In this essay I’m going to talk about the film Fury (2014), Directed by David Ayer. I’m going to discuss a range of different narrative theories and how this has been constructed to appeal to the audience.
At the equilibrium of the movie Fury, the scene immediately opens on a long shot, which is eye-level for the audience. This suggests to the viewer that in terms of its clear genre of Warfare, that the conflict is on-going and victory is far away. As this is represented at the equilibrium, it suggests that conflict to this level is on-going and a normal part of the characters’ lives. The film at this early stage is shown from a point of falling action, as clearly, a long battle has taken place. As this is at the very beginning of the film, it suggests that the life of a soldier at this point in time was very hard and exhausting. This links to the audience theory of the film, as the meaning of the film from the audience’s point of view is to reflect upon the hardships of the Second World War. This immediately represents the film from a historical viewpoint, as to how 1945 Nazi Germany was at this time. Although the film is not from the sub-genre of Social realism, with the conflict and the battle scenes being fictional and not based on historical points in time, the film however could appeal to a similar target audience. As the film was produced to replicate battle events in the Second World War, people who appreciate social realism might find that this film is appropriate and entertaining to watch. The producers have done this to deliberately help the film appeal to both this specific audience, as well as the very dominant genre of Action. The genre of Action is very popular within today’s society, as most are produced with a high budget by huge conglomerates, such as Walt Disney Studios who produce Marvel Films. With this, the producers are looking to aim this media product towards a wide audience, by using the historical context and genre. In addition to this, the characters also have a major influence. As the main characters in the film are all male, in very masculine job roles, the film is set in a very patriarchal society, at a time where women did not serve in the army. This is emphasised through the use of the division between genders, as each of the main characters are very active throughout of the narrative. In contrast, Females in the film are shown very briefly and are very passive, saying and doing very little. This is shown during the middle of the film, when the German women are shown to be powerless, when compared to the male soldiers. They say very little and their movement is restricted. As a result, it is suggested that the women are weak and have little say in what happens in relation to the war. The producers have done this to reflect on the historical context and display on the inequality of women in relation to men at this time. With the film being male dominated in terms of its casting, the film is most likely to attract a mature and male-dominated reception. As Warfare is stereotypically a more masculine genre in relation to gender, it is a certainty with this film. The representation of the opening scene is very clear. As the camera moves into a smooth tracking shot, following the movement of a soldier on a horse, the devastating setting is revealed to the audience in a clear view. Stereotypical aspects of war are displayed with the tracking shot, with fire, smashed up trucks and desolate tanks stationed in a random formation amongst the land. This visual mise en scène links to the genre of Warfare and suggests that this film will focus on land battles. The state of the location and setting is given a very negative impression, which would appeal to this target audience as this a very stereotypical convention of Warfare. As a result, the audience is able to gain a wider contextual understanding as to the situation and role of the main soldiers, suggesting they are a tank crew. Todorov’s theory suggests that the state of the equilibrium has been disrupted by a specific action, there is recognition that it has been disrupted, this then tries to get fixed so that the equilibrium is resumed back to normal. The narrative structure of this film is very unique and does not follow Todorov’s narrative theory, as it is based entirely on the actions and missions of the main characters, who operate the tank. This makes the film seem very intrusive, as we are forced to follow the journey of this one tank and its crew, despite the heavy amount of other events that constantly surround them in a linear alignment. As this film is based on the Second World War, the disruption is ever-present throughout of the films entirety. Throughout of the film, the battles between the Allies and the Nazis are a clear attempt on the films resolution, however we as the audience do not witness upon the resolving of the war in the film. A new equilibrium is also absent, as although it is no longer possible to follow the intrusive nature of the tank crew, the war is still to continue. With the narrative theory of Propp, the film displays on a range of different character types. The main character, ‘Wardaddy’ is displayed as the Hero in the film, as from the audience’s point of view; he is in control of commanding his soldiers in the ultimate effort to win the war. The characters ‘Bible’, ‘Grady’ and ‘Gordo’ are represented as the Helpers, as they work as a functioning team under the command of the main Hero, Wardaddy. In the film, the most obvious character type is the Donor, which belongs to Norman. This is because he is recruited during the equilibrium of the film and offers the tank crew aid in defeating their enemy. Also linking to Norman, the Princess is the character of Emma who is shown during the resolution of the film. She is shown to be a character that Norman is instantly drawn towards. In addition, the idea of becoming victorious could also act as is the Princess. Although this is not a character, it is the main motivation of every character in the film, forming the entire narrative. An interesting character type in this movie is the role of the ‘Villain’, who is not represented through just one specific character. This is because most of the characters in the film are soldiers, therefore uphold the same position and have similar motives. As a result, in relation to Propps theory, the Allies in the film are represented as being the Heroes, as they each want to end the war and prevent the suffering that is inflicted my Nazi Germany. This could also represent the characters as Helpers as well, as they are all contributing in the form of soldiering. In contrast to this, the Nazi soldiers, although we do not get to know any of them, are all represented as the Villains. This is done throughout of the film, as their motive is to hinder the journey of the main protagonists (the tank crew), who we have got to know during the film. The use of this forces the audience to have no sympathy and to feel almost victorious when the Nazi forces are killed, reflecting on the intrusive, realist and restricted narrative of the film. This reflects on the time and gives us a contextual understanding of the film as a result.
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In this report, I am going to talk about a selection of content such as words, images, colours, fonts, and anchorage. I will also include a construction of content, which will be codes and conventions, modes of address, denotation, connotation, semiotics and who/what is being represented. In the first film poster the main character, Sherlock, is stood in front of the Eiffel Tower, which establishes that he is in Paris, France. Now we know where it is set due to that one landmark. The sky is quite grey and dull, which matches the rest of the dark colour scheme within the poster. The title of the movie already suggested something dark is going to happen in it since shadows are dark. The background is mainly black and white however Sherlock isn’t, this connotes that there is danger within this film and Sherlock is the hero who tries and saves the day. In terms of Sherlock’s appearance, he’s looking very masculine. I know this because of his facial hair and clothing. This also makes him appear rugged as well as his grown out hair. His clothing is very smart which shows us he is wealthy. They are also clean, you can see this from just looking at the white shirt, this shows us that he hasn’t gone through a lot of effort to get to the scene in the poster. This connotes that danger is second nature to him as due to the condition of his clothes he’s made it seem effortless. His collar on his shirt is turned up which symbolises Sherlock means business. He is holding a gun, straight away this tells us something bad is going to happen. He looks very confident while holding it because his finger is on the trigger and he is making direct eye contact in the direction the gun is being pointed and his stance is in the same direction. His stance is broad which symbolises his confidence and his chest is puffed out which again shows us his masculinity. The tower is slanted, due to the camera, representing the anarchy and chaos, which could reflect the narrative structure of the disruption. Sherlock is pointing his arm to the corner of the poster, which creates the impression he is pointing towards the sky and the heavens. This shows that he is the saviour and main hero in the film. He is holding a gun, which symbolises that despite the religious symbolism, there is darkness and danger in his world. Sherlock is not making eye contact with the audience, suggesting that there is present and consistent danger that he must be prepared for. This also relates to the pointing of the gun, as it tells the audience that Sherlock must defend himself. In this second film poster, another main character is shown, Doctor John Watson who is Sherlock’s best friend/assistant. Judging by his clothes he is wealthy and his top hats usually symbolises upper class. His facial expression is serious looking due to the glare and stern look, this makes him appear angry. Watson has a direct gaze towards the audience so that you have a direct connection with him, almost like he’s inviting you in on his adventure. In contrast with Sherlock on the other poster who’s looking off into the distance, which could represent his perceived superiority, almost looking down on people which symbolises that he has more power than Watson; this is the element of Sherlock’s character. The Sherlock novels was written from Watson’s perspective so for fans of the books they would probably have more of a connection to him rather than Sherlock hence why Watson has more of a direct connection from his direct gaze. Watson’s hair and facial hair seems to be neatly trimmed which shows he takes pride in his appearance. He is holding his cane over his shoulder, which makes us question if he’s using it as a weapon. He is also stood in a masculine yet confident way; his back is slightly arched. The sky is quite grey and dull which matches the rest of the dark colour scheme within the poster which represents the shadows hence the title. The title of the movie already suggested something dark is going to happen in it since shadows are dark. There is lighting on the main characters bodies in both posters so we can see their faces however which means they are brighter than the rest of the poster which symbolises that they save the day, it gives off an angelic vibe as angels are normally bright. The background is mainly black and white however Sherlock isn’t, this connotes that there is danger within this film and John is the hero who tries and saves the day. Watson is stood in-between two train tracks with trains on them which might mean that he has to travel somewhere or he’s putting his life in danger. It also suggests that Watson is tightened into a situation and needs to find an escape route. The smoke in the background is steam from the trains, I know this because of the era it was set. The physical position of the character in the poster looks defensive, suggesting that he must defend himself. The light from the moon is symbolic, suggesting that goodness is being deprived by the situation of the characters as it is being blocked by Watson’s head. The moonlight is also lighting him up, reflecting him in a “positive light”. In poster one Sherlock is angled to the right and is positioned on the left-hand side of the poster and on poster two Watson is angled towards the left-hand side and is positioned on the right-hand side of the poster. Sherlock is holding a gun with his left hand which tells the audience he’s left handed and Watson is holding his cane with his right hand which shows us that he is left handed. This links to why Sherlock is on the left of his poster and why Watson is on the right of his poster. This shows that despite these two characters being the best of friends they are both binary opposites which symbolises that both their personalities are completely different. The text on the posters is both the same so there is no point in talking about it twice. Text it is located at the bottom of the poster and is all in white apart from the date it was released so that stands out; these colours look good against a dark background. It draws our attention to it as well as the fire/sparks surrounding it does. The text relates to the posters before of the colour scheme and style of font symbolising that this film is a thriller because it seems mysterious. The actor’s name that is in the poster is above the title of the film and is a smaller font. As far as the title is concerned, the name Sherlock Holmes is the biggest font of the poster. It is a sequel to the first film so that part of the title is written underneath in the same bold 3D font but only smaller. This way the audience know that is a second film to the first one. There is also a website in the smallest font on the poster underneath the release date at the bottom of the poster to promote the film and a few film logos to show who made the film in the very bottom right and left-hand corners. The position of the main title is central, implying that Sherlock is ever-present and aware of this enemy. Classic and clichéd light blue background, creating a cold and solitary environment. The fog in the background is used to suggest that danger and mystery are ever-present in this setting. The dark foggy background of the two posters connotes mystery with is getting with the film seen as it’s based on a detective. The characters in both film posters are wearing Victorian clothes which connotes that the film is based in the Victorian era. With the time period established this helps to build a picture of the type of storyline.
After analysing these two posters from the film Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows I began to notice how Media producers have to bare their target audience in mind when creating film posters. It has to be appealing in a way that it will attract the right kind of audience. The posters have to be relevant for the film so they get an accurate representation of the film. In order to do this, they have to think about the images used, text (release date, title and font size), logos and colour. They have to take into account such as age, gender, genre, audience, demographic, connotation, protagonist, antagonist, narrative, representation, stereotype, interests, unique selling point and social class. This film is a 12A to it appeals to a wide audience rather than if it was an 18. As far as the target audience is concerned this is aimed at males aged between 12-30 years old who like detective and action films. I know this because of the colour scheme and characters are all more appealing to that category of people. This film is an action-packed thriller based on the popular fictional character Sherlock Holmes and his side kick Doctor Watson. The posters connate that this film contains violence, as in the first poster Sherlock is holding a gun and in the second one Doctor Watson is holding a cane over his shoulder as if he’s using it as a weapon. People might even watch this film just because they like certain actors in it hence why the film producers have hired recognisable big Hollywood stars to play the lead roles to help sell the film. |
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