We were asked to interpret the movie El Arbole Seco meaning The Dry/Withered Tree, to help us understand narrative analysis.
Narrative Analysis Practical Narratives A narrative is concerned with the human means of making sense of an ever-changing world. It is trough narrative that we can bring a sense of an ever changing world. It is through a narrative that we can bring sense of order to the seeming disorder in our world, and it is through narrative that we can begin to define ourselves as having some sense of temporal continuity and as being distinct from others. It is basically an organized interpretation of a sequence of events, which involves; * Attributing agency to the characters in the events. * Inferring causal links between the events. Three basic components of present in narrative are a beginning, middle and end. Narratives are not always a conscious process, because we may use established social narratives to explain an event or to complete a story. Functions of Narratives Some of the basic functions of narratives are; . A narrative offers an integrated account of the event. 2. It has a finished structure that is the person is aware about the end even before he starts narrating. 3. restoring a sense of order - it restores order in the everyday disruptions like personal problems, family problems etc., 4. Heider and Simmel's experiment (1944) reveals that, when people are exposed to pictograms they explain those pictograms in the form of stories that have definite
The Passion of Blasphemy: A study of the representation of Christian figure head Jesus Christ within Cinematic Texts
The Passion of Blasphemy A study of the representation of the life of Christian figure head Jesus Christ within film and the issues surrounding the depiction of religion within cinema with particular relation to the films "The Passion of the Christ" and "Monty Pythons The life of Brian". Almost all media texts and films in particular are produced as commercial products i.e. they have an aim to make money. Albeit some may not set out to be blockbusters (e.g. art house films) but without the possibility of making a profit for their financial stakeholders they simply would not be produced and certainly they would not be distributed effectively. In order to make money a film must appeal to an audience even if that audience is in itself, a niche audience it still has to cater for their particular interests. In the case of the Christian film and film based very strongly upon Christian ideology the producers deal with, in effect, a double sided sword. On the plus side Christianity was and still is one of the most prominent current religions in the world and so by making a film which is based upon the majority belief system of the mass consumers (westerners) you are almost guaranteed an audience. Audience's also like familiarity and by telling a story of Christ or Christianity the western audience are already half way there with the producers in terms of plot and therefore are more
Psycho. Hitchcocks ingenuity did not stop at his ability to get round the censors but he was also a master at creating suspense, horror and making his films unpredictable.
Psycho was first released in 1957 in the form of a novel written by Robert Bloch though it is better known as a film by Alfred Hitchcock first released on the big screen in 1960. Hitchcock brought the storyline of the novel for £9500 after originally offering £5000 as an anonymous caller (Hitchcock did this because if the novelist had known that it was Hitchcock calling he would have charged him much more). Hitchcock took complete control of the film buy making himself director and the editor of the film. The film which was highly controversial at the time due to the strict morals and ethics enforced by the M.P.A. (originally established in 1930 by the Hayes Office), escaped the censorship laws due to numerous tricks that Hitchcock deployed to bend the rules. Hitchcock's past experience helped him through the first hurdle of getting the film through the censors and despite the contreversiality of the film Hitchcock got it through virtually unaltered to the original plan. The first trick that Hitchcock deployed was to put 'absolutely shocking' sequences into the film which were there for the sole purpose of distracting the censors away from the bits that he did want to put in, such as the shower scene. An example of this is when Hitchcock put in a clear reference to Norman having a sexual relationship with his mother which Hitchcock knew would immediately be taken out by the
How does the director portray the effects of the September 11th attack as they impact upon the Muslim community of keighley? (Drama "Yasmin")
Yasmin Question: How does the director portray the effects of the September 11th attack as they impact upon the Muslim community of keighley? Answer: Attacks on the twin towers radically changed the way in western powers viewed relationships with countries. In this essay, I will be discussing how the director, Kenneth Glenaan, portrays the effects of the September 11th attack as they impact upon the Muslim community of keighley in the drama Yasmin. The drama Yasmin is about the life of a Muslim woman caught up in the racist backlash of September 11th and about a Muslim community in northern England dealing with Islamaphobia after the September 11th attack. Kenneth Glenaan has chosen to show the impact of the Muslim community in keighley through individual representatives and key groups, therefore I will be looking at three individuals which are Yasmin, her brother Nasar and her dad and a key group which is the police force the way portrayed before and after the September 11th attacks. To begin with I will be looking at Yasmin. In the films opening, we see her pulling over in her car, removing her hijab and writhing into pair of jeans before heading off to work. Yasmin is shown changing from her traditional Asian clothes this shows her desire to look more westernised. She is incorporated into the western culture. Yasmin's a confident westernised woman working in Britain
How does Hitchcock create and maintain suspense in the 1960's film 'Psycho'?
How does Hitchcock create and maintain suspense in the 1960's film 'Psycho'? Focus on the build up to the shower scene Introduction > When was it produced and who by? Psycho was produced in 1960, and made by the all-famous, all-talented Alfred Hitchcock. > Why was it a groundbreaking film? Psycho was a groundbreaking film at the time in many ways. One of the main reasons it was is because of new things included in it. As I said earlier on, this was the first time a woman has ever shown her bra on television. Some people would have been dumbfounded to see so much coverage, and it would have certainly been something to be whispered about. The same goes for the first ever toilet being flushed. Now you must be thinking why on earth would it be a shock to see a toilet being flushed? Yet when more and more things are being introduced to the film industry, people will always be interested in seeing them, as each horror movie advances in time with technology. Hitchcock also promoted it cleverly. Psycho was originally a story from a book, and Hitchcock had stopped all the bookshops from the selling the book, so that it wouldn't spoil the movie. He also made people swear not to tell others what happened, as the secrecy of it all would make people all the more anxious to see it. It was referred to as the 'mother of the modern horror movie', and was only callend this because of
Launching a movie successfully
. Executive summary Movie marketing plays a crucial role in launching movies, although it can be expensive and is often a significant part of the entire movie cost. It is important to understand some insights of movies marketing. In this report, there are five questions to be answered respectively. Firstly, we will identify some key factors in launching a movie successfully. Secondly, the different promotional methods in launching movies will be evaluated and commenting on their efficiency and effectiveness. Thirdly, the role of critics in movie marketing will be discussed. After that, we will discuss the reasons of marketers for investing vast sums of money in movie product placement. Finally, the risks associated with movie product placement will be discussed. 2. Key factors in launching a movie successfully When a new movie is made, it has to be advertised like any other new product, to attract and encourage people to go to the cinema to see it. The more people go to see it, the more successful the movie is. What are key factors in launching a movie successfully? The answer is creating an effective movie marketing campaign for it. The way in which a film is promoted can have a huge effect on whether or not it is successful (Film Education, 2003). There are several things marketers need to do as follows1: identifying target audiences; grassroots marketing, publicity and
How does the character of Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) in "The Ring" (2002) subvert or convert to past heroines or heroes in the horror genre?
How does the character of Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) in "The Ring" (2002) subvert or convert to past heroines or heroes in the horror genre? In 2002, we saw a new film hit the screens by Dreamworks called "The Ring" directed by Gore Verbinski ("The Mexican" 2000 and "Mousehunt" 1998). The film has a complex plotline in which a mysterious videotape is watched by a pair of teenage girls (a scene reminiscing that of the opening of Scream). After watching the tape the plot takes one of the girls into a mental institution and the other to mysteriously die. The tape eventually makes it into the hands of Rachel Keller, (Naomi Watts) a single mother and her young son, Aidan, who throughout the film has a special bond with to what ends up to be the killer. Rachel is a reporter and begins an investigation to what happened to the two girls (one of the girls happens to be Rachel's niece). Rachel finds herself slipping down a very slippery slope as she soon discovers that others who had seen the tape had only lived for 7 days after seeing the dark images displayed. The tape turns out to be the summit of a giant mystery that will bring Rachel and the people she cares about to the brink of death. What kind of power is housed within the tape? What are the secrets surrounding the tape? And how can it be stopped? "The Ring" is a nail biter from the opening frame. It is a roller coaster for
Analyse the ways that the director builds suspense and scares in the film JAWS
Analyse the ways that the director builds suspense and scares in the film JAWS The film is called 'JAWS' and is successfully directed by Steven Spielberg. I will be analyzing how Spielberg builds up suspense and scares the audience throughout this film, considering how camera shots, music and characters' reactions help to build this effect. The film is purposely named 'JAWS' as it is about a supernatural predator that killed many people with his deadly jaws without prejudice and discrimination. 'JAWS' is a masterful, visceral and realistic science-fiction suspense, horror-disaster film tapping into the most primal of human fear. The film is set in 1975 on a fictional island called Amity in America; now known as Long Island which is more precisely in the state of New England. Ironically the movie is partially set on the American Independence Day. The director plays with this idea that the fourth of July is usually a day of celebration and enjoyment for the American nation but in this case a killing machine is there to make them prisoners of this island. Neither can they get out of this island as it is surrounded by sea nor can they enjoy themselves in the sea as if the shark was protecting what did not belong to them, the unexplored and impenetrable sea. The behaviour of the shark is without doubt directly related to the music creating suspense as well as fear. A good example
What reasons are there for films to be remade?
Within the past 5 years movie remakes have become increasingly popular. These remakes of movies from the past are produced to include modern famous actors and new special effects and CGI. Although these films usually follow the same general plot lines, they are sometimes changed to fit new audiences, actor's specialities and the new representations that have evolved and changed in recent years. Although the majority of media that is remade is film based there have also been some films that have been 'transferred' to television. This includes programmes such as the recently remade 'Battlestar Gallactica.' This film was originally made in 1978 and 1979 and was a huge hit. It has recently been remade again and made into a mini television series consisting of around 8 episodes. It had been redone with modern special effects and computer graphics and has been dramatised more than the original and as it is a mini TV series it follows individual characters more. In film magazines, websites and forums film critics are always putting down remakes for the failure to improve on the original in terms of plot and storyline. But as critic Danny McClure said "Perhaps so many of these reviewers do not realize that a large percent of today's moviegoers have never seen the original production in theaters, nor are they likely to." Many people agree with this statement and it is a well known
Investigate and evaluate a piece of historical evidence, the Hollywood movie The Patriot starred by Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger in order to determine whether or not it is reliable
History is the study of the past, of what had really happened and who were involved. To study history itself, it is essential that the source from which the information were taken is factual as well as reliable. It is not acceptable if it contains errors and flaws or mixing the truth with some fictions. This essay will investigate and evaluate a piece of historical evidence, the Hollywood movie The Patriot starred by Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger in order to determine whether or not it is reliable and could be used to determine the events that really had happened during the American fight for Revolution. A way to determine the reliability of The Patriot as an accurate historical source is by knowing whether it is a primary or a secondary source of information. A primary source of historical information came from a person who was directly involved during the period of time or a document written during that period, such as diaries or the Declaration of Independence. In this case, this movie is considered as a secondary source. Some of the advantages of a primary source is that it brings the researcher as close as possible to what actually happened in the history and it is almost one hundred percent true. It helps to know what the people involved think and their individual viewpoints on certain events. However, the problem with primary source is that want it or not, historians
