When the girl is in the room, held hostage she sees things on the floor which triggers memories and start the flashback. For instance ripped up photos of her are on the floor and a phone with the messages on the screen is also part of a memory. There is also a photo of the girl with a red circle around her on the wall which shows she is a target to the killer.
Group member 1- John
John's idea is to have a girl being cyber bullied on Facebook. The girl is watching an embarrassing video of herself that someone else has put up. She then receives an anonymous message from a stranger which warms her that she is going to die soon. Later on in the film, other people die from being cyber bullied and the enigma is who is the killer. John's idea is good because it is unique and different from other thriller films. It isn't the typical psychological film but instead it is more about reality and so makes the sequence seem more realistic. Another strength is that it is fairly easy to do and so it means that it would be possible to film. The location and the plot is ideal as cyber bullying happens every day and it happens on electronic device which means that it can be filmed anywhere. The plot isn't complicated either so it can be made easily. However John's idea doesn't create much of a mystery as a disequllibrium doesn't happen at the beginning of the film. This may not engage the audience as much and they may not be left in suspense as to what is going to happen next. A death doesn't take place at the beginning but instead the girl is getting warned about her death and this doesn't create much tension or build up suspense so the audience aren't intrigued to watch the rest of the film. It doesn't create that many thrilling scenes and so the target audience would range from 12 and over however the older years wouldn't become as thrilled as the younger years and this could be seen as a bit boring to the older years.
Group member 2 - Ciara
Ciara's idea for her narrative is about a young girl and her boyfriend who go on holiday to Russia. However she soon realises that since she has been away everything is going wrong back home. The girl is unaware that her boyfriend is part of the Russian Mafia and they want her next. This is the reason why everything back at home is going wrong as they are taking away all of her family and everything she has and so she decides to stay in Russia. The Russian Mafia take young, innocent girls who are shown as vulnerable and naive and will believe anything that the Russians say to them. The strengths of this narrative would be that it creates for the audience as they don't know what is going to happen to the victim. It also gets the audience feeling sorry for the young girl as they know that she is weak and helpless and that the girl cannot be helped. The audience are also left in suspense as to what is going on back home and this creates a dramatic question for the audience. Ciara's opening sequence is creating an Enigma throughout which is another strength; by creating an enigma it means that it is showing the audience that something sudden is going to happen and it foreshadows events that are later going to happen during the film. This is conventional to thriller films as something bad always happens to the victims in thriller films. The weakness of this film is that it would be hard to create as you need a lot of people and the setting isn't ideal. Her plot isn't also that engaging as it doesn't contain any scenes that would intrigue the audience such as a death or a jumpy scene. It doesn't intrigue the audience as they need to get into the film and the opening sequence doesn't set the plot of the film and so the audience could get confused on what is going to happen next.
Group member 3 - Sasha
Sasha's idea for the narrative is so have a hostage scene in which a young girl is kept in hostage by someone. The scene starts off with her waking up and realising she has been kept in hostage. The girl see's someone lying on the floor next to her, dead and covered in blood. She soon realises that she is covered in blood as well and she panics and tries to escape. Eventually she does escape however she see's a shadow in the window and she makes her way towards it, as she opens the curtains she finds a handprint and a face staring at her. The girl panics and as she turns around the killer is standing across the room with a knife covered in blood.
Sasha's idea is good because it is set in a ideal location which can be easy to film in. The opening sequence is set in a house and this is ideal as the scene can be filmed in any house. The plot is also fairly easy to do as there are no major faults which could stop the group from doing this narrative. The narrative also creates suspense for the audience as automatically an enigma is created and this gets the audience intrigued into the film straight away and makes them want to ask questions about why the girl is there and why the killer wants to murder her. Sasha's idea also contains good conventions of a thriller film as a death is involved and the scene uses conventional iconography such as a knife to set a sinister theme. Other conventions such as a female victim and a masked antagonist make the sequence seem thrilling and intrigue the audience into watching the rest of the film to find out who the killer is. There is an element of surprise, suspense and shock as unexpected clips take place which thrill the audience and tension is built up to keep the audience on edge.
However Sasha's idea is not as unique as it could be as typically in thriller films the female victim is always shown as the target and there is always a hostage scene which makes the girl seem vulnerable and weak. The narrative follows an original baseline from other thriller films which also show a girl being kept hostage and there is always someone wanting to kill her. This makes Sasha's idea not as good because it isn't original. Some scenes in the opening sequence could be hard to film for example point of view as that technique is hard to do and it could result in a camera shot that doesn't look very good and this wouldn't appeal to the audience and wouldn't engage them into watching the rest of the film.
Group member 4 - Luca
My film idea is about a home invasion by a unknown man that is never seen, while the man who owns the house definitely knows someone is there. He is searching the whole of his house trying to find him and as the film goes on there are hints and his family is killed as the killer taunts him and makes him look all around his locked up house. Throughout the opening sequence the man is trying to find out who is inside his house and is not too afraid at the time, he keeps all his family with him and throughout the sequence the antagonist is making noise and putting signs around the house, the sequence ends with the antagonist still not revealed and given a sign to the victim as the antagonist locks the family in their own house with no way to escape.
The strengths of Luca's idea is that it is set in an ideal location which means that it can get filmed easily. The location is in a house which is good because it means that it won't be hard to film in. Another strength is that his narrative is also fairly easy to do as it isn't impossible and it can be easily done. Luca's idea would also have good camera and sound techniques and his narrative is very conventional to a thriller genre. He has created an enigma as the audience constantly wonder what is going to happen to the victims and who is the killer. His narrative is also conventional to the thriller genre because it shows an isolated home and a killer is in the house trying to murder the victims, this is seen typically in a lot of thriller films and so it is a good narrative to have. Another strength is that it engages the audience and intrigues them to watch the rest of the film as an enigma is created which keeps the audience on edge and makes them want to find out what is going to happen next.
However Luca's idea doesn't have a lot of thriller conventions which wouldn't intrigue the audience as much because thriller conventions are what engage the audience into watching the film. His narrative does contain an enigma however it doesn't entice the audience that much as his narrative is very repetitive and this could make the audience become bored. He also may not have enough narrative to fill the 2 minute sequence and so this could become a problem when filming and it would be difficult to add bits on.
Our group has chosen to use Sasha's idea. However within Sasha's idea, we have incorporated John's idea to use the cyber bullying and to use flashbacks. This will help the audience know why she has been held hostage. It also extends the sequence as Sasha's idea wasn't long enough and so by including johns, then it will be. Our group narrative follows the theme of Aristotle because his theme was that there is an antagonist and a protagonist, a dramatic question, an incident and sympathy and empathy. This follows our group narrative as the victim is seen as the protagonist and the killer is the antagonist. The audience are constantly feeling sorry for the victim as they know she is going to die. There is a big dramatic question as to who is the killer and an incident takes place in which the girl is held hostage. This theme is most relatable to our narrative because it demonstrates that the most important thing is isn't characters but the events that take place in the film to intrigue the audience. This is shown with our narrative as we want to engage the audience by creating a dramatic question and by creating an enigma which leaves the audience in suspense.
I didn't think that the other theories followed my narrative completely as Propp, said that narratives were more fairy tale like and that characters was the most important part of the film. He said you needed a villain, hero, princess, false hero and the princess' dad. This didn't apply to my narrative because I only have the victim and the villain which doesn't follow his theme. A princess and a false hero is also not conventional to a thriller film and so we wouldn't add these characters in. In a typical thriller film only the villain and the victim are shown as these are conventional to the thriller genre because they create the most suspense and the audience would typically only expect to see these two characters. A villain is shown in our narrative and this is evident throughout as the killer. We also had a victim which is evident throughout the narrative. Propp's theory is unconventional to our narrative as it doesn't follow the thriller genre and doesn't create a sinister effect. Todorov's theme is about narrative. His is also fairy tale like because he said that all narratives should start of with an equilibrium then go into a disequilibrium and then finally back into a new equilibrium. This also doesn't follow our narrative because our narrative starts off with a disequilibrium as it shows the victim in hostage and and in pain. Our narrative also ends in a disequlibrium as the victim ends up dying. This isn't fairy tale like and doesn't follow his theme of living "Happily ever After." It also ends with a disequilibrium so doesn't follow Todrov's theory of ending with a new equilibrium. Therefore our narrative follows Aristotle's theory because his theory is the most conventional to a thriller film and relates to our narrative. It contains protagonists and antagonists which is evident throughout our scene. It also uses a dramatic question which is always used in thriller films to engage the audience and intrigue them to watch the rest of the sequence. Aristotle also says that empathy and sympathy should be included in films and this is shown throughout our thriller sequence because the victim gains sympathy from the audience as the audience know she is a target and so begin to feel sorry for her. The audience also have sympathy for the victim because they are placed in her shoes and so they get an understanding on how she feels. Aristotle's theory is the most conventional to our opening sequence and is also the most relatable to thriller films because it includes certain aspects that make a thriller film and engage the audience.
Group member 3 - Sasha
Sasha's idea for the narrative is so have a hostage scene in which a young girl is kept in hostage by someone. The scene starts off with her waking up and realising she has been kept in hostage. The girl see's someone lying on the floor next to her, dead and covered in blood. She soon realises that she is covered in blood as well and she panics and tries to escape. Eventually she does escape however she see's a shadow in the window and she makes her way towards it, as she opens the curtains she finds a handprint and a face staring at her. The girl panics and as she turns around the killer is standing across the room with a knife covered in blood.
Sasha's idea is good because it is set in a ideal location which can be easy to film in. The opening sequence is set in a house and this is ideal as the scene can be filmed in any house. The plot is also fairly easy to do as there are no major faults which could stop the group from doing this narrative. The narrative also creates suspense for the audience as automatically an enigma is created and this gets the audience intrigued into the film straight away and makes them want to ask questions about why the girl is there and why the killer wants to murder her. Sasha's idea also contains good conventions of a thriller film as a death is involved and the scene uses conventional iconography such as a knife to set a sinister theme. Other conventions such as a female victim and a masked antagonist make the sequence seem thrilling and intrigue the audience into watching the rest of the film to find out who the killer is. There is an element of surprise, suspense and shock as unexpected clips take place which thrill the audience and tension is built up to keep the audience on edge.
However Sasha's idea is not as unique as it could be as typically in thriller films the female victim is always shown as the target and there is always a hostage scene which makes the girl seem vulnerable and weak. The narrative follows an original baseline from other thriller films which also show a girl being kept hostage and there is always someone wanting to kill her. This makes Sasha's idea not as good because it isn't original. Some scenes in the opening sequence could be hard to film for example point of view as that technique is hard to do and it could result in a camera shot that doesn't look very good and this wouldn't appeal to the audience and wouldn't engage them into watching the rest of the film.
Group member 4 - Luca
My film idea is about a home invasion by a unknown man that is never seen, while the man who owns the house definitely knows someone is there. He is searching the whole of his house trying to find him and as the film goes on there are hints and his family is killed as the killer taunts him and makes him look all around his locked up house. Throughout the opening sequence the man is trying to find out who is inside his house and is not too afraid at the time, he keeps all his family with him and throughout the sequence the antagonist is making noise and putting signs around the house, the sequence ends with the antagonist still not revealed and given a sign to the victim as the antagonist locks the family in their own house with no way to escape.
The strengths of Luca's idea is that it is set in an ideal location which means that it can get filmed easily. The location is in a house which is good because it means that it won't be hard to film in. Another strength is that his narrative is also fairly easy to do as it isn't impossible and it can be easily done. Luca's idea would also have good camera and sound techniques and his narrative is very conventional to a thriller genre. He has created an enigma as the audience constantly wonder what is going to happen to the victims and who is the killer. His narrative is also conventional to the thriller genre because it shows an isolated home and a killer is in the house trying to murder the victims, this is seen typically in a lot of thriller films and so it is a good narrative to have. Another strength is that it engages the audience and intrigues them to watch the rest of the film as an enigma is created which keeps the audience on edge and makes them want to find out what is going to happen next.
However Luca's idea doesn't have a lot of thriller conventions which wouldn't intrigue the audience as much because thriller conventions are what engage the audience into watching the film. His narrative does contain an enigma however it doesn't entice the audience that much as his narrative is very repetitive and this could make the audience become bored. He also may not have enough narrative to fill the 2 minute sequence and so this could become a problem when filming and it would be difficult to add bits on.
Our group has chosen to use Sasha's idea. However within Sasha's idea, we have incorporated John's idea to use the cyber bullying and to use flashbacks. This will help the audience know why she has been held hostage. It also extends the sequence as Sasha's idea wasn't long enough and so by including johns, then it will be. Our group narrative follows the theme of Aristotle because his theme was that there is an antagonist and a protagonist, a dramatic question, an incident and sympathy and empathy. This follows our group narrative as the victim is seen as the protagonist and the killer is the antagonist. The audience are constantly feeling sorry for the victim as they know she is going to die. There is a big dramatic question as to who is the killer and an incident takes place in which the girl is held hostage. This theme is most relatable to our narrative because it demonstrates that the most important thing is isn't characters but the events that take place in the film to intrigue the audience. This is shown with our narrative as we want to engage the audience by creating a dramatic question and by creating an enigma which leaves the audience in suspense.
I didn't think that the other theories followed my narrative completely as Propp, said that narratives were more fairy tale like and that characters was the most important part of the film. He said you needed a villain, hero, princess, false hero and the princess' dad. This didn't apply to my narrative because I only have the victim and the villain which doesn't follow his theme. A princess and a false hero is also not conventional to a thriller film and so we wouldn't add these characters in. In a typical thriller film only the villain and the victim are shown as these are conventional to the thriller genre because they create the most suspense and the audience would typically only expect to see these two characters. A villain is shown in our narrative and this is evident throughout as the killer. We also had a victim which is evident throughout the narrative. Propp's theory is unconventional to our narrative as it doesn't follow the thriller genre and doesn't create a sinister effect. Todorov's theme is about narrative. His is also fairy tale like because he said that all narratives should start of with an equilibrium then go into a disequilibrium and then finally back into a new equilibrium. This also doesn't follow our narrative because our narrative starts off with a disequilibrium as it shows the victim in hostage and and in pain. Our narrative also ends in a disequlibrium as the victim ends up dying. This isn't fairy tale like and doesn't follow his theme of living "Happily ever After." It also ends with a disequilibrium so doesn't follow Todrov's theory of ending with a new equilibrium. Therefore our narrative follows Aristotle's theory because his theory is the most conventional to a thriller film and relates to our narrative. It contains protagonists and antagonists which is evident throughout our scene. It also uses a dramatic question which is always used in thriller films to engage the audience and intrigue them to watch the rest of the sequence. Aristotle also says that empathy and sympathy should be included in films and this is shown throughout our thriller sequence because the victim gains sympathy from the audience as the audience know she is a target and so begin to feel sorry for her. The audience also have sympathy for the victim because they are placed in her shoes and so they get an understanding on how she feels. Aristotle's theory is the most conventional to our opening sequence and is also the most relatable to thriller films because it includes certain aspects that make a thriller film and engage the audience.
This post demonstrates proficient group planning and discussions about the group narrative. It is clear to see that you and your group have considered the strengths and weaknesses of each others ideas, before coming up with the group narrative.
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1) Explore the three narrative theories in more detail and consider why you have chosen to follow Aristotle's theory over Todorov's and Propp's theory
This post now demonstrates good planning techniques. You have elaborated and explored the reasons for not selecting the other two theories, but further and more detailed points are needed on Aristotoles theory. This can be achieved, by relating the theory points back to your narrative.
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