Todorov's Narrative Theory

This post is about Todorov's Narrative Theory:

Todorov's theory comes in five parts. These are the five parts:

1. A state of equilibrium
2. A disruption of the equilibrium
3. A recognition of the disruption
4. An attempt to repair the disruption
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

Applying Todorov's theory to a Horror film. I am applying the theory to the American supernatural horror-thriller film Devil.

1. A state of equilibrium

The film starts with an upside down shot of New York. This is a negative equilibrium because the visual isn't the right way up. This may be used to make the audience feel uneasy and disorientated.

2. A disruption of the equilibrium

Five apparent strangers all enter the same lift together. This is the start of the disruption of the equilibrium because they don't know what's to come.

3. A recognition of the disruption

The recognition of the disruption is the first time the lights go off and Sarah gets 'bitten' by someone/something unknown.

4. An attempt to repair the disruption

The attempt to repair the disruption is when two of the people die and the other three go against each other, trying to figure out who is killing the others and what is happening in this lift when the lights go out.

5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

The reinstatement of the equilibrium is when Tony apologizes to the devil for his sin (the hit and run) and the detective hears his apology, knowing he is talking about his wife and son and later forgives him. The devil disappears and the final scene we see is a skyline shot of New York the right way round.

Camera Angles

There are many different the camera can be positioned when filming a movie that can give the audience more information/detail or can intensify the scare they feel.

Common Camera Angles:

1.  Low Angle: This is used to show a person/thing on screen has more power/control over the viewer. This is commonly used on villains or when the hero is beating the villain.
2.  Eye-line Angle: This is when the camera is directly in front of the actor on screen and the eye line is directly looking into the camera.
3.  High Angle: This is used to portray the person/thing on screen as weak/submissive.
4.  Worm's eye View: This is where the camera is right below the subject in the scene. This can also be called an extreme low angle.
5.  Canted/Tilted Angle: The camera is at an angle to intensify the horror and give the audience the an uneasy feeling.
6.  Bird's eye View: This is the opposite of the worm's eye view. This is film above the subject/thing on screen.

Camera Treatments:

1. Tilt: The camera tilts to created a sense of distortion and unease
2. Pan: The camera pans up or down to create suspense and give the audience more information about the scene.
3. Dolly: This is where the camera is attached to a dolly and it rolls on rails. This gives the film a steady visual for scenes that don't need to be scary.
4. Zoom: The camera starts far away and then moves in slowly to show the audience more detail.
5. Objective Treatment: The audience are meant to feel like an observer to the scene happening.
6. Subjective Treatment: The audience are meant to feel like they are part of the scene or are standing in a characters shoes.

Camera Shots:

1.  Extreme Long-Shot: This is used to establish the scene. It is also used for the the viewer to see who the main character is with or if they are alone. This shot doesn't always allow for details which gives the audience the feeling of the unknown.
2.  Long-Shot: This allows the viewer to see the characters and see want the filmmakers want you to see.
3.  Medium Shot: You can see more detail in this shot like the actors costume and body language.
4.  Close-Up: A close-up gives the audience the details and flaws of whoever is being filmed. This allows the audience to make their own opinions about characters. The viewer can see iconic props/villains in a close up and immediately relate it to those/previous films.
5.  Extreme Close-Up: You can see more detail in the characters but won't show the whole person. You will most likely see just their face really closeup.

Levi-Strauss' Binary Opposition

This is my Levi-Strauss Opposition Theory video:

Horror Genre Conventions

This is my post on the conventions of the horror genre:

Propp's Narrative Functions Theory

This is my video on Propp's Narrative theory:

Horror Timeline

This is my Horror Timeline:

Horror Film Poster Deconstruction

In this post I have deconstructed four horror movie posters. Here they are:

Sinister - Bughuul Deconstruction

     

Bughuul,aka 'Mr Boogie', is the main antagonist from 2012 supernatural horror film Sinister which is directed and written by Scott Derrickson along with co-writer C. Robert Cargill. Bughuul is portrayed by Nick King. The film follows the Oswalt family, who have just moved into a house where a couple months back the Stevenson family were murdered. Elison (dad and failing crime writer) knows about the murder and researches into it for his new book. While looking in the attic, he finds a box of old film footage and it is more than he bargained for. In each film there is a recurring figure (Bughuul). As a result, a series of bad events happen and him and his family suffer. Ultimately at the end of the film, Ashley (youngest Oswalt) is under the possession of Bughuul, films herself killing her family. This film is added to the original box of films and Ashley is taken by Bughuul. The last shot on the screen is the camera panning away from the movie box and Bughuul appearing suddenly on screen.

Bughuul's costume is very simple. He wears a long black coat and white shirt with long black greasy hair. He doesn't have a mouth which makes audiences fear him and he has no eyes either just dark triangular sockets. He can also be seen with little lit red dots inside the black triangles (shown below). This makes him scary as he is supernatural and something the audience hasn't seen before and there is the unknown.
Bughuul has vast dark powers and has influence over children which is why he could possess Ashley. 

     

Introduction

Hi my name is Hannah and this is my A2 media blog. I don't like Horror so I have avoided watching it. I don't like the notion of not knowing whats coming and that is what tends to happen in Horror films. I watched Coraline after I read the book written by Neil Gaiman. It is classified as a dark fantasy horror film and Coraline's alternative mother scared my younger self. 

I haven't watched any horror films as a whole, however I have seen clips from The Conjuring and have seen trailers for Don't Breathe (2016), Lights Out (2016) and recently started watching American TV series American Horror Story. 

I look forward to doing this project, as I hope to be able to watch Horror films and not be terrified. I am really excited about creating my own horror trailer and experimenting with a genre that I don't usually watch.

The movies below are Coraline, The Conjuring, Lights Out and Saw. Also included is TV show American Horror Story.