Broghan Isabelle Lawrie

Narrative Theories Tsyvetan Todorov says that there are five stages to every narrative: Stage 1 -  The Equilibrium  - Life is just as usual.  Stage 2 -  The Disruption -  A problem occurs.  Stage 3 -  The Recognition  - Think about how to resolve the problem.  Stage 4 -  The Repair  - Resolve the problem.  Stage 5 -  The Restoration  - Life returns to normal.        The elements may not always be in this linear order; the narrative may be non-linear or anachronic; it may also be that there are several narrative cycles within the text.  Levi Strauss believed that we understand some concepts purely by the fact that they have opposites. He referred to this as 'binary opposites'.  E.g. Hero and Villian - it is necessary for a Hero to have someone in opposition (the Villian) to become a Hero.  Other examples of binary opposition:  -Good and Evil -Sane and Insane...

Guillermo del Toro is a film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist. He was born in Mexico 1964 and was raised by his Catholic grandmother - this is why we see a lot of religious imagery in his films. Del Toro had an interest for film from being a teenager, he began by making his own home movies. He later studied special effects and make-up with Dick Smith and began creating short films. Del Toro spent 10 years as a make-up designer and formed his own company. Del Toro's first big break came when Cronos  won nine academy awards in Mexico. From that, he decided to try directing Hollywood movies such as Blade II . He has been given many opportunities throughout his career for example, he turned down the chance to direct Alien vs Predator and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban so that he could focus on his movie Hellboy .  Del Toro was eventually recognized for his talents and went on to win a Bafta for the Best Film that wasn't in the English L...

The simplest function of editing is: Getting from one shot to another and getting from one scene to another.  Editing can be used to condense long, boring activities into quick bursts of visual information.  The simplest and most commonly used edit is a cut .  Continuity - if characters have changed clothes, or the weather has changed between scenes, the audience knows that time has passed.  Transitions: Jump Cut - Two scenes that feature a common element right after one another, so something stays the same but the rest changes. This is used for disorienting or comedy effect.  Dissolve - One scene dissolves into another, overlapping for a moment.  Fade out/Fade in - One scene fades out to black completely, then another fades in.  Wipes - One scene wipes across the screen, revealing or replacing the next one. This can happen in any direction.  Iris - The next scene replaces the last by appearing from the centre like the iris of an e...

We decided to take the camera out and experiment with some different shot types.  Medium Shot - Usually a shot of a person from the waist up.  Long Shot - This is a shot of a persons full body,  to toe.    Tilted Frame - this is when you tilt the camera so a shot is off balance. This is typically used to portray that a person is in an intoxicated state.  Extreme Long Shot - this is usually of a person head to toe with extra space surrounding them. This can often make the subject look isolated. Extreme Close Up - is typically of a persons eyes or specific feature.  Close Up - A close up of a person's face, there is not much room left for surroundings. High Angle Shot - This is when the camera points down at the subject which makes it look inferior and vulnerable.           ...

Mise-en-scene is everything in the frame that you can see. This includes: set, props, lighting, costume & makeup etc. The mise-en-scene influences how the audience perceive the character or situation it shows. JAWS Steven Spielberg -1975 This shot is of a group of teenage friends enjoying themselves at the beach drinking and smoking. The community are sitting around a fire which connotes a sense of warmth and safety. However, the rest of the beach is in complete darkness and is desolate which suggests that it is dangerous. Later in the film, we see that two intoxicated characters wander away from the safety of the community and begin running along the beach, they're completely alone and there is only a small amount of light coming from the sun setting which symbolises that the end is near. A characters begins swimming in the water, she's a young female which instantly makes her vulnerable to the audience, after stripping off her clothes she becomes e...