See film and write an essay according to questions that my teacher gave

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Suspense vs Surprise

  • Both Suspense and Surprise are narrative devices
  • “Surprise occupies fifteen seconds of screen time, Suspense fifteen minutes” - Hitchcock
  • Surprise engages our interest through shock and disruption
  • Suspense engages our interest through apprehension and anticipation

View clip: Car commercial

Suspense

  • Suspense builds dramatic tension by creating a dynamic between what is revealed and what is not.
  • Creates the anticipation of a possible outcome
  • What will happen next?
  • Cause and Effect
  • Call and Response
  • Suspense relies on a limited disclosure of information
  • The audience knows something the characters do not
  • The characters know something the audience does not
  • Both character and audience have limited information
  • The event must have consequences
  • Favorable vs unfavorable
  • The degree of dramatic tension is relative to the degree of audience investment (Identification)

View clip: The Birds

POV

  • Point of View focuses our attention by limiting perspective.
  • Primarily this creates identification with a character (We receive information as a character receives it)
  • Ability to control information often used as a dramatic device to build dramatic tension (suspense)
  • Our perspective is limited to their perspective, their questions are our questions, their limitations our limitations.
  • If we care about the character AND we are uncertain of the outcome= dramatic tension
  • Apprehension and Expectation

Genre

  • Genre is a category or type of film. It is a way of classifying a story
  • War Film, Comedy, Thriller, Science Fiction etc
  • Each Genre has attributes that define it; a homogenous group of characteristics that include:
  • dramatic settings
  • narrative actions
  • character types
  • narrative outcomes.
  • Not all films are ‘genre’ films

Genre and Audience Expectations

  • Genre is a consensus, a collective agreement based on what is ‘universally popular’
  • Develops a ‘contract’ with audience, setting up expectations.
  • Origins
  • unique historical context/cultural attribute.
  • other mediums, Pulp fiction, Comic books
  • Genre can be considered a ‘mythology’ of our times.
  • Often representing our collective fantasies, our hopes and dreams,
  • it is a refined ‘projection’ of the world as we wish to see it.

Genre- Characteristics

  • Maintains a simple, familiar storyline
  • ‘formula’ stories
  • classic story structure
  • Character Types
  • The Star
  • Archetype
  • Qualities and characteristics represent but do not replicate, life.
  • ‘Larger than life’
  • Allusion to contemporary context – disguised or implied through allegory, often making social or political criticism
  • Many genres share characteristics

Enhanced Character, Enhanced Conditions

  • Characters are more ‘expressive’ than realistic
  • Both the Protagonist and the Antagonist have greater than average abilities (Aristotle)
  • Protagonist- More ability in support of the ‘good’
  • Antagonist – More ability in support of the ‘bad’
  • Women are more beautiful, Men more dashing
  • more intelligent, more attractive, more funny, etc
  • The everyday world is ‘larger than life’
  • Archetype

Genre Attributes-The Western

  • Each genre has unique attributes – Review Barsam.
  • The Western
  • historical backdrop of the ‘wild west’, (setting)
  • Horses, towns, cows and saloons
  • Narrative actions:
  • Manifest destiny, law vs lawlessness, cowboy vs indian, the cultivating of the wild, the hero AND the romantic interest.
  • Clearly defined character types,
  • the Sheriff (lone ranger), the outlaw, the ‘school marm’ (ranchers wife), the barmaid, the ‘doctor’, the rancher, etc
  • Clearly defined narrative outcomes.
  • Sheriff defeats outlaw (usually in a ‘showdown’).
  • Love is unobtainable, The ‘hero’ rides off into the sunset, etc

Stages of Genre

  • Primitive (inception)
  • Classic
  • Revisionist
  • Parody

Classic Genre

  • A genre becomes ‘classic’ by popular consensus, embodying all of the conventions of that genre
  • Height of popularity
  • Variety, yet still conforms to ‘guidelines’ of genre.
  • Many filmmakers are challenged to make a story interesting within its ‘form’
  • Modify, something new
  • Some of the most creative work happens within a genre for it gives the filmmaker something to ‘push back against’

Evolution of a genre

  • A genre peaks when it has been absorbed into a culture.
  • When variety has been exhausted, genre becomes ‘predictable’ (loss of interest)
  • In order to maintain popularity a genre may be ‘revised’
  • Alters accepted conventions (character type, narrative outcome)

Revisionist Genre

  • Revisionist Genre revises the ‘classic’ model by radically altering its attributes
  • Challenges audience expectations
  • Characters assume qualities not associated with type
  • Actions and Narrative Outcomes defy the classic model
  • Revisionist genre is still predominately identified with the genre, however:
  • turns the classic stage of genre ‘on its head’
  • May contain figurative uses
  • allegory
  • message

Parody

  • Parody, makes fun of the conventions found in genre
  • It requires a prior understanding of the genre
  • Must be thoroughly absorbed into the culture
  • Audiences are included (with a ‘wink and a nod’) to an open criticism of a genres convention.
  • Political satire, style or other ‘generic’ conventions are ridiculed. (spoofs, Molierre, Swift)
  • View: Django

Multiple Genre/Other Uses

  • Multiple genre blends distinct, recognizable characteristics of more than one genre
  • Homage can allude to a specific genre.
  • Other stylistic or narrative traits may be ‘borrowed’, and incorporated making it difficult to associate with a specific genre.
  • Thriller, may work in part of a drama, a coming of age tale may be set in the west etc.