1B Narrative
Apply the concept of narrative to one of your media productions.
Narrative is a concept often followed when the creation of a film trailer or short film opening is underway. Throughout the stage of Year 12, our final product was to produce a short film opening on a genre of our choice and including our own ideas. Choosing the genre of sport allowed us to widen our ideas of where the film opening would go and what themes it would portray, this was called 'On Track'. This was based on two girls; one rich, one poor, and it showed how money does not explain the amount of talent one has. This is portrayed in a variety of ways; how both girls have the same amount of talent in each of the sports they conduct, how clothing does not define performance and how the location of which you train does not affect performance level either.
Although we wanted to portray a 'story', the structure of our film opening is in a slightly dismantled order switching between each character to show their actions throughout a day in their life, one is presented with more advantages due to having more money and the other is shown in minimal locations. This is shown from the morning to the end of the day and how the moral of the story is both of the girls building up to the competition day where they will compete each other; therefore they are rivals. There are many theorists that express narrative in this form such as Vladimir Propps theory of narrative which suggests that characters took on the role of the narrative 'spheres of action' or functions. This links with our film opening as they was a character who would stereotypically be seen as a villain due to having more of the money and seen as more likely to win due to her circumstances over the character who has less money. Therefore the girl who is seen as having less money will be seen as a 'hero' due to the courage and strength. With this narrative theory, this initially engages the audience making them feel a connection with the one who is less fortunate and the film opening hoping to influence a realisation that the narrative's focus was that one does not affect how a sportsman performs.
In comparison to Propp's being from a conventional narrative theory who is presented as a Russian formalist from the 1920s, Allan Cameron focuses on modular narratives and place narratives into 4 different categories. Some of these we used within our short film opening such as the use of a split screen narrative which juxtaposes events in the same visual field. By the influence of different narratives and not having a completely structured short film opening, keeping the idea of Barthes theory in mind allowed us to still commence with the idea of having events jumbled around within the film opening as this will ensure that the audience consistently ask themselves questions whilst watching the film opening, which is what we want them to do. The main question the audience would be wondering is if the girl with the less money has the same ability as that with more money. The storyline is easily followed by the audience with the use of dialogue and build up of training leading to the main competition day which is shown in one of the beginning scenes on a calendar. Therefore the audience will follow each of the characters hoping the one with less money and is seen as stereotypically unsuccessful in comparison to her opponent.
The narrative is persistent throughout and the main story is shown throughout the film opening with the use of different locations and dialogue. All of these factors were taken into consideration throughout the creation of our product and with the understanding of each theorists, this allowed us to make our narrative apparent and important throughout the short film opening.
Narrative is a concept often followed when the creation of a film trailer or short film opening is underway. Throughout the stage of Year 12, our final product was to produce a short film opening on a genre of our choice and including our own ideas. Choosing the genre of sport allowed us to widen our ideas of where the film opening would go and what themes it would portray, this was called 'On Track'. This was based on two girls; one rich, one poor, and it showed how money does not explain the amount of talent one has. This is portrayed in a variety of ways; how both girls have the same amount of talent in each of the sports they conduct, how clothing does not define performance and how the location of which you train does not affect performance level either.
Although we wanted to portray a 'story', the structure of our film opening is in a slightly dismantled order switching between each character to show their actions throughout a day in their life, one is presented with more advantages due to having more money and the other is shown in minimal locations. This is shown from the morning to the end of the day and how the moral of the story is both of the girls building up to the competition day where they will compete each other; therefore they are rivals. There are many theorists that express narrative in this form such as Vladimir Propps theory of narrative which suggests that characters took on the role of the narrative 'spheres of action' or functions. This links with our film opening as they was a character who would stereotypically be seen as a villain due to having more of the money and seen as more likely to win due to her circumstances over the character who has less money. Therefore the girl who is seen as having less money will be seen as a 'hero' due to the courage and strength. With this narrative theory, this initially engages the audience making them feel a connection with the one who is less fortunate and the film opening hoping to influence a realisation that the narrative's focus was that one does not affect how a sportsman performs.
In comparison to Propp's being from a conventional narrative theory who is presented as a Russian formalist from the 1920s, Allan Cameron focuses on modular narratives and place narratives into 4 different categories. Some of these we used within our short film opening such as the use of a split screen narrative which juxtaposes events in the same visual field. By the influence of different narratives and not having a completely structured short film opening, keeping the idea of Barthes theory in mind allowed us to still commence with the idea of having events jumbled around within the film opening as this will ensure that the audience consistently ask themselves questions whilst watching the film opening, which is what we want them to do. The main question the audience would be wondering is if the girl with the less money has the same ability as that with more money. The storyline is easily followed by the audience with the use of dialogue and build up of training leading to the main competition day which is shown in one of the beginning scenes on a calendar. Therefore the audience will follow each of the characters hoping the one with less money and is seen as stereotypically unsuccessful in comparison to her opponent.
The narrative is persistent throughout and the main story is shown throughout the film opening with the use of different locations and dialogue. All of these factors were taken into consideration throughout the creation of our product and with the understanding of each theorists, this allowed us to make our narrative apparent and important throughout the short film opening.
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