Video explaining our group's idea for our film opening

Target Audience/Venue

Our target audience is 16-24 year olds, both male and female. We feel this is a suitable age range as it may include some content that this age range are familiar with through the things they watch on tv, have seen in person and taken part in i.e. drugs, sex, alcohol, money worries etc. We decided on having the target audience as both male and female, as the female side would be the romantic interest between the main character and one of the gang members, who would be introduced in the rest of the film, and the more masculine side would the action that follows the main character on her journey to put everything right.
We decided that our film would just come straight out on DVD because we don't feel like it is a main stream film, like those that are shown in cinemas. The film openings I analysed in previous posts, Bully and Havoc, show several similarities towards the film opening Courtney and I are going to create. These similarities are the content topics of sex, drugs, crime all relating to teenagers in an urban area with a similar target audience: both male and female, mid teens to mid twenties. These films were not featured in cinemas as their content was rather explicit and not mainstream Hollywood - this is the main reason why mine and Courtney's film opening would not be screened in the venue of a cinema.

Research into young carers

When we were planning our final idea, we came up with the idea of having a young carer trying to look after 3 siblings and her alcoholic mother. We decided that as this was a vital part of our media piece, that we should do some research into young carers, so we can portray this in the correct way.

Recent headlines from the BBC show that: "Nearly a quarter of a million children in England and Wales are caring for a relative."
Figures from the ONS suggest 244,000 people under nineteen are carers - about 23,000 are under nine.
Girls are slightly more likely to be carers than boys. Among 15-to-19-year-olds, about 5% of girls are carers and about 4% of boys.

From these statistics, we can not only see that young carers are quite common, but also that female carers are more common than male carers, especially within the ages 15 to 19. This has agreed with our idea, and given it more realism. Having this as a part of our storyline, it not only shows the problems and troubles that some teens face, but it enables us to give off a much more mature feel as its quite a complex situation.

It is seen in some TV programmes, for example The Bill, where teenagers end up selling and/or running drugs or turning to prositituion as a way of being able to financially support their families when their parents cannot. This further supports our idea of combining the use of drugs into finding a way for our main character to get money.

First Plan for Film Opening

Filming:
Starts off with main character (Candice) being confronted in an alley or deserted car park (establishing shot, zooming in to medium shot) by rival drug dealing gang (heard that Candice is trying to over take their top position of dealing drugs on the estate). Gang corner her and begin to shout abuse and gang leader (Kacey) threatens her (close ups and point of view shots). Kacey goes to hit Candice - camera freezes and goes to narration voice over of Candice explaining what next few shots are going to be (showing how she got into mess in first place)

FIRST FLASHBACK
Long shot of Candice walking downstairs, pans across living room, medium shot of mum lying unconcious on sofa with a bottle of wine in her hand, one of the kids poking her face "Mummy wake up" (extreme close up), other kids "I'm hungry" "Candice I want food" etc, Candice "I know, I'll sort it, ok?" Medium shot of her leaving house - walking to doctors - long shot of walking inside doctors then walking out again with box of pills in her hand (extreme close up)

SECOND FLASHBACK
Panning shot of her bedroom, xooming in of Candice taking pills out of box and putting them into plastic bags to sell as drugs
Begins to get ready for a party - putting on make-up, looks at her reflection in mirror - begins to cry (close up), pulls herself together and continues to get ready
Grabs bag and hesitates when putting pills in (close up), goes ahead with it and walks out of room

THIRD FLASHBACK
Establishing shots of house party venues
People getting off, laughing, drinking, taking drugs (close ups)
Medium shot of her entering party then close up shots of her handing over drugs (contraceptive pill) in exchange of money

   

Opening for a film - practice run

The Storyline

The opening of the film begins in a high school with the main character, James, attempting miserably to pump air into a deflated balloon with a broken pump, with a close up camera shot. The props and the action represent James failing to inflate life with his broken being and mind - the result of growing up alone and being bullied at school with only your parents as company.

The camera then plans up onto James' face, showing the bleak expression on his face and his disappointing outlook on his current position.

The next shot is a medium shot of James still trying to pump up the balloon; he gives up and walks out of the common room to show the audience what his average day consists of - part of the explanation of why he feels the way he does.

The following scene shows James' lonely walk into another part of the school. Once James enters through the door, we see him walking down a corridor where one of his regular bullies shoves him into a set of lockers and then onto the floor, causing James to drop his books; the bully then repeatedly hits him with a cleaning sign before calling him a 'fag' and then walks back to his friendship group with a smug look on his face.

James stands up, gathers his books, wipes the tears from his eyes with his hand and leaves into another corridor.

The same group of lads face him again by using a short cut to cut him off from reaching his class; the boys slam James' books to the floor and push him against the wall while shouting abusive names at him. James picks up his books and continues down the corridor until the gang leader chases after him, grabs him into a headlock and throws him in towards the other lads who force him into the nearest toilet and flush his head.

James manages to escape the grasp of his bullies and is then shown holding a balloon with a sad face drawn on it beside his head - although he smiles at a passing student, the balloon represents his inner emotions of sadness and lonliness.

James is shown sitting alone on a bench whilst other students walk past and just ignore him- showing how alone he really is at school.

The final scene returns to the beginning frame where James is still attempting to pump up his balloon. James realises that he has finally had enough, that he can be better than the person he is at this moment in time. James slams down the broken pump and deflated balloon before storming out of the common room, different to the first scene where he was then bullied, adamant that he will change his life for good. 

The Concept

The concept of the film is to show how life can be terrible for some students at high school, the lengths hurtful bullies will go to, to make someone else feel worse than they do, day after day and how it can affect the person being bullied. Most stories that you hear about with similar circumstances end in the child believing that it their own fault and force their emotions upon themselves, sometimes by self-harming. The concept of the gilm shows a safer, much more beneficial and better way of dealing with the painful experiences of bullying - a way of turning your life around without harming yourself and others around you, to give hope to those who are being bullied and showing how it's possible to transform your life so that you're no longer suffering.

The Narrative

The narrative voice over is James' voice throughout the whole of the opening, as he explains his current situation, what he is feeling and what happens to him on a daily basis. James compares his life and being to that of a broken pump failing to pump up a balloon - representing how lifeless his life actually is and that no matter how long he continues to live and act the same way, day after day, it will get him nowhere - so he gives up and decides he has to find a different way to act that will change his life around.

Character Biography

Name: James Anthony

Age: 16 years old

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: Unemployed - high school student

Previous Jobs: Delievering newspapers

Residency: Lives in a 2 bedroomed terraced house in a small town with his parents

Family Life: Doesn't have any siblings - only child. Isolated family - doesn't see close relations i.e. aunties, uncles, cousins, grandparents etc.

Close Friends: Doesn't have any friends at school - only really speaks to his parents

Personality: Dull - the result of his lack of enthusiasm for everything and lack of socialisation with people his own age

Why is your character this way? Bullied throughout his entire school life - keeps it from his parents - oblivious to the fact that their son is unhappy - put it down to him going through a 'teenage phase'. All of his attempts of making friends and being noticed for the right reasons - failed miserable - people think he's weird and unusual - don't want to be associated with him.

The Script
"Let's play a game of whose life sucks worse... I'll win, I always win"
My name is James Anthony and that quote basically sums up my life... along with this broken pump and crap defalted balloon - representing the sorry state that is my pathetic life.
No matter how many times I attempt to turn my life around, to make myself happier, to make friends and actually fit in for once, it never seems to work and I am stuck in this far too familiar shitty position.
I can't remember a time when I have been happy; happy to wake up, happy to get dressed, happy to even leave the house, let alone face the horror that is high school and be surrounded by those who I despise the most.
Every day I am faced with the same bullying techniques by the same gang of low-lifes: shoved into lockers, had my books slammed out of my hands, hit with various objects, the classic name calling, oh and who can forget the ol' head down the toilet trick?
I sit alone. No one to talk to, walk to class with, hang out with, discuss the previous weekend with. I am completely alone and my life is utterly crap and I am fed up. Fed up of all of it, all the bullshit I'm faced with. But today is different. Today is the day where I am no longer a push around and unhappy to even be aline. Today is the day where everything changes.

The Opening

What I would change

During the opening sequence the narrative contains some stutters and the narrator messes up a few words by not pronouncing them correctly and hesitates in the wrong places. In my opening sequence for my coursework I would make sure that the narrative recording was crystal clear so that the audience can easily hear it and make sure there are no mistakes, hesitation or stuttering of words caused by the narrator. Also during my opening it is sometimes difficult to hear the dialogue as there is the narrative and music also being heard; in my coursework I will make sure that the dialogue is recorded clearly so that the audience can hear and understand it easily. The music in my opening overrides some aspects of narration and dialogue, therefore in my coursework piece I will make certain that the dialogue and narration can be heard clearly by the audience by lowering the volume of the music where appropriate. There is a scene in my opening practice where James' books are slammed down onto the floor: one shot shows James without his books and the following one shows him with his books back in his hands - the recording does not show James picking up his books. In my coursework opening I will make sure that all of scenes relate to each other and join up correctly so that the shots and storyline as a whole make sense to the audience.

Is ‘Big Fish’ a character-driven narrative, or does the narrative shape the characters?

An analysis into how mise-en-scene, narrative, characters, Todorov, Propp and dialogue can impact on how a film is portrayed to the audience.

‘Big Fish’ is an American fantasy adventure film that was released in 2003, directed by Tim Burton and stars Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney as they share the role of the main character, Edward Bloom. The film tells the story of the former traveling salesman from Southern America, with arguably the greatest gift of all, storytelling. Bloom now lies in bed suffering from cancer; after hearing the dreadful news, Edward Bloom’s estranged son, Will, and his wife travel to his parent’s home as Scott attempts to mend their distanced relationship and begins to hear the tall tales of his father’s eventful life as a young adult for the final time.

In this piece of writing I will answer the question “is ‘Big Fish’ a character-driven narrative, or does the narrative shape the characters?” by using my own knowledge and understanding as well as research I have collected. I will also refer to the elements of mise-en-scene, the narrative of the story, the characters in the movie, the Todorov system, the Propp method and some quotations that I have picked up on throughout the film to aid my answer.

In the film ‘Big Fish’ there are plenty of scenes where the mise-en-scene creates a surreal effect for the audience, opposed to the sense of realism in most other movies. For example, in this scene of the movie, where Edward discovers the tiny town of Spectre, the use of mise-en-scene is to create a dream-like environment:

In this screenshot taken from the movie you can see the view of the little town of Spectre. The environment the mise-en-scene creates is close to perfection – everything looks like it belongs to be where it is, and is almost child-like, like a small play set young children may have. The houses look dainty and are perfectly in line with one another. The grass is a bright shade of green with no roads to obstruct the view and the sun in shinning in a clear blue sky with no clouds to block out the brightness. Everything this image shows us screams ‘dream’, the environment seems too good to be true – creating a sense of surrealism for the audience. 

The feeling of surrealism is carried on into this shot, taken a short while after the first, where the people of Spectre are encouraging Edward to stay:

Another factor of mise-en-scene used in this shot to represent a dream-like feel is the costumes. The people surrounding Edward are all dressed in plain and simple clothes – to represent the plain and simple lives they live and to show that the society they live in is not progressing, nor regressing but staying exactly the same. However, Edward is seen wearing a bright red shirt – completely opposite to the pastel colours worn by the inhabitants of Spectre. This comparison is to show the audience that Edward does not belong in Spectre and he is very different from those who do.

A different factor of mise-en-scene that links to the surrealism of the shot is the lighting. The lighting is artificial and greatly high key, although the environment tells the audience it is night-time. Dreams occur during sleep at night, another reference to the audience that this may not be the real world, but one of Edward’s dreams. The lighting makes the environment look misty and the people of Spectre look airbrushed and perfect, matching the surroundings they live in, whereas Edward is very much in focus – again suggesting that he does not belong there.

The use of mise-en-scene in the scenes I have described tell the audience that the narrative is shaping its characters – Edward’s narrative is telling the story and therefore creating the scenes we see and the characters, how Edward wants us to see them.

In the film ‘Big Fish’, Tim Burton uses a very strong narrative structure to differentiate between the real world and Edward’s fanatical tales. The narrative in the movie jumps from the present day to Edward’s past stories producing a fairy-tale narrative in the majority of the film, as we explore the past as Edward wants us to. As it is Edward that is telling the audience all about his past, the narrative once again is structuring the characters – Edward describes the scenes and the characters as he wants us to see them, not how they really happened.

The characters in the film play a huge part in how the narrative is set out. Edward bloom is portrayed as a storyteller and the way the character is expected to shape the story is by telling his own, the narrative we follow, how he wants us to see them. Edward’s son, Will, grows up hating the way his father has a habit of turning every factual event into an elaborate tale and begins to distance himself from his father and his ‘lies’.

Edward’s wife is very acceptable of the tales her husband tells and her reaction to his stories makes the audience question whether her husband is actually telling the truth or whether she just goes along with the stories to keep him happy.

Will’s wife expresses a keen interest in the stories her father-in-law likes to share and insists of hearing them while he is laid up in bed at the family home.

In the film the characters are created to display the narrative; for example, without Will’s wife insisting on hearing Edward’s tales, the audience in turn would not be able to hear them either and if Edward’s wife did not accept the stories with such ease, Edward would possibly never have expressed them – missing out on the majority of the plot and the dream-like atmosphere that the stories create. I believe that, in this case, the film is a character-driven narrative – the characters are determining where the story progresses and how it does so.

I believe the plot of the film follows the method of Todorov: starting with the equilibrium followed by the disruption then ending with the restoration.

In ‘Big Fish’, I believe the equilibrium is where Edward is telling his son, Scott, bedtime stories, which he believes in deeply, following the typical role of a father and a young child at bedtime:

Not long after the above scene, the disruption takes place. The disruption consists of Edward and Scott having an argument on the night of Will’s wedding – where Edward once again takes centre stage and tells one of his favourite tales, causing Scott to flip and tell his father that he has had enough of his ‘lies’:

The restoration occurs right at the end of the film, where the roles switch and Will begins to tell his father the story of how he dies, while Edward lies in a hospital bed. Will slowly begins to understand why his father exaggerates the truth and creates a tale of his own to put his father to rest. The peace between the father and son is finally restored as Edward dies happy with Will fulfilling his final tale:

I believe that in the case of the Todorov system, the narrative shapes the characters – the narrative of the film shows us how the director wants us to see the characters. Edward Bloom describes the stories in such a way that we are not seeing the truth, but we are seeing what Edward wants us to: an elaborated version.

In the movie ‘Big Fish’ the method of shaping the characters over certain roles is established through the use of the Vladimir Propp method:

The hero being Edward Bloom – the main character on a journey to experience the rest of the world, helping out people and getting his own way as he progresses.

The villain being his son, Will – Will gets in the way of Edward telling his stories by passing them off as just ‘lies’ and demanding the true, factual version, not the elaborated ones that Edward loves to tell.

The heroine being his wife, Sandra – Edward works for years in a circus just to receive information on Sandra, the information is offered as a reward for his work.

The father figure being the circus manager – offers Edward information on Sandra so that he can find her in reward for working on the circus.

The helper being the son’s wife – by insisting on hearing Edward’s stories, the audience can relive them as Edward describes.

The donor being Sandra, Edward’s wife – Sandra gives Edward the attention and acceptance of his tales that he needs to feel comfortable enough to tell them over and over again.

I believe that the Propp method shows that the film ‘Big Fish’ is a character-driven narrative, where the characters are the cause of the narrative and show the film how the characters wish for it to be shown and told how they want it to be told from the view point of Edward Bloom.

Throughout the film ‘Big Fish’ there are many quotations which describe the meaning behind some of the things Edward does and the storyline as a whole. One of these quotations is “you’re quite a catch” – “a catch” is a reference we see in fishing when the fisherman has caught a fish, linking to one of the stories we hear Edward talk about at several different points throughout the film. Towards the end of the movie, when Edward is dying, we see him turn into the fish he once described at the start – a never-ending cycle of Edward Bloom that will live on long after his death. A second quotation is “an adventure as big as life itself” – during the film we see Edward wanting to leave the small town he grew up in and start his adventure, meeting many different people along the way – the journey Edward goes on shapes his life from there on in; for example, discovering Spectre, working in the circus and meeting his wife. A third quotation is “you were a big fish in a small pond but this is the ocean and you’re drowning” – the start of the quotation describes Edward’s position in the town he originally grew up in, Ashton. In Ashton Edward was seen as a hero by many of the inhabitants and is even given a key to the town when he decides to leave, showing the audience just how much impact he had on the little town. The second part of the quotation shows how Edward imagined that his adventure would be just like his life in Ashton, easy. However, Edward is soon hit with the reality that actually he will have to work a lot harder to get what he wants; for example, working in the circus for several years and using many different methods to get Sandra to marry him.

I believe that these quotations show that the narrative very much shapes the characters – the events that Edward Bloom is faced with shape how his future is going to be affected.

In this piece of writing I have used my own knowledge and research to explore the question “is ‘Big Fish’ a character-driven narrative, or does the narrative shape the characters?” and by referring to the elements of mise-en-scene, the narrative of the story, the characters in the movie, the Todorov system, the Propp method and some quotations that I have picked up on throughout the film.

In conclusion, looking at all the different elements I have written about, I believe that the film ‘Big Fish’ is a film where the narrative shapes the characters opposed to a character-driven narrative. This is because that although the characters and the Propp method portray to me that the film is a character-driven narrative, the mise-en-scene, the narrative, the Todorov system and the quotations shows how the narrative surrounding the stories shapes the characters as the film progresses.

Sound in films

There are two main different types of sound that occur within films and these are:

Diagetic sound:
Diagetic sound is all the sound that occurs within the frame of the shot; this can be the sound of a closing door, dialogue between characters, the typing on a keyboard etc.

and

Non-diagetic sound:
Non-diagetic sound is all the sound that is added in during the editing process and that we cannot see where it comes from, opposed to the sound that is recorded within the frame. Non-diagetic sound can take the form of music, sound effects or a voice over added in.

Another example of sound used in films that is popular among many different types of film is external voice over:

All stories in this type of narration are presented from a point of view outside the story. The narrator can report the action, describe people, places and things, present the speech of the characters, present the internal life (the thoughts, feelings, relations and consciousness) of any of the characters and comment on the characters and events in the story. Third-person narrative is used in some films to add another dimension of external narration to the narration or moving image and can present expository information, report the innter life of characters and comment upon the events and characters within the story.
An example of external voice over is American Beauty:

The narrative in the opening of American Beauty is the voice over of the main character. In the opening few minutes the audience are informed about the basics of the main character and his surroundings; for example, the voice over tells us the name of the main character, Lester Burnham, introduces his neighbourhood and his age:

The audience are given an insight into the mood of the character and in what direction his life is going by the sentence: "I'm 42 years old. In less than a year, I'll be dead". The montone expression suggests to the audience that Lester could not care less that his life will be ending shortly and the lack of emotion and plainess in his voice support this, along with the following piece of speech which is "an in a way, I'm dead already", further suggesting to the audience that Lester has experienced something or is not experiencing anything to make his life worth living, and he feels dead because of it. Lester goes on to explain the dullness of his life by announcing that "jerking off in the shower" will be the "highlight" of his day and that "it's all downhill" after that. Lester describes how he "gets exhausted" just watching his wife Carolyn do what many women would do on a daily basis, suggesting to the audience that he is lazy. The audience learn more about Lester's life as he tells us that it "wasn't always like this" and that he and his wife "used to be happy". Through the use of narration in American Beauty we learn that both Lester's wife and daughter think he is some "gigantic loser", this suggests to the audience that he has a strained relationship with both of them and they find it difficult to interact altogether as a family. By Lester agreeing with the view of his wife and daughter by admitting that "they're right" suggests to the audience that he does not have any confidence in himself and that could be the main reason for his lack of popularity within his family. The use of narration at the end of the opening changes in the tone of the voice, the voice seems to pick up and is much lighter and hopeful as Lester explains that he has "lost something" but that it's also "never too late to get it back". Overall, the use of narration within the film opening of American Beauty informs the audience about the current mood and out look on life that the main character has, as well as revealing some basic information about himself and the cause of how he is like he is and that he plans to change it around. 

Breaking the fourth wall:
Breaking the fourth wall is a technique used in several films where the character/s within the shot almost come out of the film and appear as if they are speaking to the audience directly, completely oblivious to those that are still within the frame of the film. An example of this is in Ferris Buellers Day Off:

In this case, the method of breaking the fourth wall is used to give advice to the audience that are currently watching the clip; this makes the audience feel a part of the story line as they are being spoken to directly by the main character opposed to just watching him speak to the other characters within the film.

Editing styles in films

The use of editing within film can be used to show speed, pace and action to show the movements within the scene more effectively. Editing can also be used to portray some types of emotion of the actors within the scene. Within the film industry there are two main types of editing that are used dominantly throughout the film industry: slow-paced editing and fast-paced editing.

Slow-paced editing
Slow-paced editing often consists of shots that are 5 or more seconds long and these shots can be used to create tension or intimacy between characters and their surroundings. They can also be used to further show the emotions that the character is currently having.

Fast-paced editing
Fast-paced editing usually consists of shots that are no longer than 2 or 3 seconds and can be used to show the extent of action within a scene. These shots are normally used to show the action between two or more characters, like in a fight, or during a chase scene.


Examples:
Psycho

In this scene in the movie, Psycho, the use of both slow-paced and fast-paced editing is used to create two different atmospheres:
The start of the clip consists of several slow-paced editing shots of a young woman taking a shower which creates a rather relaxing and calm setting for the audience. One of the slow-paced shots is of the woman standing underneath the shower whilst an unknown figure emerges from behind the shower. The use of this slow-paced editing shows the unknown figure getting closer and closer to the woman in the shower, which creates tension for the audience as they anticipate what this figure will do. The next section of the clip shows several fast-paced shots of the figure holding a knife and the woman screeming (both of which are typical conventions of a horror movie). Although the audience do not actually see the blade harm the woman, the use of fast-paced editing between the shots portrays this inference because of the quick back-and-forth shots between the scenes of the figure lashing out with the knife and the woman screaming and trying to avoid the contact from the knife, and also the shots of the bath water becoming darker - suggesting that the woman has been cut and is bleeding.The clip ends with some slow-paced editing of the shots of the woman's hands slipping down the tiles of the wall and the woman herself falling into the tub of the bath.

Jurassic Park

In this clip from Jurassic Park, the use of slow-paced editing is used to create a dramatic and astonishing atmosphere for the audience which reflects the emotions of the characters within the scene. The scene shows the first time that the main characters have seen the dinosaurs within the park itself. The use of slow-paced editing gradually reveals the sight of the dinosaurs and to portray the emotions that the characters are feeling during this scene. The use of slow-paced editing also emphasises the size of the dinosaurs compared to the humans in the clip - the way the camera has to tilt up to capture the top of the dinosaurs and the slow-paced editing used to show the gradual full appearance create a mouth-open-in-disbelief atmosphere.

The Strangers

In this clip from horror film, The Strangers, slow and fast-paced editing is used to capture the different types of emotion that both the character in the clip and the audience go through. The clip begins with slow-paced editing as the woman hears unexplained noises and begins to look worried and scared. She then slowly makes her way to the patio door on the other side of the room - the use of slow-paced editing here is reflect her movements and to create tension and suspense for the audience as they do not know what is hiding behind the curtain, like the woman in the shot does not know. When the woman pulls back the curtain they becomes face to face with an unknown figure wearing a mask. The use of fast-paced editing here is to show the panicked reaction and movements to the masked figure standing outside. The use of the two types of editing used in the same scene sets the audience up for what might come from the woman's actions: the slow and gradual build up to the woman opening the curtain and revealing the figure who stands behind it set the audience up for a jump-out-of-your-seat reaction which the woman in the shot experiences as she then jumps back, shocked and scared, to what she has just seen - like the audience would.

Fast and Furious

This clip from the action-packed film, Fast and Furious, features fast-paced editing throughout. The use of fast-paced editing in the clip is to emphasise the movements and speed of the cars involved within the race. The fast-paced editing can be seen as a reflection of the action that is currently going on in the clip and can be used to prepare the audience for the action that may follow i.e. car crashes and overheating of the vehicle. Fast-paced editing is also used to show the manufactions of the car itself i.e. when one of the drivers pressure a specific button the use of fast paced editing shows what quick movements are needed to happen in order for the car to perform at the speed the driver wants.



Narrative in films and the narrative in our own film idea

One of the inspirations for the narrative that we decided on for our film is The Hangover. In The Hangover, the opening scene shows one of the grooms friends ringing the bride and telling her that something had happened to her fiancee whilst they were all in Las Vegas. As the film goes on the three men shown in the opening set out to find the groom, Doug. During the film, the audience find out what had happened in Las Vegas that led to the disappearance of the groom, catching up with the scene the audience saw at the beginning, and how he then gets married. Unlike many other films, this film, along with the two sequels to the trilogy, does not follow the traditional Todorov model, but shows a more intriguing structure of a film by starting with the disequilibrium. 
  The film that Courtney and I have decided to create follows a similar structure to that of The Hangover by making the opening at the beginning of the film, showing the present state and situation of the main characters before using the technique of several flashbacks that show how the main characters ended up in that position. The rest of the film would continue to show the story line to how the main characters got themselves into the position they were in at the beginning of them and then the film switches to opening shot and shows how the main characters got themselves out of their situation.

Season 1, Episode 12 of Hawaii Five-0 (not a film I know, but the use of flashback is used exceptionally well within the episode). The episode begins with video footage showing one of the main characters kneeling on the ground with a bomb device secured around his neck:

The rest of the episode shows how the character ended up with the bomb device secured around his neck and how they disable and remove the device:

The flashback within the episode works well as the dramatic beginning leaves the audience wanting to know how the character ended up in such a terrifying position and whether the character lived or died.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This examples uses the technique of flashbacks to answer the question "can you remember the first candy you ever ate?"

The use of this flashback is very effective as it shows the audience a more interesting way of answering a question rather than just through words spoken within dialogue. The flashback also gives the audience an insight into the childhood of Willy Wonka - allowing the audience to further understand how his past has affected his present state.

Big Fish

In the film, Big Fish, flashbacks are used to tells the stories of main character, Edward Bloom. The flashbacks are used very efficiently within the film as it gives the audience a clear understanding of events opposed to one character talking them through it. The audience can experience for themsevles the events that Edward Bloom was faced with during his life time more effectively as they are seeing the story unravel itself opposed to listening to someone repeat the story in the same screen.

Camera shots and angles in films

In films there is a variety of different camera angles that are used:

Establishing/Long shot:

An establishing/long shot is normally used to show the audience where the film will be located or to show a change in location within a film. The shot can also establish a context for the scene by showing important figures and object. The shot often shows an exterior, i.e. a building or a landscape, for example, a town, the beach or the countryside and is used to display scenes of thrilling action with very little detail clearly visible:

Examples:

2012: A film that uses this shot type regularly is 2012. 2012 is an American science fiction disaster that follows the lives of Jackson Curtis, played by John Cusack, and his family as they attempt to avoid being sucked into the geological and meteorological super-disaster.

The film uses the establishing long shots to capture the action unfolding and the severe consequences that follow. The screenshots below, taken from the film, show natural disasters such as earthquakes destroying roads, buildings and cars and meteors destroying the natural habitat. From these shots, the audience have a clear idea of what impact is caused by these disasters and what can be destructed by them.  



Salt: another film that regularly uses establishing and long shots is Salt. Salt is a 2010 American action thriller spy film. The main character, Evelyn Salt, played by Angelina Jolie, who is accused of being a Russian sleeper agent goes on the run to try and clear her name.

The film uses establishing/long shots to show the audience the different locations of where Evelyn Salt escapes to and to show the chasos that follows her attempted escape. The screenshots below show two different settings of where Jolie finds herself whilst trying to clear her name and a police car chase. From these shots the audience can easy follow Jolie's geological journey and understand how important it is for her to clear her name as she is being tracked down by the police: 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: Another film that widely uses establishing/long shots is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is an American science fiction adventure film and is the second instalment in The Hunger Games trilogy. In the film main characters, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.

The film uses establishing/long shots to update the audience of what district and surroundings the main characters are in and to capture the action unfolding around them. From the screenshots below the audience are given a clear image of where the scenes are located and the action occurring within them:

Medium shot:

Contains a shot of a figure from the knees or waist up and is often used for dialogue scenes or to show detail of action. Background detail is kept to a minimum as this shot is usually used to focus on dialogue and character interaction. 

Examples:
Friends with Benefits: A film that widely uses medium shots is Friends with Benefits. Friends with Benefits is a 2011 romantic comedy film that follows the story of two characters, played by Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, as they begin to develop deep feelings for one another during a friends-with-benefits relationship.
The film uses medium shots to capture the interactions between the two characters during scenes of dialogue and interaction that show detail to the growing connection between the two. The below screenshots capture the interaction between the two characters:

No Strings Attached: A second film that widely uses medium shots is No Strings Attached. No Strings Attached is also a 2011 American romantic comedy that follows the story of the two main characters, played by Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, as they begin to develop deep feelings for one another whilst having a sex-only relationship, although Kutcher admits his feelings, Portman struggles to come to terms with the commitment involved within a relationship. The film uses medium shots to show the dialogue and interaction between the two characters as the film, and their relationship, progresses. The screen shots below clearly show the audience the growing feelings they have for one another through their actions and dialogue:

LOL: A final film that uses medium shot types widely is LOL. LOL is a 2012 American coming of age comedy-drama-romance starring Miley Cyrus and Demi Moore. The story follows the life of teenage girl Lola, played by Cyrus, as she experiences break ups, make ups and tricky boyfriend situations. The medium shots are used in the screenshots below to show the breaking interaction between Lola and her ex boyfriend and the growing attraction between Lola and her new boyfriend, who also happens to be her ex boyfriend's best mate:

Close up:

Shows very little background and concentrates on either a face, other body part or a specific detail of mise-en-scene. This angle magnifies the shot and emphasises the importance of the subject within the shot; the subject can be emotion or feelings shown through facial expression or body language, words written on paper or a specific object. The angle has the power to take the audience into the mind of the character on screen and can be a very intimate shot. This shot type can also be used to make the audience feel something towards a character, an action or an object, and can range from extremely comfortable to extremely uncomfortable.

Examples:

Dear John: A film that uses close up shots widely through out the film is Dear John. Dear John is a 2010 American romantic drama-war film based on the novel written by Nicholas Sparks and stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. The story follows the life of a soldier, Tatum, after he falls in love with a young woman, Seyfried, whilst on a break from his war career. When he is set to return they agree to send letters to one another and the film follows the emotional roller coaster that is their on-off relationship. The screenshots below show the two different emotions that the audience see from both of the main characters throughout the film: sadness and happiness:

My Sister's Keeper: A second film that uses close up shots throughout it is My Sister's Keeper. My Sister's Keeper is a 2009 drama that shows the story of a family as they face the battle of leukemia within one of the children, Kate. Her younger sister Anna was conceived by means of IVF in order to be the dependency that her older sister needs. Anna is unable to continue her childhood life as she wanted to as she is not able to join in with certain activities i.e. cheer leading, and sues her parents when asked to donate one of her kidneys. It is revealed during the film that Kate believed she would not survive surgery and wanted to die and asks Anna to refuse to donate her kidney to her. Kate later dies in hospital. The screenshots below show the emotion that is most dominant through the film, sadness. The use of the close ups in each screenshot show the deep emotion of the characters and make the audience feel pathos towards them:

Safe Haven: A final film that uses close up camera shots regularly throughout is Safe Haven. Safe Haven is a 2013 American romance film based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, that stars Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel. Mysterious woman, Katie, appears in a small town and her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draw her into two relationships: one with a man named Alex who has two young children and a neighbour, Jo. The more time Katie spends in the town, her guard lowers and she appears to become increasingly attached to Alex and his children. All peace is broken when disaster strikes and her past comes back to haunt her with catastrophic consequences. The screenshots below show the emotion in the faces of Katie and Alex as they come to terms with their emotions and feelings and allow the audience to understand the emotions that the characters are currently going through:

High Angle

An elevated shot above the action to give a general overview for the audience. The main characters appear less significant as they are shown as smaller and often end up being swallowed by the action surrounding them.

Exmaples:

Friends with Benefits: This film mainly uses high angles for two certain points during the film, the two flash mob scenes:

In each of these extracts from the film the high angle shot is used to capture the action of the dance flash mob within the setting. The high angle gives the audience an almost god-like feeling as they are appear above, looking down upon the action. The audience are given a clear view of the action within the shot due to the height, and as the camera angle changes from a close up or medium shot to the high angle, the two main characters shown in each video fade out within the crowd.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is a 2011 American action film and stars Tom Cruise. The film follows the eventful plot of the familiar team, from previous Mission Impossible films, setting out to clear their organisation's nameafter the implication of a bombing. This film uses high angles to capture the fast paced action within the film:

This clip shows, arguably, one of the most dramatic, on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments in the film. The use of high angles within this extract of the film emphasises the height of the building and how disastrous the consequences could be if something went the slightest bit wrong.

Eye Level/Point of view: a neutral shot where the camera is positioned as though it is actually a human observing the scene in the frame, i.e. so that the actors heads are on the same level and the camera recording.

Examples:

Mean Girls: Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy film that stars Rachel McAdams, Lindsey Lohan, Tina Fey, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert. The film follows the life of new student Katy, played by Lohan, as she befriends the popular clique in high school, the Plastics, played by McAdams, Seyfried and Chabert and turns them against one another. The film uses a wide range of eye level shots shown in the screenshots below. The screenshots show scenes of dialogue where eye level angles are present; this angle makes the audience feel as if they are in the shot with the characters in the movie and makes them feel more involved in the plot line:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an American 2012 coming-of-age comedy drama that stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. The film follows the life of an introvert freshman, who is suffering from regular breakdowns throughout his childhood ever since his auntie died, who is taken in by two senior who welcome him into the real world. The eye level shots are used widely within the film are usually used in scenes of dialogue and group discussion; these scenes use this type of camera angle to include the audience into the scene itself; to make them feel a part of the movie and to further aid their understanding of the characters within the film:

Low Level: these angles can give an increase in height for the actors and actresses and can also give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles can give a sense of confusion or powerlessness to the audience when used in film.

Examples:
The Fast and the Furious: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is an American 2006 street racing action film and the third installment in The Fast and the Furious film series that stars Lucas Black, Bow Wow and and Nathalie Kelley. The film follows the life of Alabama teenager Sean Boswell becomes a major competitor in the world of drift racing after moving in with his father in Tokyo to avoid a jail sentence in America. Low angles are used widely within the film and are usually used in scenes of where a race is taking place.The low angles emphasise the speed that the vehicle is travelling at and highlight the consequences that could come from such a high speed, i.e. crashes:

Death Race: Death Race is an American 2008 science-fiction, action thriller film that stars Jason Statham and Joan Allen. The film follows ex-con Jensen Ames as he is forced by the warden of a notorious prison to compete in a car race which inmates must brutalize and kill one another on the road to victory. The film uses low angles widely throughout during the scenes of the car races to put emphasis on the speed of the vehicles and keep the audience engaged to what could happen during the race: