Genre: Social Realism.

James and I were given the task to complete a presentation on social realism. This would introduce this genre to us and the rest of the class.


Here is the Prezi:

Narrative Theory - Vladimir Propp

Vladimir suggested that characters take on the role of narrative "spheres of actions". This theory is similar to Todorovs'.

Our group decided to compare this theory to some films to see which characters corresponds to which role.

These characters are:

1. The Hero, usually male, restores equilibrium by embarking on a quest. In our case, Harry Potter is the Hero which is clearly told through his name being the title, and him featuring in the majority of the film.

2. There is a Villain which creates disruptions, ruining the equilibrium. This is what the hero has to fix. In Harry Potter the villain throughout the whole series is Voldemort, but in each separate film there is also another minor villain.

3. There is a Donor who prepares the Hero by giving him/her an object or magical powers. In Spiderman the donor would be the spider that bit Peter Parker to give him the powers.

4. There is a Dispatcher notifies the Hero of the disturbance I equilibrium and sends him on his way. In Harry Potter, Hagrid would be the dispatcher.

5. There is a Helper who aids the hero on his/her quest. In Shrek, Donkey would be the helper.

6. There is a Princess or Prize which the Hero deservers throughout the story but cannot have due to evil, usually from the villain. The hero then obtains this at the end of his journey through defeating the villain. In Shrek the Princess would be Fiona.

7. There is a False Hero who takes credit for the hero's actions or tries to marry the Princess. In Frozen, Prince Hans would be the anti-hero.

Narrative Theory - Todorov

Todorov proposed that every story has 5 stages:

1. Equilibrium - Calm period of the film that is usually at the start. At this point everything is normal and characters are used to the situation.

2. Disruption of order - Something happens which changes the equilibrium, but the main character doesn't yet know the cause of the problem.

3. Recognition of disruption - At this point the main character finds out what caused the unsettlement, giving him/her the inspiration to resolve then issue.

4. Attempt to repair disruption - Main Character attempts to regain equilibrium by repairing the situation.

5. New equilibrium - Disruption has been sorted, and a new equilibrium is made, whether it is good or bad.

Teaser VS Theatrical Trailer.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

My group and I decided to compare a theatrical and a teaser trailer so we could clearly see the differences and similarities between the two, allowing us to see which would be better to make in our final piece.

Teaser Trailer:

- Fast Paced

- Short Cuts

- Not as much content, making people want to see more

- Only introduced to a few characters, not giving to much information away

Theatrical Trailer:

- Slower paced

- Longer cuts

- More content, giving out more information but still not too much
- Introduced to many more characters, making people even more interested especially if a famous actor/actress is in the film

Teaser and Theatrical:
- Some of the same clips are used in both
- Voice overs are used in both
- Both contain the hook (apes)