Memento

Memento was interesting and at times, very confusing. It has a very unconventional narrative structure - the film appears to be back to front. The audience also feel a sense of the confusion the main character Leonard experiences, as we see the answers before the questions, thus creating a vast amount of enigma codes, and few action codes that we can rely upon. This technique means the audience will have to focus more on the storyline, and then compile the overall plot of the film in their mind at the end of the film, thus creating a lasting effect on the audience. The use of flashbacks and memories also creates a certain non-naturalism to the events, something very unconventional to movies in general. This is most apparent in the scenes shot in monochrome, these being in chronological order. Leonard is seen talking to a someone on a phone, the identity of which we do not know until the end of the film. In fact we do not know the "reason" for these scenes until the end of the film, although they do also serve as an expliantion and background to Leonard and therefore the film's plot in general.

I think the opening of the film had a huge impact, as the brutality of the image (Teddy's head blown off his shoulders) in the polaroid is very shocking for an opening scene. It also creates enigma codes straight away, for example who has been shot and why? This scene is the only section shot in reverse - we see the bullets return to the gun, and Teddy come 'back to life'. The scene is repeated, this time in real time, chronologically to establish the overall image of the plot and all the questions raised during the film.

I think this structure was very effective, as it kept the audience ansking questions and kept them in the dark as to who was the villain and who was trying to help Leonard. The number of twists and turns created by the structure is incredible, and I think this is a very effecive way of creating enigma codes easily. However, this is a very original idea, and if used again, the resulting film may appear as just a carbon copy of Memento, therefore leading to a less positive response from the public.

Narrative Theory

Case Study: Rear Window (1954 - Hitchcock)

Levi-Strauss: Binary Opposites

Good Vs. Evil

Imprisonment Vs. Freedom

Bachelorism Vs. Married Life

Light Vs. Dark

Fear Vs. Happiness

Paralasis Vs. Healthy Body

Adventure Vs. Routine

Male Vs. Female

(to name a few...)

Todorov: Narrative Structure

• State of Equalibrium - Jeff at home recovering from a broken leg. This can also be refered to as the First Disruption, as we discover Jeff used to be a well travelled photographer
• Girlfriend and nurse visit him on a daily basis, but during his time alone in his boredom he resorts to spying on his neighbours, leading to the Major Disruption - the suspected murder of one of his neighbours, committed by her husband
• Attempts at resolution - Jeff attempts to prove that a murder has occured. He enlists the help of his nurse and his girlfriend, who both initially do not believe his allegations, but in time begin to realise Jeff is right. He informs a friend in the police force of the possible murder, and also persuades his girlfriend to go to the killer's flat and search through his belongings. However, the evidence he gathers is still not sufficient to prove a murder has takken place.
• Final confrontation / Resolution - The murder is uncovered and Lars (the killer) discovers Jeff has been watching him. Lars enters Jeff's flat, and approaches him with murder in his eyes. Jeff however, uses the flash on his camera to stall the killer until the police arrive. Jeff is pushed onto the street from his appartment window, but Lars is arrested straight after. We then see a New Equalibrium reached, as Jeff and his girlfriend prepare for a life together.

Propp - character types

• Jeff - Hero
• Lars Thorwald - Villain
• Helper - Nurse Stella / Girlfriend Lisa / Detective Doyle
• Princess - Girlfriend Lisa
• Reward - solid relationship with Lisa

Barthes - Action codes (what happens next? events lead onto other events - answers)

• Phonecall states Jeff will be in cast for next month
• Voyeurism
• Arguments between couples (killer +wife)
• Lars spotting Jeff spying on him

Barthes - Enigma codes (why did this happen? - questions)

• Why has Jeff got a broken leg?
• What happened to Lars' wife?
• What is buried in the garden?
• Where does Lars go at night?

Syd Field's Plot Structure Theory

FATAL ATTRACTION

Act 1
The Setup - Audience shown Dan Gallagher's (Douglas) perfect family life. He has a loving wife, a beautiful young child and a solid career as a lawyer. This opening section is about 10 minutes long.
The next section can be described as Plot Point 1, or the Distruption of the equalibrium.He soon risks it all when his wife visits her parents, and he sleeps with the "femme fatale" Alex (Glenn Close). When Dan tries to break it off with Alex, she cuts her wrists in a desperate attempt to save their relationship. At this point both the audience and Douglas' character realise Alex is serious about their relationship, and possibly insanely obsessed with Dan. This section is approximately 30 minutes long.
Act 2
Alex attempts to get back together with Dan, and goes as far to threaten telling his wife of their recent affair.
Helpless
On several occasions Dan attempts to resolve his conflict with Alex. During act 2, he stops taking Alex's calls at his office, moves to the suburbs, and seeks legal advice. However the ever resilient Alex befriends his wife, claims she is pregnant with his child, and discovers the location of the Gallaghers' new home.
Plot Point 2 / Second Distruption
Alex's insane obsession reaches a climax as she threatens to tell Dan's wife of the affair, and goes as far as to boil his child's pet rabbit whilst the family are out of town. Dan finally realises how serious a threat Alex is not only to his family stability but also their health.
Act 3 / Resolution
Dan does the 'right thing' and tells his wife of his fling with the now insane Alex. Although bitter towards her husband, she soon forgives him and the two join forces to fend off Alex. Alex kidnaps their child, but returns her unscathed, leading to Beth threatining Alex that she will kill her if she comes near her family.
There is a final confrontation between Alex and the Gallaghers, commencing on Dan's home turf (his home), where Alex attempts to stab both Beth and Dan. Working together, the couple drown the psychotic Alex in their bathtub. Just as they think it's all over, Alex resurfaces and attempts to kill Dan. However, Beth draws a gun and shoots her love rival dead, resulting in equilibrium being reached once again.

During the film there are several refrences to the famous opera Madame Butterfly. It is interesting to see the parallels between the two plots - the two lead females being abandoned and used by their lovers. In the alternative ending to Fatal Attraction, Alex actually commits suicide, the same ending that occurs in the opera. The Japanese release of the film featured this ending, as the similarities between the film and the opera were most apparent here, where Madame Butterfly is at times set.

DVD cover deconstruction SE7EN

Camera
Medium close-up of white male (Brad Pitt),20-30 years old, attractive, looking straight at camera, 1/4 of face in shadow, the rest cast in light.
The shot size connotes this character is essential to the plot. The direct adress (looking at camera) connotes that he will be a key aspect to the narrative of the film, almost as if the film will be from his perspective. The character is slighty in shadow which connotes that he has secrets and may have problems with his personality. This is also backed up by the age of the character, as he is young and unwise. However, as the majority of his face is cast in light, we are lead to believe that he is a good character in the film.
Medium close-up of black/mixed-race male (Morgan Freeman) 50-60 yeard old, 1/4 of face in shadow, lookin to the left (offscreen) of shot.
The shot size again connotes that this character will play a big part in the film. He is looking off screen which creates enigma codes and also connotes this character is looking for something, or investigating. The age of the character connotes that he is wise and is in control of his emotions far more than the younger character.

Mise-en-scene
Seven 'Deadly Sins' written vertically in the centre of the frame
The composition of this text is important, as it is between the two characters, therefore showing that these sins connect the character, and therefore is essential to the plot. Each word has a red 'slash' in it which signifies stabbing and therefore death. This gives the audience a good idea of what the film is about. The red also connotes blood which will again link in with murder. The typeface is also looks almost like the font often used in imprtant scriptures or religious texts. It also associates itself with the Ten Commandments as it in written vertically and each sin is distiguishable from the other. This connotes religion and Christianity which are seen in the film.
Tagline - "Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die"
This gives a very comprehensive round up or synopsis of the plot of the film. We know that there will be seven different deaths in the film, but it is also very enigmatic, as the audience will question who is killing people and why. The text is in yellow, which coupled with the red and the orange also seen on the cover suggests fire. Fire connotes danger and evil forces, whilst we also associate it with Hell, which is in turn linked with Sin.
Title - "seven"
The title is bold and in white to contrast with the dark background. This makes it stand out and attract the audience. The contrast between the black and white also connotes Good vs. Evil. The typeface of the word "seven" is also like a bloodsmear, which connotes violence and death yet again.
Narrative Image
The use of the seven deadly sins, the knife slashes on the words, and the bloodsmear font all promise death and also indicates the audience will feel fear when watching the film. Enigma is created with the darkness of the shots, the shadows cast on each characters face, misleading the audience as to whether or not these characters are good. The basic plot of the film is indicated in the tagline, although it does not reveal who or what is commiting these murders, or even if they are murders. We do not know who is killed, and we do not know what type of character the two people shown here are within the film.

Slasher genre

Recently watched Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street", and although it has a reputation for being one of the very first dumb "body-count" movies, I thought it was far more psychological than people make it out to be. The idea of a killer who murders people in their sleep was very disturbing and the hookline summed up the fears of the character's and the audience well: "If Nancy Doesn't Wake Up Screaming, She Won't Wake Up At All"

The film was very influential and helped spawn many sequels, although many agree they were not up to the high standard set by the original. Other "slasher" movies took the narrative structure and replicated it. There is a murder of a character near the beginning of the film who we were lead to believe was the protagonist. The cast usually involves teenagers, and those that do drugs and have sex normally die, whereas those who don't and work hard at school survive.

Other films that influenced the genre include:

• Halloween
• Friday the 13th
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• My Bloody Valentine

The genre was at it's height during the 1980's but died out towards the end of the decade due to constant repitition of storylines, and a lack of originality. However, in 1996 Wes Craven directed "Scream", which once again revived the genre. It was very satirical of it's own "slasher/horror" genre, which gave it originality. This lead to several other films much in the same vain, for example "I Know What You Did Last Summer". This revival also lead to some sequels of classic films such as "Halloween H20" and remakes such as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".

The "Scream Trilogy" also helped establish some 'rules' for the slasher genre. Below are some of these laws which the characters say in the film:

1. You may not survive the movie if you have sex.
2. You may not survive the movie if you drink or do drugs.
3. You may not survive the movie if you say "I'll be right back."
4. You may not survive the movie if you ask "Who's there?"
5. You shouldn't go out to investigate a strange noise if you wish to survive.

Thriller Shot

1 – What were you trying to achieve?
In this exercise, we attempted to take a photograph that perfectly summed-up the ‘thriller’ genre. The mise-en-scene, lighting, framing, and in fact everything about the shot was organized in an attempt to create generic signifiers of a ‘thriller’
2 – In what way does your shot represent ‘thriller’?
Below is a short list of all the aspects of the shot which could be seen as signifiers of the ‘thriller’ genre.
- Metal gate: connotes prison and entrapment creating a sense of claustrophobia
- Lock: reinforces the image of prison
- Rusty metal: suggests that this gate has been present for a long time, holding something or someone back for years. Creates mystery
- Overgrown scenery: suggests the location is derelict and that it is deserted. This will create a feeling of mystery as well as suspense as the scene would probably be very quiet at this point.

3 – What doesn’t work about your shot?
Below is a short list of some improvements that could be made to this shot.
- Lighting: to create even more mystery and suspense this shot could’ve been taken at night. The use of the moon as a light source would add to the tension as well.
- Shadows: using limited light, for example shining through parts of the bars on the gate, would create shadows on the ground within the shot. Shadows are often used in thrillers as they given mystery to a character or scene as the shadow is only a representation of something. In this case, the shadow will create another set of bars, again adding to the prison theme and the sense of claustrophobia.
- Framing: if the framing was a little tighter, for example the top of the gate was cut out of the frame, the gate would seem much larger and it would also give the audience the impression they are part of the scene, as if they are looking through the eyes of someone. We could also have made this shot slightly low angle, as this connotes power and menace, perfect for the thriller genre.

The Usual Supects

(1995-Bryan Singer)

The film is from the perspective of Roger "verbal" Kint, a shy small time crook. Set in an interrigation room, he attempts to convince the police that his part in a mass murder on a boat was totally innocent. His account, shown in flashbacks and narratice, becomes more and more complex, especially with the inclusion of fabled ganglord "Keyser Söze". Full of tense mystery, and a final twist that will throw you off your chair, and make you realise there were signs there all along, this is a brilliatn crime thriller i would suggest to everyone.

(Spacey recieved an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, that's how good he was!)

Maybe a little bit complicated but i think the right foundations are there, with the narrative structure(flashbacks)being very original and interesting. Possible foundation for a project? Probably not, pretty expensive and hard to film, but really good to take great editing and story telling from.