New words

MOTIF
In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative (or literary) aspects such as theme or mood.

Archetypes

An archetype is more than a stereotype or a generic version of a personality, and for the screenwriter, understanding fundamental character archetypes is an essential tool for understanding the purpose or function of characters in a story. 

An Archetypal Character is a character who appears over and over in legends far and wide, even in cultures that have shut themselves off from the world.

Archetypes can relate to Props idea of characters BUT the difference is you can attribute creation archetypes to specific genres.

Click here for some horror archetypes 

THE FINAL GIRL

The final girl is a trope (recurrent theme) in horror films (particularly slasher films). It refers to the last woman alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. ... The term was coined by Carol J. Clover in her 1992 book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.

The final girl from Princess Priscilla

The Babadook - Analysis & Interpretation

The Babadook: Gothic Horror?

Some of the conventions used in The Babadook in relation to narratives themes and style can be described as Gothic Horror conventions. Use the following links to help you learn more about this style of horror and see if you can draw out the similarities.

• Conventions of Gothic Horror 1
• Conventions of Gothic Horror 2
• German Expressionism

Additional research links

• The Babadook: when allegory meets expressionism in a therapeutic horror classic.
• GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM, FANTASY, & HORROR: WATCH JENNIFER KENT’S MUST-SEE SHORT FILM, MONSTER!

• Film Review: The Babadook - It gives the film a surreal tone that at once invites the audience into insomniac Amelia’s state of mind and recalls the exaggerated chiaroscuro of German Expressionist films like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Another connection to those classic horror films can be found in the simple yet terrifying creature design for the Babadook, which is little more than silhouette with a bone white face, a top hat, a voluminous coat, pointed gloves and a scuttling, insect-like gait.

• THE USE OF CHIAROSCURO LIGHTING IN FILM (Noir). 

• Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror (Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie des Grauens, 1922).

Deadline 1: Friday 21st October

By Friday you need to have:

• Decided on your 2nd genre
• Picked all four films
• Analysed and deconstructed all relevant parts of The Babadook (Kent, 2014)
• Below you will find some of the sequences and clips that will be good to make notes on. I have chosen these because the shorter clips help with audience understanding of the narrative and build up suspense. Whereas the longer sequences are good for micro analysis, discussing genre elements/conventions and audience expectations thus they will also be good to compare with other horror genre films

1. 9m50sec – 13m6sec – Reading The Babadook
2. 1hr42sec – 1hr2m31sec -  Bringing ice cream to Sam (news footage)
3. 1hr4m12sec – 1hr7min45sec
4. 1hr7m49sec – 1hr15m25sec Fighting Sam
5. hr15m26sec – 1hr21m24sec Babadook vs. Amelia

Narrative Structure: Horror

Click on image to enlarge

Genre Textual Analysis

THIS TASK NOW DOESN'T HAVE TO BE DONE - IF YOU HAVE STARTED PLEASE POST ON BLOGS AND IN BRACKETS WRITE 'INCOMPLETE'




Choose a sequence from any genre film you like, write a textual analysis of that sequence referring to as many ‘Genre Elements’ as possible. Complete this in Word and include screenshots. 1000-1,500 words

Title: How Genre Elements are presented in a sequence of film from...

         Introduction: Discuss what genre is, what is means, and why it's not simple. Include at least one quote from the A3 sheet.

Main: 

•            Introduce the sequence e.g. 'The Bear Trap' from Saw (2004, James Wan).  
•            What genre is your sequence from?
•            What are the typical conventions of this genre?    
•            Go through each of the genre elements and discuss 1. how its communicated 2. is the way the genre element used typical the genre? 3. The effect the genre element has being used the way it has been.

Conclusion: How useful was it to use the 'Genre elements' to deconstruct your sequence? Did you sequence go against any genre conventions? How?



Due: Friday 14th Oct

Genre Elements

Genre elements from Belinda Raji

Examples of binay opposites

Examples of binay opposites from Belinda Raji

Blog Tasks/Homework

1. Explain the difference between NARRATIVE PLOT and NARRATIVE STORY (Provide textual examples)
2. Upload your Narrative Theorist/theory research
3. Explain Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory (provide at least  2 textual examples)
4. Explain Vladimir Propp's narrative theory (provide at least  2 textual examples)
5. Explain Claude Levi-Strauss' binary oppositions  (provide at least  2 textual examples)
6. Explain Roland Barthes 5 codes  (provide at least  2 textual examples)

When doing tasks 3-6 it would be better to use 2 films to apply for all, use my Spiderman example (given out in class) for help 

DUE: Monday 10th October

Blog Tasks/Homework

1. Explain the difference between NARRATIVE PLOT and NARRATIVE STORY (Provide textual examples)
2. Upload your Narrative Theorist/theory research
3. Explain Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory (provide textual examples)
4. Explain Vladimir Propp's narrative theory (provide textual examples)
5. Explain Claude Levi-Strauss' binary oppositions (provide textual examples)
6. Explain Roland Barthes 5 codes (provide textual examples)

DUE: Monday 10th October

Editing: Long Take

Examples of Long Takes

Cinematography in Children of Men

Atonement (2007) Long Take from MyFavouriteFilms on Vimeo.
Opening scene from The Player (1992) from Single Shot Film Festival on Vimeo.

Unit 8 - Assignment 5: Planning for My Future

Application letter

Help link 1

Help link 2
Help link 3 (also for CV writing)

C.V. Writing

Help link 1

Help link 2
Social Media CVs

Unit 8 - Assignment 4: Developing Technologies

Learning Outcome 4: Understand developing technologies in the Film and Television Industries. Produce a presentation or report (min 750 words)  for BAFTA on the changing face of technology affecting the film and television industries today. This should include:             Key difference between cable, satellite and digital television             What does analogue literally mean?             On Demand TV             Pay Per View TV             HD and 3D             Streaming and downloading TV content             TV and Convergent cross media platforms             Film and digitisation - DV vs 35mm/16mm             Independent film production             Piracy             3D             Online distribution             CGI and Production values. Key Words & terms Developing technologies: eg satellite, cable, analogue, digital, film-based, interactive, internet, high definition, consumer products, streaming content, on-demand viewing, digital recorders, pay per view Use the following questions to help break down your research: Identify 3 ways in which the media has changed as a result of developing technologies.  What does it mean when we talk about 'convergence' of the media?  Who has benefited from developments in technology and why? What difficulties or challenges has the development of technology created? Who has been affected by these and why? What is 'push and pull' viewing? What developing technology has caused a shift away from 'pushing' programmes at viewers to 'pulling' viewers towards programmes? Focus on one developing technology from the film or television industry Describe the technology - What is it? How does it work? What does it do?  How does this technology affect the producers of media content? (This may be content for broadcast or online content) How does this technology affect the audience for the media content? How does this technology affect the practice of the media producers? (Consider how it changes or influences how they go about doing their jobs) How does this technology affect the experience of the audience for this media content? (Consider how it may alter or influence the viewing experience)