Narrative examples- Skyfall and Sleepy Hollow

Example of Narrative Theory - Skyfall

In the clip that we analysed in Skyfall, I applied the Propp theory. There were three main character archetypes in the clip. The hero was James Bond, this is shown through the use of non-digetic sound, heroic music is played at the end of the scene when the helicopters arrive. The villain was Silva. This is shown through his actions. He has the girl tied up and is followed by his bodyguards. We also see that he has power, we see a close up of his face at a low camera angle looking up at him which makes him look powerful and important. He also forces Bond to shoot the shot glass of the girls head, this shows that he is evil and again he is showing off his power by making Bond do something that he doesn't want to. Finally there is the princess. She is tied up and looks vulnerable, we see this from a close up camera shot on her face where she has blood on her face suggesting she may have been beaten. James Bond tries to save her which suggests she is sought after.
The clip has binary opposition, there is good and evil in the clip with James Bond being good and Silva being bad.

We can see that the film is an action film. We see a long shot of the deserted area that the scene is set in, the long shot gives the viewer a better picture of the setting. The area looks slightly run down and looks like it is set in a hot country, this is sterotypical of most action films. There is also an extreme close up on a gun when Silva gives it to Bond. Guns are a stereotypical part of an action film and this close up shows that the gun is significant and suggests that some action, for example a shoot off may be about to happen within the film.



Sleepy Hollow

In the clip that we analysed in Sleepy Hollow we can see that the film is a horror. We can see this through the use of low key lighting and non-digetic sound. The low key lighting gives an eery feel and a sense of fear. The non-digetic music is there to build up tension in the clip, it crescendos throughout and makes the audience think something bad is about to happen as this is the stereotypical use of sound in a horror.
There are clear references to Propps theory throughout the clip. The villain is the woman with the blonde hair. We can see that she is a villain through the use of lighting and camera angles. There is a low camera angle shot looking up at her, this shows that she is powerful and makes others feel vulnerable. She wears dark colours and there is a bolt of lighting when she turns around, this shows that she is evil. The hero in the film is the character played by Johnny Depp. We can see that he is a hero through his actions. He saves the children and ends up killing the character that is trying to kill them. The hero in a film stereotypically always saves the day and has a positive effect on the characters in the film.