Three act structure

The three act structure is based around the fact that all films follow a paradigm. This paradigm is meant to hold the film together. The three act structure shows that a film can be divided into  three parts for example: 

Three Act Structure: World War Z

Act 1:

This act would be around 30 minutes long. This is the part of the film in which the audience are introduced to the main character. The main character in this is Brad Pitt, throughout this film Brad Pitt is the father figure called Gerry Lane and he is out to protect his family and find a cure for the world.

Dramatic premise: The story for World War Z is that there is an outbreak of a zombie virus. This leaves the main character to try and sort out what has happened and then he tries to fix it before the world is destroyed.

Inciting incident: This is when the plot of the film is set in motion. For example in the film world war Z the inciting incident is when Brad Pitt and his family have realised that there is a zombie outbreak and this sets up the plot line for the rest of the film.






Act 2:
Act two will normally last about two quarters of the film so if the film is about 2 hours then the second act will be around an hour.

Obstacles: Within World War Z the first obstacle was that he has to choose between staying with his family and get thrown out of the safe place or going to work trying to fight the zombies. The next obstacle would be when the zombies start to climb over the wall making him venerable and this mean it would get him into a lot of danger.

First Culmination: This is the part in the film in which the main man Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is close to achieving the goal but then something happens which will then prevent him from doing so. The first culmination is when they are on the plane heading towards the cure then someone gets infected and turns into a zombie. Following that the plane then crashes making it so that they will not get to the hospital.

Midpoint: Throughout the film the hero is always looking strong and looks like he will achieve his goal, however this is the part of the film in which the hero hits rock bottom meaning he looks weak and it looks like he will not succeed in the mission or the antagonist looks like he would win. This is the part in World War Z when the plane has crashed and he gets badly injured with a part of the plane going through his stomach. This makes him weak and looks like he will be close to death.
 

Act 3: This is the part at the end of the film where the hero achieves his goal and then the world will be saved. there are only two parts to this section.

Climax: This is the part in which he has to run through the hospital trying to find the diseases which will make the zombies not affected you. This is built up with a lot of tension as there are lots of zombies and he has to be quite and there are a lot of jump senses.

Denouement: This is when the film has reached its end making sure that the world is okay again. The part in World War Z is when he finally gets reunited to his family creating an happy ending.


 

narrative devices

Levi Strauss

Claude Levi Strauss built upon philosopher Aristotle statement that all drama is conflict with his theory of binary opposition. Strauss said that all stories are accelerated forward by conflict which is caused by opposing characters or events.

opposites within a story line are extremely important in a good story, as drawing two different words or characters together inspires conflict and interesting narrative.

therefore the presence of binary opposition in films is an important one, as the differences within the world of the story collide and create a disturbance for which a solution must be found. it also helps to create and distinguish between character roles, for there cannot be a hero without a villain.

Roland Barthes

he believes that there are codes within films which will make the audience more interested and will want to watch more. the enigma code generates what the viewer is aware of within the narrative which will keep them focussed in the film. It will involve puzzles and problems which be solved as well as mysteries must be uncovered

there is also something called the action code which is an event that the audience are straight away aware off. as well as this resolution may be achieved through action also.

Tsvetan Todorov

presents us with his theory, which is based on his study of folk tales, that implies all mainstream films follows a similar narrative structure to each other. it consists of five stages.

Vladimir prop

also proposes a narrative structure which is similar to Todorovs, but slightly more detailed and complex preparation- introduction to the story.

Complication- keys or clues to the direction to the story

transference- the donor events

struggle-dealing with the complications

return-back home however there are still issues remaining

recognition-loose ends are tied up

This links to Propps character theory which identifies more character roles than the previously obvious protagonist and antagonist. He states the importance of spheres of action for each character as opposed to rigid characters type, wich one having the ability to assume more than one role. Propp identifies seven main roles

The villain

The donor-prepares the hero or gives them an objective
The helper-helps the hero throughout the quest
The princess-object of the heros desire, sought for during the narrative
The princess father-rewards the hero
The dispatcher-character to send the hero off
The hero (victim/seeker)- reacts to the donor, weds the princess completes the quest
The false hero, usuper or anti-hero

Narrative

Narrative

• the narrative is different to a story in media as the story is a sequence of events also called the plot where as the narrative is how those events are strung together for the audience.
• narrative chain and effect- the plotline is triggered by action enigma codes meaning something happens causing something else to happen
• narrative can be linked to genre as some genres have a typical story line

information about narrative- http://www.mediaknowall.com/gcse/keyconceptsgcse/keycon.php?pageID=narrative

                                            - http://www.slideshare.net/anne.horne/media-narrative-theory


Narrative enigmas- http://www.godnose.co.uk/downloads/alevel/key%20concepts/narrative%20structure.pdf

This is like a code which will limit audience information. This would keep them interested in the film that they are watching and therefore would want to watch it till the end to find out for example who the killer was or if the hero would manage to save the day.

purpose for enigmas:

• engages audience attention
• maintains curiosity and interest
• chain and effect cause (want to see what happens)

Narrative themes- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_(narrative)

This is when social issues are looked at within the film or media e.g-social class
                                                                                                             - sexuality
                                                                                                             - family values
These narrative themes are mostly in horror or crime drama this is because it tends to be more simplistic and encoded with entertainment values.

narrative structure-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative_structure

This is the structure of the story line e.g closed/open.
typically many films have a single stranded, closed, 3 act structure
Generally there is a plot theme and then a resolution within a film to make the audience more interested to see if the hero would solve the problem and save the world

Narrative theory

Russian theorist Tyvetan Todorov suggest that all narrative follow a three part structure.

comprehending time

Some films have many different ways of comprehending time for example: flashbacks, dream sequences, repetition, different characters pov, flash forwards, real time interludes and pre figuring events that have not yet happened. They do this as they most films don't happen in real time so they can fit all the action within a hour or more. This means something that might happen in 10 years will happen in an hour and those are some of the conventions that do so.

 





Hybrid Genres

Hybrid Genres


 This is a combination of two or more genres hybrids can have a larger audience as they will appeal to more people because there are more than one genre. this would help the film companies as more and more people would hear about the film and be more interested as it appeals to a larger target audience.

Genres are not static, but evolve. therefore, their common attributes change over time. most films are hybrid genre, since they possess the common attributes of more than one genre - Warren Buckland

As horror movies are perennially popular, film makers might start with a set horror paradigms to guarantee audience interest there are many different horror hybrids such as

-horror romance (warm bodies)
-horror war (R-point dead snow)
-horror historical drama (pride and prejudice and zombies)
-horror romcom (shaun of the dead)

more information on hybrid genres - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-genre
                                         - http://www.slideshare.net/guest302df2/horror-hybrids-and-sub-genres
                                        

Sub-Genre

Sub-Genre


sub-genre is like a sub heading for the larger film genre with their own distinctive subject matter, style, formulas, and iconography.



Action for example the sub genres in a James Bond film would be things like
-spy
-races against time








Thriller

ever type of movie genre has sub genres within for example the movie genre of thriller would have a lot of sub genres for example
-crime thriller
-revenge
-legal thriller

 

 

 

 

 

lesson on genre

                   lesson on genre

paradigm- this means the overall pattern created by a film that helps us categorise.

convention- the individual elements which help specify which genre a film belongs to e.g the convention of action films would be weapons and guns

why do we categorise?

the idea of genre grew with the evolution of the film industry, but was particular developed in Hollywood in the 1920/30 at the beginning of the major studios were established. The though of genre was made because it would make it easier for the audience to find the exact film that they would want. It also helps marketing as you could put a film under comedy and it would get more money and more people would want to view it as it is specified for them, where as if you put a horror into comedy genre then it wouldn't get as many views and therefor would loose money.


The importance of genre for audiences and producers?

Also there are certain genres suited for certain ages also the fact that people would have expectations for the film that they are going to view, and if it does not have those expectations then they wouldn't recommended it to a friend. So making sure they use the right conventions to make the film the genre that it is the audience would recommend it to a friend and creating more money.

Genre

A movie genre is a type of film content, theme and period which will allow the audience to know what type of film they are watching. Such things as mood, themes, props and subject matter will determined what genre of film you are watching. Paradigm is another word used when talking about films genres. This means what you expect to see in a films or other types of media, as well as this the word iconography is used which is the interpretation of an image.

 Comedy

 Such things as dialogue are different in a comedy as there would be more snappy and witty lines between the characters. 21 jump street is a film which has all the aspects for a comedy. The mood within the film shows that the genre is comedy as it is an upbeat film, however there are action scenes throughout but keeping with comedy tone of the film its filled with snappy dialogue. The costumes are also a key part of a comedy film for example at the end of 21 jump street one of the main characters is dressed in a tight peter pan costume whilst being chased by the enemies giving the serious side a comedy feel. Another way in which in which the film is known as a comedy is the plot line, the plot line is that two failed policemen are sent to school to figure out how the drugs are being made. This shows a comedy plot line as it is grown men going back to school and having to wear certain outfits to blend in. The actors within the film are also why it is classified as a comedy. the actors within the film are Jonah Hill he is known to play the comedy roles within the films he is in, Channing tattum is also in the film again known for playing a comedy role making the audience know its a comedy by just looking at the poster. 

Romantic

 A romantic film is much different to a comedy in many different ways. One of them is that they

are usually for the female audience. Normally within a love film there are many conventions one of them being would be the music within the film, in a romantic film the music will be soft and smooth making the audience feel warm and happy in contrast the music in an action film is made to make you feel tense and scared at some points. The characters in a love film would typically be a boy and a girl however the plot line for the film would be that during the story the couple would be split up leaving the target audience feeling sad, this is why love films are normally made for girls as it is more known for them to have a emotional reaction to the film. Props as well would be a sign of a love film for example during an action film there would be guns and explosions whereas in a romantic film there would be flowers or chocolates. The setting of a romantic film is normally an idyllic setting normally by a beach on in the middle of the country side this is because it makes it better for the viewer to watch as they don't like to see the couple all cramped in a horrible place which would make the film seem less upbeat and happy.

Action

 Within an action film there are many different conventions for example the use of props is key to

an action film the fact that they would normally use guns or explosions therefore you would know that it is an action film. The plot for an action film would normally be that the protagonist is trying to find the villain and save the day. but during the film it would normally show the protagonist at a week point and them being venerable allowing the audience to belief that there is no hope and that the villain will win. 'Average Joe' is normally used to best describe the hero in the film, this means that it is normally someone with a normal job who just happens to be caught up in the situation. The setting would normally be in the city where the villain would be able to cause most disruption in the plot line the villain would have a history with the hero giving him more of a motive for revenge.

 Horror

 Setting in a horror film is usually takes place in a mansion or an abandoned place, giving the film a more tense and suspicious feel to it. One of the conventions mainly used in a horror would be sound as the director can produce a lot of scary/tense moments the use of creaky doors and sudden silence makes the audience fear for what is about to happen. Typically there would be a group of people involved but only a couple would survive normally a girl and a guy. The villain would be a serial killer or someone who is out to mess up the world and they would be caught out at the end. Another convention would be pathetic fallacy the sound of rain and thunder could help with a horror film.