Construction-Reflection

Construction- Making Use of Theory

Construction- Todorov theory

In this blogpost we are going to be speaking about the todorov theory in relation to our filming/ scenes. We have chosen a selection of different scenes from our filming, to show how each one is relevant to the different stages of the todorov theory and why. 

The first scene is showing Danika on her bed and you immediatley realise that she is the main character, due to the shots that are used. In refrence to the Todorov theory this is called the equilibrium, as everything is calm and as it should be. In the first scene you get an idea of the genre of the film and who the main/characters are going to be.

This scene is the flashback scene where we see why Danika circled the faces of her ex-best friends, and that she wants to get revenge on them for falsely accusing her. We now know that Danika has psychological problems because she wants to kill them. In terms of the Todorov theory this is called the rising action, as we are seeing interaction between the characters and the conflict, which will lead onto the climax of the film.

The third scene is Danika in the bush getting ready to attack Jane and kill her. We used a full shot for this scene, so that the audience could see the full action between the characters, and the spacing between them. This part of the scene is called the climax or the disruption as it is the most important and most exciting part of the scene; it is the first time the audience experiences any violence or action in the film.

The next scene is a crossed out photo of Jane showing to us that Danika has now killed Jane, and will carry on crossing out the faces of the other two as soon as she kills them. This is the falling action as Danika has accomplished what she had set out to achieve, she has managed to kill one of her friends and now she only has to kill the other two. The colour of red represents anger, blood, revenge and danger. 

The last scene is when Mia and Lily are calling Jane but in vain as she is now dead, Danika is standing outside Lily's house and as the audience we realise that she is there to kill them as well. This is a new disruption to the film which is called a mini subplot, therefore this suggests that equilibrium will not be achieved until the end of the film. This is only the beginning scene, so it is up to the audience to imagine how the film will end.                                                     



Construction- Todorov Theory of Narrative

The Todorov Theory:
The Todorov theory is the belief that a story plot is not just a beginning, middle and end but there is a circular motion of events. At the very beginning of the story there is an exposition (equilibrium) where you learn about the main characters, setting, time and background information. After this event there is a rising action (disruption) where the characters begin to interact and conflict begins to occur between them. At the very top of the linear there is the climax (resolution) where the peak of the action takes place. At this point the problem reaches it's peak and after this the problem will begin to slowly solve itself. The fourth stage of the Todorov theory is the falling action (restored order). The restored order is when the problem from the climax begins to start being solved or unsolved. The last step of this theory is the resolution (denouement/ new equilibrium). This final step is when we find out how the story ends and how it is resolved; for example in a thriller the antagonist could be killed and peace would be restored in the new equilibrium. Throughout the Todorov there are mini subplots that happen throughout the story. The subplots act as a way of engaging the audience to the other main plots that are taking place in the film. This theory is used in 99% of films from all genres, as it's an easy way to plan a story, whilst being effective. The Todorov theory has helped us whilst making plans for our own thriller. This theory has helped us to understand and look more into the layout of our thriller. It has also helped us to write our script because we have been able to follow a structure and therefore it has made it easier to plan our storyline.

Planning- Google Maps Location

 Maps Locations-  We decided to use google maps, in order to locate our precise settings within the film. This allowed us to view our settings, from an overall perspective, giving us the opportunity to view the atmosphere from all different angles.  We have used a variety of location, in order to engage the audience, so that they are more aware of what locations are associated with each scenery.

This is the first location that we used in our psychological thriller. The image shown above is Danika's house. This scene introduces our antagonist, at the beginning of the thriller; where Danika is having thoughtful reflections regarding the fight with her friends. This scene is likely the most important, as it was used for many different shots. This included the crossing out of the girls faces, Lily and Mia worrying about Jane, and Danika being presented outside of the window. The scenery was effective because the look of the house is urban, showing that is modern with current societies.  This is important as it allowed us to engage with our target audience more efficiently.

This is the second location that we used in our psychological thriller. We used this scene in order to create our flashback. During our editing process, we decided to turn this clip into black and white; for a more dramatic, aged look. We decided to use this scene for our flashback because its very suspicious and isolated looking. This scene help us to create the tense feeling that we wanted, as on the day that we filmed it was snowing. This added extra effects to this scenery, as the weather conditions acted in contrast with Danika's inner emotions. This also allowed us to create pathetic fallacy, in terms of what was going to happen next, regarding the girls near futures.

Finally, this is the most juiciest scene that we decided to use, as this is where most of the actions really takes place. The google image shows the park scenery that we used to represent vulnerability and death. We chose to google map this place, as we really wanted to get a real feel of how the scene would be effective, regarding the audience responses. This scene represented the killers main motives, and her ambitions to kill her ex best friend. The park was a good place to film these scenes as it is a very secluded area, being safe for the killer, so that she can carry out the act without the fear of being caught.

In conclusion, google maps have secured our viewpoints regarding our chosen settings, as through comparing and analysing which parts we would film in the different scenery's, this is helped us to make an overall judgement, regarding our choices. These setting really helped us to create the tension that we initially wanted in our two minute introduction.

Planning- Prefilming and Organisation

Planning- Calendar

Work Calendars/ Dates

This is our calendar plans for January and February 2013. In our calendar we have put the days that we plan to work on our media coursework. We have written in days that we are going to be working on general work, blog work and our two minute film introduction. As a group we are hoping to stick to these dates as this means we will be able to complete our coursework deadline on time. This will also give us enough time to work on exam practise so that our time is divided between our coursework and our exam. We are very happy with our final calendar plans. 

Planning- Master Catalogue

This is our groups overall master catalogue. We have included 15 different characters, portfolio's and many props. This has help us to visualise the kind of things that we are going to need whilst creating at two minute thriller introduction. The catalogue's are differently coloured which represents the difference in sector. The change in colour also makes the props more identifiable. We have filled in vital information such as characters hair colour, appearance, personalities, weight, height and eye colour.