pr3

1. Assignment brief – QCF BTEC
Assignment front sheet
Qualification Unit number and title
180 Credit Diploma in Creative Media Production - Unit 6 – Critical Approaches To Creative Media
Learner name Assessor name
Matthew Devney Paul Rossington
Date issued Hand in deadline Submitted on
25/11/2016 20/01/2017 20/01/2017
Assignment title PR3: Critical Responses to Media Products
In this assessment you will have opportunities to provide evidence against the following criteria.
Indicate where the evidence can be found.
Criteria
reference
To achieve the criteria the evidence must show
that the learner is able to:
Task no. Evidence
P1
presenta descriptive response toa media product with some appropriate useof
subjectterminology.
Completed feature
article/podcast with illustrations
to support your points. Genre,
representation and narrative in
Leon and Pulp Fiction
https://www.blogger.co
m/blogger.g?blogID=1 9
55678956273264 01 8#e
ditor/target=post;postI
D=801959130608 889 39
39;onPublishedMen u=p
ublishedposts;onClosed
Menu=publishedposts;p
ostNum=0;src=link
M1
presenta discussion ofa media product withreference todetailedillustrative
examples and with generally correctuse ofsubject terminology
https://www.blogger.co
m/blogger.g?blogID=1 9
55678956273264 01 8#e
ditor/target=post;postI
D=801959130608 889 39
39;onPublishedMen u=p
ublishedposts;onClosed
Menu=publishedposts;p
ostNum=0;src=link
D
presentananalysis ofa media product withsupporting arguments and
elucidated examples, andconsistently using subject terminology correctly
https://www.blogger.co
m/blogger.g?blogID=1 9
55678956273264 01 8#e
ditor/target=post;postI
D=801959130608 889 39
39;onPublishedMen u=p
ublishedposts;onClosed
Menu=publishedposts;p
ostNum=0;src=link
Learner declaration
I certify that thework submitted for this assignmentis my own. I haveclearly referencedany sources used inthework. I understand that false declaration
is a form of malpractice.
Learnersignature: M.Devney Date: 20/01/17

2. PR3
As an audience we respond to media products in many differentways, some of the approaches may be in the
manner in which we analyse, genre, narrative, semiotics and representation
In this assignment I will be looking at the above four areas when analysing ‘Leon-The professional’ and ‘Pulp
fiction’
Leon: The Professional
Leon the Professional is a 1994 action thriller written and directed by Luc Besson and
was produced in the years 1993 and 1994 and stars Jean Reno (Leon), Gary Oldman
(Stansfield), Natalie Portman (Mathilda)
Set in New York, Leon: the professional is an action thriller about a hitman named Leon
(Jean Reno) and his 12-year-old neighbour Mathilda (Natalie Portman). Mathilda’s
entire family is gunned down over a drugs dispute. She is left homelessand seeking
revenge as well as refuge with Leon. She wants him to train her as an assassin in order
to exact revenge on the man responsible (Stansfieldplayed by Gary Oldman.
Lacey's Repertoire of Elements
Setting
The filmbegins with high panning shots of a city easilydistinguishedas New York because of the skyline which
includes the trees of central park and some of the iconic buildings such as the Twin Towers which we’ve seen in
many other filmsset in New York. Then we move into the city
streets with the camera seeminglyon a moving vehicle traveling
through many blocks. Yellow taxis are easilyrecognisable and an
iconic feature of New York as well as Little Italy which is the
setting of the first scene.
New York City is an extremely popular movie setting and has
featured in films such as King Kong, Ghostbusters, Home Alone,
Godzilla and I am Legend to name a few. It ismost definitelythe
most iconic setting for actions films such as Leon. The city meets the conventions of an action filmperfectly, it
has highly populated areas, big buildings and in certain parts crime gangs that run parts of the city. All of which
wouldn’t be found in small towns which is why citieslike New York are widelyused in the action genre.
Character (representation)
The characters in Leon don’t particularly conform to the stereotypical
characters you would usually find in the action genre; this is the case
with the protagonist, love interest and antagonist, all of which I will
analyse below. However, it is also shown evenin the first minutes of

3. the film, a gang and their boss are the first characters we get a good look at. All look like they mean business
and are confident but withinminutes these seemingly hard men are left vulnerable and scared as they are
being picked off one by one. It’s not often a filmsbad guys are portrayed in this way so early on but it adds to
how we see the main character Leon as we findout he is responsible.
Main Characters
Leon- a hitman played French actor Jean Reno, works for mobster Tony who has been his boss ever since he
arrived in New York, he also keeps Leon’s money safe. Leon does not fit the usual conventions of an action
movie star. He hasn’t got the good looks, doesn’t wear suits and lacks the intelligence we normally see from a
character like his. He is the complete opposite of James
Bond for example.Bond is a suave, intelligent,good looking
protagonist. He drives nice cars, wears suits and attracts a
lot of attention from the opposite sex. Whereas, Leon is a
bit slow and unintelligentwith his words and mannerisms,
while also being lessin shape and older than the normally fit
and young action movie star. Apart from the 12-year-old girl
Mathilda, Leon doesn’t interact with any femaleson a
personal level,he also looks quite vulnerable when around
Mathilda. Overall, Leon is a very unconventional and unique
character in the action genre.
Mathilda- Mathilda is the only female protagonist in this film and is an even more unique and unconventional
character than Leon. Mathilda is the debut role of Natalie Portman and she is taken in by Leon, reluctantly,
when her familyis murdered by corrupt police officersbecause of her drug dealing father. Leon and Mathilda
have a father daughter type relationship,however, it seems like Mathilda wants more and sort of takes on the
role of the love interest even though Leon is opposed to the idea. This establishes how unconventional
Mathilda is for this genre as usuallythe love interest is a beautiful older woman. Quite understandably, the
situation is uncomfortable for the audience and they don’t want to see
Leon become Mathilda’s ‘lover’which she clearly wants. Mathilda
senses Leon’s vulnerabilityand acts seductivelyin certain scenes. The
only conventional thing about Mathilda is that she seeks revenge on
the killersof her family, most notably her brother whose death she
mainly wants to avenge. She acts brave and partakes in some of Leon’s
hits because she wants to learn in order to get her revenge but certain
scenes convey her vulnerability, for example,when the police raid the
flat they are staying in at the end of the film.
Norman Stansfield- Stansfield,portrayed by Gary Oldman, is the antagonist in this film and is the type of villain
you see so often in action films such as Leon. He meets the many conventions of a villain;he has power (he is a
corrupt police officer),weapons, a gang of other corrupt cops and
drug dealers. He is unhinged and somewhat insane which is shown
in many scenes including when he’s intimidatingMathilda’s father
by sniffing him. He can be compared to the likesof The Joker from
the Batman franchise, like many other villainsthey are leader to
their followers.Both are mad and share certain mannerisms, the
difference being Stansfield is in a positionof immense power and
the Joker is kept in a mental asylum.

4. Iconography- assaidin detail whenItalkaboutsettingabove,New Yorkisextremelyiconicanda popularcityinthe
actionmovie genre anditsplace inmoviesoverthe yearshas made itevenmore iconicfromitsskyline tothe yellow
taxisandfamousstreets. There isviolence,guns,gangsters,copsandhitmenwhichare commoninthisgenre.The
keyconventionsof the actiongenre are violenceanddeathandtheyfeature massivelyinLeon.The protagonist,
Leon,doesnotmeetthe conventionsof the usual actionthriller protagonist;he isgoodwithguns,strongand a
skilful killerwhichare the traitswe see inmostaction thrillerprotagonists.
Style
Leonis certainlyuniquebutisalsosimilartootherfilmswithinthisgenre.
Music isusedinthe filmtoenhance certainscenesandcreate feelingsof tensionandsuspenseforthe audience.
Thiscan be seenwiththe ominousmusicusedatthe start of the filmalongside the trackingshots.Thiscreates
suspense straightawayandwe are giventhe ideathat the filmwill be acertainwayand will have lotsof suspense
and couldbe quite dark.Nondiegeticsoundsanddiegeticsoundsmeetandthenstopinthe scene where Leonputs
a knife tothe throat of the guyMauricio wantsto talkto, thisisusedto create tension.
Some camera anglesinthe filmmake usfeel asthoughwe are part of the filmandpossiblyone of the characters.
thisisshownin the scene where Leoniskilled.Ashe isbeingshotthe cameraswitchestoa POV of Leonas he is
fallingtothe groundwhichiseffectiveinmakingusfeel more connectedtoLeonandsorry that he in thissituation.
The directorcreatedscenesthatreflectStanfieldthroughthe use of colour,inthe toiletscene he usesayellowand
greenishgreycolouronthe wallsandcubiclesetc.Thiscolourisalsosimilartothe colourof the drugStansfieldtakes
earlierinthe film.Stansfieldrepresentscorruptionandshowsthe directorsviewsonthe corruptionhe thinksthere
isin the US. Black and redcoloursare alsousedthroughoutthe filmtoconnote dangeranddeathwhichare
commonthemesinthe film
How the above helpestablishthe genre of actionthriller?
Luc Bessonisan auteur directorandso goesagainstthe typical codesandconventionsof anactionthrillerinLeon,
However,there are thingsI’ve mentionedabove thatdohelpto establishthisasanaction thriller,these include the
settingasI’ve mentionedindetail aswell asthe violence anddeathwe have come accustomedtointhisgenre.
Anotherwaythisfilmestablishes itself are the characters,howeverunconventional theyare,there isstilla
protagonistandan antagonist. Steve Neale’sgenre theory of repetitionanddifference suggeststhata filmcanand
mustmeetat leastsome conventionstofitina certaingenre butthe filmmustalsosubvertfromthe codesand
conventionsof agenre inorderto be unique. The filmsubvertsfromthe typical conventionsmostlyintermsof the
character’spersonalitiesandtheirageswhichIhave mentionedabove.
Narrative
LeonfollowsaLinearnarrative meaningthe sequence of the filmisinorderfrombeginning,middle toend.Leon
incorporatesValdimirProppstheorythatthere are certainrolesineveryfilm.Inthiscase there isa hero(Leon), A
villainandfalse hero(Corruptpolice officerStansfield)andthe helper/princess(Mathilda) whowantstohelpLeon
but alsoneedsprotectionfromthe villainandhismen.AnothertheoristTodorovsaysthatthere isa state of
equilibriumatthe start and end of mostnarrativeswhere everythingisnormal andthisnormal isdisruptedbyan
outside force.Thisissortof the case withLeonbutnot inthe same way.Leonand Mathilda’sstartsto the filmaren’t
verynormal.Leonperformsa hitand Mathildaissmokingwhile herDadisbeingaskedquestionsbythe corrupt
police.However,there is anoutside force thatdisrupttheirideaof normal andthat isStansfield. Then,equilibrium
returnswhen Mathilda’s plansLeon’splantatthe endof the film. Levi Strauss’ theory aboutbinaryoppositionis

5. displayedwhenlifeanddeathisshownanddisplayedwith2props.The phone Leon’shitisholding showsawayout
but the knife onhisthroatis trappinghimandcould endhislife.
Act 1: Exposition
The firstshots of the filmare usedto establishthe settingof the filmaswe go overCentral Parkwitha viewof the
iconicskyline andnavigate throughthe streets,pastthe yellow taxisandarrive inLittle Italyinasmall restaurant
where we are not knowinglyfirstshownaglimpse of the maincharacter,Leon.Inthe scene,twomenare havinga
conversation.One manisAmericanandthe otherman isFrench,the formeristellingthe latteraboutahit,telling
himhowa guycalledMauriciojustwantsto talk to ‘thisfatbastard’,theyagree on the Tuesdaywhenthe manisin
townand the Frenchman drinkshisglassof milk.Thiscreatesquestionsfromthe audience,whoisthisFrenchguy?
What ishe doinginAmerica?What’swiththe milk?Alreadythischaracterisintriguing.The nextscene isof the hit
enteringahotel withhishenchmen.One byone eachmanispickedoff inmeticulousstyle andefficiency until the
onlyman leftisthe hit whohe gets to call Mauricio.At thismomentwe know he isa seriousguynot to be messed
withand isnowevenmore intriguing.
We are thenintroducedtoMathildawhois sat at the top of a stairwell smokingacigarette lookingunhappy,she and
Leon,the hitmanand maincharacter are neighbours,theytalkfora few seconds.Nextwe are introducedtothe
antagonist,NormanStansfield,acorrupt copper.Hs character isa psychopathand thatis shownclearlyinhisscene
withMathilda’sfather.
Incitingincident
The incitingincidentinLeonisnotlongafterthis.Stansfieldandsome othercorruptcoppersshow upat Mathilda’s
apartmentto getsome drugsfrom herfather.It turnsout that herfatherhas crossedthembyreplacing the Cocaine
withflowerinanattemptto dupe themandsell the cocaine himself.Uponrealisingthis,Stansfieldkillsall of
Mathilda’sfamily,mother,sisterandbrother,everyonebutheras she isout gettinggroceries.She returns,realises
whathas happenedandwalkspastthe guard at the door as well ashersister’sdeadbodyinthe doorway straightto
Leonsapartment.Leonisreluctantto letherinbut letsherin as he fearsthe man outside Mathilda’sapartment
mightcatch on and kill her.
Act 2: Rising action
Leondoesnot initiallyacceptMathildaandhe thinksaboutkilling herinhersleepinordertostayout of the eyesof
Stansfieldandhismen.He realisesthattheywill eventuallyfindoutaboutherandcome afterthem.However,he
doesn’tkill herandtheydevelopafatherdaughterrelationshipashe makesherdrinkmilklike himandteachesher
things.Theirrelationshipthenturnsintoaratherodd one as she becomesthe love interestwhichisunconventional
for thisgenre or anygenre as she is12 yearsoldand he ismuch older.Although,Leondoesn’twantwhatMathilda
wants.Despite this,MathildaconvincesLeontohelpherkill Stansfield,she offershimmoney.Leonthenstartsto
trainMathildaas an assassin andtakesheron jobs.
Mathildafollows Stansfieldfromherfamily’sapartmenttothe police stationwhere she planstokill him.Stansfield
realisesandcornersherinthe bathroomand plansto kill heruntil one of hismencomesinand tellshimhe hasto
go. Thisman takesherto an office.Leongetstotheirnew apartmentwhere he findsoutwhatMathildaisplanning
to do.He hurriesto the police stationandkill several of Stansfield’s menandrescuesMathilda
Climax
As a resultof whatLeon hasdone to save Mathilda,the police take actionanda massive teamof officer’s attemptto
infiltrate Leonintheirapartment,whileMathildaisbeingheld. Leontakesoutall the police officersthatcome into
the apartmentand thenmanagestoget Mathildaintothe apartment.A full scale attack onhis apartmenttakes

6. place and Leon managesto gether outthrougha hole inthe wall while he continuestofightoff the attack.Leon
escapeshisapartmentdisguisedasa woundedpolice officerbutwhilehe thinkshe hasescaped completely;he Is
gunneddownbyStansfield.Leonhasthe lastlaughas he givesStansfieldsomething“fromMathilda”whichturns
out to be a pinfrom a grenade.StansfieldopensLeon’sjackettofindsome grenades,he mumbles‘s**t’andthen
we see a massive explosion.
Act 3: Fallingaction
Mathildagoesto see Tonyat his restauranttocollectLeon’smoney,whichLeontoldhertodo if he didn’tmake it.
As well asthisshe offerstocleanformoney(herwayof askingif she couldgetthe sort of jobsLeongot fromTony).
Tony doesn’tlike thisproposal andangrily throwsherout.
Denouement
Mathilda’sgoestothe school she wassupposedtogo to butneverdid,she isreluctantlyacceptedbythe headof the
highschool.Thenshe plantsLeon’splantwhichhe we see himtendertothroughoutthe film.Thissymbolises
Mathildacreatingrootsand settling.
The Walking dead: Season 1: Episode 1
The Walking dead is an American Zombie horror drama television series based on the
comic bookseriesbyRobertKirkman,The Walking Dead. The first episode was released
on the 31st
October2010 and featuresAndrew Lincolnasthe maincharacter RickGrimes,
Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh and Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon to name a few.
Rick Grimeswakesfroma coma to findthe worldhe knew isgone,azombie epidemic
has leftthe streets dead,emptyandhisfamilyare gone.The firstseasondetailshis
missiontofindhisfamilyandtheirfightforsurvival.Afterthat,eachseasonbecomes
more dark, people come andgoand it becomeslessabouttheirfightagainstthe zombies
(walkersas theycall them) andmore about theirfightagainstpeoplewhowanttotake
whattheyhave.In the season3 promo,the sloganis“Fightthe dead,Fearthe living”
Lacey’s repertoire of elements
Setting
The settingforthisepisode isAtlanta,Georgiabut we don’tknow thisuntil near
the endwhenRickventuresintothe citycentre (showninthe picture tothe
right).We do knowfromthe start that the showisclearlysetinAmericabecause
of thingslike the sheriff’soutfit,the typesof houses,roads,accentetc.People
fromAmericaor fromGeorgiamay knowearlyon where itissetbecause Rick
declareshimself the sheriff deputyof kingcounty.
Character (representation)
As itis the firstepisode of aseries,we are introducedtomanyof the characters, howeverbriefly.We see Rick
(AndrewLincoln),Shane (JonBernthal),Lori (SarahWayne Callies),Carl (ChandlerRiggs),Morgan (LennieJames),
etc. in thisepisode we don’tgetaclearviewof the character’s personalitiesbutwe getan inklingof what theyare
about.

7. Main Characters
Rick- Rickis the leadcharacter andmain protagonist forthe whole franchise and
that isclear to see inthisepisode.He isasheriff deputy inhishome townand
clearlyshowshe hasleadershipqualities;fromthismoment we know he will
probablybe the figureheadof the series.Rickisa conventionalAmericanpolice
officer,confident,patrioticandwillingtoriskhislife aswe see fromhimbeingshot
and putintoa coma aftera police chase.He emphasizeswhateveryAmericanman
wantsto be like,he ispowerful andhasgoodmorals.All he wantsisto reconnectwith
hiswife andsonwho he issure are alive
Shane- Anotherprotagonist, Shane seemsalotlike Rickinthisepisode,maybeeven
more confident,evenmore patrioticyethismoralsare skewed.Inthe scene where Rick
and Shane are talkingintheirpolice careatingtheirdinner,Shane talksabouthow
womenleave everysinglelightoninthe house.He alsoreferstowomenas‘a pair of boobs’.He seemsquite
misogynistic.He hasalsomovedinon Rickswife Lori.(Atthispointhe thinksthatRick isdead)
Morgan- Morgan and hisson findRickonthe streetandtake himintothe home
theyare stayingin,Morgan iscaring and kindtowardsRickbut there isclearfear
fromhimthat somethingcouldhappentohisson.He and Rick become friendsin
the short time theyare togetherandRick wantsMorgan to stay incontact through
walkie talkiessotheycanmeetupwhenRick hasfoundhisfamily.
Walkers- The walkers(Zombies) are the antagonistsof thisepisode and
franchise.Theyare viciousandcannibalisticfollow all freshmeat.Sounddraws
them.
Iconography- The mainiconographyforthe episode isthe bigAmericanhouses,
roads andthe Sherriff uniformandpolice car.Althoughthe Atlantaskyline Is
shown,itisn’tuniversallyrecognisable like NewYorkcityor Londonfor example.
The sheriffshatispotentiallythe mosticonicthingtofeature inthisepisode.
Narrative
The episode followsalinearnarrative afterthe first3minutes.inthe first3
minutesisa scene thatisclearlyinbetweenRickleavingMorgan andarrivinginAtlanta.
Act 1: Exposition
The firstscene of the filmis Ricktryingto findgas.The cameratracks himas he walksthroughmanyburnedout
vehiclesandnumerousdeadbodies.There isnogasbut he seesa little girl.She isawalkerand he killsher.Itisa
great introductiontothe brutalityof the Walkingdeaduniverse.The nextscene isof RickandShane and servesas
an introductiontothe twocharacters’ personalitiesandtheirjob.
Inciting incident
Suddenly,RickandShane are calledintostop a car that isbeingpursued.Theymanagedtostopthe car after
puncturingthe tire andthenengage ina gun fightwithtwomen.Theyonlythinkthere are twomenand the third
shootsRickin hisside andinjureshimverybadly,causinghim togo tohospital and put ina coma.

8. Act 2: Rising Action
Rick wakesupfromhiscoma in an abandoned hospital. He wandersthe hospital insearchof peopleanda wayout,
he seesa deadbodyin the hallwayanda doorwaypadlockedwiththe words‘Don’topen,Deadinside’Allof this
doesn’ttrulysinkin.He findshiswayout,walkspastthe drovesof rottingbodybags withterror and incomplete
disbelief.Althoughastruggle,he makeshiswayhome tofindhisfamilygone.He questionswhetherthisisrealityor
not.
Next,he isknockedoutand takeninby a man (Morgan) and hisson. Morgan explainseverythingthatishappening
and aboutthe walkers,especiallyhowthey bite.He eventellshimabouthiswife,whoisnow a walker.Rickis
confidentthathisfamilyare still alivebecause of missingphotoalbumsandframedpictures.Morgantellshimhow
theymightbe in AtlantaandRicksknowshe has to go. Theyall go to the police stationforweapons,ahotshower,
and a uniformforRick.Afterthistheygo theirseparate ways,RicktoAtlantaand Morgan back to the house theyare
stayingin.Rickattempts and fails tomake contact overthe radio to anyone thatmightbe listening,thisiswhenwe
are introducedtoa camp. Shane,Lori and Carl etc. are all there.Theyare onthe outskirtsof Atlantaandmention
that Atlantaisnot whatpeople saiditwouldbe.
Rickscar runs outof gas butRick findsanothermeansof transportationata nearbyfarm, a manand a womanare
inside andlooktohave killedthemselvesandthey’dwritten‘GodForgive us’inbloodonthe wall.Rickfindsand
takesa horse and continuestomake hiswayto Atlanta.
Climax
Once in Atlanta,thingsare notas theyenvisioned. The cityisabandoned,thereisnoone aroundbut walkers,only
there were manywalkers,toomany.Rick iscorneredandthere isno way to escape.Walkerstake downrickandhis
horse and start eatingthe horse,mostof the walkers are occupiedwiththe horse andRick findshiswayundera
tank.Again,he is trappedwithnowayof escape.
Act 3 Fallingaction
Withcertaindeathat the handsof the walkers looming,Ricksayssorryto Lori andCarl and putshisgun to hishead.
Onlyto lookupand see a way intothe tank,he pullshimself uptosafetyandbreathesasighof relief.Thatisuntil he
seesa walkerbesidehim,whichhe shoots.There isinstantregretbecausehisearsare ringingbuthe issafe,trapped
but safe.
Denouement
A voice comesoverthe radio,a man says‘heyyou,dumbass!.Youinthe tank.You cosy inthere?’
Pulp Fiction
Pulpfictionisanaction crime filmwrittenanddirectedbyQuentinTarantino.Itwasreleased
in1994 and is abouta numberof small storiesincludingtwohitmenwhoattempttogeta
briefcase totheiremployerMarcellusWallace andanothermanattemptingtoevade Wallace
and escape town.These andotherstoriesintertwinethroughoutthe film. Some of the filmis
quite darkbut there isalsolotsof humour.
Narrative

9. Pulpfictionfollowsanon-linearnarrative/circularnarrative andsubvertsbetweenlotsof differentmini stories.It
alsogoesagainstPropps theoryof theirbeingcertainrolesineverynarrative.Itishardto diverse whotakesonwhat
rolesinthisfilm.
It isquite difficulttodeterminethingslike the incitingincidentandrisingactionetc.inPulpfictionbecause ithasa
circularnarrative.Inthiscase, part of the incitingincidentisone of the lastscenesinthe film.
Chronological orderof Pulpfiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I8C-0SQIbA
Act 1: Exposition
The start of the filmfeaturesayoungboywatchingTV,a mancomesin and tellshimastory aboutthe boy’sfather’s
watch and
how he smuggleditbackhome inhisrectum. We are alsoshowna man and a womanwhostart to rob a café. Also,
we are introducedto JulesWinnfield(SamLJackson) andVincentVega(JohnTravolta). Theyare ona jobfor their
bossMarcellus Wallace to geta briefcase.Theykill 2menandtake the thirdwiththem, Marvin
Incitingincident
VincentaccidentallyshootsandkillsMarvinin the car leavingthe carand themselvesfull of brainsandblood. They
go to a person calledtoJimmies (playedbythe directorQuentinTarantino) house whocalls Marcelluswhogets
someone whodealswiththisstuff tohelpthemout.ThismanisWinstone Wolfe.He getsridof the problem,cleans
themand the car upand sentthemon theirway.VincentandJulesgotoa diner,the same dinerthatisbeing
robbedbythe manand the woman.Theytry to rob Juleswhopullsagun onthem. He andVincentjustwantto leave
and give Marcellus the briefcase.Afteratense discussion, theyendupleavingthe dinerand takingthe briefcase to
Marcellus Wallace whoisina meetingwithamancalledButch,a fighterwhohappenstobe the boygiventhe watch
inthe exposition,Wallace wantsButchtothrow the fight.VincentandJulesarrive andgive himthe briefcase.
VincentistoldtokeepMia Wallace (Marcellus’swife)companyandtake herout while he isawayforthe night.
Act 2: Rising action
VincentandMia Wallace gotto a restaurantcalledJackRabbitSlimsthatisa throwbackto the 50s withthe likesof
BuddyHollyandMarilyn Monroe as waiters.Theygetalongandperformina dance competitioninthe restaurant
and win.After,theygobackto Marcellusand Mia’s house.While Vincentisinthe toilet,MiafindsVincent’sHeroin
and mistakesitforcocaine.He comesback fromthe toiletandfindsMiahas overdosed.Vincenthurriedlydrivesto
hisdealers’ house withMiaandtheygive hera shot of adrenaline whichbringsherback.Theybothpromise notto
tell Marcellus.
Next,the filmdivertstoButchagainas he is escapingfroma building.Insteadof throwingthe fight,he hasknocked
out andkilledhisopponent.He meetshisgirlfriendata motel where theyspendthe night.Butchrealisesthe next
day that hisgirlfriendforgothiswatchandso eventhoughpeople are lookingforhim, he goestohisapartmentto
getit.
Climax
Butch findshiswatchinhisapartmentbut isalso spota gun on the counterwhile alsohearingthe toiletflush.Butch
picksup the gun andas a man (Vincent)emergesfromthe toilet,Butchshootshimdead. Butchleavestogoback to
hisgirlfriend.However,onthe wayhe seesMarcellusinthe street.MarcellusseesButchaswell; Butchrunshim
overand crashesthe car. He gets outof the car andstarts to run away andMarcelluschaseshim.Theyfightandend
up ina pawn shop.The man behindthe counterknocksthemoutwitha shotgun.
Act 3: Fallingaction

10. Butch wakesup; he and Marcellusare gaggedandtiedup inthe basementof the pawnshop.The ownerof the shop
and a police officerisholdingthem.Theyalsohave agimpina box,whichtheybringout andtie up nextto the two
men.Theytake Marcellusintoanotherroomand rape him.Butchgetsloose andhison hisway out whenhe decides
to helpWallace.He getsa swordand illsthe pawnshopownerandthreatensthe police officer.Wallace getsupand
shootsthe officerinhisgenitalia.He agreesnottopunishButchfor notthrowingthe fightif he leavestownstraight
away.
Denouement
Butch goesback to hisgirlfriendandtheyleavetownonthe police offersbike
Post modernismin Pulpfiction
PulpfictionusesmanypostmodernfeaturesthroughoutandIwill explainthesefeatures,for example,Intertextuality
isa piece of mediathatreferencesothermediaformsorgenres.Anexampleof thisisinPulpfictionasthe classic
MarilynMonroe skirt scene from‘The seven-yearitch’isrecreatedbyawaiterdressedasMarilyn.By referringto
othertextsandother mediawe are remindedthatwe are ina mediatedreality,thiscounterswhatmostfilmmakers
do whentheytrymake the filmfeel real andencourage the
audience toimmerse themselveswithinthe story.
Postmodernfeature Example(s)
Intertextuality:References
to othermedia texts
Shotof JohnTravoltain car witha womanismade to lookjustlike ascene from
Grease, the filminwhichJohnTravoltaisone of the main characters and wasin the
Grease scene.
Parody: To copy another
media text in a humorous
way
JohnTravoltais dancingand ina way havinga laughat himself ashe wasin Saturday
nightfeverwhenhe was youngerandisa much betterdancerthan showninPulp
fiction.
Pastiche:where a text
closelyimitatesthe work
of a previousartist,usually
distinguishedfromparody
inthe sense thatit
celebratesratherthan
mocksthe workit imitates.
The restaurantis a pastiche of the 50s and 60s America.Fromthe musicto the
furniture tothe waiterswhoare dressedascelebritiesfromthatera,BuddyHolly and
MarilynMonroe are the waiters,reference tothe real BuddyHolly whowasa famous
musicartist. As well as MarilynMonroe whowas a filmstar and the filmshe starredin,
‘The seven-yearitch’whichhada scene where herskirtisblownupwardsbythe wind.
Thisis recreatedinthe restaurant.
Pulp fiction
Seven-year itch

11. Reflexivity: Wherethe
filmmakerrefers to the
film making processwithin
the mise en sceneor
narrative,breaking the
illusion thatthe film or TV
showis notreal
The 4th
wall isbrokenbya box that has beenputinthe scene in the editingprocess,
Mia Wallace saysdo not be square and a box appearsin the shot. It breaksthe 4th
wall
but alsoaddshumourto the scene.
Bricolage: Referencesto a
mix of genres/historical
eras within one shotor
scene
Bricolage betweenthe 90s andthe 50s. The hairstylesare very1990s but the setting
for the restaurantis in the 50s and 60s. Thiscan alsobe seenwhenthere isa black
couple inthe restaurant,which wouldnothave happened inthe 50swhenthere was
still segregation.
Self-referentiality:Where
a producerof a media text
or actormakesdirect
reference to previouswork
A clearexample of self-referentialityisshownoutsideof JackRabbitslimsina scene
whichfeature MiaWallace and Vincent.JohnTravoltawhowasa maincharacter in
Grease playsVincent.The scene showsthe twoina car and the shot usedisalmost
identical tothe one usedinGrease withJohnTravoltainit (see picture below).Itisa
cleverreferencetoTravolta’srecentwork
Deadpool
Cast
Ryan Reynolds
Karan Soni
Ed Skrein
Directed by Tim Miller and released in 2016
Post-modern features in Deadpool

12. Thisis an example of self-referentiality,RyanReynoldswhoplaysDeadpool isthe manonthe cover of the magazine.
It isself-parodyasthe subheadingforthe magazine is‘Sexiestmanalive’.The otherimage showsThe Green
Lantern,anothersuperherothatRyanReynoldsplayed.However,itdidn’tgotowell andthe movie flopped.Again
thisisa self-parody.
Thisis an example of parodyasthe endcreditsforDeadpool are a replicaof the endcreditsof FerrisBuellersdayoff.
Althoughitcouldbe pastiche asit isprettymuch wordfor wordthe same.However,itbecomesaparodybecause
he’swearingthe suit andDeadpool intimatesthe songusedinFerrisBuellersdayoff
Above isan example of reflexivity.InDeadpool,the 4thwall isbrokenquite afew timesashe speaksdirectlytothe
camera.In thisinstance,he says"Oh!Oh, hello,Iknow,right? Whose ballsdidIhave tofondle togetmy own
movie?...I'mnot goingto name names,butit rhymeswithPolverine."Deadpool isaparodysuperheromovie andits
made clearby the many 4th wall breaks.Itis used toadd more humourto the film.
Production technologies and distribution methods
Productiontechnologiesanddistributionmethodsforfilmshave evolvedoverthe manyyearsfilmshave beenmade.
In the 50s, 60s and 70s there wasone productiontechnology,filmandone distributionmethod,cinema. Inthe 80s
and 90s came video,whichwasusedaswell asfilmtoproduce movies,videowasalsousedasa distribution
alongside andaftermoviescame outinthe cinema.Inthe 2000s we saw the rise of digital whichwasusedaswell as
filmandvideo.This decade alsosawthe downfall of videoandthe rise of DVD andBlu-Ray,providingamuchbetter
qualitythanvideoanda qualitythatcouldmatch the experience youhave inthe cinema.The lastfew yearsof this
decade have shownhowwe are now trulyinthe digital age.Digital ispreferredoverfilmandvideoforproducing
moviesandStreaminganddownloadshave meantlesspeople are goingoutandbuyingDVDsand Blu-ray.
Technologyinthisareawill mostdefinitelymove forwardinthe yearstocome.