Synopsis

These were our original ideas for the films we wanted to do.

First Idea 

The plot of the story is that there is a father of a daughter who has been kidnapped and he is the vigilante who has to take matters into his own hands in order to save her.

Second Idea 

In a post-apocalyptic world, a man (Hassan) is struggling for survival against the change in weather, highlighting his failure in life due to social inequality.

Third Idea 

There is an end of college party in which every one of the year attends, but everything turns sour when a girl is brutally murdered and everyone at the party is a vital witness.

From this we expanded on the first idea with the new synopsis being:

When a man’s wife goes missing, he is sure that she has been kidnapped and so in a desperate attempt of saving her he goes on a murderous rampage. He isn’t aware that her ‘kidnapper’ is actually her lover, and his colleague. She has left him due to crippling debts and his low status within the workplace. But will he discover her secret before it’s too late?

However, we changed this idea further to try and give it originality and surprise twists to the film. Therefore creating a new entirely different film:

“When Adam’s wife Jess goes missing, the police are reluctant to find her meaning that Adam has to take the law into his own hands. Nothing can stop Adam from finding his wife but will the bonds of true love break under the stress of the situation?” 

{The surprise twist to the plot is that Jess has left Adam and has run off with another man whom she has created a fake kidnapping.}

Taken Analysis

{Here is the link to the trailer http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/}
In the film Taken titles appear throughout the trailer not with the film’s title but with institutional information such as “20th Century Fox presents” and "Europa Corp." which are the official trademark logos for those companies, this also gives an air of excellence since 20th Century Fox is one of the five major film studios.

In the next instance where we see the title it appears in a binary opposite of a black background with white representing, through Claude Levi Strauss’ theory, that there may be opposites featured in the film such as good vs evil, Europe vs America, law vs criminals etc. In particular the binary opposite of USA vs EU would be particularly appealing to American  audiences due to the fascination America has with Muslim countries, and it seems no coincidence that the kidnappers, although it takes place in Paris, are from Albania (which is  a Muslim country).  In this instance we presume that the blissful family set up is about to be disrupted by some sort of evil. However, what is rather innovative/inventive about this full screen title is the way in which it is presented.

We first see Liam Neeson in a medium close up with a camera in his hand and as he presses the camera’s shutter in order to take the picture, there is an edited white flash representing the ‘flash’ on camera that then quickly changes to a negative filter put over the original Neeson shot. And it then flashes to the full screen title. To further dramatize and accentuate the events there is a sound effect of a thunder crash edited over the top which creates expectations that something bad is going to happen to the girl now that she has gone to Paris and is no longer in the safe hands of her father. Although we are not shown what this may be, creating an enigma code.

The film’s title only appears in the end part of the trailer and only once throughout the entire trailer. This is quite a conventional theme in thrillers, unlike in Rom/Com’s and Comedies. They don’t appear several times they only appear as it reaches its climax, leaving quite an ambiguous feel to the trailer and again enticing the audience to find out how or whether the girl be saved. The font type used for the title is the same as in the previous title with it being san serif very thin but quite stretched out. The use of sans serif and the thinness almost makes it seem like a typewriter and as though his daughter being taken is a story that could just as easily be printed in a newspaper. However, in this case the transition in which it uses to enter onto the screen; unlike in the last one where they used the camera flash in this case it cuts from a close up of Liam Neeson on the phone with the person on the other line saying “Good luck” there is then a straight cut into a full black screen where the letters "T A K E N" appear from the camera onto the screen one by one.

An empty dial tone can be heard in the background which could represent why the letters come in individually. As the main star’s names of the film appear each with their own full screen title it changes to a smaller font but retains the eroded/militaristic styled font. The titles themselves flash and jerk to represent the distress and confusion that is caused by the kidnapping of the daughter. This style of movement and the colour connotations of black and white are extremely common to the thriller genre and immediately the audience associates these techniques to the thriller genre, giving an instant style and appeal. It helps to quickly establish the atmosphere and nature of the film without it being so blatantly obvious. The ending on the empty dial tone and the challenging tone of “good luck” makes the audience question whether or not these people have outsmarted Liam Neeson and that in fact he may never find his daughter again, enticing people through enigma codes to hook the audience.

In adherence to Propp’s character types Taken does include the majority of the conventional character types expected to be in a thriller, minus one. Obviously the hero is Liam Neeson, and this is utilized to show off his star status in particularly as he is known for his action typed hero roles such as in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Schindlers List, and most recently The Grey etc.

The hero character type is evidently essential to a thriller genre since the basis for  the plot is the fight between good and evil. However, interestingly in this one, the main ‘villain’ is not established, we see Liam Neeson fighting and shooting lots of people but it is never actually established who the villain is (with the added knowledge of knowing the film you understand that there isn’t really one villain and in fact there are several villains working in collaboration in one large criminal organization). This comes as quite an anomaly in thriller films as it usually expected that the hero and the villain are quickly established in order to create the rivalry between them. The fact that there is no immediate villain established could create a USP for the audience since most films do include a hero and a villain and the fact that the trailer doesn’t show who the villain is, creates intrigue and mystery for the audience.

Another strongly associated character type for the thriller genre is the ‘damsel in distress’ and although in this case it is not the love interest for the hero there is still a loving desire to have the ‘damsel’ return home safe. The character of the ‘damsel in distress’ is represented, in the trailer at least,  in rather conventional terms, in that the hero's daughter is portrayed as helpless, vulnerable and in need of rescuing.

Also in the trailer there is a dispatcher in what we can only presume as Liam Neeson’s friend, who informs them that they have “96 hours until they never find her”, therefore as a Propp character type he is the dispatcher and the character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off. Although he may at first seem as though he is the donor/helper but by providing him with the knowledge of how long they have until they find her, it would be seem appropriate for him to be titled as the dispatcher as it fuels Liam Neeson to therefore go and look for her.

There is also the hero's wife/mother of the kidnapped girl, who by the shots with Liam Neeson and the smiling non-verbal codes that we see of her suggests that it is quite a close knitted family who clearly care significantly about their daughter, particularly emphasised when the mother breaks down and sobs at the thought of never finding the daughter. Again this character would fall into a 'damsel in distress' character type, relying on the hero to save her daughter and she is also a love interest for the hero, due to the past relationship. 

From the American accents in the beginning we presume that they are in America however through the character’s dialogue and the long shots of the Eiffel tower that the film will switch between America and France. In the shots of Paris we see the Eiffel tower surrounded by brightly coloured buildings and blue sky, which is sort of misleading since this seemingly idyllic place is actually the place in which the girl is kidnapped. Thrillers are also often set in well known international or 'exotic' locations and the use of the Eiffel Tower immediately signifies this. 

The utter contrast between Paris and America suggests that there is a binary opposite between the places themselves i.e Europe vs America but also the contrast in cultures also. The fact that there is the difference in where they both are is further distinguished by the use of editing two separate clips of them both and putting them on the same one with a black line between them to emphasize that they are apart. I could be seen as a device to attract a wider audience and show the lengths our hero is prepared to take/travel as well as being a typical action and thriller convention. It also evident in the contrast in lighting before she is kidnapped and is having a nice time in Paris there is a relatively low contrast high key lighting used to show the exciting adventure the girl is undertaking. However after she is taken the lighting then changes to more low key high contrast lighting (chiaroscuro) to emphasize the deadly, serious and shady nature surrounding the kidnapping.

Initially the editing pace is rather slow but this could be due to the fact that it there has not been a disruption in the trailer yet (Todorov’s theory). However as the threat of never finding their daughter sets in the editing pace increases drastically to reflect the panicky nature of their ordeal and the need for action. This acceleration of pace as the disruption occurs is both a trailer convention through Todorov’s theory as well as very distinct to the genre of action/thriller, obviously the editing is faster in the action side of the genre and the relatively slow editing is representing the drama aspects of it.

The fast and somewhat non-linear collection of clips after the disruption occurs is also a trailer convention used through Barthes hermeneutic code. The shots used in the trailer differ as it progresses. At the beginning there are generally more long shots and establishing shots used in order to establish the various character in the film to the audience. However as the ‘drama’ and ‘tension’ intensifies there are ever more increasing use of medium/close ups of Liam Neeson and of him shooting people, we don’t actually cut to a close up of any of the people he is shooting at, the shots are very much focused around Liam Neeson’s character. This could be due to the fact that Liam Neeson’s character through Propp’s character types is the main focus of most action and thriller films and since there is not a single individual villain they can only really focus on Liam Neeson in order for the audience to understand the narrative and genre appeal of the film.

At the start of the trailer there is no sound bridge used from the production logos to the actually frames, and the first sound we here is a girl shouting “Dad!” accompanied by a medium shot of Liam Neeson this immediately gives us an insight into who those characters are. The dialogue is used to both establish the context and the characters but also to create the narrative for the story and give us an insight into what’s happening. This dialogue is  diegetic although with the overlapping sound bridges and dubbing over a series of shots it acts as a non-diegetic voice-over and provides narrative exposition. For example when the young girl says “a weekend away in Paris” it cuts to an establishing shot of Paris.

Accompanying the characters dialogue during the first part of the trailer there is quite melancholic and ambiguous chore-esque type non –diegetic music, which juxtaposes the seemingly happy event of the daughter’s birthday. This music is perhaps a warning or fear that something will happen to the daughter whilst she is on the trip to Paris, the music immediately gets the audience unnerved and on edge. As the girl arrives in Paris the dialogue and sound effects such as the phone ringing are all very diegetic, but beneath there is a low/deep note in a similar atmosphere to the previous music. When the girl is kidnapped it is the pivotal moment in the film so it would be expected to have a massive orchestra playing with a fast paced drum in the background however in this, it remains melancholic and quite laborious which in a way makes it seem more real and chilling. As she is pulled from under the bed it does reach a sort of crescendo but the music is really not the focal point at that time. In addition to sound, at the end of the trailer there is a sound effect of a 'thud' to further reinforce the title and as the institutional research flashes up on the screen e.g "Coming Soon" there is a sound effect of the girl breathing heavily with a heartbeat sound effect in the background, creating an atmospheric ending and keeping the audiences hooked through what could be perceived as mundane information.

Whilst Liam Neeson is still on the phone to the kidnappers the music then raises in volume slightly and there is a legato type piano solo playing which in atmospheric terms matches the previous ones. Dubbed over the top of the orchestral piano music is very up-beat rock music that gets progressively louder and faster as the “action” climax of the trailer arises appealing to a wide audience, both the male audience (perhaps almost teen audience) through the action and the older spectrum of the audience for whom the drama and relationship elements are of primary importance. As the titles and institutional information comes up there is a deep heavy breathing placed over the top of it to leave quite an ambiguous and chilling end to the trailer and also to entice the audience.

From the trailer it is evident that this is aimed at a more male audience as well as them being between 15-40, since the younger spectrum would probably appreciate the violence and action whereas the older spectrum would probably approach the politics and emotional aspects to it more. The audience would probably also be quite mainstream and enjoy similar films if not films with Liam Neeson in also, they are probably very masculine, but due to the political/emotional and dramatic edge to this film it is also possible that a female demographic could also be likely. It may also entice the female demographic in because of the unknown fact as to whether she will return; it is more than likely she will but the trailer does leave the question open for debate. This film is based around a familiar structure and a somewhat out dated girl is kidnapped, man rescues her they live happily ever after. Some may say that that is where the films weakness lies, however it does have a USP in that there is more than one villain, there are several and the enigmas in the trailer's portrayal of the villains and events may attract the audience to come and see how events are played out. The  fear of losing a child also has a very strong dramatic impact and has an emotional pull on an audience.

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp was born in 1895 in Russia. He was a media theorist who analyzed over 100 folk tales and realized that certain characters appear repeatedly in all the tales. His theory is useful because it avoids treating characters as if they are individuals and reminds us that they’re merely constructs. Some characters are involved just to progress the narrative.

These recurring characters are ones such as the:

• Hero (or heroine) 
• Villain 
• The gift giver 
• The sender 
• The false friend 
• The helper 
• The damsel in distress 

Most folk tales and Superhero films contain the most notably the heroes and villains, This is because there would be no need for a superhero if there was nothing to fight against/ for.

Star Wars VI: Return Of The Jedi 

Hero – Luke Skywalker

Damsel in Distress – Princess Lela

The Helper – Han Solo

The Villain – Darth Vader

The Sender – Obi Wan

The Gift Giver - Yoda

The Hangover 

In different genres such as comedy films, Proppian characters still occur but not all of the same ones appear. In the trailer for the hangover, there are the heroes such as the 3 main protagonists and the villain who is Mr Cheung who kidnapped their friend Doug. Doug in this case would be the ‘Damsel in Distress’ which is strange because in most cases the damsel in distress in usually a female as they are seen as the more dependent gender. Also Doug's wife would be the sender in this case as they are getting married so he is sent on a stag party.

Friday 13th 

The clear Proppian character type is the Villain who is the murderer of the film. There are also a set of victims who would make up the Damsel In Distress roles. This is different towards other genres as there isn’t a clear hero or knight in shining amour seen in the film, instead the villain is seen as powerful and unstoppable. This helps create fear in the audience.

The characters which appear most in film trailers no matter what genre are the ‘heroes’ and the ‘villains’. This is due to the fact that it makes the film involve some form of competition which makes the film more interesting for the viewer to watch. It also follows tradition from books and fairy-tales. There is usually a damsel in distress of some sort, but it isn’t a necessary component.

The Exorcist 

Proppian character types within the exorcist:

Emily rose-the damsel in distress

Her mother- the helper

Doctor- gift giver

Shutter Island 

In this mystery thriller set inside a prison there is an obvious Proppian character type of Leonardo DiCaprio's character being the hero as he, Teddy Daniels, is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital comes to the prison however, as the movie progresses we are introduced to different characters such as the sender Chuck Aule who is his investigative partner but in the end turns out to be his false friend as he is also a psychiatrist and has played along with the investigation so they could monitor Teddy. The damsel in distress character Teddy's wife does turn out to be a victim since Teddy kills her because of the death of the death of their three children. And Teddy's villain of the film, and also the audiences' as we see it through Teddy's eyes is Dr Cawley who Teddy believes is torturing the prisoners but actually it was he who set up the whole 'role-play' in order to monitor Teddy, so therefore shifts to become a hero at the end.  

Roland Barthes

Exploring Structural Theory

Barthes (1915 – 1980) was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. Barthes' ideas explored a diverse range of fields and he influenced the development of schools of theory including structuralism, semiotics, social theory, anthropology and post-structuralism. His theory on Media-Codes was important to the media in structural terms.

Enigma Codes

The Hermeneutic Code (HER)

The Hermeneutic Code (or Enigma code) refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The full truth is often avoided. The purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.

Action Code {The Proairetic Code (ACT)}

The Proairetic Code (Action code) also builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happen next.

The Hermeneutic and Proairetic Codes work as a pair to develop the story's tensions and keep the reader interested. Barthes described them as:

"...dependent on ... two sequential codes: the revelation of truth and the coordination of the actions represented: there is the same constraint in the gradual order of melody and in the equally gradual order of the narrative sequence."

Barthes’ theory suggests that by not fully explaining something and creating a mystery, it keeps the audience guessing about what will happen. By not explaining certain scenarios, shots and plot lines it leaves the audience to try and work out what the film is about and thus would be encouraged to go and see the film.

Best examples of the enigma code being used in trailers are in horror trailers. This is because of the “monster” would not be revealed as this would ruin the element of shock, surprise and mystery about  it.

Claude Levi Strauss

Who was Claude Levi-Strauss? 

Claude Levi-Strauss is a French anthropologist, his theory was that the way we understand certain words doesn’t depend on the meaning it creates but more on our understanding of the difference between the word and its 'opposite' which is called 'binary oppositions'.

He realized that words purely act as symbols for society's ideas the meaning of words, therefore, he believed that they was a relationship between opposing ideas. Binary oppositions can be found in a range of media products such as in film trailers. He also believed that we make sense of what it’s not as much as what it is (I.e. cats and dogs, they’re not entirely different but their qualities are different).

Examples of Binary oppositions:

• GOOD VS EVIL: this is particularly shown in genres such as action and thrillers. 
• DARK VS LIGHT: this is again shown in action/thriller/horror films and could also be seen as a signifier of the known and the unknown. 
• PROTAGONIST VS ANTAGONIST: this too can be shown in action/thriller. 
• PAST VS FUTURE: this can be shown in action and history. 
• FEMININE VS MASCULINE: this is particularly seen in horror/ thriller films as females are generally seen as being victims and males are seen to be killers. 
• AUTHORITY VS VIGILANTES: there is often conflict between the superhero and more typical authority figures.
• PUBLIC IMAGE VS PRIVATE IMAGE/ COVER V UNDERCOVER This is a feature of almost all superhero films, as most of the protagonists attempt to live an apparently normal life as well as one in which their identity is a mystery. 
• FUTURISTIC VS OLD: both old and new technology feature in ‘Prometheus’. 
• CRIME VS JUSTICE: superheroes take justice into their own hands and deal with criminals as they see fit. Their less conventional form of justice could create conflict between them and the police, as mentioned before. 

Horror: Fright Night 

Protagonist V Antagonist

Day V Night (chiaroscuro)

Men V Women

Good V Evil

As the protagonist is a student who is trying to protect society from the vampire , the audience can relate to the character. The film will be aimed at young adults who are students which will boost box office hits. There is also a binary opposition in men versus women because the man is the hero and the woman is the victim. And since it’s a thriller it has the typical oppositions of day and night and good and bad.

Thriller/mystery: The Sixth Sense

Natural V Supernatural

Life V Death

 

The main premise that this film is based upon, is the idea that there is a knowledge other who is helping the young boy overcome his problems with seeing dead people which is where the idea of there being an opposition with the living people and those who have already died. Then with that comes the idea of there being supernatural spirits haunting the natural environment. Thus the contrast between the living and the dead would be a great appeal for the audience.   

 

History/war: Schindler’s List 

Powerful V Weak
Rich V Poor
Good V Evil

This film would appeal to those who experienced or have lost a loved one in the World War II. The film is likely to be aimed at an older audience who can relate to the characters in the film. With the use of black and white it could represent a good versus evil opposition with its documentary or past event feel to it. And obviously the two other oppositions come from the conflict between Nazi’s and Jews.











Family/adventure: Finding Nemo 

Good V Evil

This film would appeal to a young family audience. The film is adventurous and the audience may be able to relate to the characters by the child/parent relationship.











Western: Legends of the Fall 

Love V War

This film would appeal to an older audience, those who are interested in war/ western films. It could also appeal to a young audience.











Comedy: Role Models 

Fun loving guy V Serious pessimistic guy/ Love V Hate
Black V White: Young Poor Black Kid versus Middle Aged White Man
Adults V Children

The contrast in personality's of the main characters which are together through out the film. The opposition between the black and white people is like a opposition in culture and class.And the contrast between the two young kids and the two grown men gives the film a comedic element.

Romantic: P.S I Love You 

Old life V New Life
Life V Death
Men V Women

In the film Holly and Gerry typical marriage, intensely in love, then Gerry unexpectedly dies and her life is changed completely and the film focuses on old compared to new throughout . There is also a difference between life and death because she has to carry on living whilst he’s dead and in addition to that that's where the opposition between men and women because the man dies and so the woman has to get over that and carry on with her life.  

War/Rom: Dear John 

Love V War
War V Civilization

John is in the military and this is an obstacle in the way of his love for savannah the film is based around how he has to choose war or love. There is also an opposition in war and civilization because whilst he is fully involved with the war effort she has to carry on regardless in society.

Horror: Dawn of the Dead 

Human V Zombies/ Natural V Supernatural

Order V Chaos

This binary opposition is typical in horror films. Zombies not being human creates a fear element in the film as humans seem weak and vulnerable compared to them and often have to fight for survival through out the film. Initially it seems a peaceful town until the zombies come and destroy it accumulating in chaos.