Narrative Analysis "Curfew" (2012) I will be applying Roland Barthes's narrative theory to the 2012 short film "Curfew" directed by Shawn Christensen. Roland Barthes believe a text is either open (which is that it's open for interpretation) or clones (which means there is just one obvious meaning in the text. If a text is open, Barthes suggests these 5 following codes can be used to unlock the meaning of a text: Enigma Code Action Code Semantic Code Symbolic Code Referential Code Most texts will follow at least a few of these codes, if not all and they're all used to drive the narrative forward in different ways. The enigma code is an unanswered question, a mystery. Clues will be given throughout the text for the mystery to be resolved and the effect of the enigma makes the audience want to know more. Unresolved enigmas tend to frustrate an audience but also makes a text open for interpretation. The action code is there to crea...
Editing! Q1: The cut is the most basic editing techniques and is essentially cutting from one shot to another. Q2: The purpose of the cut is to change the perspective and to advance the story. Q3: Cutting in action is cutting a scene whilst the subject still is in motion. Q4: Cutting in action is often used on punches and kicks but can be as simple as a character turning or someone walking through a door. Q5: Cut away is when you cut to an insert shot and then back. Q6: The purpose of a cut away is to show that something is a part of the same diegesis or e.g showing what's going o in a character's head. Q7: Cross cutting is when the editor intercuts between locations. Most phone conversations in films are usually cross cut. Q8: When cross cutting is used effectively it can amp up the tension and suspense in a sequence. It's also used to show what's going on in a character's head. Q9: Jump cuts is when the editor cuts between the same shot and is usually us...
The Lady from Shanghai Character Analysis "Michael" Michaels' a seemingly charming young gentleman. In his opening dialogue he's calling himself a fool, which implies that he's not the most proud man. The character Michael is meant to seem innocent by the way he narrates a flashback of how he met a woman, the classic femme fatale of film noir. He tells a story about how he met the woman in a carriage, passing him by in Central Park, late at night. He described how beautiful she was by saying "once I had seen her I was not in my right mind for quite sometime". He also pointed out in his narration that "some people can smell danger, not me" which once again implies that he perceives himself as a fool. As the gentleman he was he offered the lady a cigarette, which typically appear in film noir, to show her his romantic interest. To his surprise the Lady says she doesn't smoke, but takes the cigarette anyway to flatter him. Whilst this e...
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