2. Basis of Storyline
• Controlled by anxiety, the male character Ryan struggles to enjoy his time with his partner Rachel
as he is increasingly involved in uncomfortable situations of crowds of people and publicity.
• Accentuating his mental health issues, this leads him to be convinced that these issues are
affecting his relationship with Rachel generally.
• Having already been a very laid back person, unemployed and uninterested, Ryan feels even more
useless now compared to his partner who is reaching fame and success.
• Stumbling across old videos and old photographs, Ryan suffers from the comparison of the
pleasant nostalgia he gets from this and the current distaste in his relationship.
• Feeling victimised and unstable he murders Rachel.
• Upon the realisation of what he has done he tries to commit suicide.
3. Todorov’s Narrative theory.
• Equilibrium – When Ryan and Rachel’s relationship was self-contained, enjoyable and mutually
agreeable. (shown retrospectively in the trailer’s running time.)
• Disruption of equilibrium – Rachel’s rise to success and her attendance of events and parties that
leave Ryan as an outsider and out of touch with Rachel. (this is where my trailer will
chronologically begin). Really, however, this loss of equilibrium is only displayed from Ryan’s
broken perspective as a result of his anxiety. In reality this disruption of equilibrium is ambiguous
due to on-screen connotations that Rachel is actually not to blame.
• Realisation and attempt to restore Equilibrium – When finding the mementos of his relationship
in the past, Ryan really convinces himself of his resolve that his equilibrium has been lost and
therefore, controlled by anxiety that moves to a more schizophrenic stage, he murders Rachel.
• Failure to restore equilibrium – Instead of a conventional restoration of equilibrium, Ryan realises
that his mental state has caused him to act irrationally on his thoughts and this sends him further
into his breakdown leading to his suicide.
4. Levi-Strauss’ Binary Opposition
• The theory of binary opposition will be involved in my trailer to
highlight the differences and semiotic representations of my two
characters.
• For example, in my costume design towards the end of the trailer,
Ryan will be dressed in black, contrasting to Rachel in white. This
shows Ryan’s danger to Rachel’s genuine purity.
• Also, abstract concepts like happiness/sadness, dark/light,
business/laziness and good/evil be shown in shot types, colour
grading, editing pace and acting throughout my trailer.
5. Roland Barthes’ Semiotics
• Symbolic codes of particular costumes and props like dark hoods and
alcohol will use visual language to let the audience assume negative
and dangerous themes.
• Semiotic Codes like the costume organisation, colour grading and
lighting of my sets will display the Binary Oppositions between black
and white or simply the dangerous connotations of colours like Red.
• Enigma Codes wont feature much in my trailer, due to its shorter and
summarised nature, yet the ambiguity of Ryan’s motive for his anger,
the murder of Rachel and his own suicide will leave the audience
asking questions of what actually happens in the full film.
6. Propp’s Narrative Theory
• Hero – Ryan perceives himself to be the hero of this story restoring equilibrium
when realistically he is more of a villain.
• Villain – Ryan perceives Rachel to be the villain who has disrupted his
equilibrium.
• Donor, Helper and Dispatcher – In Ryan’s broken perspective he believes he is
giving aid to his own restoration of equilibrium when he convinces himself of his
correctness.
• Villain – Rachel believes Ryan is some sort of villain or Fake Hero with his lack of
support and strange, negative behaviour from her perception.
7. Steve Neale’s repetition and difference.
Repetition
• Narratives – Concepts of psychological vulnerability
and a struggling to understand mental health
• Music – tense and eerie elements that through
momentum build into intense and exciting
soundscapes. The use of string instrumentation
aswell.
• Setting – nauseating High key and gloomy low key
lighting.
• Costume design – semiotic elements like colour
symbolism in black and white.
• Editing – slow areas, fast areas and montage
sequences that employ appropriate tenseness.
• Camera Work – handheld, POV, Tracking, Close-up,
High angle, Over the shoulder, Tilt.
Difference
• Narrative – Strong lead character is lost for an
insecure and unstable character instead.
• Setting – Instead of being in an extraordinary
place or place of interest, there will be a very
pedestrian and everyday setting.
• Costume design – Costume will also be very
mundane and a less noticeable part of the
narrative to increase pointlessness that Ryan
feels.
• Editing – Montage sequences display
nothingness rather than a busy life.
