Narrative Theory (Additional Work)

Extract- 500 days of summer

The extract starts with “Enigma” as the audience is confused of what is happening. This is Barthes theory and he believes this teases the audience and makes them hooked on. It makes the audience think; who is the girl?, why is there a party taking place?, who is her fiancé?

Another theory we can see is "Binary Oppositions" from Levi-Strauss. This is shown in the extract as we can see “expectations vs reality”. The camera moves as the person is moving which is effective as it gives a better understanding to the audience and it's realistic as you feel as if you are in that scene.

Also, the editing is done in a very creative way as both screens of “expectation vs reality” are shown together. This makes it easy for the audience to compare what is going on as they are side-to-side. The muted background builds tension as we are more focused on the actions of the characters and what will happen next. 

The camera angles are mid-shot throughout the scene which gives a natural look. However, towards the end, the camera angles are from the top as he is running down the stairs, this is done so we can how fast he is going as well as how furious he is. It also makes the audience feel superior as we are looking from a birds eye view therefore the audience have an impression that they have power over the character. 

Representation and sterotypes (Additional Work)

Representation and sterotypes

A representation is the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way. A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. In this blog, I will be comparing the ways women have been represented over time in the thriller genre.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

This movie was made a long time ago, therefore the representation they had of women were very different from how we think today. A character named Sally in the movie; is a victim who was killed as she was helpless- this is how women were represented, as people who couldn’t do anything for themselves and were weak therefore needed a man. In contrast, another character named Pam is portrayed as a stronger character than Sally; however she is seen more as a sexual object. We can see this through the revealing clothes that she wears and the scenes where her lower body is in focus due to the low angles of the camera            

Catwoman

This movie is different from the older ones as Catwoman is seen as a fast, strong independent woman. She is a superhero dressed as a cat and she is not represented stereotypically; a woman who is weak. This portrays women in a better light and changes peoples view on women. However, the clothing she is wearing doesn’t seem like she can fight very well, this is due to the tightness. Therefore the reason she may be wearing that specific costume is to bring in the male audience to watch as it is very reveals a lot of skin.

Black Swan

Looking at this poster of the “Black Swan”, this woman is wearing all black which we denotes death and evil. She is not presented as a usual woman who stereotypically wears pink and is fragile, instead she has her arm raised in the air while looking at the camera which portrays control over the audience. The feathers and white background contrasts with the theme of evil as white usually refers to peace and happiness. This is a better representation of women as she is also not viewed as a sex object due to the covered body.