Story Board for "The Unburied"
Before filming the unburied we talked over ideas to make a good thriller. When a good idea was decided we began drawing up a story board to show what shots we could incorporate into to picture. A few initial ideas were drawn up and when as a group we were happy with the story a final design was created.
How does The No.1 ladies detective agency depict representation of family and nationality in this extract?
Although this sequence was shot in Africa and from first glance looks like a tribal based simple programme, when examined deeper we see that the characters presented hit key subjects such as politics, love and hate, family values and technological advances in Africa.
The sequence opens to an animation of the main character “Precious” pointing towards Africa; establishing the location for the programme. The credits are shown in a serif font giving a typewriter looking effect. As this is based in Africa this has been done as the technology there is far less advanced to what it is here and all important textual documents will be written by typewriter.
We are immediately introduced to an aerial extreme long shot of Africa’s vast lakes, swamps and forests; showing the audience that Africa is not industrialised and still very natural. Throughout the entire extract only earth colours were used from clothes to the environment to the props; all greens, brown and yellows.
Families were the most obvious point in the sequence as from the start “Precious” was telling the audience (as a non diagetic narrative) about how her father educated her from a child. Whilst the young girl was being taught by her father most or nearly all shots were filmed with a shallow depth of field; representing her understanding of the world and her father opening it up for her. However after being taught about her environment the depth of field expanded.
What this also told the audience was that it wasn’t schools that educated “Precious” but it was her father who encouraged her enthusiasm for detective work. This doesn’t mean that she wasn’t educated in schools however most of the important facts of life she picked up from life experience.
The feel of this extract is very optimistic happy. Although it would be easy to make an African village programme negative and tribal, the creators and editors have based this extract on family, friendship love and happiness.
Crime and punishment is not only practised in richer countries as we see in this extract. Politics and penal systems are portrayed when we see a court hearing on a man accused of stealing a cow. A trial was carried out followed by a judgement; showing that the village they lived in had laws and regulations.
It is also in this scene where precious is given her first taste of detective work. Whilst the court hearing takes place there is a cut away to a close up of “Precious” contemplating on the situation. She then runs off and cuts to a shot of a calf that she had released running to her mother cow. From this we see that “Precious” has a talent for solving crimes and givers the viewers an idea of what to expect from the rest of the programme.
Throughout the sequence there is non diagetic music playing in the background of tribal drums and shouting; keeping the theme of South Africa. However there are also diagetic noises throughout of wildlife and plants reminding the viewers the location of the programme.
Technology is not as advanced as the only machine shown is “Precious’s” fathers van; an old pick up van. Aside from that everything is hand built from wood including the court house. From this the audience gains an impressions that “Precious” has come from a wealthy background; this is backed up by evidence that her father works in the court house.
Although it has been portrayed in a different context the community in this extract have lots of similarities to the British community.
When trying to analyse a good thriller there are many different aspects to consider. For example there is not just one type of thriller movie to examine. Different genres of thrillers have different characteristics. When a thriller is made it will usually conform to the design of a hero being challenged in some way by big better equipped villain/villains.
Genres of thriller:
· Action thriller:
In these types of thriller works qualities are always needed. For example a large amount of gun and explosions are a necessity. Usually action thrillers combine with other genres such as crime or spy however action usually is the front seat genre. Examples of this genre are James bond and the transporter.
· Conspiracy thriller:
These usual consist of a hero who has discovered a mysterious truth about an organisation and are confronted by a group or cult. The Da Vinci Code and Angles and demons fall under this category.
· Crime thriller:
Crime thrillers usual put more focus on the criminal’s side of the tale rather than the police. Key topics in this genre usually conform to robberies, murders and double crosses. This genre usually over enthuse action and gun fights over psychological features. Movies that fall into this genre are Se7en, The godfather, Training day, face off and A time to kill.
· Disaster thriller:
These movies usually follow a trait of a natural disaster (earthquake or floods) causing a conflict or an unfortunate relapse. The day after tomorrow follows these aspects.
· Drama thriller:
These can sometimes combine with other genres such as crime or action, but will usually be more slow passed and focus on character development and twists in the plot. Examples include Fight Club and Inglorious basterds.
· Sci-fi thriller:
Sci-fi move away from reality and use the imagination to create a new type of thriller. In this genre an average person is usually thrown into an unusual situation and must get out alive. Alien, the matrix, predator and I am ledged are all examples of Sci-fi thriller.
· Horror thriller:
In these movies an average person is placed in a situation where a group of enemies or antagonists are after him/her and he/she has to destroy them.
· Legal thriller:
These movies are usually based on a lawyer solving a crime or having a crime committed upon them or upon a loved one. These crimes usually cannot be resolved in a court room and outside help must be put into action. A time to kill and the negotiator fall into the legal thriller genre.
· Medical thriller:
In the medical thriller genre a hero is usually a doctor or nurse are put in a situation where they must solve a medical condition within a time limit. I am ledged can fall into this category although it is also sci-fi (though mostly sci-fi and medical genre combine)
· Political thriller:
Where a high ranked political character needs to be protected or stabilised. Usually consist of assassination attempts and terrorism. Agency falls into this category.
· Psychological thriller:
In which a character has more of an emotional or mental conflict rather than physical. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is probably the best example of a psychological thriller.
· Spy thriller:
Usually in this genre the main character is a government agent and is up against an antagonist (usually a terrorist) in these plots there are usually twists and betrayals, but will usually resolve. Examples of this genre are James Bond, mission impossible and the Bourne identity.
· Techno thriller:
Where technology is used to solve crimes and terrorists plots. Usually the technology is more advanced than today and can fall into the sci-fi category at times. The hunt for red October falls best into this category as well as Robocop.
· Religious thriller:
The plot usually draws close to religious themes in this genre. Where questions are asks and conspiracies raised but all link back to religious views. The Da Vinci Code.
Information obtained and reworked from wikipedia
Narrative theory
A method of deconstructing the narrative of a text in detail. Four different theorists in this field:
· Vladimir Propp
· Tzetan Todorov
· Claude Levi-Strauss
· Rolande Barthes
Vladimir Propp:
· Morphology of the fairy tale 1928.
· Studied folktales and legends.
· Notices similarities.
· Identified 32 basic categories of action.
· He called these ‘functions’.
· He also identified spheres of action or character functions.
· He noticed characters tended to be types rather than individuals.
· Eight of his types useful in media:
· The hero – On a quest.
· The villain – Opposes the hero
· The donor – Helps the hero with magic tool.
· The dispatcher – Starts the hero on his way.
· The false hero – Tempts the hero away from his quest.
· The helper – Helps the hero.
· The princess.
· The father.
· There are also many texts which do not conform to the Proppian Theory as there are that do.
· It maybe that the protagonist (hero) or antagonist (villain) cannot be considered a type.
· Or where the princess does not conform to the sexist function described by Propp e.g. Alien.
Claude Levi Strauss:
· A structural philosopher.
· Interested in how much our world is described in terms of opposites.
· These are called binary oppositions:
· Night/day.
· Good/bad.
· Light/dark.
Rolande Barthes:
· Interested in the concept of negotiated meaning between institution and audience.
· Readers make new meanings when reading a text based on previous experience as well as the text itself.
· While watching a docusoap about airlines meaning will depend on viewers previous experiences.
· The cultural context of consumption is as important as the content.
· He describes texts as networks long before the internet but having much the same meaning.
· Most well known Barthes code is enigma code.
· This is where there is a hook or mystery to be solved by the audience.
· The “Tune in next week” the cliff hanger or the film trailer.
Tzetan Todorov:
· Suggests there was five stages to every narrative:
· Equilibrium.
· Disruption of equilibrium by event.
· Realisation that disruption has happened.
· Attempt of repair damage from disruption.
· Restoration of equilibrium.
· Applies to fictional and non fictional texts.
· Adverts often use the structure as do news broadcasts.
