Typical children's dramas employ a number of conventions. The genre tends to obied to a number of loose guide lines. These guide lines include A narrative, this being a chain of events that have a relationship of cause and effect. Ultimately reflecting on the characters and the storyline. I will be looking at Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory and how it is applicable to a Boy Meets World an ABC Family children's drama production.
Another of these "guide lines" would be the story and the plot. The story having an external basis in which you learn about the world that the show is built up in, this includes character build up and evolution.
The plot is a far more specific concept. It is integral to the entirety of the show, it is the aspect of the show that keeps the audience interested. Be it a plot twist or a cliff hanger. The plot reveals the events, mediates them for the audience and ultimately sums and evaluates the whole story up.
Finally we will be looking at diegesis, this being the internal world that is created through the characters experience. Its the world that is created through character involvement, location and other such devices that the audience is to openly accept.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Tracy Beaker
Narrative : Tracy has been returned to the children's home which seems to throw the entire place in to disarray. Immediately there is a sign of a potential conflict between Tracy and the person that has since moved in to her room while she was away, for three months.
Themes and ideas seem to be presented through the actors and real life scenes and are then reinforced through juvenile cartoons, this can only be because children who may be slightly younger than the predominant audience would then relate with the show in a more simplistic way.
Atmospheric building music is used throughout the show, they keep it simple and in the background and it does achieve the desired effect.
There appears to be a blind attempt to show the children in the show in a more adult light, examples of this is the way the children act towards each other and the things they say. For example "im gonna slap 'er !". One couldnt envisage children of that age bracket acting towards one another in that manner.
Themes and ideas seem to be presented through the actors and real life scenes and are then reinforced through juvenile cartoons, this can only be because children who may be slightly younger than the predominant audience would then relate with the show in a more simplistic way.
Atmospheric building music is used throughout the show, they keep it simple and in the background and it does achieve the desired effect.
There appears to be a blind attempt to show the children in the show in a more adult light, examples of this is the way the children act towards each other and the things they say. For example "im gonna slap 'er !". One couldnt envisage children of that age bracket acting towards one another in that manner.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
15th September 2011
Notes.
Narrative: a chain of events with a cause and effect
Diegesis: The internal world created by the story that the characters experience. it is a world within the show/film that we openly accept.
Story & Plot: Story - a more external basis in which you lean about the world the film/show is built in. Inclduing character build up
Plot - integral to the entirety of the show in a more specific way.
Unrestricted Narration: no to the info given to the audience eg news
Restricted narration: witholding information in order to build suspense or confusion eg thrillers, horrors etc
Narrative Depth: subjective character ID - a range of characters specific storylines invloved in one all encompassing storyline.
Objective character ID - unique character point of view eg dreams, thoughts etc
Vladimir Propps 7 character types within the theory of narrative:
The Hero - usually male restores order, always the centeral character~
The Villain - usually creates narrative disruption.
The Donor - Gives her item, information or advice in order to aid the quest given eg gandalf LOTR
The Helper/Sidekick - Offers help to the hero
The Princess - generally the character most threatened by the villain and must be saved by the hero at the climax.
The Dispatcher - Send hero on his/her task
The False Hero/Villain - appears to be good/bad but at the end is revealed to be bad/good
The characters can fufill 2 or more of these given criteria.
Modular Narrative : atriculate as a sense of time as divisible and subject to manipulation
4 types of modular narrative:
- anachronic - Flashbacks or flashforwards
- Forking Patths - shows effects of small changes eg groundhogg day.
Episodic narrative -
Anthology - different stories but repeating idea e.g. shipwrecked (lost) same conceptual basis differing events.
Split Screen - split screen narratives are spacial. e.g two screens
The Production process :
Camera types -
Narrative: a chain of events with a cause and effect
Diegesis: The internal world created by the story that the characters experience. it is a world within the show/film that we openly accept.
Story & Plot: Story - a more external basis in which you lean about the world the film/show is built in. Inclduing character build up
Plot - integral to the entirety of the show in a more specific way.
Unrestricted Narration: no to the info given to the audience eg news
Restricted narration: witholding information in order to build suspense or confusion eg thrillers, horrors etc
Narrative Depth: subjective character ID - a range of characters specific storylines invloved in one all encompassing storyline.
Objective character ID - unique character point of view eg dreams, thoughts etc
Vladimir Propps 7 character types within the theory of narrative:
The Hero - usually male restores order, always the centeral character~
The Villain - usually creates narrative disruption.
The Donor - Gives her item, information or advice in order to aid the quest given eg gandalf LOTR
The Helper/Sidekick - Offers help to the hero
The Princess - generally the character most threatened by the villain and must be saved by the hero at the climax.
The Dispatcher - Send hero on his/her task
The False Hero/Villain - appears to be good/bad but at the end is revealed to be bad/good
The characters can fufill 2 or more of these given criteria.
Modular Narrative : atriculate as a sense of time as divisible and subject to manipulation
4 types of modular narrative:
- anachronic - Flashbacks or flashforwards
- Forking Patths - shows effects of small changes eg groundhogg day.
Episodic narrative -
Anthology - different stories but repeating idea e.g. shipwrecked (lost) same conceptual basis differing events.
Split Screen - split screen narratives are spacial. e.g two screens
The Production process :
Camera types -
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