Todorov's Theory Of Equilibrium - Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is an alternative take on a classic children's tale and has partial elements of Todorov's Equilibrium theory.

The film does not begin with a state of equilibrium as proposed by the theory, as the first scene is a flashback scene with a voiceover description about the main characters' pasts. It explores the original story of their childhood that is well known all over the world and gives the audience a backstory and context before the actual story begins. This is not a state of equilibrium as the film begins immediately with the problem of the children being abandoned and kidnapped by a witch, proving that it does not conform to the first stage.



The second stage of narrative put forward by Todorov is the disruption of the equilibrium, which unlike the first is present in this film. The 'disruption' of the equilibrium is not of the main characters' balance, but of a small town instead as it is discovered that children have been going missing from the town over the last two weeks with no answers and witches are thought to be behind it. This is a disruption in the equilibrium that needs to be fixed.

Genre Analysis: Western Films

The film 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' is typical of its genre through the icongraphies, narrative aspects, representations and ideologies that it uses. It has many features that are similar throughout the genre and make it recognisable as a Western film. There are four main areas that a Western film has that help it to be classified.

Icongraphies are the visual symbols that are decoded by the audience in order to establish the genre of the piece. Western films have many related objects and places that act as iconography, and are tell tale signs that the film is part of this genre. These aspects are pieces such as the costumes used for the characters, for example Stetson cowboy hats, shirts with beech coloured waist coats and cowboy boots. Another aspect are the props that are used in the films too, most commonly different kinds of hand guns and shot guns, boot spurs, sheriff badges and rope lassos. The setting is also included in the iconography of Western film as they mostly tend to be set in a desert location, with sandy roads and big, empty spaces. There's also the regular inclusion of a small town full of wooden huts that usually has a Saloon and a Jail that tie into this genre.
These simple visual codes translate to the audience and help them to effectively understand that the films with these features are similar and can be classified as traditional Western films. It allows the audience to therefore adjust their views and expectation according so they can interpret the film correctly.

Narrative aspects of the film industry include the structure, events and character roles that appear throughout the piece. In the Western film genre, the story usually has a central theme of the binary of civilisation and lawlessness and then evolves with many story lines being similar to East vs. West, Culture vs. Nature, Settlers vs. Indians or Community vs. Individuals. The films of the genre tend to have the common good vs. bad binary opposition structure. They also tend to use Todorov's theory of equilibrium, which is restored by the end of the film. The movies also normally involve certain events, depending on their features and storyline, such as a climatic gun fight, an Indian attack or a chivalrous rescue.
There is a traditional set of characters, similar to the theory that Propp put forward. The main character is almost always a good guy/hero or a bad guy with good intentions that's misunderstood. This 'hero' character tends to mediate between the two sides of the dispute - for example, he is normally caught in between the battle of civilisation and the lawless frontier. His motivations tend to be either revenge or a sense of justice and he usually ends up repairing the disagreements present at the start of the film and being commended or accepted in some way, either by being awarded a new title or gaining forgiveness and respect.
Another character role that is common in the Western film genre is the role of the bad guy. He's the character that causes all the trouble and the one that originally disrupts the equilibrium. By the end of the story, he usually gets his comeuppance through events such as being prosecuted, publicly shamed or killed.
There's also normally a princess, the character that the hero rescues or saves in some way, or changes his behaviour for. However, this is not true for all Western films, but most tend to feature a princess character in some way. In the concluding part of the film, the love story is normally completed and the hero and the princess end up together, again proving the equilibrium has been balanced again.

The representations of characters and areas throughout the film are another signal of a Western genre. In relation to the class, the poorer portion of the society featured in the piece tend to be either troublemakers or drunks and are depicted as quite stupid. The upper class characters tend to be the princess character, or the people who run the town and tend to have a bad opinion of the hero character to begin with. The hero only manages to change their opinion when he saves the day and earns their respect. As for the middle/working class characters, these tend to be where the hero and the villain fit in terms of wealth. They appear as normal people and tend to have a 'level-head' and a tight grip on reality as they go on their journey.
In relation to the race, religion and region of the characters, many tend to be white British or white American and some are depicted as Christians. Many characters of different races and ethnicities tend to be shown as the opposing side and as the 'bad guys' rather than the good ones. They don't tend to have a religion tied to them either. As for the region of Western films, many tend to be set in America, a trademark of this genre.
The representation of age in the Western film genre is different to many others, as while the 'princess' character tends to be young, the 'hero' tends to be a middle-aged man, rather than a strapping young gentleman. This gives the middle aged group of people more power and shows them as more dominant in this genre.
There are no differences of sexuality in Western films as, relative to the times when they are set, it was a sin to be anything other than hetrosexual and so all the relationships in the films attached to this genre remain between a man and a woman. A common feature of Western films is the overrepresentation of males in order to make them the more dominant character and more dominant sex. There tends to be the sole representation of women as the 'princess' and shows them as a damsel in distress. However, in some Western films, the 'princess' involved tends to be more masculine than a usual female character, but still ends up being a damsel in distress and has to be saved at some point throughout the film.

The last area that provides signs of a genre are the ideologies that it contains. Ideologies are the themes and the beliefs and ideas of the 'ideal'concept that are shown throughout a film and tend to be consistent throughout a genre.

tbc.

The Male Gaze: James Bond | Die Another Day

The James Bond franchise is a clear example of film objectifying females and forcing the audience to view females via the male gaze. The scene within "Die Another Day" when James Bond meets the character Jinx demonstrates my previous statements through certain specific conventions and cinematic techniques.

The first glimpse that the audience is given of the appearance of the Jinx character is when she is emerging from the sea after swimming. In post production, the scene has been edited so it flows from a full wide screen image to a vignette shot that suggests the audience and James Bond are united in the viewing through his binoculars and therefore leads them to take on the male viewing perspective. The framing of the shot forces the audience to adopt the male gaze and doesn't allow them to look at anything else, causing them to only be able to admire and idolise the character.

This is further strengthened through the cinematic technique of slow motion which is applied to this shot. Due to the slow pace of the shot, the audience, who are still viewing from a male perspective, are given plenty of time to marvel at the physique and physical appearance of the character before she even utters a word. This leads to Jinx being an objectified female and is therefore judged on just her looks rather than anything to do with her personality.

How do the representations of women protagonists differ in the action film industry, with particular reference to ‘Iron Man 3’ and ‘The Hunger Games’?

media investigation question (draft one)

Constructed/Stereotypical Representation - Thor: The Dark World (Official Trailer HD)

Uses and Gratifications: Friends

Friends is one of my favourite media texts and is an American sitcom that ran from 1994 until 2004. The show ran for 10 seasons and revolves around a group of six friends, all in their twenties or thirties, and the experiences and events they endure whilst living in New York city. The series won many awards and became one of the most popular sitcoms of all time.

The show is well written and is very easy to understand and become involved in. It was aired on Channel 4 in the UK during it's ten year run, but once the series finished it was moved to E4, another one of Channel 4's family, which tends to be aimed at students and young adults, around 15- 25 year olds. To celebrate the shows 15th anniversary, a full ten season box set was released making it more available for audiences to watch at any time.

Due to the ensemble cast, there is something that most audience members can relate to or see in themselves and therefore provides more interest. The characters also create good models for behaviour as though they aren't wealthy or particularly successful, they all have jobs and maintain good relationships with each other. As the series progress, they travel from good role models to great ones, due to the decisions they make and responsibilities they start being trusted with. A good example of the progression of a model of behaviour is from the first episode of the first season when Rachel first appears as part of the group fresh from leaving her orthodontist husband-to-be at the alter and sacrificing her reputation and wealth in order to be happy. In contrast, in episodes 11 and 12 of series three, Rachel has successfully started working at Bloomingdale's, pursuing the career in fashion that she has always wanted. She also has a long-term stable relationship with another of the characters, Ross, and is living with Monica and contributing to household and utility costs. This shows the growth through that period of time and shows Rachel as a positive role model as she managed to turn her life around.


Friends also provides information to its audience and is useful for seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices. The show covers a wide range of events and issues and explores many common real-life aspects that trouble the young adults of society, such as dating, relationships and different ways of coping with change. An episode that sticks in my mind when I think of the advice and help that Friends can give is the third episode of season three, where Ross and Rachel give relationship advice to Chandler about how to deal with small arguments and disagreements in his relationship with Janice. The advice they give, while humorous from a comedic perspective, is also very useful and when applied to situations in real-life, it works as intended. Over the ten seasons, the storyline covers much more content and the characters have to deal with their issues in a practical way, which becomes as useful to the audience as the anecdotal example given.
The show is also written in such a way that an audience may choose to watch it in order to satisfy curiosity and general interest, as there are many cliffhanger episodes where the final conclusion isn't revealed. A good example of this technique being used is in the last episode of season four. The episode is all about Ross' and Emily's wedding which is ruined when he says Rachel's name at the alter instead of Emily's. The problems that follow aren't explored in that episode as it draws to a close just after Ross' mistake and are instead delayed until the premier episode of season five when the issues that arose are addressed. This keeps audiences entertained and interested as they want to know the conclusion and the consequences of Ross' mistake and what kind of impact it's going to have on the group dynamic and relationships. Friends has also attracted much attention all over the world since it first began, and a younger audience may view it now to see the spectacle of so much media attention as even now, the show is talked about on social networks greatly, even though it never penetrated that area of publicity when the programme was originally aired.


The main reason why audiences watch Friends and become so dedicated and interested in the show is due to the entertainment value that it has. As with the other areas, the ensemble cast plays a big part in this as there are so many storylines and emotions all being expressed at the same time that it provides an escape or diversion from problems for audience members as they become more concerned and engrossed in the characters' issues. This also relaxes the audience and provides them with another reason for viewing as the show begins to become a comfort as members know that they don't have to worry about the issues and events in their lives for a half an hour period and so they find enjoyment in the relaxation they get, thus causing them to watch more. The show also provides aesthetic enjoyment as the main cast are all good looking and attractive, giving both genders more of a reason to tune in. The show also featured guest stars every so often, including Jennifer Grey, Jill Goodacre and Hank Azaria just in the first season, which provided more aesthetic enjoyment to different audience members. While I, personally, love Friends for the reason already discussed, one of the reason I watch it a lot is due to the emotional release it provides. The storyline is so diverse that it can have audiences crying with laughter one minute and then have them absolutely distraught the next. An example of this that is most effective is in the final episode of season ten, when Ross is causing a humorous response one minute as he is having an argument with the message on his answering machine and then the next minute the entire situation changes when the conclusion of the phone call is revealed and the response changes to crying with happiness. The roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the show is another reason why Friends was such a hit.


The final reason why audiences tend to watch Friends is to due to social integration. As the show explores so many situations, the audience begins to develop a sense of social empathy and they gain an insight into the circumstances of others which becomes useful in real-life situations. Audiences start to understand how deal with different social situations better and some continue to watch the series in order to learn and develop this understanding. Due to the shows' popularity, it is also a common basis for conversation and social interaction in new relationships and old ones, and in order to maintain this audiences may watch and re-watch episodes in order to ensure they are still part of the conversation. For example, my close friends and I are constantly quoting lines from the show to each other in relevant situations for enjoyment and we all re-watch episodes from throughout the series in order to gain more humorous responses to situations. It provides a common ground that we can all bound over and this provides another incentive for audiences to watch the show. Friends is not only popular throughout my friendship group, but is also a common topic and quotation base throughout my immediate family and allows me to connect with my mum and older sister as we all enjoy watching the show together. This can then be extending further through social media and I can also become connected to other people who love and appreciate the show as much as I do, even though it finished at least nine years ago.

Niche And Mainstream Audiences

niche audience

A niche audience is a small group of viewers of a media text that have a specific interest in a unique area. For example, people who gain enjoyment from watching or reading texts that explore the life and death of Richard III.

Breaking Bad is a television series that is currently only available on Netflix in the United Kingdom, meaning it can be played anytime. However, in America the show is a massive hit with a mainstream audience. Since it first started, the show has gained more and more recognition from UK audiences and is a good example of a niche text becoming a mainstream text. The show features a 'good guy' turned 'bad guy' and the situations that occur throughout. In order to watch the show, a subscription fee is required for Netflix in the UK and therefore makes the programme much less available to mainstream audiences. The programme is quite easy to follow as the previous episodes and situations relevant to the events featured in this episode are shown at the start, and so provide a good base of understanding for the programme to begin with. It keeps previous audiences updated but also encourages new audiences to begin watching as they can easily process the story-line so far.

Digital Photographer magazine is a media text which is dedicated to the needs of enthusiasts and semi-professional photographers. It's a monthly magazine that costs £5 to purchase and therefore tends to be targeted at those with a more disposable income. It gives information, advice and tips on techniques, photographer's work and camera models. It can be difficult to find and buy, although it can be sold in newsagents, not all cater to the needs of this small audience. Many fans of the magazine normally become subscribers and therefore purchase the magazine in advance and have it delivered to their house in order to ensure they definitely obtain a copy of the new issue. The mode of address is quite formal and it can make the magazine quite difficult to read and understand as it works on the basis that the audience already have a previous knowledge of common photography terms and therefore doesn't explain.

Wheeler Dealers is a programme produced by Attaboy TV for the Discovery Channel on all satellite networks. It tends to be shown multiple times between 5pm and 8pm which is widely renowned as a peak television time. The programme is based on the two presenters finding classic cars that are in bad conditions and restoring and modernising them so they can be sold on at a higher value. The Discovery Channel is a subscribe only channel and requires a payment to be viewed, causing it to be more difficult for mainstream audiences to view. The program is easy for audiences to follow as it uses mainstream narrative techniques, such as giving the audience reminders about activities completed on the programme previously.




mainstream audience

A mainstream audience is a typical, conventional audience who enjoy the same type of programmes across the country. The programmes made for a mainstream audience tend to be shown on the main channels available on a television and are normally shown at prime times when audience figures are the highest. They also tend to contain 'something for everyone', at least one characteristic that the different members of the audience can relate to.

EastEnders is a good example of a mainstream programme as it is shown on BBC 1 at 8pm every weeknight, a peak time for television, and therefore attracts audiences of all ages and from all over the country. The show features people of all races, religions, genders and ages and has an ensemble cast allowing a large number of people to relate to the events and issues raised. The show covers many diverse problems and sometimes chooses to reflect real-life events that are currently or recently been covered in the news. The programme is very easy for an audience to access as it is on the first and most mainstream channel featured on UK television and no digital subscription is needed. Although EastEnders is a mainstream show featured on a mainstream channel, there are certain mainstream narrative techniques that it lacks, such as a previous episode recap at the start of the show. The loss of this feature can make it quite difficult to follow to begin with, but the show itself is constructed in such a way that much of the time, the feature isn't needed and much of the action can be interpreted by the audience as the show continues.

The Sun has a mainstream audience as it covers all newsworthy events across the country and from outside the UK on a day to day basis. It has a low price and is available from the majority of newsagents and supermarkets, causing a mainstream audience to have very easy access to it. Due to the range of topics it covers, it attracts a lot of interest and attention from very different viewers and it's diversification is one of the reasons why it is so successful with a mainstream audience. It's almost a guarantee that there will be a story in the newspaper that everyone in the audience can either relate to or take gratifications from. The Sun uses an informal mode of address and acts like it's delivering a piece of gossip to it's audience rather than worldwide news, making it easy to read. It also uses simplistic language, further adding to the ease of reading and understanding.

The X Factor is another text with a mainstream audience as it shows and represents contestants of all ages, nationalities, races, genders etc so there is something each audience member can relate to. It is shown on ITV, a mainstream channel, at the peak timing of 8pm every Saturday night and attracts a large audience. The entire concept of the show is based around a singing competition and nationwide fame and features clips of contestants hoping to make it through the stages of the competition, with some informal and humorous commentary from Ant and Dec, renowned TV show host duo. The programme is very easy to access which is why it attracts such a large audience as like with EastEnders, there is no need to have a digital subscription in order to watch the show. The mode of address is direct and it's easy to watch and understand as there is no real story-line and the show is explained as it goes along.