Task 1
Task 2
Task 5
Roland Barthes theory suggests any piece of text can be looked at from many different angles in order to obtain different meanings. Barthes used 5 different codes in order to break down texts and draw different meanings.
The codes are:
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The hermeneutic code - Avoids telling the truth, but drops in clues to create a sense of mystery.
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The enigma code - The way tension is built up, leaving the audience guessing.
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The semantic code - Points to elements in a text that could have an alternative meaning by way of connotation.
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The symbolic code - Similar to the semantic code, it suggests and alternative meaning, however on a much wider level.
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The cultural code - Looks at the audiences wider cultural knowledge, ideology and morality.
Theory 4 : Roland Barthes
Claude Levi-Strauss theory suggested narratives are arranged around the conflict of binary opposites.
A few examples of this are:
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Good vs Evil
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Peace vs War
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Strong vs Weak
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Man vs nature
Theory 3 : Claude Levi-Strauss
Vladimir Propp's theory suggested that in every narrative, the are 8 different character roles. These include the hero, the villan, the princess, the helper, the donor, the dispatcher, the false hero, and finally, the princesses father.
Characters:
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The hero - Eliminates the villain and weds the princess.
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The villain - Fights the hero in some way.
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The princess - The character that needs rescuing from the villain.
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The helper - Assists the hero on his mission.
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The donor - Prepares the hero or gives them a magic object.
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The dispatcher - The character that sets the hero off to complete their task.
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The false hero - Takes credit for the hero's actions.
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The princesses father - Can give the hero guidance but can also be evil.
Tzvetan Todorov's theory suggested that he believed all narrative structures follow a 3 part structure. This firstly starts with an equilibrium, where everything is balanced. Secondly, as the film progresses, the equilibrium is disrupted. Finally, the problem is resolved and equilibrium is restored.
Steps:
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Equilibrium (everything as it should be)
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Disruption (by an event)
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Recognition of disruption
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Attempts to repair disruption
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Return to equilibrium
Theory 2 : Vladimir Propp
Theory 1 : Tzvetan Todorov
Task 8
Task 3
Film 1 : The Godfather
Film 2 : Goodfellas
The Godfather was released on the 15th of March 1972. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and was produced by the company, Alfran Productions. This was the only Crime/Gangster genre film produced by Alfran productions. The film is recognised by many as one of the best films ever made. For a price of $80,000, Paramount Pictures obtained rights to the novel before it became popular.
Goodfellas was released on the 19th of September 1990. This American biographical crime film was directed by Martin Scorsese. This film was based on the 1986 novel, Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. This Crime film was produced by Irwin Winkler who was also know for his other crime films such as Point Blank and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was made on a budget of $25 million and made a gross profit of $46.8 million domestically.
Film 3 : Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir dogs is a 1992 crime thriller film. It was released on October the 3rd and depicts the events before and after a botched diamond heist. The film was directed by Quentin Tarantino and produced by Lawrence Bender and Dog Eat Dog Productions. The film was a great success in the Us as it made a gross profit of $2,832,029, recouping its $1.2 million budget. However, it was even more successful in the UK with a gross profit of nearly £6.5 million.
Film 4 : American Gangster
The biographical crime film, American Gangster was released on October the 19th 2007. It was directed by Ridley Scott and produced by Imagine entertainment. Imagine entertainment usually produce comedy films, such as Problem Child and also Opportunity Knocks, however, American Gangster was very popular and produced an impressive gross profit of $266.5 million worldwide.
Film 5 : Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction was released on May the 12th,1994. The film is an American neo-noir crime black comedy. It was directed by Quentin Tarantino and produced by Jersey films. Jersey films made one other crime film, Get Shorty. The film was very successful as it was nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture. Also, the film made a huge gross profit of $107,930,000 just in the USA.
Task 4
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
The Godfather
The Departed
Task 11
The target audience for my for will be men aged around 15-25. This is because stereotypically, men around this age group are interested in gangster/crime and action films. Furthermore, the sub-genre of mob gangster will be especially captivating as it tends to contain more violent, graphic scenes.
Gangster/crime films are usually rated between 15 and 18 due to the violence, drug use, threat and explicit images. I plan for my film to be rated 15 so it will broaden my target audience, however, it will have to contain less violence and no explicit images or drug use.
Target Audience
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Task 6
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A classic gangster look is usually a smart suit and tie with a trilby hat. Over time, the gangster look has slowly become more casual. For example, in American Gangster, the gangsters tended to wear more jeans and chinos with a smart shirt instead of a suit. Even more recently, modern day gangsters wear tracksuits and plain coats.