Todorov Narrative Theory

Todorv suggested that conventional narratives are structured in five stages:

1. State of equilibrium at the outset.
2. Disruption of the equilibrium by some action.
3. A recognition that there has been some disruption.
4. An attempt to repair the disruption.
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium.

This type of narrative structure is very familiar to us and can be applied to many 'mainstream' film narratives. 

In these stages, narrative is not seen as a linear structure but a circular one.  However, the equilibrium attained at the end of the story is not identical to the initial equilibrium. 

The disruption itself usually takes place outside the normal social framework, outside the 'normal' social events. 

In relation to my own product 

Equilibrium- Group of friends happily getting along

Disruption- Their innocence is found to be false, as their deep secrets come back to haunt them.

Resolution- This is recognised when one of the friends within the group is kidnapped in attempt to get the others to own up about their crime.

Restored order- Friends try to find ways to save their friend without having to reveal their secrets, such as trying to work out who the kidnapper is (this is not shown within the trailer, as it is left on a cliffhanger before this point)

New equilibrium- This is also not shown, as the cliffhanger should entice the audience to watch the film. 

From leaving it on a cliffhanger, the other stages to the theory will unfold as the audience watches the full film. 

Critical Perspectives: Themes

Need to consider academic debates; media in social and cultural contexts.
Demonstrate a personal position on the issues.
Must focus on these three areas:

Synoptic Link.
A range of examples of how your AS studies offer you important 'scaffolding; for A2 will be provided. My AS production work will have included a main task and this was either produced intentionally or accidentally. This relates to Media and Collective identity.
In critically reflecting on production work and evaluating outcomes, I will discuss myself as a producer and a consumers. When we use technology to reach audiences without needing support of media industries this is called We Media.

The focus is in how people, in cultural contexts, use the media at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Media is a popular culture- the media that ordinary people access in large numbers.

Postmodern media theory 
analyse Big Brother for this theme, but also explore the extent to which reality TV a 'fetishised hyperreality' in which simulation has defeated any notion of the objective 'real'

Strinati - Postmodernism is said to describe the mergence of social order in which importance and power of the mass media and a popular culture means that they govern and shape all forms of social relationships. The idea is that popular cultural signs and media images increasingly dominate our sense of reality and the way we define ourselves and the world around us. It tries to comes to terms with, and understand a media-saturated society. 
Society has become subsumed with the mass media. It is no longer even a question of distortion, since the term implies that there is a reality, outside the surface simulation of the media, which can be distorted, and this is precisely what is at issue according to postmodern theory. 

Toby Miller- By looking at how culture is used and transformed by social groups, cultural studies sees people not simply as consumers but as potential producers of new social values and cultural languages.

Jenks describes four definition of culture:
As a state of mind (aspiration)
As a collective pursuit of civilisation (part of progress)
As artistic and intellectual activity
As a social category- the things that people do, our ways of life.

Social groups- defines a group of people through their characteristics, interest etc.

Social values- impact of technology development in society. Distinct media institutions?
We Media- citizen journalism.
Implications of Long Tail distribution.
Web 2.0.

WE, THE MEDIA - Dan Gilmor book

Mind may of how all the critical perspective themes connect

Critical Perspective: Writing about production

• Genre
• Language
• Audience- it is getting harder to in the online age to conceive of a media audience as stable, identifiable group. How do we make sense of and relate to the audience through production? During production process we have posted blog entries and used social-networking tools in order to more generally share images and gain feedback. 
• Representation
• Narrative - what is the narrative structure of an image? 

Write about cover image by using semiotics

Makes links to synoptic ares of Critical Perspective research

Make intertextual connections to justify commercial decisions. 

Describe the postmodernism used and how this would appeal to the audience. But also describe the art behind the use of this.