This is an in depth look at how our short film, 'After Hours' fits into various narrative theories.

1. Narrative
Theory in
Relation to
‘After Hours’

2. Overviewo
Hour
lmtellsthestoryofamiddleaged,maleteachernamedDonWalters.Depressed,
redandstuckinthe9till5routine,Donhasnoaspirationsorinterestinenjoyinghisli
ledfor‘okay’.
ragedayatschool,Donfindshimselfburiedunderapileofpaperworkinpreparation
ywhenOfstedarein.Bynearly8o’clock,Donhasbarelymadeadentintheamounto
tocompleteforthemorning.Overthepapers,Donfallsasleep.
oniswokenupbythenoiseofadoorclosingshutandrealiseswhat’shappened:he’
eschool.Donmissesthecaretakerbyseconds.Hemakeseveryattempttotryandg
choolbutfailsmiserably.
nusesthesituationtogethisownbackon‘theperfect’RichardStoker,Don’sbinary
egoestolookintheschool’sclassifieddocumentsto‘digupthedirt’andhequicklyfi
nted:‘DickStroker’,Rick’spornstarpast.Donplanstosabotagehiscareerbysomeh
informationintheteacher’sclassroom,however,whenhegetsthere,heseesaprof
oker’sboard:‘Happinessiswhenwhatyouthink,whatyousayandwhatyoudoarein
hisaffectsDongreatlyandhebeginstorealizethatheistheonlyonestoppinghimse
ghislife.
,Donattemptstoenjoyhistimelockedintheschool.Completelyuncomfortablewitht
ppiness,hebeginsslowlybytryingtothrowaballofpaperintoanearbybin.Thistak
attempts,howeverhefinallygetsitinandisoverwhelmed.ThisvictorypromptsDont
imselftohavefuninotherways.
,inanew,healthiermindset,realisesthathecanonlybetrulyhappyifheputstimea
islife:hetidieshisclassroomanddesk,marksallofhisworkandconfesseshisfeelin
wers.ThefilmendswiththemorningschoolbellringingandDonsmilingtriumphantly.

3. Todorov’s
Struct
arrativetheoryofthe(traditionallyfour,butmorerecently)fiveact
ducedbyTodorovtohelpkeepastrongformattoourfilm.Throughusing
abletostayawayfromconvolutednarratives,leavinguswithaclean,
ourfilmwhichwecouldembellishthroughthecharacter’sbackstoriesor
ristics,etc.ThisishowourfilmfitsintoTodorov’sstructure:
notheraveragedayinhismelancholy‘9‘till5’lifestyle.Stilllivingathismother’shousefromhis
pletelyfedupwithhisroutine.Hefeelsthepressureofherdesiresforhimtolead‘cerealbox’life,
fe,childrenandasuccessfuljob…thelifeeveryonearoundhimhas.Atwork,themanifestationof
sMrRickStoker.HeistheheadofDon’sfaculty,heisattractiveandhehastheattentionofMrs
onlywomanwhohaseverunderstoodDon’ssadisticsenseofhumour.
ayofteachingunenthusiasticstudents,Donrealizesthathehasalargepileofpaperworktofinish
ywhenOfstedarein.HebeginstodosobutitgetslaterandlaterandDonfallsasleepoverthepile
bytheloudclosingofadoor,Donwakestorealisewhathashappened:heisstillinschoolat10pm.
emaindoors,onlytoseethecaretakerwalkingawayafterlockingup.Dontrieseverythinghecan
;heshoutsaroundtheschooltoseeifanyoneisstillthereandheattemptstoescapeineveryway
,hequicklyrealisesthatthereisnowayout.Heislockedintheschool.

4. n
annoyedathimselfthanever.Hecan’thelpthinkinghowuselessheisandhowmuchbettereveryo
himis.Alloftheschooldisplayboardsseemtomockhimashewalksaround.Finally,hereachesa
whichshowsaphotoofRickStokerbeamingmagnificently,celebratinghischarityworktohelpless
ildren.ThismakesDonangry.Heshoutsoverthetannoytoexpresshisfeelings,(“whereisyourf***
heninthecornerofhiseye,hecatchessightofafiling-cabinetlabelled‘classifieddocuments’andca
thetruthoutaboutRickStoker.Hefindsexactlywhathewaslookingfor:‘DickStroker’Rick’spasti
material.Donplanstoruinhiscareerwithhisinformationandgoestohisclassroomtosomehowpl
oneverywheresothatthestudentswillridiculehim.Nevertheless,whenDongetstotheclassroom,t
thewallwhichchangeseverything,“Happinessiswhenwhatyouthink,whatyousayandwhatyou
ny.”
boutthisquoteandre-evaluateshisdecisiontoruinRick’slife.Hescrunchesupthefileandthrowsit
isses.Hetriesagain.Hemisses.Hekeepstryingandsoonrealisesthathe’shavingfun.Hebegins
self,throwingthepaperfromabiggerdistanceeachtime.Hegetsitin.Herealisesthatthequoteis
trytoenjoyyourlifetobehappyandsohewalksroundtheschoollookingforotherwaystoenjoyhi
ejokinglypretendstobeinthemiddleofanintensegame,hescoresabasketandthecrowdsgowi
onAnnaFlowersrunsuptohimandhugshim.Heisbroughtbacktorealityandunderstandswhath
brium
desintoamontageofwaysinwhichDonfindswaysofenjoyinghimselfinschool.Hetidieshisdesk
workheneedsto,makesAnnaFlowersabouquetofflowersoutoftissuepaperinart-hehesitates
avethemonherdeskwithanoteconfessinghistruefeelingstoher,hesitsbackinhischairandloo
screenfadestoblack.Wethenheartheschoolbellsoundanditsisthemorning.Donisstartledbyt
kesonlytosmile,readyforanewday.

5. Levi-Strauss
Opposi
’,weareincludingLevi-Strauss’theoryofbinaryoppositeswithinthecharactersDon
ickStoker.Thispairofbinaryoppositesultimatelyrepresent‘thesuccessful’and‘the
nonetheless,inthisparticularinstance,itisimportanttonotethat‘thesuccessful’,in
fRickStokeristhetypicalvillainofthestorywhereasthe‘unsuccessful’isthe
adeeperlevel,wehavethebinaryoppositesof‘happiness’and‘sadness’withinthe
,theunderlyingthemeofthefilm.WhilstDonWaltersstrivestogainthis‘happiness’a
ofthenarrative,wecanseethedifferenceinthetwodifferingideasofhappiness.
deaofhappinessispleasingothersinordertobeacceptedandfitin.Heisthe‘perfec
sofsociety,heissuccessful,physicallyattractiveandhehelpsothersthroughcharity
tideologytellshimtobe.Nevertheless,hehasadarksecretinhispastwhich
eologicalpersona;hisworkinpornographyiscompletelytheoppositeofwhatsociety’
enshouldbe.WecanunderstandthatRickStokerwasonceinaworsepositionto
atthebeginningofthefilmandhisobsessionwithlooking‘perfect’totherestofthe
omaninsecurityoverthemistakeshemadeinhispast.
and,DonWalterscomestoarealizationthathappinessisdoingthingsforyourselfat
film.Heisconstantlyshutdownfromthepressuresofpeoplewhowanthimtobe
sn’tandthereforeheisunabletofindhappinessinhislife.Hecompareshimselfto
akeshimfeelcompletelyinferior,however,whenheforgetsthesepressurefrom
ginstoallowhimselftobehappy,hegainsanewconfidence.Hebelievesinhimself
dsthathedoesn’thavetopretendtobesomeonehe’snotinordertofitin,asRick

6. RolandBart
Theo
etheuseofBarthes’codesinfilm,Ibelievetheymakethefilminterestingtowatch
againbecausetheyallowtheaudiencetopickuponnewhiddenaspectseachtime
production.Theyareanextremelyintelligentformofstorytellingandcommunicating
eaudience’ssubconscious.In‘AfterHours’Ihopetoachievethisformofstory-telling
Code&TheSymbolicCode
withinthefilmwhichcommunicatetheoverallthemesofthetext.
n‘AfterHours’arefreedomandconfinement;thestruggleforhappiness;theideologyofsociety;
tion.Throughoutthefilm,wewillensurethatallofourmise-en-sceneconnotesthesefivethemes.Fo
eginningofthefilmwewillhaveashotofDonWalterssleepinginhisdoublebedonhisowntosho
illcommunicatethisfurtherbyusinganunnatural,birdseyeviewshotofthebedtomakethe
omfortableandreflectthefactthatDonWaltersisuncomfortableinhislifestyle.
ode
laysontheaudience’spre-existingknowledge.
culturalcodeintheformofknowledgeregardingschoolsandteaching.Forexample,thefearof
n,thestereotypicaltypesofchildrenthatyoualwaysgetandthesocietalideologyofmeninWestern
ticCode
voidsrevealingallthefacts/tellingthetruthtocreatemystery.
ctsofthiscodetoforeshadowtheplot/themesofthefilm.Forexample,whenDonisteachinghis
onthefilmGroundhogDaytoavoidteaching,herebyforeshadowingthefactthatheisabouttoget
tionthat’llmakehimchangehisoutlookonlife.

7. Propp’sCh
Role
ten‘AfterHours’tomostlysupportVladimirPropp’snarrativetheorythateveryfilmhaseight
s:
DonWalters:Hediscoversthatyoudon’thavetosuccumbtosociety’sexpectationsinorder
Heteachestheaudiencetotrustinthemselvesandthatit’snevertoolatetostartoveragain.
-RickStoker:HeisseentobeperfectbyeveryonearoundhimandhecrushesDon’sspirit,
elievethathehastoconformtotheunachievableidealsofsociety.Rickisthemanifestationof
ggoverningforcesthatlimithumanabilityindisguise.
ss-AnnaFlowers:ThisistheonlywomanwhounderstandsDonforwhohetrulyis.When
her,hedoesn’thavetopretendtobeanyoneelse.Nevertheless,sheiscapturedbythefalse
whoisnothingbutanartificialproductofsociety.
hePrincess-thischaracterisnotneededforourstory.
Hero-RickStoker:(okay,yesStokerfillstwoofthecharacterroles)Rickisseentobe
eryone,wheninrealityheisaboring,manufacturedproductofsociety.
-TheCaretaker:ThecaretakerwholocksDonWaltersintheschoolactsasthefilm’shelper.
Donwiththeopportunitytochangehislifeandfindtruehappiness.
-MahatmaGhandi:ItisGhandi’squoteontheboardwhichgivesDonthekeytohappiness.
cher-MrsWalters:Don’smotherworksasthedispatcherofthenarrative.Thepressurethat
putsonhiminordertobesomeoneelse,givesDonthemotivationtoseekoutRick’strue
ltimatelycometotherealisationthatRick’shappinessisforced;happinesscomesfromthe
ourowntrueidentity.
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8. Lyotard’s
Moder
isaprevalentaspectofthenarrativein‘AfterHours’.Theunderlyingthemeofthefil
itytothegrand-narrativeofsocietylimitspeople’shappiness’.
narrativeiscreatedfrommeta-narrativessuchasgettingmarriedandhavingchildren;
dmakingyourwayupthehierarchalladder;andindulginginconsumptionand
youtosticktotheschematicsofsocietysoitcancontinuetofunctionwithstability.
ickStokeristhemodelofmodernism.Heindulgesinproductionandconsumptionin
followsthelatestfashiontrendsandbuysthenewesttechnology;modifyinghimselft
caofthemenshownonbillboardsandmagazines.Heistheheadofthegeography
einstitutionalandideologicalmethodsofteachingtoclimbhiswayupthehierarchal
tprominently,heisrightontracktogettingmarriedandhavingchildren,withany
ts.Hisappearanceofhappinessisenvious.However,itisn’tuntilwelearnofhispast
thatweunderstandthatheistrulyhidingbehindfalseappearancesandhishappines
de.Welearnthathefeelsthathecannotbehappyinhisownskinandsohehasto
tofconformitytotheideologiesofsociety.Hischaractersuggeststhesameincredulity
arrativesthatLyotardtheorieswithpost-modernism.
ideaofPost-Modernismcomesinto‘AfterHours’throughtheuseofmeta-cinema.W
entwiththenarrativeconventionsbyincludingsubtlehintstoself-examination.For
Donisteachinghislessons,hewillputonthefilmGroundhogDay,herebycreating
etwofilm’sstorylinesandforeshadowingtheendingofthefilm.Additionally,whenhe
theschool,hewillmakereferencetoTheBreakfastClubandDeadPoetsSociety,tw
exploreself-realisationinthesettingofaschoolbuilding.

9. Campbell’sT
Hero’sJo
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nWalterssupportsJosephCampbell’stheorydespitehowsimplethenarrativeis.
Hours’fitsintothisnarrativetheory:
o-Donhatesbutgetsonwithhislife.
Adventure-Don’smotherissopressuringthatheismotivatedto
ethatyoudon’thavetofollowtheexpectationsofsocietytobehappy.
ceandRefusaloftheCall-hedoesn’tpickuponthemessagesin
filmsthatheshowstohisstudents.
e-beinglockedintheschoolovernight.
theThreshold-Hetriestogetoutoftheschoolandfails.
h/FindingAllies/Enemies-HeseekstofindoutthetruthonRickStoker.
sts/Challenges-HefindsoutthetruthonRick’spastandalthoughhe
tstoruinhislifewiththeknowledge,hecanalsounderstandthatthisis
anwhohasalsostruggledtofindhappinessinhislife.
stheTreasure-Donfindsthequoteontheboardandunderstandswhathemustdotoachieve
piness.
n/Result-WhenheisenjoyinghimselfheimagineshimselfwithAnnaFlowers.
Resurrection-DonfindsorderinhislifeandexpresseshisfeelingstoAnna.
e-Donhasfoundconfidenceinhimselfandisabletoenjoyhislife.
tion-Truehappiness.

10. Campbell’sT
Hero’sJo
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decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
nWalterssupportsJosephCampbell’stheorydespitehowsimplethenarrativeis.
Hours’fitsintothisnarrativetheory:
o-Donhatesbutgetsonwithhislife.
Adventure-Don’smotherissopressuringthatheismotivatedto
ethatyoudon’thavetofollowtheexpectationsofsocietytobehappy.
ceandRefusaloftheCall-hedoesn’tpickuponthemessagesin
filmsthatheshowstohisstudents.
e-beinglockedintheschoolovernight.
theThreshold-Hetriestogetoutoftheschoolandfails.
h/FindingAllies/Enemies-HeseekstofindoutthetruthonRickStoker.
sts/Challenges-HefindsoutthetruthonRick’spastandalthoughhe
tstoruinhislifewiththeknowledge,hecanalsounderstandthatthisis
anwhohasalsostruggledtofindhappinessinhislife.
stheTreasure-Donfindsthequoteontheboardandunderstandswhathemustdotoachieve
piness.
n/Result-WhenheisenjoyinghimselfheimagineshimselfwithAnnaFlowers.
Resurrection-DonfindsorderinhislifeandexpresseshisfeelingstoAnna.
e-Donhasfoundconfidenceinhimselfandisabletoenjoyhislife.
tion-Truehappiness.