Todorov came up with a theory that all narratives could be split up into 5 sections.
1. Equilibrium - the setting is established and key character(s) are introduced. The storyline is set up.
2. Disruption - oppositional characters appear and the story begins to take a particular direction.
3. Recognition of disruption - the lives are characters and events become connected. This is normally the longest section and tension is building.
4. Attempt to repair disruption - when the highest point of tension occurs. There is some change in dynamics after this point.
5. Reinstatement of equilibrium - problems are resolved and questions answered. Life can go back to 'normal' although it may not be the same equilibrium as the beginning - things are often very different; it's just about searching for balance again.
This is my attempt at breaking down the film "Eagle eye" using Todorov's ideas.
1. - The man's twin brother has not long died; he's trying to get back to 'normal' life again.
- The woman has just sent her little boy off on a music trip to play at a presedential conference.
2. - Guns/bombs etc appear in the man's house. He calls the delivery service and they say his brother had ordered them before he died. He hears a strange computerised woman's voice on his phone. The police are going to arrest him for having the guns etc but the computer voice tells him to run. He then tries to run away from the computer voice, but she can contact him anywhere. He has no option but to obey her.
- The computer voice is watching her son and could kill him at any point. She immediately obeys the computer voice to save her son.
3. Both characters have to work together (do what the computer voice says) to keep the little boy safe and themselves from death. The voice is everywhere they go. It controls exactly what they do.
4. They manage to find the computer voice system and shut it down. The man's deceased brother had left clues for them because he knew what the computer was evil and was responsible for his killing. After the computer is shut down, two parts of a bomb come together (which is what the computer wanted) at the presidential conference where the little boy is playing with his school orchestra. To stop the two parts coming together, the man jumps at the President and gets shot.
5. The man survived the shooting. The little boy returns home; never knowing how much danger he was in. The man becomes a good family friend of the little boy and his mother.
2 Dec 2010
1 Dec 2010
Hitchcock research...
Here are some of the features often used in Hitchcock films.
- Make sure your audience are absolutely drawn into your piece or no atmosphere will be able to be created.
- Frame shots to show emotions best.
- Let the camera take on the feel of a person. This allows the audience to feel like they are actually involved in uncovering the plot.
- The focus of a scene should never be solely on what a character is saying, but the things they are thinking.
- Keep the story as simple as you can! If an audience are having to battle to keep up with the plot; then suspense and tension are never going to be created.
- Hitchcock criminals tended to be wealthy, upper class citizens who you’d never suspect. The innocent would always get accused. And the criminal would often get away with it because nobody suspected them!
- Humour is always a good thing to aid building tension. Put your character in the most ironic situation to deal with and the worst possible things that can go wrong.
- Build tension into a scene by using two contrasting situations. The audience will be focused on the momentum of one, and be interrupted by the other.
- Show the audience things that the characters can't see.
- Include surprises and twists. This will un-nerve the audience.
This is an example of an emotion close up from "Psycho".
- Make sure your audience are absolutely drawn into your piece or no atmosphere will be able to be created.
- Frame shots to show emotions best.
- Let the camera take on the feel of a person. This allows the audience to feel like they are actually involved in uncovering the plot.
- The focus of a scene should never be solely on what a character is saying, but the things they are thinking.
- Keep the story as simple as you can! If an audience are having to battle to keep up with the plot; then suspense and tension are never going to be created.
- Hitchcock criminals tended to be wealthy, upper class citizens who you’d never suspect. The innocent would always get accused. And the criminal would often get away with it because nobody suspected them!
- Humour is always a good thing to aid building tension. Put your character in the most ironic situation to deal with and the worst possible things that can go wrong.
- Build tension into a scene by using two contrasting situations. The audience will be focused on the momentum of one, and be interrupted by the other.
- Show the audience things that the characters can't see.
- Include surprises and twists. This will un-nerve the audience.
This is an example of an emotion close up from "Psycho".
This is an example of humour being used from "The Man Who Knew Too Much". Humour is often used to break the tension. There could be one scene of high drama and tension followed by a humorous scene to make the audience feel at ease before the next high suspense moment. (This technique dates back to Shakespearian times when he would use a humorous scene between two tragic ones!)
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