Showing posts with label Theories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theories. Show all posts
Monday, 1 October 2012
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Psychological Thriller icons
Most psychological thrillers involve a particular icon that reappears throughout the film as part of a symbol or a reoccurrence to 'play' on the protagonist's mind, whether they appear in the protagonist's dream or real life, they have a big part to play in the psychological aspect.
Black Swan
Throughout Black Swan there are many different icons that show that the main character, Nina (Natalie Portman), is losing her mind. The main theme for the film is ballet, and further into this theme the ballet show is Swan Lake, so there are many different icons just from here.
Nina's personality reflects that of a swan, so the theme of bird is throughout. There is a close focus on the body with bones and joints. As well as this, there are lots of close ups to show these icons.
One of the biggest icons that reflects the swan theme is the use of black feathers throughout the film and trailer. At the very end of the trailer, in the pivotal moment, Nina pulls what appears to be a black feather from a scratch on her back.
This scene is important for the trailer because it at the very end of the trailer, leaving audiences asking what they just saw, why it happens and what happens after. The music also emphasises the frightening effect this scene does. It's a very good example of Barthes Hermeneutic Code, because nothing in the scene makes sense so it makes audiences question what has happened.
This icon and theme is also used in other promotions for the film. An example is the poster below.
Donnie Darko
The character, Donnie, has an imaginary friend who is wearing a bunny costume. This is referenced to throughout the film often. Not only does the character and icon of a rabbit appear in the film and the trailer, other forms of promotion use the icon.
Other themes and icons throughout the trailer are fire and storms.
Although there are still many close ups used in Donnie Darko, the psychological visual aspect comes from the repetition of icons such as the bunny rabbit, storms and fires. All of these are used in the film's poster as well as the trailer.
For my trailer, I'm going to have a few different icons. My most used icon will be a mask, because my film is a psychological thriller about a young female's mind, the mask acts as a form of anonymity and the identity of the people wearing the mask is unknown. The mask is symbolic of captivity, anonymity and being trapped. Masks, especially plain masks like the one I am using, take away a person's identity and personality, so the mask is very symbolic which could hint to what the film's plot is about.
Black Swan
Throughout Black Swan there are many different icons that show that the main character, Nina (Natalie Portman), is losing her mind. The main theme for the film is ballet, and further into this theme the ballet show is Swan Lake, so there are many different icons just from here.
Nina's personality reflects that of a swan, so the theme of bird is throughout. There is a close focus on the body with bones and joints. As well as this, there are lots of close ups to show these icons.
One of the biggest icons that reflects the swan theme is the use of black feathers throughout the film and trailer. At the very end of the trailer, in the pivotal moment, Nina pulls what appears to be a black feather from a scratch on her back.
This scene is important for the trailer because it at the very end of the trailer, leaving audiences asking what they just saw, why it happens and what happens after. The music also emphasises the frightening effect this scene does. It's a very good example of Barthes Hermeneutic Code, because nothing in the scene makes sense so it makes audiences question what has happened.
This icon and theme is also used in other promotions for the film. An example is the poster below.
Donnie Darko
There are a lot of shots of the protagonist seen through various canted and obscure camera angles. This shows the character's mind.
Although there are still many close ups used in Donnie Darko, the psychological visual aspect comes from the repetition of icons such as the bunny rabbit, storms and fires. All of these are used in the film's poster as well as the trailer.
The Machinst
The Machinst is about a man who works on a machine, so the title of the film is pretty obvious. This is a big part of the story, so the theme of machine sounds are very apparent throughout the trailer and the film. Another big icon of the film is the game 'hangman', which appears on the character's fridge unfinished and the character comes back to this game throughout the film and the trailer.
This icon is also used on the film's poster, because of it's importance to the film's story.
The main purpose for icons in the film is similar to that of Barthes Hermeneutic Code. The code is unexplained so audiences do not know the full story and therefore, they are forced to keep guessing throughout the film. It's similar to the Action/Proairetic Code because the icons do not raise questions. Most of all, the Barthes media theory is mostly applicable to psychological thriller codes because of the Semantic Code, which is the voice of the person showing a deeper meaning of the symbols.
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| A very important symbolic icon in The Prestige (2006 dir. Christopher Nolan) |
Monday, 2 July 2012
Media Theories and applying them to film
Theories
Roland Barthes: media theory
Barthes looked at many different codes in media texts (whether it’s literature, film or television) and he was a semiotics professor, meaning that he was paid to unravel text and write about it. He used the basic analysis of text, ‘open’ and ‘closed’, and elaborated on these theories.
Action/Proairetic Code
This is the idea of little actions that do not particularly raise questions, as they are the consequence of a smaller action. This code is used to create tension and can assist audiences into guessing what could possibly happen next.
Hermeneutic Code
Barthes’ Hermeneutic Code refers to a text not being fully explained and therefore becoming a mystery for audiences to find out about. The author/director of the text’s aim is to keep the audience guessing up until the very end, referring to the basic structure of the enigma code (below).
Enigma Code
Barthes Enigma Code says that a text involves audiences to ask questions, leading them to (hopefully) continue because they have been enticed by this mystery. This is commonly used in cold openings for films as well as their trailers.
Semantic Code
This code focuses on connotations and meanings behind certain symbols. This code is known as ‘the voice of the person’.
Symbolic Code
Even though this code is very similar to the Semantic Code, it provides a much deeper look at connotations and meanings. This code is known as ‘the voice of symbols’.
Cultural Code
This is a code that refers to anything else in the said text externally. The external body of knowledge can be anything scientific, religious, and historical.
Using Roland Barthes most famous and focused media theories, I will be looking at film trailers and whether or not they use these codes and if so, how they can help benefit me in creating my production.
Tzvetan Todorov: media theory
When looking at trailers in general (a few posts back), I touched upon Todorov’s narrative theory and how it is used in trailers.
The theory says that every media text begins with ‘Equilibrium’ where characters, setting and everything else are at a balance. Then a ‘Disruption’ comes along as a threat to the Equilibrium. The character’s ‘Recognise’ the threat of the Disruption and set out to get rid or ‘Repair’ it in hope of the first or a ‘New Equilibrium’.
I believe that this theory can be applied to trailers to a certain point. Most feature length trailers feature the Equilibrium, the Disruption and show the character’s recognition of this disruption. But because trailers can’t reveal the ending of the film (cause audiences then wouldn’t need to see the film), the trailer either ends at this point or shows the characters attempt at repairing the disruption.
I will be looking at Todorov’s theory when I look closely at psychological thriller trailers to see if they follow a similar narrative structure. If this is the case, I will be looking at how the theory is used to help my own production.
Vladimir Propp’s narrative theory: media theory
Propp’s narrative theory can also be known as the character theory, because his work looked at the significance of character types and the role they play in the media narrative. There are seven main character types that Propp looked at; Hero, Villain, Donor, Helper, Princess, Dispatcher and False Hero.
The Hero is the more often than not the main character of the text, who restores the equilibrium (see Todorov). This character type is often male, but a recent trend in the last 3 decades has seen the role branch out to both genders.
The Villain is usually the character who causes the disruption for the text.
In order for the Hero to restore the equilibrium, a Donor is often used to aid the hero by giving them something, for example advice or an item.
The Helper is usually the character to assist the Hero on their quest or journey to the equilibrium.
The ‘Princess’ is a character type that is now known more as the victim. This is the character that is usually kidnapped or most at threat by the villain, in order for the hero to save.
The Dispatcher is simply known as the character that sends the hero to the task. For most films I consider this to be a community if a large setting or population are put at risk by the disruption.
The False Hero is the character who appears to be good, until the end where it is revealed they are not on the good side.
Of course, not all of these character types can be applied in every single film. But the majority on the most part can be noticed in films.
I will also be referencing to this theory in my study of psychological thriller trailers.
Roland Barthes: media theory
Barthes looked at many different codes in media texts (whether it’s literature, film or television) and he was a semiotics professor, meaning that he was paid to unravel text and write about it. He used the basic analysis of text, ‘open’ and ‘closed’, and elaborated on these theories.
Action/Proairetic Code
This is the idea of little actions that do not particularly raise questions, as they are the consequence of a smaller action. This code is used to create tension and can assist audiences into guessing what could possibly happen next.
Hermeneutic Code
Enigma Code
Barthes Enigma Code says that a text involves audiences to ask questions, leading them to (hopefully) continue because they have been enticed by this mystery. This is commonly used in cold openings for films as well as their trailers.
Semantic Code
This code focuses on connotations and meanings behind certain symbols. This code is known as ‘the voice of the person’.
Symbolic Code
Even though this code is very similar to the Semantic Code, it provides a much deeper look at connotations and meanings. This code is known as ‘the voice of symbols’.
Cultural Code
This is a code that refers to anything else in the said text externally. The external body of knowledge can be anything scientific, religious, and historical.
Using Roland Barthes most famous and focused media theories, I will be looking at film trailers and whether or not they use these codes and if so, how they can help benefit me in creating my production.
Tzvetan Todorov: media theory
When looking at trailers in general (a few posts back), I touched upon Todorov’s narrative theory and how it is used in trailers.
The theory says that every media text begins with ‘Equilibrium’ where characters, setting and everything else are at a balance. Then a ‘Disruption’ comes along as a threat to the Equilibrium. The character’s ‘Recognise’ the threat of the Disruption and set out to get rid or ‘Repair’ it in hope of the first or a ‘New Equilibrium’.
I will be looking at Todorov’s theory when I look closely at psychological thriller trailers to see if they follow a similar narrative structure. If this is the case, I will be looking at how the theory is used to help my own production.
Vladimir Propp’s narrative theory: media theory
Propp’s narrative theory can also be known as the character theory, because his work looked at the significance of character types and the role they play in the media narrative. There are seven main character types that Propp looked at; Hero, Villain, Donor, Helper, Princess, Dispatcher and False Hero.
The Hero is the more often than not the main character of the text, who restores the equilibrium (see Todorov). This character type is often male, but a recent trend in the last 3 decades has seen the role branch out to both genders.
The Villain is usually the character who causes the disruption for the text.
In order for the Hero to restore the equilibrium, a Donor is often used to aid the hero by giving them something, for example advice or an item.
The Helper is usually the character to assist the Hero on their quest or journey to the equilibrium.
The ‘Princess’ is a character type that is now known more as the victim. This is the character that is usually kidnapped or most at threat by the villain, in order for the hero to save. The Dispatcher is simply known as the character that sends the hero to the task. For most films I consider this to be a community if a large setting or population are put at risk by the disruption.
The False Hero is the character who appears to be good, until the end where it is revealed they are not on the good side.
Of course, not all of these character types can be applied in every single film. But the majority on the most part can be noticed in films.
I will also be referencing to this theory in my study of psychological thriller trailers.
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