Sunday 28 November 2010

Ideas For Thriller + Mise-en-scene + Camerawork

Our upcoming project is going to be about creating a Thriller opening sequence in groups of 3-4. Holly, Emily, Paula and Me were sorted in one group. To get started on the assignment, all of us were supposed to think of ideas individually. 


First Idea - Korean Thriller

Inspired by: Seven Days, Seven  
I came up with this idea while I was watching the Korean Thriller "7 Days". The opening sequence of the movie conists of quick flashes, showing glimpes of the characters and a few elements of the movie like locations, characters and just make the general vibe of the movie visual to the viewer. The transitions between character shots and locations/objects are overlayed with credits; the names of the people involved. I wanted to take the style from that opening sequence and also take "Korean" aspect of it. I liked the idea of doing a korean opening sequence because I felt that it was a very unique idea which hasn't been done in the Hurtwood House thrillers so far.  The fact that we have a lot of students from asian countrys also provided me with a big casting choice.
The basic storyline would be about a woman who used to be agent, now a single mother raising her five year old daughter. A man, which the woman had falsely accused of murder back in her days working as a an agent and arrested is released from prison and kidnaps the daughter out of hatred and revenge. The opening sequence would feature shots of him in prison,  being improsend and a voiceover in korean featuring english subtitles. The other shots are the daughter being dragged trough the mud and the woman investigating a shabby and run-down room, finding a polaroid of her daughter in the room.

Second Idea - Mass Suicide in a Boarding House 
Third idea - 
Fourth Idea -

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Narrative Theories

There are 5 different elements in a standart Narrative which are, in one way or the other, present in almost every kind of movie.

Equilibrium
The equilibrium describes the state and situation of the diegesis at the beginning of the movie. There is no disruption and no complication yet. Most of the time the diegesis is shown to be in a good state, sometimes it's a bad state and eventually goes into something better (New Equilibrium).

Disruption
The disruption is what causes the problem and what gets the Hero going. Mostly, the disruption is caused by the Villain and affects the Victim(s). 

Complication
The complication what developes the Disruption further and causes Danger for the hero. This is where the Donor comes into play. Often, the Donor has the needed knowledge to give on to the hero, who then uses it to cause the resolution.

Resolution
The resolution is as the name says, in first line a resolution to the complication and eventually also solves the Disruption, creating the New Equilibrium. The Resolution is always caused by the Hero and the Helpers.

New Equilibrium
The New Equilibrium is what comes after the Resolution. It is similiar to the Equilibrium. The diegesis and everything in it go back to the beginning. Something is either better or worse but the Disruption is solved. This is where the development of the characters is shown aswell.

In typicial movies there always a few roles who fulfill certain stereotypes and have a specific position within the movie. These specific roles exist in order to allow a Movie to fulfill the Narrative Theories (explained above). I choose the Harry Potter Movies to explain what those characters are and what they represent and what their role in the movie is.
Hero -  Harry Potter

The Hero is the main characer, the person the storyline resolves around and the person who, in most cases saves the day and creates the New Equilibrium. Harry is the main character in all 7 movies, the plot resolves around him and the plot is basically his storyline, getting revenge for the death of his parents and killing Voldemort in order to save the world, making him the Hero.

Helper - Ron & Hermione
The Helper/s or the "sidekick" can vary from one to several characters. The Helper sides with the hero and assists him in his quest to create the "New Equilibrium". As the name reveals, the helper is never more than a help. They are never the heroes or Donors. Troughout the Harry Potter Movies, Ron and Hermione side with Harry in every part of the franchise. Although they are important characters and do important things they are never as relevant as Harry, as he is the chosen one. What they do is help.

Villain - Lord Voldemort
The Villain is the character who causes the Disruption and mostly the Complication aswell. He is a threath to the Victim and the Hero. Lord Voldemort is the villain in the harry Potter franchise. Troughout the seven books, he plans his return, kills a lot of character and eventually causes a war, making him the Villain.

Donor - Albus Dumbledore

The Donor is someone with a specific gift/skill or knowledge. He is often represented as wise or strong. The Donor gives the hero something which he uses to resolve the disruption and create the New Equilibrium.  Mostly something that he wouldn't have been able to get anywhere else. In the Harry Potter Movies, Dumbledore constantly helps Harry and his friends, sharing his wisedom, his power and ultimately his weapons and items with them, making him the Donor.
 
Victim - Various; Depends on the Movie
The Victim is the character that is affected the most by the disruption, the complication and  the Villain. The victim is often saved by the hero and is, in some way, always emotionally attached to the hero. The fact that these characters add almost nothing to the movie other than having to be saved, makes them Victims.