RESEARCH: Mulvey's Male Gaze

However Mulvey's Male Gaze can be challenged as in the movie Scream although the female protagonist is a victim in the end instead of a man saving her she saves herself with the help of another female, the reporter. They both stand up to the killers and are brave enough to call them "you sick fucks" and "you too dipshits" where as the male victim doesn't help in anyway and is helped and saved by the two women.

RESEARCH: Mulvey's Male Gaze

Laura Mulvey came up with a theory in 1975. This theory suggested that all films are shot in a stereotypical male point of view. And that woman are seen as sexual objects, inferior to and needing men and more vulnerable. In the trailer of A Nightmare on Elm Street we can see examples of this.

There is a woman being shot in the bath, this gratifies the male point of view of women being objectified and seen as sexual objects. There is also some cleavage and bare legs shown in the trailer.

In the trailer there is always a larger ratio of men to women, again gratifying the male point of view that women are inferior.

The women in the trailer are the most vulnerable as they are the ones screaming and their bare necks are always showing highlighter their vulnerability. The men are seen as the saviour as both policemen are men.
The movement of the camera is lingering over  the females bodies and are usually high angled shot to make them look more vulnerable and beneath the men

RESEARCH: Narrative Structure

This timeline shows the narrative structure of the When a Stranger Calls (2006) trailer according to Todorov's Theory...

As shown in my timeline in this trailer the Equilibrium is shown the most. This is to show the audience the setting and help them to relate and build a relationship with the main character. The Conflict is also shown the most as this reels in the audience and gives them snipppets of how much 'scare factor' the movie has.

RESEARCH: Narrative Structure

In my trailer I will use a simular narrative structure as Todorov's theory, including Equilibrium, Distruption, Recognition of disruption and Conflict. However I will not include the Resolution as I wouldn't want to give too much about the film away as I want audience to go and watch the film.

RESEARCH: Narrative Structure

Trailers are not necessarily in chronological order like films. They will show more of the action and stuggle in the movie rather than the ending and resolution.

For example The Final Destination trailer (as previously shown) starts with Conflict then Distruption, Recognition of Distruption and then more Conflict, completely skipping out Equilibrium and Resolution. As the equilibrium isn't very important in the horror genre as people watch horror mainly for the thrill, excitement and conflict rather than the actual story.

RESEARCH: Narrative Structure - Todorov's theory

There are several different types of narrative structure:

Linear/Chronological
This is when the sequence of events is in order of time. The story will start from A goes on to B and ends at Z giving us the sequence of events in order. This is the most common type of structure used in story telling (this includes stories, books, TV shows and films), however trailers are not usually in linear order and will quite often show us A-Z.

Circular
A circular sequence of events is when the sequence starts and ends with the same sequence. This is a unique unconventional way of telling a story and is often when a movie tells us the outcome of something and tells the audience how it came about. This structure plays on the audiences curiosity and is becoming increasing popular.

Disjointed
This is a random, non-chronilogical sequence of events that may have some type of structure however is very disjointed.

We all have some understanding and knowledge of basic narrative structure of stories/ films. It is often referred to the beginning middle and the end however there are more technical terms for the stages of narrative structure.

Todorov was a man who studied folk/fairy tales. He came up with a theory that every story including books, movies, episode etc. has 5 different stages...

Equilibrium

Distruption

Realisation of distruption

Conflict

Resolution

Research: Sub genres

RESEARCH: Synopsis Research - Burton's Formula

Burton's theory was quite simple really. He believed that every genre had key elements that are used time and time again. These are things that we would expect to see in the genre of the movie.

- PROTAGONISTS 
All genres have identifiable protagonists, hereo and villians. Over many genres the protagonists usually have very simular characteristics; male protangonists are always very attractive hereoic and brave. Female lead characters are usually extremely beautiful, vulnerable and weak. However sometimes films will challenge these conventions. 

-STOCK CHARACTERS
These are the 'extra' characters. These are characters such as the prevent or the wanderer who, in horrors, are usually the first people to get killed. They are not a part of the main story but do play a important part in enhancing and propelling the story. These3 characters also can often bring humour to the film.

-PLOTS AND STOCK SITUATIONS


-ICONS


-BACKGROUNDS AND DECOR


-THEMES 


One Missed Call Synopsis

Shannyn Sossamon and Ed Burns star in director Eric Valette's remake of Takashi Miike's frightful tale about a cell-phone call from the future that foreshadows one's own death. Beth Raymond (Sossamon) is a college student whose friends have all been dying in droves, and the one connecting factor between all of the incidents is that just before their deaths, each of the victims received a message in which they heard themselves being murdered. Upon receiving her own frightening phone call, Beth has only three days to solve the mystery and cheat death. Burns co-stars as a detective who is deeply troubled by the recent spate of deaths. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi