Narrative structure

Tzetan Todoov’s narrative theory suggests that all narratives follow a three part structure where they
begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt
that equilibrium, and final reach a resolution, then returning to equilibrium. Todorov’s theory is that in a
film or story, the power is in state of equilibrium. He believes that as the story progresses the state of
equilibrium can change, giving one person more power over another throughout the plot, keeping the
audience entertained. Each story should start with an initial status set up of a person or within a group.
This person or group have power over others. However, the equilibrium is changed after a disruption.

These are the 5 steps to all traditional stories:

Equilibrium (everything is as it should be)
Disruption (by an event)
Recognition of disruption
Attempts to repair disruption
Return to equilibrium

Equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium are the three main diving points of a movie. Within
most movies and equilibrium exists, this means there an existing state of harmony at the beginning of
the movie. Later on the in the movie, there is a disequilibrium which is when the equilibrium is disrupted
by an unfortunate event or evil character that would then lead to a chain of events involving conflict. At
the end of most movies, there is then a new equilibrium, involving the evil forces being defeated, the
conflict being resolved and harmony existing once more.

Todorv's narrative theory will help Joe and I with our production because it will allow us to picture out
how we are going to use one of five steps of Todorov's theory. For example, Joel's disruption would be
Phoebe because she is the one that is causing Joel to have these nervous breakdowns and every time
she is seen, there will be something negative in the shot whether it will be a sound effect, filming tech-
nique or editing technique. Joel's way of repairing this is him having go by his day with his mental issues,
however this could lead to Joel taking another path which could leave him in a bad situation. Therefore,
Todorv's theory will be helpful in the filming process because it will allow us to come up with new ideas.

Narrative Structure Within my genre

For my production, I am hoping to create a silent film which includes both Romance and Drama. The
main reason for this is we want for the main character (Joel) to have a drive to go out and try to go
through his day even with his mental health. The romance part of this production is when the main char-
acter (Joel), always sees this girl and throughout the film, Joel thinks that she’s his true love and there-
fore sees her everywhere. What he doesn't know is that the female character (Phoebe) doesn’t actually
exist and is all in his dead. Overall this production is a short drama film which include romance between
Joel and Phoebe, the girl in his head.
A drama movie is a movie that depends that depends mostly on in-depth character development, inter-
action, and highly emotional themes. In a good drama film, the audience are able to experience what
other characters are feeling and identify with someone. This genre could be especially useful by chal-
lenging the ignorance from stereotypes or any other overly simplistic generalisations by bringing it down
to a more personal and complex level. As well, such movies could also be therapeutic by showing how
characters cope with their problems, challenges, or issues, and to the extent the viewer can identify
with the characters with his or her own world. This movie genre can be contrasted with an action film
which relies on fast-paced action and develops characters sparsely. Dramatic films include a very large
spectrum of movies. Courtroom dramas, crime dramas, historical dramas, and biography films are all
drama films, but because of the large number of drama films these Movies have been sub-categorised.
All films genres can include dramatic elements, such as comedies, action films, and horror movies, but
typically films considered drama films focus mainly on the drama of the main Issue. The romance genre
is quite a wide one and can be split into varies different sub genres. Romance genres is a sub-genre that
had become increasingly popular over the last few years.

The purpose of a dramatic storyline is to move the audience emotionally. Drama films depend mostly on
the development of realistic characters dealing with emotional issues. In most cases the film concen-
trates on normal characters that is dealing with a conflict or dilemma. Dramas often give actors a chance
to stretch into a role that other genres wouldn’t allow them to do. This is because drama films focus on
building up characters that the audience can engage with. Conventions of Drama films: Portrays a char-
acters journey and developments. Exhibits real life characters, situations, settings and stories. Intense
social interaction, dramatic sounds and exaggerated performance. Sub genres of drama is a very broad
genre and sub-genres of drama often overlap. Sub genres include, crime drama generally follows a char-
acters involved in criminal activity or law enforcement and the justice/legal system.

Our aim is to show the characters emotions without any dialogue. This means using effective camera
angles and shots to fully immerse the audience. Therefore, narrative structure will be helpful for our
production because it will allow us to figure out how we are going to able to bring the audience in. Be-
cause of our production being a under drama, I made sure to thoroughly research narrative structure
within drama films because I can use certain points and use them in Joe and I's production. An example
of this would be drama films depend mostly on the development of a realistic character. Therefore, if
we show development on Joel throughout our production, then the audience can figure who Joel is as a
character and be able to understand what our productions about and what we are trying to signify.

This is also with romance films because we also want to show to the audience that although Phoebe is
causing to be in pain, he is still in love with her even though she doesn't exist. Although they did meet
each other, there is still a connection because wherever Joel is, Phoebe will most likely be with him. An-
other aspect is in romance film, the films would most likely have two endings and therefore Phoebe
could lead Joel into going the wrong direction because he mental state would of overcome himself and
could lead a depressing ending. Therefore all this key points will help Joe and I figure which path is going
to take and how our production will end up being like.
Conventional narrative Structure

The narrative of romance films/trailers usually follow a conventional "boy meets girl" set up, which con-
sists of the main male character meeting the main female character and them eventually falling in love.
This has proven to be a successful narrative structure of romance films in the past, the target audience
often expect to see a plot like this in romance films. Often the film will involve some sort of disequilib-
rium which forces the characters to break up or be separated, the cause of this could be, another char-
acter, one of them moving away, or even one of them dying. The film will most likely have one of two
endings. The first being the "happily ever after" ending where the love interests reunited and live the
rest of their lives together, therefore this is the equilibrium in the film because everything is solved and
the characters are happy. The second ending is the opposite of the first where the love interests don't
get back together, often this is due to one of them dying. This usually happens in tearjerker or Romance
Drama films, sometimes even social realism films.

Character Development
Conventional Characters

Romance genres usually include two main protagonists, the majority of the time this is a female charac-
ter and a male character that fall in love and then the film is based upon their relationship. Occasionally
the protagonists differ but in the majority of romance films there will be a male and female who have
some sort of relationship and play a key role in the narrative. An antagonist is usually included in ro-
mance films too, this antagonist plays a part in trying to break up the main love interests in some way.
The antagonist can differ quite widely but stereotypical examples are, the father of the female who dis-
likes the male character and doesn't want him to be with his daughter, the popular/jealous girl who
doesn't want the couple to be together or the popular male boy who also doesn't want the couple to be
together. Sometimes romance films will include the "gay best friend" type character who is friends with
the main female protagonist. Often the characters will be teenagers, possibly in large friendship groups
e.g. the stereotypically popular group of cheerleaders, compared to the stereotypically "geeky" group.

Character development is another important aspect for our production because we need to be able to
show development in both of our characters in our production. We need to be able to signify the type of
characters we have and what they are trying to come about doing. Researching character development
was very helpful with giving our characters a personality and what they will be doing throughout the
production. However, we want the main character to develop as the film goes on because we want the
audience to figure out the type of character Joel is through the use of camera angles and even Phoebe
because she is the cause of Joel being mentally unstable. This was also the main reason why we chose
Joel and Phoebe to act in our production they are both unique individuals and we can figure how we can
develop the characters through the use of our actors.

Propp Theory
Vladimir Propp tried was a researcher interested in the relationship between characters and narrative.
Props argues that stories are character driven and that plots develop from decisions and actions of char-
acters and how they function in a story. Propp doesn’t spend too much time on possible character types,
he identifies seven character types:

The villain - struggles the stop hero in their quest

The donor - prepares the hero for their quest
The helper - offers help to the hero in their quest
The princess - Person the hero marries, and who is often searched for during the quest.
The dispatcher - The person that sends the hero on their quest
The hero - the person on the quest through which the audience follows the narrative
The false hero - a character that initial appears as good but turns out to be evil

Propp’s theory will apply to our production because although we don’t have a villain or a hero. We still
show signs of it by showing that phoebe is the main cause of Joel’s mental issues which can suggest
she's almost the villain in our production because the problems she is causing. Although Joel is no hero,
he is still a character we follow the narrative of his journey and how Joel is having to deal with his men-
tal issues. Due to our film having only two characters, Joel’s helper could be his journal because this is a
way to calm him down and allow him to be distracted from his issues. Although our production doesn’t
really follow propp’s theory, there are still certain aspects which signify parts of his theory. This will also
help also help us during the filming process because we can figure certain roles for our actors using the
seven different character types.

Split screen Narratives

This sometimes happen in films and television dramas, when the screen splits into a number of sections
to show two versions of events at the same time. The film (500) Days of Summer uses a split screen se-
quence to shot two versions of events at the same time.
(500) Days of Summer the narrator helps to show between Tom’s fantasy and the reality that surrounds
him. The movie narrate of the chapter in which summer is in Tom’s life and is told from his perspectives.
Their romance and subsequent breakup is revealed through a non-fiction narrative, jumping from differ-
ent days in the past or present as well follow Tom’s memories during the highs and lows of his relation-
ship with summer.
The main reasons why we will be using split screens in certain scenes is because we want to show two
parts of the story and it gives a whole insight on the two main characters and the narrative of our pro-
duction. The use of split screen can also signify the thoughts and feelings of the main character because
it can signify to the audience the type of character he is because he will be thinking of more than one
things at once. I also believe it’s a really effective way to film some nice shots to put into a split screen
and it generally will look appropriate for our production. It can also determine Joel’s fantasies and the
reality that surrounds him. In our case, we want to also use the spit screen to signify that phoebe follow-
ing Joel and this can immerse the viewers into these specific shots because we have shown that Phoebe
is the main reasons for Joel to be who he is.

Lighting

Low-key Lighting

Low key lighting is a lighting effect that uses hard light

source to enhance shadows in your scene. Unlike
high0key lighting (which shadows are minimized), low-
key lighting is all about shadows and contrast. Low-key
lighting is typically used when the director either isolates
a subject or convey drama. If you want the audience to
be uneasy, low-key lighting is a good way to do so. Low-
key lighting helps to minimise distraction in your drama,
so it really helps to quite your audience’s eyes where
you want them to be.

Mixing colour temperature/ colour temperature

Using lights in different colour temperatures can be
used to create effect. This simply means using lights of
different colour in the same shot. Romantic films use
warm colours such as orange and red to give make the
shots more appealing to the audience. This is also a way
to show the viewers that nothing bad will happen dur-
ing the scenes where the lighting is very warm.

Soft Light
Soft light is more of a term that describes the size of a
light source rather than a placement itself. Soft light
comes from a large source, either a light fixture or dif-
fusion sheet. The light produced will have soft shad-
ows – or if soft enough, no shadows at all.

Lighting is an important aspect for me especially because it can determine the overall look of certain
shots. This will help me during the filming stage because I have used films that are similar to our produc-
tion and use certain lighting techniques to show the overall mood of our production. For example, when
Joel is seen having nervous breakdown, the lighting will be dull and grey because this will be a dark time
for Joel. However, for our dream sequence, we will need the lighting to be bright with warm colours to
make the dream seem like a dream because it want it to now seem real. The use of warm colours when
phoebe is shown will be effective because it can signify to the audience that Joel is in love with this girl
although the pain she is causing. This will overall be very helpful during the filming process because
lighting can determine the overall mood and atmosphere of our production.

Camera Movement

Camera Shots and angles (Romance and Drama)

•Close up shots are used to emphasise the significance/importance of certain things in the narrative. Of-
ten these are close ups of the characters face or something the character is holding which immediately
allows the audience to notice this specific thing and gets them wondering what part it plays in the narra-
tive.

•Long/Extreme Long shots are used to show the characters full costume so the audience can make their
judgement on the character's personality from this.

•Shot reverse shot edits are used to clearly show a connection or relationship between two characters,
most commonly the romantic relationship between the protagonists.

•Establishing shots are used to show the location so the audience can instantly get ideas of what kind of
the narrative the film might follow/what characters it might include, based on its location. For example,
if the establishing shot shows a high school then the audience know that the stock characters will most
likely be teenagers.
Medium shots are taken from a distance but not as far as a long shot. They show the character typically
from the waist up. This can help show the body language or the intentions of the character. Medium
shots can have the setting in the background but the main focus will be on the character in shot, so the
background tends to be blurred out to bring all the audiences attentions to the main character and their
emotions in the scene.

Extreme close ups can add tension and or intimidation by showing the characters emotions or personal-
ity. For example, an extreme close up of a person’s eyes can let off a lot about how the character is feel-
ing. It can make the audience nervous; it may feel like they are being watched. If the extreme close up is
of an object then this is representing the intensity or the importance of what that object is. For example
if this is of a clock this is foreshadowing that the time will become of later importance. The object/char-
acter that is in the extreme close up will take up the entire frame, implying that it is the only important
part of this scene.

Researching camera movements in both romance and drama films allowed me to figure our specific
shots I should use for my production. I will use range of long shots to show the location around Joel ad
signify the mood of Joel in certain scenes. This was also helpful for me because it will help me to show
the characters emotions because I have used specific camera angels for certain parts to show the char-
acters emotions. I can also show the importance of certain shots and this will be a very important aspect
in our production because of not having any dialogue.

Mirror (1975) Andrei Tarkovsky

The Mirror (1975) forgoes a conventional narrative structure, instead weaving together loosely autobio-
graphical reminiscences, dreams and newsreel footage to
suggest how the past is reflected in the present, both on a
personal and on a larger historical level. Alexei, the unseen
protagonist, has strained relations with his mother and his
ex-wife; both of whom bear a strong resemblance to each
other. He is also haunted by memories of his childhood in
the country, his absent father (whose divorce surely paral-
lels Alexei's own), the terrors of the Stalin regime, and the
hardships caused by the evacuation of Moscow during
World War II. Additionally, the film evokes collective memo-
ries of the era via newsreel footage and, on a deeper level, explores what it means to be Russian.
Andrei Tarkovsky takes a unique approach to filming with
some amazing long shots to build the viewers immersion.
Tarkovsky’s likes the use of long takes to build atmosphere
and fully immerse the audience. In doing so, the viewer
becomes more aware of the passing of time. The use of
low angle shots Mirrors was also rally effective at showing
the viewers the chapter’s emotions and what they are go-
ing through as the film goes on. The Building of tension or
the pressure creates a lean-forward viewing experience.
This is a director who has inspired me to create a silent film because I love his unique Approach to
filmmaking. Part of what makes a Tarkovsky film so atmospheric like Mirrors, is his unique approach to
sound design. He often isolates and enhances a key sound over others to place the viewer in the mind-
set of the character. Therefore with a single line of dialogue, he can draw the audience in with the use of
sound. This will be a key part when creating our silent film because we will need to use key sounds to
show the viewers the thought and feelings going through the main characters head. Enhancing a key
sounds will be important for our production because we want to show the main character falling into
chaos as his day goes by.

Researching a Andrew Tarkovsky has allowed me to figure out how I am going to immerse the audience
into our production. This is because of the way the 1975 Mirrors was filmed. The use of long takes to
build atmosphere and fully immerse the audience. This will help me during the filming process because I
can film long takes to show the mood of Joel and the location of where he is. The building of tension or
the pressure creates a lean-forward viewing experience and this has motivated me to do so with our
production. He also has a very unique approach to sound design and sound will be a very important as-
pect in our production because ours includes no dialogue and we will have to use certain sounds to
show Joel’s mental state. 44

(500) Days of summer

The story begins near the end, with Tom and summer sit-
ting on a park bench- summer wearing a wedding ring- as
the narrator tells us, “This is a story of boy meets girl”. The
narration is purposefully created, and Tom’s ambitions
clearly established from when he was a child, his belief that
his life will not be satisfied until he has met the one. The
narrator shows the love interest summer as a girl who
doesn’t believe in love after experiencing the harsh reality
of her parents’ divorce. This creates the conflict that re-
mains throughout the screenplay. (500) Days of summer
uses third indirect person in order to get inside Tom’s mind
as he ciphers through his failed relationship. The narrator does talk about summer’s feelings but we are
giving the overall impression that she is essentially unknowable.

I decided to describe one of my favourite movie scenes: “Expectations vs Reality” in Marc Webb’s film,
(500) Days of Summer. This particular scene occurs af-
ter Tom and summer reconnect after their breakup.
Tom is invited to summer’s party at her apartment.
Tom expects that this is an opportunity to rekindle
their relationship, but as the scene unravels, the audi-
ence watches as his expectations and the reality of the
situation diverge. As the scene plays out, the audience
witnesses what Tom imagined in his head alongside the
heart-wrenching reality of the evening. The scene be-
gins with a very long establishing shot outside sum-
mer’s apartment building, and shows Tom walking over
to the large building gates to enter. As Tom gets buzzed-in and opens the entrance gate, the camera
slowly zooms-in, as if it’s following Tom and entering the building after him. The director effectively
stresses Tom’s delusions of what he believes will occur when he sees Summer by using a split screen in
the next sequence of shots and superimposing the words “Expectations” on the left side and “Reality”
on the right. This scene displays the juxtaposition of the protagonist’s dreams and the cold reality of a
situation that Tom hopes could be the turning point of their breakup. The audience is submerged within
Tom’s optimistic mind while simultaneously viewing reality. The director emphasises this event with a
visual spectacle to enhance the narrative of the film and augment the viewer’s sympathies for the pro-
tagonist.

Cinematography used in Jacobs Ladder:

The cinematography is important to our connection and show characters emotions, employing a large
amount of shots and angles. The film utilises these shots in
order to fashion an intensity to the film and to stay specifi-
cally close to our main character. The camera uses many
close-ups and eye-levels to make us deeply connected to
our main character. For example, in the “palm-reading”
scene, we are presented with a close-up of our characters
hand, which is used to briefly mention that our character is
“already dead.” The eye-level of Jacob in the bathtub is an-
other shot that attaches us to our character through prox-
imity and feeling. The eye-level also looks directly at the
audience, with an expression of suffering.
Researching Jacob’s ladder was another film example that will be helpful for my production because is
based around a guy who suffers from PTSD and always sees terrifying creatures that cause him to have
these intense nervous breakdown’s. This was a film example that gave us the idea of a character who
suffers from a mental illness. This film will allow for Joe and I to figure out how we will show Joel’s men-
tal issues because that is the main narrative of our production. The use of certain sound effects and
camera angles will allow to effectively show Joel’s mental issues.

Props and Mise-en-Scene

Romance
•The location is often somewhere rural, because it is perceived as beautiful and peaceful which are both
associated with the romance genre. For example, a wood or lake somewhere, maybe even a coastal
area.

•On the other hand many romance films are set in secondary (high) schools as the characters in the film
are teenagers. Also this is used to appeal to a teenage audience as they can relate to the characters be-
cause they are the same age and often have the same hobbies.

•Some romance films are set in city locations and the stock characters could be young business-
men/women who meet in a work location and fall in love.
•Flowers are a prop conventionally used in romance trailers/films because they symbolise beauty and
have connotations of love and affection. Giving them as a gift has been perceived as romantic for a long
time and therefore they are used as a way to emphasise romantic feelings between characters.

•Costume is very varied for the romance genre. It often depends on what sub-genre the film falls under.
However for most romance films the characters will just wear casual clothing such as jeans and t-
shirts/coats. This is because the stock characters are often teenagers and teenagers are often stereo-
typed to wear casual clothes.

•The costume could be business wear depending on what the narrative consists of or who the stock
characters are. For example, if the film is set in a city location and includes working men and women,
then they will be likely to be wearing business wear at some point or other in the trailer.

Drama/horror

Dull lighting (Portrays gritty and bleak nature)

Close-up of characters

Low angle and high angle shots - to portray strength and weakness amongst characters
Clear shots and angles to show different groups within the cast

Jacobs Ladder is a movie based on a character who suffers from PTAD and was traumatised due to him
being in Vietnam. However, throughout the film we realise that he is already traumatised due to loss of
his son Gabe. Him being in Vietnam triggered his PTSD because of the intensity of the war. Jacobs Lad-
der is a film which draws specific conclusions on exactly what takes place right before death, and the af-
terlife which awaits them. Jacobs has a seemingly normal life until he started having hallucinations. The
hallucinations start to get worse seeing things a normal person would see. He starts to question his san-
ity and makes a decision to see his doctor. However what he doesn’t realise is that his doctor is dead
and theres no way to confirm whether or not he is going insane. The visions get work. he goes to a party
with Jessie and a palm-reader tells Jacobs he’s dead. A weird creature then grabs Jessie which to Jacob
looks like she’s being raped by this creature he’s seeing. This gives hum this nervous breakdown and
starts to question his sanity.

Mise-en-scene (Jacobs Ladder)

The lighting is one of the most important elements in conveying horror, putting emphasis and creating
a “dominant” in the film. It feels that the low-key
lighting is used to mediate and entrap the figure it is
placing emphasis upon. This could also display the
inner “darkness” of the entity by being engulfed in
the darkness. Although, low-key seems to be a pri-
mary addition, it is not completely utilised in the
film. We see that there is a combination of high-key,
low-key, and high contrast. This film has a unique
and brilliant way of tapping into a person’s psyche
in order to challenge the viewer to unravel narra-
tive. The intricate usage of filmic elements creates
the horror, rather than making it simple and instan-
taneous. Overall, these elements paid off extraordinarily and I do not believe this film disappoints.

Mise-en-scene for both romance and drama films will help us in the future of this project because we
can make decisions on the mood on certain parts of our production and the use of costumer to signify
the types of characters. Due to me researching mies-en-scene within certain genres, it has allowed me
to come up with the idea of Joel wearing a suit in his dream because it will allow for the audience to de-
velop an understanding on the character and show that what they are watching is all a dream due to his
costume, lighting and location.
Props

Props are most commonly used in conveying the time and place the narrative is set. Props are often the
only indicator of what decade, or cultural movement a story is set in. For example, if a narrative is set in
Ancient Rome, certain props will be used to show that. The prop maker will have to thoroughly research
that time period to convey this to an audience. It helps the story come alive, and helps viewers activate
their imagination more readily. As well as helping the audience understand the narrative, a prop can
also help actors get a feel for their role. An actor will find getting into their Native American role; if they
have they’re dressed similar and holding weapons and tools used in that time period. Today, films rely
more and more on shooting in front of a green screen. This can make it extremely hard for actors to get
into their role. A prop can help them do that.

We will use certain props as an indication of the time of our production and to show the personality of
the main character. Due to Joel being a alternative individual, we decided we would keep his character
the same and therefore we will use certain props that not a lot of normal day people would use on a day
to day basis. Props will also allow for our production to come to life because we will certain props during
key parts of our production to immerse the audience and leave questions on the main characters per-
sonality.

Sounds used within my genre

Sounds in films

Sound will play a very big role in my production due to my production being a silent film. I will need to
use key sounds effects and music to really let the audience understand what I am trying to show. As well
as the use of camera techniques and lighting, I want to convey a message to the audience with dialogue.
Sounds refers to everything we hear in a movie. Sounds is used in film to heighten a mood, provide us
with information about the location of a scene, advance the plat, and tell us about the characters in the
story.

There are two categories of sound in film: Diegetic and Non- Diegetic. Diegetic sound refers to all those
audio elements that come through sources inside the world we see on the screen, including dialogue,
doors slamming, footsteps, etc. Non-Diegetic sound refers to all those audio elements that come from
outside of the fictional world we see on screen, including the musical score and sound effects like the
screeches in the shower scene in Psycho.

How sound effects shape a Film

Sound effects can be used to add mood or atmosphere to a film by creating a soundscape that accents
or adds another layer of meaning to the images on the screen. Pitch, tempo, and volume may be altered
to indicate how the filmmaker expects the audience to respond to a given noise. For instance, high-
pitched sounds, including screams or squealing tires, help to create a sense of anxiety, while low-pitched
sounds, including the sounds of waves or the swinging of a door, can be used to create a sense of calm
or mystery.

Perhaps the most interesting use of sound in a movie is not having any sound at all: Silence. At key
points in a film, directors may use silence in much the same way that they would use a freeze frame.
Both tend to arrest the audience’s attention to highlight some action or change in story direction. Si-
lence can be used to build up a scene’s intensity or to foreshadow impending doom.

In recent years, special sound effects have been added to movies in order to heighten the film experi-
ence. Many of these sound effects, including explosions, phase blasts, wind, and animal sounds are
drawn from computer sound effects libraries and are added to a film after the movie has been shot. Be-
sides creating louder and more dramatic movies, these effects have tended to draw more attention to
movie sound.

Researching sounds within my chosen genres was helpful at determining which parts we would use cer-
tain sounds to show the mood of Joel. Overall our production is going to be moody and depressing and
therefore the use of certain sounds will shape our production and give an understanding to the viewers.
Sound effects can signify key points in our production and especially for our production, we want to be
able to show Joel having a nervous breakdown and use the use go certain sound effects can show this.
Silence will also be a key aspect in our production because it can be a way to build up the intensity of
certain scenes.

How music shapes a film

Music is one of the most peculiar conventions in movies. No one questions that music should be a part
of movies because we’ve all grown used to the idea that, in a movie, when two people kiss, we should
hear music in the background. Music can be used for a number of effects in a movie. The most obvious
way music scores are used is to guide the emotional response of the audience. They provide clues, or, in
most cases, huge signposts, that tell audiences
how the filmmaker wants them to react to a
given scene.

Some directors play against our expectations

and use music in ways we might not expect.
Stanley Kubrick shocked audiences when he
used “Singin’ in the Rain” as the backdrop to a
horrible rape scene in A Clockwork Orange
(1971).
Music can also provide an overture for a movie when it’s used as the backdrop for the opening credits.
The brassy theme music composed by John Williams for Star Wars is one famous and often-parodied ex-
ample. In some instances, directors use music to foreshadow upcoming events. In horror movies, for ex-
ample, the score is often used to build up tension and suspense just before the monster attacks one of
its victims.

Romantic films often use music (score) as well as non-diegetic sounds in order to create an atmosphere
for the audience. The music, is usually the current, popular music soundtrack at the time as this will ap-
peal to the target audience.
The soft, emotive music is used when protagonists are in a intimate movement along with non-diegetic
music playing when they begin a relationship with music building when conflict occurs to leading to a
breakup. Overall sound is used to parallel emotive sound music, this helps provoke emotion in the audi-
ence.

The dialogue, which is diegetic score is used in romance genre dialogue is often is used to show the nar-
rative, behind the characters as well as shows the general personality of those speaking. For example: In
‘The Last Song’ the dialogue is used in order to explain the characters to each other and have a connec-
tion likewise to the audience. Eventually the dialogue, will lead to the characters expressing their feel-
ings to each other. As well through the voice over, who is usually the protagonist, narratives to the audi-
ence about the film, as well as introduces there self to the audience.

Music will help with our production because it can determine the atmosphere and mood of our produc-
tion. Due to me and Joe wanting our film to be dull, we will use certain songs that are depressing be-
cause we want to be able to show that Joel is suffering from his Mental illness and Phoebe is causing
him to be in constant pain. Certain songs are used to guide the emotional response of the audience.
They provide clues, or, in most cases, huge signposts, that tell audiences how the filmmaker
wants them to react to a given scene. Therefore, by using effective music throughout the whole
of our production, then we can show the overall mood and narrative.