in different time periods. The ages of the characters is also different, in Disturbia they are teenagers and in Rear Window they appear to be in their thirties or even 40s. The plot is also different as in Disturbia the female character initiates the watching of the neighbour, whereas in Rear Window she tries to detract form it. The gathering of evidence and exploration of the villains house is also done differently. In Disturbia it is the male sidekick who goes in under the main protagonists say so, where as in Rear Window it is the female character who does so of her own accord. The sidekick in Rear Window is a female nurse, whereas in Disturbia it is a male friend. There is one vicitim in Rear Window, but more in Disturbia.

After closesly looking at the story similarites and differences within Rear Window and Disturbia, i think i would prefer to use an urban setting for my thriller, especially as i am thinking along the lines of a gangster thriller possibly. Although i like disturbia and believe it is a very effective and well made film, the associations of a mobster are going to be most easily shown in an urban setting, especially as i only have 2 minutes of screen time. Things i would like to take from both films however and use as guidance for my own triller, are the limited number of cast/characters . Which will make scenes easier to shoot, and allow me to explore the characters in more depth within the 2 minutes of screen time than would be possible with a large casting. I also think the concentration of telling the story from only one characters point of view , following the main protagonist as the opening sequene to my film would be effective.

Analyising the way the narrative structure of The Shining is constructed in the DVD cover.

This particular DVD cover is more enigmatic than others from different films - e.g. Disturbia.
There is no tag line for example, so immediately we are led to focus on the large and bold close up image of Jack even further. The big blose up image of Jack does however convey a lot to what the narrative of the film may be. Firstly , the fact that it is only this charcter on the dvd cover, who is shown by a big close up , connotes that he is a significantly important character in the film, and that the narrative events may be based around him. The overall expression on the close up, being very unordinary, signifies the extraordinary events that will be contained in the film, such as the duality- shown by the twin girls, or the halls which are flooded with blood. The redish tint to which the image has, connotes the ideas of blood, and danger. As the light is focused on him , the narrative is built up further with the idea that he may be the cause of such traumas. The expression in the close up, also builds up the narrative of the DVD cover. The whites of the eyes that are shown connote danger, and the idea of fear or rage. The character is also unshaven which tells us , he is not bothered with his apperance, so may be somewhere isolated with limited contact with other people. It connotes he is wild, or posessed. The strand of hair that is on his forehead, connotes again he is wild, or posessed, and also the idea something has gone 'loose in his mind' fortifying the idea that he has become mad.
The teeth help construct narrative and the awkward smile shows that there is enjoyment in what he is doing, although it is wrong (hence the awkwardness of the smile). The characters head appears to be stuck between a door, and therefore we are left thinking, who is he looking at? All of these elements add to the idea we gain from the DVD cover as to what the film is about, without giving away the entire plot, in this sense we are left with questions we want answered, and the way to do this is by watching the film.

The text and colours also construct the narrative. The idea it is part of the "Stanley Kubrick Collection" which is now "Digitally restored and remastered" adds to the films identitiy, that this is a classic thriller film. "Stanley Kubrick's" name is presented in a large type face, and in red. Therefore building up the idenitiy of the film, and the red connotes blood and violence so also thriller. As it is the director whos name is in red, it shows that he isa a master of the thriller genre. "The Shining" is in bold black, but the title itself is enigmatic, and leaves questions as to what is Shining, is it supernatural etc??