RESEARCH AND PLANNING: Narrative

    In the film industry, a set narrative for more or less all films has been created. The films have similar structures as they have become very formulaic and the audience knows what to expect to some extent. This could then be altered with plot twists to give the audience an element of surprise. Some popular narratives include Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. These films are popular within Hollywood due to their successful narratives.

    Aristotle, a Greek theorist, highlights how most films have a three stage act structure. This consists of a beginning, middle and end. Typically, the film has a causal chain of events, with one situation leading to another. Films will have a thesis, which is like the equilibrium. The thesis is usually depicted at the start of the narrative. Soon, the antithesis (the villain) will start acting out against the thesis. By the end, of the narrative, a synthesis is introduced. The synthesis shows how things have changed forever now that the protagonist has accomplished his/hers mission and restored the equilibrium. Many people such as Syd Field, supported this. However, some people criticised as a lot of films were being made very similar to one another.

Todorov explains how there can sometimes be five stages to a film. He discusses how each stage of the narrative impacts the story as a whole. To begin with, an equilibrium is set. This introduces characters and the environment that the film is set in. The second act depicts the enigma (hook). The enigma is a puzzle for the protagonist and a problem is created, therefore the equilibrium is broken. Then, the protagonist is set on a ‘quest’ to restore the equilibrium. This section is also accompanied by twists within the narrative.

Narrative has developed for a Hollywood style of movie. This is a typical narrative produced in more or less every major film that the film industry in Hollywood run out. This is a three act structure and typically includes a protagonist, a desire/goal, an antagonist, conflict and a climax/resolution. A popular genre to relate this popular three act structure to would be the superhero genre. It is clear to the audience who within the films are the protagonist and antagonist. There also is usually an action or a fight scene, in which the conflict takes place. Some popular superhero films include: Spiderman, Batman and The Avengers.

However, this Hollywood three act structure can also be applied to non-superhero films. Some popular films are: Indiana Jones, Jaws, ET and Thelma and Louise. In Thelma and Louise, the audience follows two women who are oppressed by men throughout the film. The pair decide to take a road trip to escape their lives and work towards freedom. Even though they do commit several crimes along their journey, the audience begins to sympathise with Thelma and Louise as all they want to do is live their lives to the fullest.    

The different ways that the audience receives the ending is interesting as it varies so much. At the end of the film, the pair are surrounded by the police and the Grand Canyon. They eventually decide to drive off of the Grand Canyon. The negotiated reading a viewer can have is understanding why the pair drove off, but they think that there were other options. The preferred reading (the reading that the director wants the audience to have) is how them jumping of represents their independence and sums up how they gained power throughout the whole film. The opposite reading is a reading that the director wouldn’t want the audience to have and this is that the pair are dead and they have been defeated. It is not a very uplifting ending at all. Then, there is the aberrant reading which debates whether the pair are actually dead or not.

People then began exploring what exactly made a film more interesting. John Yorke identified what sort of aspects films should have to make it engaging, these included: a surprise, a hook, an enigma, a cliffhanger, a struggle, a crisis and inciting incidents. Roland Barthes began exploring ‘codes’. This started with the Hermeneutic code which are a series of methods to uphold the narrative which include red herrings, puzzles and traps. The Proairetic code is a series of crisis points, including: tension, cliffhangers and enigmas. The symbolic codes are visual texts which have symbols and have deep symbolic meaning. There are also cultural codes which are read correctly due to shared or dominant backgrounds.

A man called Christopher Booker explains how there are seven basic plots within film. These include: overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, comedy, tragedy, re-birth and the voyage and return. A lot of these plots can be most commonly seen in Disney films.

Within films, hooks are constantly needed to keep the audience watching. This is why the need for concepts such as inciting incidents are so important. A ‘desire’ is set early on within the film. This desire is usually to restore the equilibrium. So, the inciting incident then becomes a catalyst for the protagonist’s desire and usually sets them off on their mission and introduces the action. The journey begins and the audience becomes intrigued to where this journey will take the protagonist. A long the journey, the protagonist might face a crisis. This is where someone close to them might pass away or something might test the character. This shakes up the plot a bit and again, keeps the audience engaged. The plot will then eventually reach the climax, which is where the action kicks in and there is usually confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist. Typically, there is usually a battle or some sort of fight between the two. The plot finally reaches a resolution. Depending on the genre, there is either a marriage, reward or punishment. Either way, plot twists are resolved and any love ends are tied up. There could even be a cliffhanger right at the end for a potential sequel/prequel.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING: Music Video Analysis - I'm Not The Only One by Sam Smith

At the start of the video, the audience is presented with a stereotypical American house, which the camera slowly zooms in on. It is clear that the camera is handheld, creating a feeling of uneasiness, accompanying the mood in the house. The cinematography is partnered with the sound of birdsong, this is symbolic of peace which highly contrasts the dynamics between the couple. There is also a voice over at the start, but the cinematography later accompanies the audio. It sets in a sense of equilibrium for the audience. The lighting is also bright around the house, but the house itself seems to be covered by the shadows of the trees, suggesting something is not quite right. The actual house is white in colour, but the doors are black. These colours remind the audience of the 'good' and 'evil' that is traditionally seen in films.

After this, the audience is finally introduced to the couple that live inside the house. The atmosphere seems uneasy. Mise en scene is powerful within this scene as the man bares a blank facial expression whilst looking into the mirror. This depicts that he doesn't see his wrongdoings or fazed by them. He is wearing a suit, perhaps displaying his wealth or giving the audience an insight to what his job is. Proxemics can be seen here as the pair are quite close together, falsely suggesting that they are in quite a close relationship.

The camera then cuts to a tracking shot of the female walking out to say goodbye to her partner. The audience can see from her facial expressions that she seems relatively happy. Interestingly, the colour palette changes to quite a dark one and lighting is minimal. This continues until she reaches the door way and the natural daylight hit her. This is powerful cinematography as it represents her being in the dark as her partners cheated on her. However, when she finally comes into the light, it is showing the audience that she now knows what he has done. Facial expressions are yet again used here as her smile completely fades into almost a disappointed look. This really creates dramatic irony as her partner does not know that she has realised he has been seeing someone else.

Then, the music kicks in and the birdsong instantly stops, highlighting the change of mood. The video footage constantly cuts between footage of the female and male in separate locations. The environment that the female is in is lit up well, whilst the man is surrounding by darkness, creating a clear binary opposition. Costume is very important in this snippet as the female is wearing a white dress. It looks as if it is similar to a wedding dress at one point - which is symbolic of purity and almost innocence. On the other hand, the video footage of the man has a lot of camera noise surrounding him, making the audience feel as if he is more suspicious. Again, he has a completely blank expression, highlighting that he does not feel guilty.

 Next, the audience is presented with an audiovisual as the lyrics 'For better or for worse' can be heard on the screen. At this point, the female takes her lady off, strongly depicting that she feels that the marriage has now come to an end. Both makeup and body language are also very important here. The lady can be seen crying due to the makeup streaming down her face. She can also be seen clutching her chest, highlighting that she has been both, physically and mentally hurt.

After this very emotional scene, the camera cuts to the woman the the husband is having a affair with. It makes the audience compare the females. His wife seems more well off than the woman that the husband is having an affair with due to the costumes that they are both wearing. For the first time since the video started, the audience can see the husband finally smile. This strongly indicates that he is happier to be with the woman he is having an affair with rather than his wife. It adds an even more sympathetic view for the wife due to the audience seeing her crying her eyes out, compared to this other woman who is happy. Proxemics are used again in this snippet as the man touches the woman, confirming to the audience that he is having an affair. Again due to the contrasts between the two female characters, it creates a binary opposition.

The audience is then introduced to a short snippet of the artist. It looks like he is performing at the same bar that the male is at due to the dark colour palette and harsh spotlight. He may have been briefly included within the music video as it shows it's a very personal song to him and that he could relate to some of the lyrics. This changes the audio from non diegetic to diegetic as the characters are able to hear it. 

The female can then be seen purchasing gasoline and alcohol whilst the male can be seen continuing his affair. It depicts how desperate the wife is to get away from her problems as she resorts to drinking. She can be seen with an aggressive look on her face as a tracking shot follows her to the counter.

Whilst driving home, the audience is reintroduced to the light and dark situation with the wife again. This time, the shadows barely even cover her. It depicts how as the video continues, she is accepting the truth even more. A blurred close up of her hands is also shown, highlighting that they are shaking as she holds the wheel. This presents that she is almost unsure of what she is about to do. The camera cuts to footage of the husband having the affair, displaying that it is constantly on her mind. There is still a lot of camera noise within the footage to depict that he is not trustworthy at all.

The camera then cuts back to the housewife as she burns, what are presumably, the husband's clothes. She bares a smug look on her face as she is doing this and the fire glow can be seen on her face and in the reflection of the windows. She continues to watch the fire as it is almost like her burning away the memories that they had together.

Towards the end of the video, the husband can be seen walking back to the house. It makes the audience question where the car is that he was first seen driving off in. The blank facial expression that he had at the start of the video has now returned. The audience can also see the wife waiting for him at the door way, but in different clothing. It would suggest perhaps a different attitude too and prepares the audience for the conflict that it yet to come. However, the audience is mislead as the wife greets him with open arms. She even smiles towards the end of the video. This leads the audience to a cliffhanger as they do not know if she is smiling because of all of the destruction she has caused, knowing that the husband is about to walk in on it, or the whole video could have been a fantasy of what she wish she would do, but feels too trapped in the relationship. Therefore, she acts as if she does not know that the husband has been cheating and acts as if everything is normal. It turns into an enigma for the audience due to them not knowing whether she ended their relationship or not.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING: Music Video Analysis - Same Love by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

The music video starts off with a blank white screen and then fades into a low angle shot of a light - almost as if it becomes a P.O.V shot. Various shots are then introduced to establish the hospital setting to the viewer. The hospital setting is significance as themes of new life and innocence are highlighted, which run parallel to the lyrics of the song. Mise en scene is important here as props such as latex gloves and hospital beds are used, instantly showing the viewer that this is a hospital environment. The colours are also quite neutral, but the lighting is bright - possibly linking to the song and foreshadowing hope. Many close ups are used within this first scene as well, the audience can see hands grasping one another, a newborn baby’s face and a mother’s smile. This sets the tone of the video as quite a positive one to begin with. Interestingly, the start of the video shows a ‘traditional’ man and woman relationship giving birth, indicating that this could change by the end of the video.

    After this scene, an establishing shot of the woods is used to introduce a new setting. The viewer can see young boys riding their bikes and generally exploring the woods. It is interesting that the director has used all one gender within this scene as the song is about a man exploring his sexuality. The song mentions the word ‘stereotypically’ which matches what is shown in the video as it cuts to stereotypical activities for each gender - running a lemonade stand for girls, whilst boys are playing baseball and rugby. The scene with the little boy playing rugby with his father then cuts to an older teenage boy playing rugby with his dad - perhaps indicating that his relationship with his father has not changed.

    A religious cross is then shown, which symbolic of the Christian or Catholic faith. The director has inserted what appears to be quite old clips of young girls and boys coming out of Church. This is highlighting the traditional ‘man and woman’ relationship, but shows how times have changed. The song also questions faith a little bit as it mentions ‘we paraphrase a book written thirty five hundred years ago’. The young teenager also looks quite uncomfortable sitting in Church as the song depicts that being gay and religious is hard.

    A series of shots are played to highlight how the teenage boy is confused frustrated with himself. The lighting on his face whilst he is sitting in his room is interesting. Half of his face is shadowed, whilst the other half is exposed to some sort of light, depicting that he is unsure of himself. The frustration he is feeling stimulates an argument with his mother as over the shoulder shots are used to portray him shouting at her.

    The next important scene is at the party. The footage is in slow motion as you can see the boy with his friends having a good time, it is almost as if he momentarily escaped his problems. However, this quickly changes as the room is filled with heterosexual couples dancing with one another, leaving the teenage boy standing by himself. His facial expression quickly changed from non-stop smiling to looking glum as he walks out of the party.

    Flashbacks of when the teenager was a young boy are constantly shown as a picture of him and his dad playing rugby is yet again shown. This could be depicting how they still maintain a strong relationship as the teenage boy has grown into a man. In the future, the character is in a relationship with another man. However, this relationship with his father breaks down as he introduces his partner to his father. The father leaves the table as he looks at his son and his wife with disappointment.

    The video then cuts to an insight of the man and his partner living life together, highlighting that his father's disapproval has not affected the relationship. However, it still appears that the couple receive ongoing abuse - even from absolute strangers in the street. The couple eventually get married, but it is interesting to see that the mother gives her son away, not the father. This highlights how the father-son relationship is completely broken as the audience does not even see him at the wedding. When the two are finally married, the footage is slowed right down, almost to show the audience that this doesn’t seem real for the couple and that they have had to come a long way and jump over many hurdles. Again, the father-son relationship is later directed as the son dances with his mother instead of his father.

    The video then cuts between flashbacks of the man at the party and present day to highlight how he has finally found himself within his sexuality and how life got better for him. The footage within the video then loops to the bright light and the scene at the hospital at the start of the video. It appears fuzzy and blurred, but the audience can make out that the main character is in hospital, but has aged as a white moustache is visible. Yet again, neutral colours are shown, making the hospital setting clear. The footage constantly cuts between the man and his partner, showing how their relationship has lasted and how they have proved many people wrong. The video ends with a close up of the couple holding each other’s hands with their wedding rings clearly visible. The golden colour stands out against the background, making the rings the centre of attention within the shot. A last flashback is shown of the man as a baby with his mother holding his hand. I think this is a really significant shot to end with as it really does portray that love is love, whether it be between family, friends, a man and a man, a woman and a woman or a man and a woman.