Narrative Structure

Toy Story 

From the start of the film we see Props character types being revealed. In the first shot we see a possible villain. Mr potato head is seen on a wanted sign and then holding a gun. The audience will know that this is not be the real villain in the film because we see that its just the child playing with the toys for the first two minutes and the wanted sign is just his drawing. Soon after the audience sees the hero of the film for the first time. Woody is introduced with heroic music and high key lighting to emphasise that he’s the hero. The audience also sees that Woody is the main character because the boy is wearing a cowboy hat. Some of the narrative is revealed through the boxes in the background. In the film the family of the toys move house and this is a big dilemma for the toys. The boxes foreshadow the problem to come in the film. Some of the narrative is hinted at and we know that the premise is based on  toys that are alive. However much is still hidden, for example we still don’t know who the real villain of the film is which entices the audience. Within the opening sequence there is a mini story told by the boy that follows Todorov’s theory. The main break in the equilibrium comes from Buzz Lightyear’s introduction to the toys. We know nothing about this from the opening sequence so it is a surprise to the audience.

30 minutes or less

The narrative of this film looks like it will be fast paced and action filmed because of the speed of the opening sequence. The driver of the car is in a rush but seems calm about it. This may reveal the character traits of him. As he is the only character shown in the first 2 minutes of the film for any length of time the audience sees that this will most likely be the main character. There is no dialogue in the opening sequence so it doesn’t reveal a lot about the film and  what’s to come. There are some action codes in the sequence. At 46 seconds a car reverses out in front of the main characters car so we know that he will swerve violently to avoid it. This gets the audience on the edge of their seat and shows the exiting action comedy to come. Another action code comes at 1 minute 4 seconds when a train appears in a long shot with a car crossing at the front of the shot.  The scene is tense as the car only just passes the train.  A  signifier in the sequence is the chef timer running down to zero. When it hits zero the audience feels uneasy and tense because they are not sure what he’s late for. 

Star Wars episode 4

Episode 4 like all of the other star wars films jumps the audience straight into the story by revealing lots of background information of the film and hints at the story of the a main characters. In the first sentence the film reveals a binary opposite, good vs evil. The Galactic Empire is shown as evil to the audience  because it says ‘evil Galactic Empire.’ This shows that the Empire is bad and doesn’t hide it. the good vs evil works so well because they are exact opposites in star wars. Also the main plot is hinted at when the text says ‘DEATH STAR’. Because it is in capitals we know that this is an important point and the audience finds out that the whole film is based around it later on in the film. Within each star wars film there is a simple equilibrium plot. This simple narrative design with high budget effects makes for great films. In episode 4 the break in equilibrium comes from the Death Star. It is destroyed to bring a new equilibrium  that is different than before. Luke has learned his true destiny and the galaxy is safe once more. Also some of the prop characters are revealed in the text. For example Princes Leia is mentioned. 

From this task i have learnt about the way narrative is revealed in opening sequences. I have realised that there is a lot more revealed about the story than i thought in these sequences. I will include narrative elements in my video to engage the audience and make them wonder what is to come. I will also use some of the theories in my work. For example i might do an early equilibrium break that happens during the opening sequence. This will shock the audience and could make them intrigued. I will also reveal the min character in the film but only hint at the helpers and the bad guy. I will only hint at them because i do not want to tell the audience too much and ruin the film.