Narratives and 9/11 reports

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Where narratives in films are concerned they are typically linear and adhere to Todorov and Propp. However as the well-equipped media student I find myself to be (please no laughing), I am aware this is changing. With the increasing crossover hybrids we are being subjected to, it’s no surprise narratives are becoming more creative and (arguably) more interesting. Films such as Memento, 500 Days of Summer, Inception, Pulp Fiction and Sliding Doors are all seen to be rebelling against the standard codes and conventions of typical narratives. Some would say these are a more, how shall I phrase it, intelligent type of storyline; but surely this is more just due to the increase in concentration that’s needed to follow it as oppose to a direct reflection of the demographic. Don’t get me wrong, Inception was a ground-breaking production in its own way and all kinds of audiences would’ve viewed it, but I personally don’t feel it was as ‘different’ as made out. Most producers seem to create these narratives that may be slightly unusual, market them as an amazingly innovative original concept and therefore sell a lot of cinema tickets.  Personally I feel let down by the majority of these – Inception was good, but after so much hype I was only to be disappointed.

Aside from this demographics were discussed and I was asked how I feel about the representation of mine in the media. Continuing our talk on genres, we considered the rom-coms and how they represent the male roles and the female (potentially my demographic). This genre seems to show women in a positive (but feminist) light and makes it incredibly relatable with all the realistic situations that occur e.g. Bridget Jones eating ice-cream when unhappy etc. This genre’s narrative is highly predictable and because of this it is easy to watch without too much of a thought process, I find I can pretty much miss half of it and still understand it! However if I were to miss parts of Pulp Fiction, I would guarantee my consequent confusion and thereafter unbelievable frustration. It is obvious the codes and conventions of this almost hybrid narrative style generates a lot more interest than typical genres hence why they are constantly being produced. But as with all genres most ideas are being repeated and therefore it’s making these new and amazing conceptualised films only as good as its predecessor – originality is definitely a challenge.

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9/11 reports (see bibliography for URLs)
As we were reminded repeatedly in our seminar and rightly so, the topic of narrative does not only apply to films. For example many advertisements include them as well as, in this case, news stories. The topic of 2001’s 9/11 terrorist attacks was no doubt one of the most reported events in the last decade and even in my nineteen years of being on this earth (I’m quite sure I remember nothing before the age of 10 but that’s beside the point). Either way the coverage was phenomenal as one would expect, but the difference between the live news and the 10 o’clock news is striking. As I’m sure you’re thinking this is to be expected, but after analysing them closely it became clearer and I noticed key variances I may have overlooked otherwise.

The main difference is that of the script, or there lack of, as the news commentary is expected to be of a particular standard where sentences are concerned. The live clip may be ‘breaking’ news but this led to the quality of report being sacrificed, especially as the reporters had no real knowledge of the event. On the other hand, the BBC clip is retrospective news and there is a typical news story narrative to it. This is alongside a footage montage of reasonable quality and (in my opinion) unnecessary first-hand accounts from already traumatised public who would probably rather do anything else than talk about their current situation. The backstory of the towers is also given with various statistics about the employee population and the known/potential fatalities, making for a script full of yet more disheartening and excessively over-the-top emotive language.

The absence of a narrative in the live report can in a way been seen to be surprisingly advantageous because as the viewers are seeing the footage at the same rate as the reporters, there is an instant connection between institution and audience. This makes it a lot more personal, especially when the comments made by the reporters are likely to reflect how the audience are feeling too. It also has less organisation and therefore minimal opportunities to script and arrange phrasings potentially biasing the report. This is unlike the BBC narrative which includes well thought out editing, camerawork, shot selection and carefully selected political clips. Now I realise how cynical this sounds but yes, I truly believe, even the news uses mediation to their advantage.

Bibliography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lKZqqSI9-s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPh7ECq9sc0&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLF72AD22BC05DFF3B

Structuralism – Todorov & Propp

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I chose an article (about the X Factor) in The Sun Newspaper (November 10^th) for my print-based Media object, as I thought it would be interesting to apply Propp’s and Todorov’s narrative theories to something that is (arguably) factual. I feel Propp’s theory cannot be applied to factual Media Products such as the article. Unlike books and films which have typical narratives, articles are being reported as opposed to being told and are seen as factual. For my AV-based product I observed the film Chicago (2003). I chose this because as well as enjoying the film, I know that the format and particular characters are likely to fit with Propp’s theory well.

When looking at Todorov’s theory, the initial equilibrium isn’t necessarily present. Typical of this Media Form and where Celebrity Culture is integral, it is reported for consumers who want ‘gossip’ – which will invariably always start with a disequilibrium. In this particular article, the disequilibrium is about X Factor being rigged. This is made known to the readership by the headline and the following introduction elaborating the story. Establishing the Recognition Stage was difficult, but I thought the act of using Dermot O’Leary’s comments could be an example, as these quotes are used to back-up and enforce the article as a whole, namely its believability factor. As well as this, it states that ‘around 1,200 fans have complained to ITV and Ofcom’ and it has received bad reception on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The Stage that follows is The Restoration Attempt, where in this case it reports Cheryl Cole was ‘unavailable to comment’ and Nicole Scherzinger (once guest judge) agreeing that contestant Treyc is justified in thinking she was ‘unfairly treated’. The constant use of these verbatim quotes give the audience the impression that these celebrities involved are ‘attempting’ to restore the equilibrium, however it does not hint at what they are actually doing to restore it. Despite this, they need to be seen to be saying the right type of thing as it’s likely the only worry they and they’re publicists have is about the image they portray of the celebrity e.g. Cheryl Cole. I feel the next stage, The Equilibrium Restoration, is a rarity within newspaper articles. This is because reports/articles on Celebrity Culture wouldn’t be as appealing to the audience if they had a resolution. Unlike films or books, consumers don’t pay much towards newspapers and they expect less from it as a Media Platform. It is seen as light entertainment and an insight into how scandalous or, in this case, contrived The Media and Celebrity Culture is. The stories are typically about minor Celebrities that only exist due to the aptly named Demotic Turn – the mass production of celebrity. ‘Gossip’ articles such as these adhere to Graeme Turner’s statement, ‘fame has been disconnected from achievement… DIY Celebrity’.

Todorov’s Equilibrium Theory can be studied and applied to the majority of films, Miramax’s film Chicago is no exception. To represent the first stage, Mise-en-scene is used to show the Chicago jazz club on a typical and ‘average’ night, thus illustrating the Equilibrium. It moves on quickly to the Disequilibrium  to keep the audience hooked, showing the main character (Velma) being in a hurry and ripping down a poster aggressively. This continues by showing her turning up to perform by herself and having to wash her blood-covered hands. The Recognition is then shown by Roxie talking to Velma in prison with all the other inmates, followed by The Restoration Attempt of them all trying to get out of prison with the help of the lawyer Billy Flynn. Finally, they get out of jail and the Equilibrium is restored.

Above is a brief of the plot, illustrating how it supportively follows the linear narrative structure that Todorov explains in his Equilibrium Theory. In the way of Propp’s Character Theory, listed below is what Character Functions I typecast the film’s characters as:

The Villain – Velma Kelly
Hero – Roxie Hart
Villain – Fred Casely
Villain – Detective
The Helper – Amos Hart
The Dispatcher – Billy Flynn

Character Functions such as these and the many others Propp identified are still very prominent within films and other fictional Media products. This is because even if an audience are seeing a ‘new’ and ‘original’ film for example, they will, to an extent, still expect a particular arrangement (genre conventions etc). Having these basic stereotypical characters makes a Media product easier to follow and puts the audience at ease as they can be safe in the knowledge that the product will not lead them out of their comfort zone. As well as this, they also help to move the storyline along, especially with particular Character Functions being selectively introduced before/after others to create a desired impact. Invariably, it is fundamental to include these Hegemonic Character Functions in order to make a profit.