Proppian characters typically found in thrillers.1. Hero/protagonist – typically a male aged between 40 and 50, usually in the law enforcement career, where he will have access to weapons and secret information relating to the case. Usually has a motive that encourages him to pursue the villain (often in the form of the loss of a loved one). E.g. ‘Detective Somerset’ in ‘Seven’ Dr Somerset is an older detective in his late 50’s, we see from the thriller opening that he is very passionate about his job and appears not to have too much of a life outside of it, we also see that whilst other detectives are very quick to presume what happened based on how it first appears, Somerset prefers to look deeper and think outside the box to make sure he definitely uncovers what really happened and justice is served to the antagonist. The need for justice appears to be Somerset’s main motive.
3. Prize/Damsel in distress – Typically a female of great value to the hero, who is put in harm’s way by the antagonist. The hero must defeat the villain in order to achieve the prize. This motive can also appear in the form of revenge that the hero seeks against the antagonist. For example in Face/off Sean Archer’s son is accidently killed when he is hit by a bullet fired by Castor Troy, an assassinator hired to kill Sean Archer. The prize in this situation is that Archer will have his revenge on Troy for taking his son away from him. The princess or the prize is generally what acts as a motive for the antagonist when they are pursuing the antagonist equilibrium will be restored when the prize is either rescued and taken out of harm’s way or the antagonist is brought to justice by the protagonist.4. Donor – Typically a very intelligent or wise but weak individual of either gender who stays behind the doors of the law enforcement agency and provides the protagonist with either tools that will aid him in defeating the villain or key information that will help them defeat the antagonist.
5. Helper – Typically a character less experienced slightly inferior to the main protagonist, but also provides key help in solving the case, often appears in the form of a sidekick who works alongside the protagonist. E.g. ‘Detective Mills’ in ‘Seven’. Detective Mills is a younger officer who has moved to the city in order to experience harsher crime. He is established by this as a less experienced character who is inferior to Detective Somerset, who is older wiser and has more experience especially in the area they are currently operating in. Somerset is shocked by mills’ decision to move here. This outlines Mills young inexperienced and naïve nature, putting him in the position of helper rather than the main protagonist.Other character types found in thrillers
1. Dispatcher – The person who sends off the protagonist to find the antagonist and bring them to justice, the role is usually given to the chief of police or somebody who works high up from behind a desk.
2. False hero – A character who appears to be a protagonist but is later revealed to be a false hero who is really an antagonist undercover. In a thriller this could apply to a double agent in the protagonist’s corporation who is there secretly undercover to retrieve top secret information that could jeopardise the protagonist’s changes of capturing the antagonist.
Binary oppositions found in thrillers
1. Good and Evil (The protagonist vs. the antagonist) e.g. Sean Archer vs. Castor Troy in the thriller ‘Face/off’
2. Black and white are often associated with good and evil and are used in title sequences in thrillers such as face off where the titles are split into two sections, one being white and the other being black creating the binary opposition and connoting good vs. evil.
3. Life and death are often common binary oppositions, for example, an innocent human being is usually killed in thrillers and the killer lives on.
4. Guilty and innocent are binary oppositions that also create irony because it is often the innocent that suffer as a result of the guiltily one’s actions.
5. Light and dark are often tools used to connote binary oppositions such as good and evil, happy and sad etc... Pathetic fallacy is often used as symbolism in thrillers to connote the characters emotions. E.g. when the character is happy and there is equilibrium, the sky is often clear blue and sunny; while when there is an upset and the character(s) are not happy the weather often changes to stormy or rainy with dark skies.
6. Police and criminals link in with good vs. Evil as it is the constant fighting of crime by the police and law enforcement officers.
Todorov’s theory of narrative structure
1. Equilibrium
2. Disruption
3. New Equilibrium
As from what I have observed whilst watching a series of thriller opening, the narrative structure does follow Todorov’s theory as the beginning starts with a brief but clear equilibrium e.g. the protagonist is happily home with his family like in Face/off when Sean Archer is happily playing on the carrousel with his young son. Then quickly a disruption is caused by the antagonist E.g. One of the protagonist’s close family members is killed or kidnapped by the antagonist like in Face/off when Sean Archer’s son is shot dead by assassin and antagonist Castor Troy. Then the resolution is for the protagonist to track down the antagonist to either carry out his revenge or to retrieve his prize that is his close family member. Titles In ‘The Sixth Sense’ the titles are in a serif font in white on a black background using a binary opposition to create the connotation of good and evil. The titles are subtly animated, slowly fading in and out in a way that an apparition is thought to, creating an eerie and cold mood connoting a ghostly and supernatural atmosphere, setting the theme for the film. In Face/Off the titles are also in black and white, again creating binary opposition using split titles with one word being black and the other being white. The titles overlay the action, usually in the primary or terminal optical area at a point in the opening where the viewer does not need to pay too close attention to what is happening in the film, during a scene where not a lot of important action is happening for example. The titles begin as white on black in the centre of the screen; they are subtly animated so they fade in and out in a way that looks like something is speeding past. The first titles to appear are usually that of the producers and then the directors. Next appears the names of the big Hollywood actors who are starring in the film, these titles are animated in a way that the white and the black side switch focus connoting one overpowering the other and the receding. The titles are also in serif font, connoting a more modern and action packed film rather than a traditionally themed one. In ‘Se7en’ the title sequence is a montage sequence in which we see a series of extreme close ups of the antagonist’s actions as he plans out and attempts to cover up his crimes, including the slow painful removal of his finger prints and the journals he appears to keep containing pictures of his victims. The titles are in a modern, scruffy handwritten style that looks as though they are in the form of notes connoting the quick notes that the killer would have made when planning the murder.
No comments:
Post a Comment