Ryan Simpson

Task one narrative structureMany different films and TV series use many different types of narratives. An example would A multi strand narrative in a film is where multiple story lines are separate at the start of the film then as the film progresses the story lines intertwine to come to a conclusion for the film. This type of narrative is an excellent way to keep the audience interested in the plot. An example of a multi-strand narrative is “shawshank redemption” where the film is portrayed from two different views.

Another example of a narrative structure would be a closed narrative which leaves the viewer very satisfied with the final scenes to a film or series. It is a very effective way to end a series or series of films because a closed narrative answers any questions the viewer might have e.g. what happens next?, Do they live or do they die?. An example of a film with a closed narrative would be “beauty and the beast” as this film is about a beastly king and a women that fall in love, the story follows the beast and the women as they fall in love, however there is a jealous villain that is attempting to kill the beast. The story ends with the villain dying and ending with the two in love living happily. Therefore this films answers questions for viewers.

Whereas an open narrative is the opposite of closed, it leaves the audience with more questions than answers, which is an excellent tactic by the film makers to get the audience to watch the sequels or to keep them thinking about the film. An excellent example of this would be the film “inception” this film follows a group of people that can enter dream worlds and the only way to tell whether or not they are in a dream world is by spinning a spinner and if it stops it means that they in real life. The film ends with a close up shot of a spinner and you never see the spinner fall as the film ends with that scene, therefore the film leaves many unanswered questions that the audience will never be able to answer.

Finally one more narrative structure is a point of view (POV) film which is where the plot is told to the audience from one of the characters point of view. An example of a POV film would be “Forest Gump” as this film follows the life events of a man that faces many tribulations throughout life, from wearing leg

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braces to having a very low IQ. Despite this all he believes in is being nice to others. The film is told from Forest’s point of view.

Task two plot devicesA Macguffin is an object, device or event which is the trigger for the main plot to occur. An example of a Macguffin would be the diamonds in “Reservoir Dogs” these diamonds are at the centre of all the killing, swearing and backstabbing although rarely seen. And in the end nearly every main character ends up dead for the Macguffin

Additionally a plot twist is a surprise change in the plot that ultimately changes the overall outcome of the film. A good example of a plot twist is in the 1968 version of “planet of the apes” which follows a group of of astronauts that crash on a planet thousands of light years away from earth. The people of this planet are apes and they see Homo sapiens as second class citizens. The plot twist comes in the final few scenes when the remaining astronaut stumbles upon a half sunken statue of liberty which reveals that he was actually on earth the whole time.

A red herring is an intentionally misleading piece of information that is used in film to stop the audience from figuring out the plot of the film for themselves. The Martin Scorsese directed film “shutter island” staring Leonardo Dicaprio as the main role features a red herring to open the film when Dicaprio travels to the insane asylum in search of an inmate that escaped.

Furthermore a Deus Ex Machina is an unexpected event or power that saves a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel. For example in “war of the worlds” bacteria acts as the Deus Ex Machina as Martian war machines are effortlessly wiping out the human race they all suddenly die of the common cold because there are no germs on mars.

Finally in media res is when a film starts in the middle of an important point in the film (usually towards the end). For example “pans labyrinth” is a film set amongst the destruction of the Spanish civil war and the rise of the François regime. It tells the story of an eleven year old girl called Ofelia. The first shot of the film is of dying Ofelia covered in blood struggling to breath. It then skips back to the beginning of the film and the audience later discover that actually

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Ofelia’s step father shot her. The viewer then gets the story of how the film got to that point.

Task three

Task four

Mise-en-scène is the arrangement of scenery and props in a play to create effect. Mise-en-scène describes the stuff in the frame and the way it is shown and arranged. The use of the shadows of the figure and staircase creates an effect on the viewer.

A setting is used to make the film more believable with the surroundings. This picture shows an abandoned desolate city with few people living in it. The use of the abandoned cars and overgrowing environment makes the story of a “zombie apocalypse” more believable.

Visual style is also used to create effect and to create something recognisable to the audience. The photo shows the visual style of star wars which is a very recognisable style to people who enjoy the franchise. This photo also creates effect with the large shadow and the size of the death star in general.

Themes are used in films so that the film has a clear subject and plot instead of constantly changing its direction. This photo shows a black and white photo with just the colour of a young girls coat showing. This makes it a powerful theme of how all ages are effected by the horrors of war

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Ideology is a set of base ideas used for a plot of a film. This photo shows a very religious and straight forward ideology with the words “marry and reproduce” written on the side of a building. This photo gives of the impression of a very straight and narrow ideology where free will and free speech seem to be a distant memory to many.

Narrative is used in films to give off different effects and to make the audience see things from a different point of view. This photo shows a part of a film where there is a narrator explaining to the viewer’s thing from his perspective.

Stereotypes are generalised and over simplified views and ideas about people, races, religions and groups of people. This picture shows a stereotype of how Chinese people wear glasses, have bucked teeth and have squinty eyes. Stereotypes can be very controversial in films. For example in this film shown in the photo the actor playing the Chinese man was actually a white American actor that is portraying the offensive serotypes.

Cinematography is the art of photography and camerawork in film-making. This photo shows the use of cameras and the work put in to get good shots for films.

Iconography is the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these. It is like a symbol to represent a group, cult etc. this is the icon used to represent Hindu.

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Special effects (SFX) are used in films to enhance the visuals of the film to keep the watcher more interested. This picture shows how a monkey can be portrayed in a film by using special effects and advanced equipment to create realistic computer generated images.

Sound is used in films to help create different emotions for the audience, an example of this would be in horror films when sound is used to create suspense and build up tension for the viewer. This photograph shows how sound is captured by actor. However some sound is generated by a computer.

Task five, mise-en-scèneMise-en-scene is the arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise-en-scène, a French term that means “placing on stage.” The frame and camerawork are also considered part of the mise-en-scène.

In this scene from Shaw shank redemption the set and surrounding of the frame is very bland with very few props. The colours are very bland with both men wearing the same coloured jeans and shirt, the surrounding colours are also very plain with the bricks and rails surrounding the men are very dark and these colours create a very disheartening effect for the audience. Both men are in the centre of the frame so they can be seen but they are looking away from the camera. The bleak look that both men share on their faces shows the audience the soul crushing power of prison.