My Target Audience

There is a niche market for short films. This is because they appeal to less people than a Hollywood blockbuster does. People interested in short films are generally interested in the flm industry (are a student, or work in the industry) and/or art house cinema. This means that short films are not normally shown conventially, and do not appear in cinemas, but instead appear at places such as film festivals or on the internet. My target audience ranges from students (16) to adults.

Research: Social Realism

Social Realist films are what British cinema is known for. Here the gritty social life of Britain is depicted from a working class point of view. These films deliver a powerful story depicting social and racial injustice and economic hardship, the like of which had not been seen before the 1960's, where the only films shown were from the Hollywood studios.

Notable directors include: Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, and more recently Shane Meadows

Ken Loach

Ken Loach employs a variety of techniques in his films, in order to keep up the verisimilitude. This includes shooting the scenes in a linear order, and hiring local unknown actors who may have experience the problems they face in the film first hand.

Character Theories

Propp's Character Theory

Vladmir Propp worked out that whatever differences the story may have on the surface, it was possible to group characters and actions into the same 8 character roles and 31 functions.

These 8 character roles are:

1. The Villain

2. The Hero - or character that seeks something

3. The Donor - provides an object with some magical property

4. The Helper - who aids the Hero

5. The Princess - object of the villains schemes, reward for the Hero

6. The Princess' Father - rewards the hero

7. The Dispatcher - starts the hero on his mission

8. The False Hero

The 31 functions are;

"After the initial situation is depicted, the tale takes the following sequence of 31 functions:
ABSENTATION: A member of a family leaves the security of the home environment. This may be the hero or some other member of the family that the hero will later need to rescue. This division of the cohesive family injects initial tension into the storyline. The hero may also be introduced here, often being shown as an ordinary person.
INTERDICTION: An interdiction is addressed to the hero ('don't go there', 'don't do this'). The hero is warned against some action (given an 'interdiction').
VIOLATION of INTERDICTION. The interdiction is violated (villain enters the tale). This generally proves to be a bad move and the villain enters the story, although not necessarily confronting the hero. Perhaps they are just a lurking presence or perhaps they attack the family whilst the hero is away.
RECONNAISSANCE: The villain makes an attempt at reconnaissance (either villain tries to find the children/jewels etc.; or intended victim questions the villain). The villain (often in disguise) makes an active attempt at seeking information, for example searching for something valuable or trying to actively capture someone. They may speak with a member of the family who innocently divulges information. They may also seek to meet the hero, perhaps knowing already the hero is special in some way.
DELIVERY: The villain gains information about the victim. The villain's seeking now pays off and he or she now acquires some form of information, often about the hero or victim. Other information can be gained, for example about a map or treasure location.
TRICKERY: The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings (trickery; villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim). The villain now presses further, often using the information gained in seeking to deceive the hero or victim in some way, perhaps appearing in disguise. This may include capture of the victim, getting the hero to give the villain something or persuading them that the villain is actually a friend and thereby gaining collaboration.
COMPLICITY: Victim taken in by deception, unwittingly helping the enemy. The trickery of the villain now works and the hero or victim naively acts in a way that helps the villain. This may range from providing the villain with something (perhaps a map or magical weapon) to actively working against good people (perhaps the villain has persuaded the hero that these other people are actually bad).
VILLAINY or LACK: Villain causes harm/injury to family member (by abduction, theft of magical agent, spoiling crops, plunders in other forms, causes a disappearance, expels someone, casts spell on someone, substitutes child etc., commits murder, imprisons/detains someone, threatens forced marriage, provides nightly torments); Alternatively, a member of family lacks something or desires something (magical potion etc.). There are two options for this function, either or both of which may appear in the story. In the first option, the villain causes some kind of harm, for example carrying away a victim or the desired magical object (which must be then be retrieved). In the second option, a sense of lack is identified, for example in the hero's family or within a community, whereby something is identified as lost or something becomes desirable for some reason, for example a magical object that will save people in some way.
MEDIATION: Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched, hears call for help etc./ alternative is that victimized hero is sent away, freed from imprisonment). The hero now discovers the act of villainy or lack, perhaps finding their family or community devastated or caught up in a state of anguish and woe.
BEGINNING COUNTER-ACTION: Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action. The hero now decides to act in a way that will resolve the lack, for example finding a needed magical item, rescuing those who are captured or otherwise defeating the villain. This is a defining moment for the hero as this is the decision that sets the course of future actions and by which a previously ordinary person takes on the mantle of heroism.
DEPARTURE: Hero leaves home;
FIRST FUNCTION OF THE DONOR: Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc., preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor);
HERO'S REACTION: Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him);
RECEIPT OF A MAGICAL AGENT: Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters);
GUIDANCE: Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;
STRUGGLE: Hero and villain join in direct combat;
BRANDING: Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);
VICTORY: Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);
LIQUIDATION: Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revived, captive freed);
RETURN: Hero returns;
PURSUIT: Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero);
RESCUE: Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognizingly, hero saved from attempt on his/her life);
UNRECOGNIZED ARRIVAL: Hero unrecognized, arrives home or in another country;
UNFOUNDED CLAIMS: False hero presents unfounded claims;
DIFFICULT TASK: Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);
SOLUTION: Task is resolved;
RECOGNITION: Hero is recognized (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
EXPOSURE: False hero or villain is exposed;
TRANSFIGURATION: Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc.);
PUNISHMENT: Villain is punished;
WEDDING: Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).

Occasionally, some of these functions are inverted, as when the hero receives something while still at home, the function of a donor occurring early. More often, a function is negated twice, so that it must be repeated three times in Western cultures." -Wikipedia

This character theory can be seen in films such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, here is my analysis;

Applying Propp's character theory to Star Wars
1. The Hero - Luke Skywalker
2. The Villain - Darth Vader
3. The Donor - Obi Wan
4. The Helper - Obi Wan
5. The Princess - Leia
6. The Dispatcher - Obi Wan
7. The Father - Leia
8. The False Hero - Lando Calrissian

Applying Propp's Character theory to Lord of the Rings

1. The Hero - Frodo
2. The Villain - Sauron
3. The Donor - Bilbo
4. The Helper - Smeagle/Fellowship
5. The Princess - The Ring
6. The Dispatcher - Gandalf
7. The Father -
8. The False Hero - Gollum/Borimir

Applying Propp's Character theory to Macbeth

Narrative Theories

Making narratives, or stories, is one of the key ways meanings in the media are constructed. Factual and Fictional media are subject to this structural shaping

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Tzvetan Todorov Believed there were 5 parts to a narrative structure, and these were:

1. Equilibrium - Establishes what is normal for the chaacter to experience, introduces the audience to the characters and crates a believable sense of palce and time to set up the story

2. Disruption - Drama occurs as the Equilibrium is disrupted by an unknown/outside force, this has to be solved in order to reutrn back to the beginning Equilibrium

3. Disequilibrium - The proagonsits set to work to solve the enigma.

4. Resolution - Here the obstacles preventing Equilibrium are overcome, the disruption is solved and damage repared. Antagonist has been defeated, and no mroe enigma.

5. New Equilibrium - It does not stay the same way it was however, and during the course of fixing the disruption the characters have changed, and their location is different. A new state of normality has appeared but it will never be the same as it was in the beginning. Often this is for the better.


Barthé's Theory

Roland Barthes describes a text as

"a galaxy of signifiers, not a structure of signifieds; it has no beginning; it is reversible; we gain access to it by several entrances, none of which can be authoritatively declared to be the main one; the codes it mobilizes extend as far as the eye can read, they are indeterminable...the systems of meaning can take over this absolutely plural text, but their number is never closed, based as it is on the infinity of language..." (S/Z - 1974 translation)

By this he means there is a number of Narrative Codes followed by media:

1. Action code - will be read by means of accumulated details relating to our sterotyped, cultural knowledge.

2. Enigma code - works to set up small puzzles to be solved, to desirably delay the films ending

3. Symbols & Signs - Connotation

4. Simple description/reproduction - Denotation

5. Points of Cultural Reference - Myth


These conventions not only feature in films, but also new stories, where we are teased with enigmatic stories before an ad break. Within the stories, disruption to the status quo is often narratively blamed on one person or group, rather than whoever was equally provocative behind the story, thus complex historical and political meanings are removed from the narrative structure.

The Monomyth/The Hero's Journey

This structure is described by Joseph Campbell as having 17 stages (although a story may not include all 17), and that many classic myth narratives follow it, along with numerous adventure films. such examples are the stories of Osiris, Prometheus, Moses and Buddha.

here is a short summary from Wikipedia

"In a monomyth, the hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. The hero who accepts the call to enter this strange world must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, the hero may achieve a great gift or "boon." The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this boon. If the hero does decide to return, he or she often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero returns successfully, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world.

Campbell describes some 17 stages or steps along this journey. Very few myths contain all 17 stages — some myths contain many of the stages, while others contain only a few; some myths may have as a focus only one of the stages, while other myths may deal with the stages in a somewhat different order. These 17 stages may be organized in a number of ways, including division into three sections: Departure (sometimes called Separation), Initiation, and Return. "Departure" deals with the hero's adventure prior to the quest; "Initiation" deals with the hero's many adventures along the way; and "Return" deals with the hero's return home with knowledge and powers acquired on the journey."

more info on the 17 stages at Wikipedia