Analysis of a Horror Trailer

This is a trailer for 'Sinister' released in 2012 filmed in HD. The film opens with a certificate given by MPPA, the film is rated R which means 'under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian' due to the fact the film contains 'disturbing violent images and some terror'. Produced by Summit Entertainment, A Lionsgate company, as shown in the opening of the trailer.

The film unconventionally begins with a somewhat disequilibrium, as it shows a house at night. The dark natural lighting of the night time, and the moonlit house connote that it is a horror genre, but also create a sense of discomfort which is what leads me to believe it is a disequilibrium. Fog is particularly significant in the horror genre and is a typical element you expect to see during the disequilibrium. Fog symbolizes monsters and the unknown, thus why it is commonly seen in horror trailers. The only unnatural lighting is the two lights that make the house stand out, this unnatural lighting again connotes danger as it is minimal making the setting seem unsafe. The establishing shot clearly shows the main setting the house. By using an establishing got the director has used empty space around the house (the vast distance between the house and the camera) this makes the house seem too dangerous to be close too as it points out the empty space and the lack of life around it. There is a slow zoom taking the camera timidly towards the house. This is another technique used directors of horror and typical technique we expect to see within the genre. The slow zoom creates suspense  whilst creating the feeling you are being forced towards the danger, making the house seem more daunting, which, creates fear for the audience. The shot shows the audience the haunting past of the house, which isn't actually significant to the main narrative. The main narrative begins after the a clear sign that says '9 months later'. The director has specifically broken the theory of 'Equilibrium, then disequilibrium  and has begun the trailer on a disequilibrium in order to make the main narrative clearer so the audience is able to understand that the house was haunted in the past. As the house zooms audible is the light sound of humming, again this creates an eerie atmosphere.

The main narrative begins with a shot of the house looking more positive. The establishing shot mirrors the past shot of the house looking haunting by showing it in the complete opposite. The shot shows a moving truck with boxes being taken into the house, showing that there is a family moving in, introducing the main narrative. This shot clearly depicts the equilibrium of the family moving into a new house. This shown through a bright natural lighting which creates a happy positive atmosphere, the bright green grass creates a natural ordinary, comfortable feel in the image. Similarly to the last shot, the shot also zooms into the house, however, the zoom this time is faster, creating excitement and intrigue. A establishing, positive shot of the setting is typical of a horror trailer in order to create a sense of equilibrium to begin the narrative.You are able to hear the positive sound of birds in the background, this strengthens the portrayal of the positive setting. Also heard is the sound of a young girls voice, sounding calm, it also highlights the typical victim of a horror film being the innocent young girl, sticking to the archetypical characters we expect to see in order to create a successful narrative. This calms the audience, as it makes the shot seem ordinary and comfortable.

The disequilibrium is evident when a shot shows one of the children being possessed as the father (the hero) runs to help them. The sound is the sound is the ambient sound of the child screaming however, the sound of the screaming is the amplified and played over the top to make it seem more oppressive and creates more of a discomfiting, scary, thrilling feeling. This is vital for a horror film, it is important as well as conventional that the sound is used in a horror film to enhance the chilling atmosphere of a shot. A close up shot is used to emphasize the fearful expression on the child's face, this again enhances the atmosphere whilst creating fear in the audience. The audience will naturally sympathize for the child and will be drawn to protect them, whilst the fact that is a child possessed creates more fear than an adult, this is because children are unpredictable and seeing a child behave in such a way creates fear. Dark lighting is used to create a dark chilling atmosphere, the left side is darker making it seem that the child is coming out of the darkness, this is also associated with a horror genre, as darkness denotes danger and trouble, thus, emphasizing that the child is dangerous. The director has intentionally shown the child upside down in order to make the shot seem, surreal and distorted which is another typical feature of a horror film. Interestingly however, unconventionally to the horror genre, the 'monster' or 'villain' based on Propp's theory, is not showing a direct address. Conventionally, we would expect the villain to be looking at the audience to create a nostalgic feeling emphasizing fear. There is a lot of empty space around the child, meaning it is a loose frame, this is to draw focus on the child.

The final shot is of the 'attic' which seems to be the main setting inside the house that exhibits the most danger, thus, when a shot of the attic is shown the audience expect something scary to happen. Attics and dark spaces such as this are commonly seen in the horror genre, this is because they are places you wouldn't commonly see within a house, and they are dark and irregular which creates fear. The final shot shows 5 zombie like children sitting on the floor looking at the camera (subsequently the audience) they are gesturing the audience to be quiet. The audience will associate the way the children are sitting and the gesture they are doing with school as it is something that wouldn't seem out of place in a classroom. However, taking the position of the teacher is a scary figure in a mask that is being projected onto a screen. The main light source is visible on the screen no, enhanced lighting has been used, this means there is a very low lighting in the image that is lighting the children and the masked figure from below. Lighting someone from below distorts their features, another common feature of a horror film, as it creates fear. You are able to hear loud banging noises and the sound of a reel of film, these unusual sounds create fear and they are surreal and scary. There is a slight zoom in this shot that creates the feeling you are being drawn to the danger, there is no escape. A loose shot has been used for this long shot in order to create empty space around the danger, emphasizing there is no escape. However, I feel this message would have been stronger if a tight shot had been used. The fact that the trailer ends in a disequilibrium is typical of a horror movie trailer, this is so the end is not spoiled and to entice the audience to watch the film.

Audience response to 'Narrative Pitch'

Characters:

The audience felt that the main character was a unique selling point and could play as an intriguing appealing character, being the typical unexpected hero. However, they felt that there may not be enough characters, just the protagonist, the princess and the three aiding characters. They felt that there may not be enough characters to create a strong interesting narrative. Taking this into consideration I have thought of a stronger structure of events to create a better more intriguing narrative, taking into consideration the responses from the horror target audience survey. They felt that the horror villain typically being a ghost was particularly strong as, based on the survey responses ghosts are the scariest thing in a horror and it being an unknown entity.

Setting:

The main setting would be the school and the underground metal structure of the mechanical room, where they go to turn the lights back on. The target audience felt these were both strong settings for a horror movie, the office being eerie, with clinical oppressive lighting and hospital white walls, this will create fear as in terms of the narrative this is where our protagonist feels safe, which is ironic as it is a scary place for the audience, thus creating suspense. The underground room was particularly appealing to the target audience as they felt being underground typically connotes fear and a feeling of isolation and clostraphobia. They also felt pathetic fallacy could be a strong feature in the film, the underground being dirty and cold connotes more fear and creates a chilling atmosphere.

Narrative:

The audience felt that the narrative was particularly strong as typically seen in a horror there was a twist in narrative, the real villain being the anonymous. This was appealing as it created an intriguing, horrific narrative, which hasn't been seen before. It also appealed to the target audience capturing both their fears of supernatural villains, and physical real life villains, creating the most scary horror, making the most out of my narrative. They did feel however, that the opening equilibrium may be hard to tell clearly so that the audience understand the ordinary nature of the camera being used. However, they did feel it would create fear strengthening the genre as it made it more real, and natural.

Analysing Responses to 'Horror Research'

Q1 Are you male or female?

I asked this question in order to find out what sex my target audience are, this will encourage me to consider who whether my choice of female protagonist is a good decision. I feel that by having a female protagonist, that plays as both the princess and the hero I gain a new unique selling point, having an inspiring character as the lead, rather than a more typical attractive, unintelligent lead character. It also means by having a female protagonist this is appealing to the male audience.

Q2 What do you find the scariest?

By asking my target audience what they find the scariest I can clearly see what is the best choice of villain to create fear, and a successful appealing horror film for my target audience. It also means that I can create a clear selling point, by having a villain that appeals to the audience. Thus, my villain, a ghost, is clearly the best choice. 

Q3 What attracts you to a horror? (e.g. the actors, the fear)

For this question I have collected all responses and created a wordle of responses, the most popular words used are the largest. As you can see 'fear' and 'ghosts' are the largest words on the image meaning these are two elements I must include in my horror in order to attract my target audience. Similarly setting and the narrative are very important aspects that will attract my target audience.

Q4 What within a horror creates fear? (e.g. the unknown, the suspense)



For this question I have collected all responses and created a wordle of reposes, the most popular words used are the largest. The most popular responses were suspense, the unknown and blood. This enables me to see clearly important aspects of a horror I must have in my horror in order to create horror. 

Q5 What do you feel is the strongest form of advertising?



I asked this question in order to see which forms of advertisement would be the strongest in order to promote my film. As you can see Adverts are the most popular then posters and billboards. This means I can clearly see how to attract my target audience creating a stronger company image. 

Q6 What typical things do you expect to see within a horror? (e.g. a death, blood, a monster etc)



 For this question I have collected all responses and created a wordle of responses, the most popular words used are the largest. The two most popular res ponces to this question were blood and death, thus this leads me to believe these are two elements I must include in order to create the image of a typical horror, and attract the target audience, by clearly showing the genre.

Website Analysis

This is the official website for the box office film 'The Cabin in the woods', rated 15. As you can see they have used one main image for the background which seems to be a foggy wood obviously linking with the title. In the foreground another image, a typical wood cabin seen in more traditional films such as 'Friday the 13th' etc. However, the cabin has been distorted to create a more eerie feeling linking with the narrative of the film: showing a setting, and creating a supernatural feeling possibly implying there may be ghosts, or monsters, like a typical horror film. The graphic also moves, the bird flies and there is smoke coming out of the chimney, this is the websites unique selling point, as it links with the film whilst making the website more fitting for the genre.  At the top of the page are links showing what pieces the writer and producer have been involved with before, 'From the writer of cloverfield' and the 'Producer Joss Whedon'. This creates a stronger advertisement for the film in association with the other films the writer was involved with, due to the fact it attracts a specific target audience, whilst it also means that if that film or name is searched it will come up on a search engine again, attracting a more specific target audience to the film. The red writing shows a review, this writing then fades bringing up a rating, then another review. Both the bold font and colour red work particularly well as they stand out, which is ideal as they are the strongest form of advertisement on the website, showing reviews from recognised magazines.
To the right is the title of the film, written in the same font as the film poster, and billboards, the same or a similar font has also been used throughout the whole of this front page of the website. This creates a brand identity, as the style of font and the wide spacing can easily be recognised in association with this film, similarly the strange unique graphic on the left side. Underneath the film title there are hyperlinks to other pages on the website, such as the 'trailer'. When this hyperlink is clicked it takes you to 'youtube' this shows there has been synergy of companies between the film company and youtube in order for them to use their website to play the film, benefiting both companies as it means it creates a better advertisement for the film while advertising the website 'youtube'. Similarly as you can see there is a link to the 'twitter page'. The bottom link is for a competition, this makes the audience feel more involved, and, take something personally beneficial from their interest in the film.

Horror Audience Research

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

I will send the above survey to my target audience which are young adults within the age range of 18-25. Typically they will be in higher education, with an even ratio of male to female. I have specifically chosen this age range as they are the most popular age range to regularly go to the cinema. They are also the most popular age range interested the horror genre. 

Narrative Proposal

http://prezi.com/u0b6b2b9g7zl/narrative-proposal/?utm_source=prezi-view&utm_medium=ending-bar&utm_content=Title-link&utm_campaign=ending-bar-tryout

Introducing Research summary

Firstly, I chose a genre I intended to research based on the genre I want to make a film poster for: Horror. I studied narrative theories in order to understand the typical structures of film, this gave me an initial outlook as to what each film trailer or poster may be advertising, leaving me able to recognise certain qualities within the film that relate to these theories.

To begin my research on film posters, I began by making myself familiar with the correct termonology. This enabled me to clearly highlight the conventions of a poster, understanding the important factors of a film poster. By covering new words such as the credit block, or title I was able to understand the knowledge behind the creation of the film poster. This lead me into researching into different posters, learning the typical layouts and moving on to the mise-en-scene.
By analysing different film posters focusing on the mise-en-scene, again, I was able to learn more conventions of a film poster that will help me later create a succesful film poster. I was able to find typical qualities seen in the genre of horror (my chosen genre, I intend to create a film poster for). Through this again, I furthered my knowledge and understanding of the media product, whilst elabourating further on my media based vocabulary.

Within my research above I saw a perpetual pattern: the mention of 'production companies'. Hence, I extended my research realizing the importance of a production company, and understanding that in order to create my own successful product I myself would need a production company, thus, based on my research I thought it best I made one.

I then created a skills audit in order to realise my own strengths this was so I can assess my skills, so that when I finish my final product I can clearly see the jeourney I have made, and what I have become better at.

Analysing a film poster

This is a film poster advertising the release of a new horror movie 'The Women in Black'. The lighting clearly denotes that the genre is horror as it is high key lighting which is quite unusual, yet it creates the typical unnaturally lit effect that is commonly seen in the genre of horror. This is because it creates dark shadows which makes the face seem more daunting. An effect has been used to make the eye of the protagonist stand out, making them seem unnaturally bright, this could connote fear, it also makes the protagonist seem almost supernatural, or spiritual. The man also seems to be showing a direct address, this could be to draw attention to his supernatural eyes, it could also -supported  by his furrowed brow- could be signifying his desperation and fear. The fog in the background supports this, creating an unnatural, supernatural mise-en-scene. Similarly, the font is made to look as if it were glowing, masked by the fog. There seems to be the shape of a face in the fog, this reinforces the genre, whilst showing the clear villain or evil character in the film, this is supported by the line next to the image 'Do you believe in ghosts?' this is to intrigue the audience. The also seems to be a slight hazed blurr around the image this could be to emphasize the fog effect, it could also be to draw on the surrealism. In order to advertise the film the protagonists name is clearly shown 'Daniel Radcliffe' this is to attract fans in association. This is commonly seen in film posters as it attracts the target audience.

Understanding Genre

To a modern audience, genre, is merely a means of categorising a film, a way of allowing you to find which film you are looking for more easily, making film more accessible. By separating films into a type of genre it allows you to explore film in more detail, experiencing each genre. Which essentially allows you the freedom of choice, the choice to choose which genre is your favourite so you can only watch that genre, thus, TV channels such as 'Sky Movies Comedy' and 'Sky Movies Drama' are created for people who prefer one genre.

However, the creation of genre (type in french) was due to a whole other benefit. Genres were created due to audience appeal, and media development. Initially in the creation of Hollywood the most popular genre was Western/Cowboy movies, although proven popular Hollywood came across a clear problem: that eventually films would come repetitive. Thus, the sub-genres of Westerns were created, adding exciting twists such as romance, or humour to entice an audience. Interestingly with the incoming technology and new CGI technologies genres such as Science fiction were created, to entice a newer modern audience, yet channel's such as 'The Classics' still exist, suiting an audience who prefer older film.

Even with all the genres currently existing however, constantly new sub-genres are created, to entice wider audiences. With more films being created the audience are becoming less and less shocked due to typical conventions, thus, in order to keep the audience entertained production companies are being forced to mix genres, fusing typical story lines to shock and audience. When more than one genre are combined this is called becoming hybrid.

Creating a production company

Films are created by a production company. A production company will fund the film as well as hire the actors etc, for example, Harry Potter's production company was Warner Brothers. When creating a film a production company is a vital part of the process, thus, prior to designing my film, I have created a production company to produce the film.

My production company is called Aperture Productions, the name obviously relevant to a camera. This highlights that the company is modern, and digital. The logo (above) supports this, showing a lens of a camera. The name also clearly links to its content, as it is a media company producing film. When creating the name I debated with other more unusual names, but I chose this name as I thought it was creative and the most relevant.

Researching Classification

Film certificates are used to show an audience what films are suitable for their age range. This is particularly helpful for parents, as it means they are immediately aware of what films are suitable for their children to watch based purely on the certificate given by the BBFC (The British Board of Film Classification). Certificates are given based on the BBFC guideline which is constantly updated to suit the new, ever changing media.

The first certificate is 'U' which means it is suitable for all. This means it is suitable for children under the age of four to watch without parental guidance. It essentially means that is a positive film with no content which is deemed inappropriate for children to see. This means that the film will contain no violence, and will maintain appropriate language.

A 'PG' film is said to be for general viewing, this means that there may be some content which would be deemed inappropriate for children under the age of around 7/8 meaning it is not able to be given the certificate of 'U' but is still suitable. This means that children can be taken to a 'PG' film when accompanied by an adult.

The same criteria is used to classify a '12' and a '12A' based on the BBFC guideline. Films given the certificate '12' mean they are strictly not suitable for children under the age of 12. However films given the certificate '12A' mean it is the parents choice, hence, the child must be accompanied by an adult in order to see the film. Films that are 12 generally contain some form of violence, or language deemed inappropriate for children under the age of 12

This certificate means you cannot be under the age of 15 can watch this film, as it contains either extreme violence or, sexual content not suitable for children under the age of 15, but not too extreme that it has been given an 18 rating.

When films are rated 18 it means that the content of the film is only appropriate for adults. This means there is extreme violence, language or sexual content, which obviously wouldn't be suitable for a child.

If a film has this rating it means that this is extreme sexual content, which involves either strong sexual action or fetish material. This essentially legalises adult films ensuring they are reasonable for adults and not exploiting any illegal behaviour.

Analysing a Film Poster

A quote presenting the film in a positive way and high rating of the film are clearly  shown to promote the film to the audience, to, essentially entice them. Capital letters, and a large bold font, and big stars are shown to attract the audience. Similarly to promote the film, they have shown a clear link to the films ‘saw’ and ‘paranormal activity’ this is to clearly highlight their target audience drawing them in with association to other films that have been popular in the past. A bold font has been used for the title of the film, the fact that the font is slightly broken makes it similar to the font of a ‘wanted’ poster, this is interesting and intriguing for the audience, as it makes it seem there may be a deeper meaning around the word. The slogan is beneath the picture of the poster, this intrigues the audience, whilst giving a deeper insight as to what the film may be about.

In the background is a house, the house is surrounded in dark trees and scary, heavy clouds, this implies that the house may be significant within the horror, it also typically –based on the genre- allows the to deduce that the house may be haunted, or evil in some way. The lighting however is unusual, as it slightly highlights the house creating a positive atmosphere. This could be accentuate the boy in front creating a contrast, making him stand out. It could also be to highlight some kind of higher power, making the house seem spiritual in some way. The composition is particularly interesting as the image of the boy has been layered over the house to almost make it seem he is protecting the house in some way. The contrasting lighting on each also makes it seem that the boy is some kind of dark essence over the house.

The boy has been positioned so it seems he is leaning over the camera, this makes it seem he is the antagonist, or evil character in the film, it also highlights him as a domineering force. It is a relatively modern convention to have the child as the ‘evil’ character, however, since the release of ‘The exorcist’ and ‘The Ring’ using a child as the antagonist has become a typical convention within a horror movie. The boy has been lit unnaturally to create a sense of discomfort for the audience, they audience made to feel uncomfortable as it again highlights the boy as a domineering force within the film. The boys costume is also particularly interesting, as it seems to be pyjamas. Again by bringing in something that is unfamiliar it creates a sense of discomfort, however, it also creates intrigue as it draws on the familiar becoming unfamiliar, typically seen in a horror film. The fact that the boys eyes are scratched out however, is the most discomforting feature. Firstly as it is a child, it touches a more sensitive subject, making the audience question why would want to hurt a child? However, it could also be implying a deeper meaning, as based on the Greek Sophocles of Oedipus where the psychic man is blind, this could be showing that, as the boys sight is taken, he is psychic, however, the fact that it is scratched could imply that he has been forced to be psychic and is taken by some higher power.

Skills Audit

 

From my audit I found that my creative skills are strong, as I am able to think of programmes to use in order to make my Research and Creative process more successful. I was also able to take my written work and interlink it with my creative pieces to make them stronger, showing clear evidence using a range of programmes. For example, I used written research, and mind maps to make my research on audience stronger, by scanning in the image and uploading it to my Blog so my journey is visible. However, I also found that I was weaker at using vital programmes that I will use when creating my current work, such as using film equipment and editing programmes.

Researching the release Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity filmed in 2006, was officially released first in the U.S the 25th September 2009, and universally on the 16th October 2009 by Paramount, however, it was actually first screened as an independent movie in the Slamdance Film Festival in 2007. The marketing campaign itself was similar to one of The Blaire Witch Project, this could be because of the similar 'home-video' style of filming. The film poster itself shows a clip from the film, firstly this highlights the unique style of filming used, accentuating the unique selling point. It also means rather than creating an over edited image, they have used a more relevant screen shot which created intrigue but also adds to the fact that the film is made to seem like a home-video. The posters were shown on the side of bus', bus stops in tube stations, billboards and adverts were shown on the T.V.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UxLEqd074 The trailer for Paranormal activity when released gained much interest from the audience, as it actually showed footage from an over excited, scared audience watching the film itself. The trailer caused a flourage of interest as it used a method that hadn't yet been used.
However, the strongest aspect of the marketing strategy was the social buzz created by the film, this is proven by the fact the film used a mere budget of $15,000 yet still managed to gain an equally substantial profit rivalling other horror movies released in the same year such as, 'Drag Me To Hell' or, 'The Hills Run Red'. Social websites such as Facebook, Twitter and even blogs spread the word of the release of paranormal activity, giving personal reviews and raising the publicity.

How does 'The Birds' by Alfred Hitchcock conform to or subvert the narrative theories of Todorov and Propp?

Firstly outlined in the opening scene is our protagonist or, based on the theory of Propp our ‘hero’. Unconventionally however, our hero challenges the typical conventions outlined in Propp’s theory, as she is female, and the romantic chase is actually for a ‘prince’ rather a ‘princess’. Some may argue that it is the male dominant character that is the hero as he suits the conventions, however the theory states the hero is found as being on a ‘quest’ or ‘pursuit’ thus proving that it is the female protagonist that is the hero, as initially her pursuit was to take lovebirds to the sister of the prince, in order to gain a reward. The villain is clearly shown in ‘The Birds’ as obviously, the birds, as they attack, and prevent the hero on her journey. There is no clear father, or dispatcher in the film, however, it could be argued that the hero’s mother plays both these parts, as, at the climax it is the mother whom sends the hero on her task of saving the school children and it is the mother who rewards the hero with her son, the prince. Similarly there is no clear donor, however, you could say that ‘Annie’ clearly the helper, as she helps the hero to save the children, could be seen as the donor, as she seems to give the hero a knowledge that brings her closer to the prince, aiding her on her journey. Finally, is the false hero, I do not believe that there is a clear false hero in this film, however, I do feel that ‘Annie’ the helper does initially show signs of being a false hero, as she seems to show some feelings towards the prince. This leads me to believe that Hitchcock has played with the conventions of Propps theory to enhance the theatrical elements of his film, making it more intriguing.

Todorov’s theory however seems much more fitting with ‘The Birds’ as, the film begins with a typical calm atmosphere. Although there is a quite discomfort in opening credits of the birds squawking and the opening shots of birds flying, this is merely foreshadowing of the disequilibrium to come.  There is a small discomfort in the fact that the hero and prince have a small argument, however, this kind of converse doesn’t seem to uncomfortable for the hero, meaning there isn’t any clear discomfort, and it is still fitting with Todorov’s theory. On the hero’s quest there is then a typical ‘disruption’ that marks the beginning of the disequilibrium, which begins with a bird biting the head of the hero, making her bleed out, this imagery signifies the beginning of the disequilibrium. The disequilibrium in the play, is the most climatic part; when they are stuck inside the house with the birds attacking. Later however, the hero and the others overcome this and the situation begins to repair, creating a new equilibrium or typically a ‘happy ending’.

Researching Narrative Theories

Vladimir Propp

Propp researched into the typical structure of a folk tale, or more commonly known a ‘fairytale’. Propp did this by analyzing over 100 tales which allowed him to conclude on one main theory depicting the typical structure of a tale. The theory highlighted the typical characters seen in each tale that allowed the story to unfold, each 8 typical characters had a role within the tale that shaped the outcome of the novel, and this can still be seen in films and novels today.  These characters were:

The hero: this typically is the protagonist of the novel, and is known for saving the princess or town.

      The villain: this is the evil character of the novel that fights against the hero preventing the happy outcome.

      The princess: typically the princess is a prize for the hero when he has overcome his quest and won against the villain.

      The dispatcher: this is the person who sends the hero on his quest, or, at times makes the hero aware of some kind of absence that leads him on his quest.

      The father: it was noted that Propp could not clearly distinguish the functions of both the father and the princess, as at time their intentions may overlap meaning- at times the father may be the reason for the hero’s quest, and at times may be the reward similarly to the princess.

      The helper: typically the helper would be magical in some way and will help the hero on his quest.

      The donor: will give something to the hero that will help him on his quest.

      False hero: this is the typically other male character that will try to reap the hero’s reward (the princess).

For example these characters can still be seen in films today, such as, Shrek 2:

The hero: Shrek

The villain: Fairy God Mother

The princess: Fiona

The dispatcher: Fiona’s Father

The father: Also the dispatcher

The helper: Donkey

The donor: Puss in boots

False Hero: Prince charming

Tzvetan Todorov

Todorov researched into the typical structure of a tale. This allowed him to conclude one theory that shapes the beginning middle and end of a novel typically seen, although concise and simple, it is still seen in films today. Todorov believed there were 5 typical stages within a novel, or now, film.

        A stable equilibrium: this meant that the setting is usual and comfortable for the characters, and implies that there is a comfortable calm within the novel/film.

        A disruption: this is a part in the novel where something bad or different may happen that causes a change in atmosphere leading to the climax of the next stage.

         Disequilibrium: this is the most climatic part of the novel or film as it is when there is a big event that creates a complete change in atmosphere that may cause fear or sadness, completely contrasting with the beginning of the film/novel.

         Repairing the disequilibrium: An attempt to repair the disruption and bring back some kind of normality, repairing the damage of the disequilibrium.

         A new equilibrium: this is the typical happy ending that shows a new happy, or comfortable state of equilibrium.

Below is a graph that shows the changing state of the equilibrium and the stages: