Scream film narrative (1)

Scream film narrative (1)

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  Scream film narrative Narrativeis the account of events that are connected together to make a story. The narrative is the telling of the story and represents a sequence of events, the story then revolves around the main event that happens. Todorov's narrative theory suggests that all narratives follow a three part structure. This begins with the equilibrium, where everything is normal and as should be, then comes along the disruption that disturbs the equilibrium, and finally a resolution is reached, when the equilibrium is restored. In Scream the story follows Todorovs narrative theory. The opening scene of the film clearly shows the conventions of a horror film as it is set in an abandoned and dull house. The main character is a young, blonde girl which reinforces her vulnerable situation. When the phone rings it creates an uncomfortable atmosphere as the person on the other end of the phone is not the normal type of person, however main character Casey begins to flirt with the guy on the phone. This is ironic as it is a horror film. Iconography is used as the knives in Casey’s kitchen are repeatedly shown, which can foreshadow that something sinister may happen with those knives in the film. The phone call is the state of the equilibrium as the young girl Casey is at home just cooking popcorn preparing for a night in. However, when the protagonist on the end of the phone starts carrying out more direct and sinister events, such as attacking Casey’s boyfriend in the garden, this shows the disruption of the plot. Casey’s cosy night in with her boyfriend is then destroyed and disrupted as events soon turn for the worse. The use of Casey turning the patio light on shows her eagerness to find out who the mystery man is on the phone and as she is locking all the doors it shows her fear and her method to protect herself. Then Casey hits realisation as the killer is shown. The guy on the end of the phone appears to wear a mask which continues the mystery of who the killer is. This disguise keeps the audience feeling on edge and makes Casey feel unsettled as she realises the severity of the situation she is in. Moreover, there is a chase scene set outside Casey’s house, in attempt to find the killer. This is an example of attempting to restore order, as they are trying to resolve the horrific events by catching the killer. The characters attempt to repair the damage by catching the killer to stop him killing more people. Finally at the end of the film, the killers are revealed and a new equilibrium is restored. The killers are revealed as Billy and Stu and they admit to killing other people in the past. After the killers are found, the plot makes an attempt to go back to how it was before. Overall Scream has used Todorov’s approach to narrate the filmas it moves from equilibrium to disturbance and then back to a new equilibrium. Furthermore Propp suggested that every narrative has eight different character types. These are the villain, dispatcher, helper, princess/ prize, father, donor, hero and the false hero. In Scream many of these characters are used and follow Propps theory. The main character that is shown in Scream is the villain that drives the plot. According to Propp the villain opposes and acts against the hero. This is the protagonist within in the film and is the evil figure that murders people whilst wearing a mask. In Scream Stu and Billy are the false heroes. This is because at the end of the film they are revealed as the killers that has been
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  hiding his identitybehind the mask whereas beforehand they were trustworthy characters. However he has been acting normal towards his girlfriend and everyone else, emphasizing his sinister and cruel characteristics. According to Propp’s theory the false hero disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims. The victimis a blonde innocent young girl. This enforces her vulnerability as she is young and open to the situation. She is wearing a lose fitting white jumper and is at home, which is the correct environment and style clothing for a young girl. However she is being targeted by an evil killer. Propp’s hero character is displayed by the policeman that investigates with the gun in a dark house. This is because of the bravery of the policeman and his success in finding out whom the killer is. To Propp the hero is the person that is seeking something. In scream this is the policeman looking for the killer. Likewise Sydney is the hero as she helps to work out who the killer is. Sydneys mum is the dispatcher as when she dies it sends Sydney on a mission to find out who the killer is. Moreover Dewey is the helper as he aids Sydney in her mission to defeat the killer. Levi Strauss looked at narrative structure and themes in texts in terms of Binary oppositions. In Scream Stu and Billy seemall sweet and innocent however at the end they are revealed as the killers. A main way of understanding the narrative of a film is to look at the way it reinforces conflict. Levi Strauss thought conflict was caused by the constant creation of opposition. In a filmthese can be visual for example Casey in Scream moving from the light room to the dark room could represent her innocence at one stage then her vulnerability in another as she is the main target for the killer. Moreover, as events prolong her body becomes ridge and stiff as she is aware of the uncomfortable situation she is in. At the start of Scream Casey is on the phone having a casual phone call, she is walking around the house, leaning on the cabinets as if everything is fine. Towards the ends of the phone call Casey becomes aware of her surroundings and feels quite trapped, she takes slow steps around the house and is cautious of the guy on the phone. Or in a film they can be conceptual for example the binary opposition of control/panic. At the start of the opening scene of Scream Casey has control of the phone call and is playing around with the male on the end of the phone. She is acting quite flirtatious and enjoys the control she has over the male’s emotions. However, the caller’s voice soon turns serious and sinister and Casey realises it is not just a normal controlled phone call. Casey begins to panic and loses her ability of control. She starts rushing around the house in mad panic after seeing what the guy on the phone has done to her boyfriend. Likewise Levi Strauss thought that conceptual oppositions could be to do with the soundtrack in films. For instance, in the Scream opening scene the background music is quite quiet and chilled making the audience feel relaxed as Casey remains relaxed. However the music and soundtrack soon pick up and build up louder which creates tension and the audience can quickly realise events are turning for the worse. As the killer reveals his first attack on Casey’s boyfriend the backing sound is upbeat, fast and repetitive which makes the audience feel on edge and they can understand the severity of the abnormal situation. Scream is a perfect example of the corruption of society, as there
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  are major threatsto social order and a valued system is destroyed. In Scream a main theme is insanity, this is shown through character Billy as he is revealed as the killer at the end of the film. However throughout the filmhe remains sane which leaves everyone confused and unaware of his true identity. Finally as main character Casey appears to be sexually inexperienced it represents the binary opposites of innocence vs. evil. This is because Casey is only a young teenager and has less experience than other characters; however the evil protagonist uses her as the first target. In conclusion all theories are useful as it helps to find meaning within films. By comparing the theories with films it is easy to realise how they are used to create a successful narrative. The most useful theory is Todorovs narrative theory because it creates a successful filmas there is a moral and constant action happening. The state of equilibrium can create verisimilitude for the audience as it is just normal balanced life, however when the disruption occurs it makes the film more entertaining and engages the audience more. In contrast the least useful theory is Propp’s theory of eight characters. This is because it is irrelevant and not every film contains all eight of the characters Propp states. Similarly, not always the stated characters behave the way Propp believed and stated. Therefore, the characters can be observed differently by different people in films. Doing this task has helped me to come up with ideas for when I make my own horror film. This is because Todorovs narrative theory has helped me to come up with an idea of a major event happening which will cause a disruption to the plot, this will drive the narrative and control the whole film. Likewise Levi Strauss use of binary opposites shows a clear change of mood and atmosphere. Therefore I will use this in my horror film as it emphasizes the situation turning negative and sinister from a normal casual event. For example, the lighting going from light to dark and an innocent character is vulnerable due to evil.