Narrative

Narrative - The way in which a story is told. Narrative is everything, shot types, camera angles, colour, rose, lipstick. Literally everything, because each one of these things is telling a story.

Ideology - The beliefs and values of the producer.

Christopher Booker said there are seven different types of story:

1. Overcoming the monster
2. Rags to riches
3. The Quest
4. Voyage and return
5. Comedy 
6. Tragedy
7. Rebirth

This theory is not that useful because it is too vague. 

Key Theory 2 - Narratology - Tzvetan Todorov 

Equilibrium - Everything in balance

STAGES

1. Establishment of equilibrium 
2. Disequilibrium (This starts the liminal period)
3. Partial restoration of equilibrium 

For example the tide advert sells a state of equilibrium, which relates to a stereotypical ideology. It demonstrates a state of normality which can only be achieved by purchasing the product.

 

What are the advantages of this theory?

• It is extremely simple and easy to apply

What are the disadvantages?

• It is way too simple, you can apply it to anything with not a lot of thinking

What does the inevitability of a disruption tell you about our society?

• People are pessimistic - negative outlook  

Why are media producers so obsessed with disruption and resolution?

• To make money because people love it.

KISS OF THE VAMPIRE (1963)

• Hermeneutic code - there is mystery regarding why these women are hanging around these vampires.
• Proairetic code - We can tell something bad will happen due to the mentioning of the word 'vampire', and the blood on the woman's neck.
• Symbolic code - The bats are symbolic of the vampires and horror genre, the colour red is symbolic of blood and death.
• There is binary opposition between the smartly dressed woman standing up, and the basic man on the floor.
• The layout has the cast names at the bottom, and photos at the middle-top, with font/title at the very top. This could be due to the time-period the movie was produced, where the layout is different. The main focus is on the pictures, to show the audience the colour imagery
• The main image has a variety of things going on within it, which could suggest the chaotic manor of the film. It is in full colour and therefore connects to the selling point of 'in colour', which is displayed at the bottom.
• In my opinion there is a strong focus on the dark haired woman because of her brighter complexion and the way that she is the closest standing person to the front. The man in red is dressed differently, so there is a strong focus on him too.
• The angle is direct/face on, perhaps suggesting the intensity of the film because nothing will be hidden.
• The font size of the title is large, in full capital letters, with the 'V' in vampire being representative of a vampire fang, with blood dropping from the point, like teeth. This contrasts the white colour scheme of the font so far. The rest of the font is much smaller, as it is less significant, yet the lead cast is still in bold, probably to draw fans of the actors in to watch the films. The word 'colour' is also in capital letters and bold, because it is the main selling-point.
• There is a really dark colour scheme which connotes the idea that this is a horror film because it has the conventions of a horror movie advertisement/movie poster
• The location appears to be in an isolated location because it is more scary as it emphasises the sense of fear, due to there being no one else around to help.
• The woman's costumes are dresses, which is glamorous, creating a binary opposition to the basic-dressed men. They are presented as glamorous because the texture of their dresses looks silky which is expensive. The women's hair looks less-cared for than their clothing.
• The women do not have much makeup on, but you could believe there will be special effect makeup in the movie because the woman has blood on her neck. That can be achieved by makeup.
• The graphics look outdated, so it is not appealing for a modern audience.
• The V is polysemic because you can see it as a regular letter or as a vampire fang. Some people even see it as a cross.