Textual Analysis: Tick Tock (2011)

Does the short film 'Tick Tock' follow Todorov's narrative theory of equilibrium?

Todorov's theory of equilibrium is not evident in the short film Tick Tock as it doesn't follow a conventional, linear story arc. Instead, a reverse chronological narrative is established through the use of editing. The editing uses a rewind technique to reveal the storyline. The pace is fast as it appears to be at double speed, echoing the urgency in the narrative.

The short film has a closed narrative, as theorised by Barthes, as the meaning is clear and resolves at the end. Barthes also theorised that an enigma code is crucial in engaging an audience in a narrative which was created through the use of sound. In the short film all of the dialogue is muffled and we are guided by subtitles instead. There is a non-diegetic sound of a heartbeat which provides a surreal atmosphere and intensifies the situation, further echoing the narrative.

Bordwell and Thompson state that a narrative is the product of a cause and effect relationship, and this can be seen through the use of key props used in the mise en scene, such as the clock, is became apparent that the character had limited time, due to the pill taking. The clock represented the urgency of the situation caused by the pills and near-death-experience, the visit to the girlfriend acted as the effect - the order of this cause-effect relationship is inverted due to the rewind technique. This reaction could create empathy between the audience and the situation, ensuring the audience is invested in the narrative and that the short film has a purpose.

Digital/Animated Storyboard

To organise the structure of our short film, I was able to create an animated storyboard online. This was beneficial for our planning as I was able to identify key shots that we had missed in our drawn storyboard. This storyboard took several days to complete, but allowed us to clearly structure the type of shots that we need, as well as the types of sounds and effects we need to include when editing our short film.

Made with Storyboard That

Schedule Update: Week 2

The Drama Genre

Drama is a genre with elements that encourage a broad range of moods. The genre is an employed approach, distinguishable from things such as novels, short stories, and poetry or song with a narrative. 

Before cinema and television were born, Drama was established in the theatre as a collective term to depict a type of play that wasn't a comedy or a tragedy.




The word 'drama' is derived from a Greek word; one that means 'action'. The two masks representing the genre come from the common divide between comedy and tragedy. The masks symbolise the two ancient Greek Muses, one being the Muse of comedy (happy face), and the other being the Muse of tragedy (frowning face).

                                                

Western drama arose in classical Greece. Then came Classical Roman drama (est. 240 BCE/ 2nd century BCE), followed by Medieval (early Middle Ages), Elizabethan and Jacobean (16th-17th Century), English Restoration comedy (Restoration period, 1660-1710), and Modern and postmodern (19th-20th Century). The drama genre has been present for decades. Its content relies on themes, such as the authority of power, cowardice, courage within people etc. Today, Drama is very much combined with music and dance, like in musicals for example. Certain pieces of drama include incidental music that accompanies the dialogue.

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline_2/

Iconography

The iconography of the genre is real-life issues/problems. This is because the audience can understand and relate to this, allowing them to grasp the storyline of any drama film as they are sympathetic towards the protagonist. Almost every drama film concludes with a happy ending. This new equilibrium causes the audience to believe and understand that real life issues can be resolved, thus a positive ending is vital to the genre.

Drama Films: Editing and Sound (technical codes)

The composition of a shot is less important in drama than it is in any other genre. Instead of having many objects in a frame - implying that everything there is important, filmmakers use large amounts of cuts to display what is substantial. When the editing of a drama commences, the editor is most likely working from a script or a storyboard. This is so that they can capture the purpose or message of each scene that the director wishes to convey. The director will have shot a conversation from different angles using closeups and wide shots of the same scene in various takes so it is important that the editor abides by the director's vision. The editor chooses carefully when to focus on the reactions of a character as dialogue is being delivered or whether to stay on the character speaking. This allows tension to build between characters.

The sound of a drama film is usually magnified so that the movements or sounds that come from a person (e.g. sigh, gasp) and their surroundings (Foley) are interpreted by the audience. The drama genre is certainly dramatic, so the incidental music, diegetic or non-diegetic, in a drama film needs to ensure that the audience recognises how to feel.

Costume

Costume

We chose for our main character to be wearing pyjamas throughout the short film as this shows her in a relaxed state. The audience will believe that as she is in the comfort of her own home, she is safe from any harm, which isn't the case as social media makes it easy for people to be victimised any time, any place, thus intensifying the theme of the media product. Here are some of the pyjamas designs that we thought would signify her innocence and feeble-like character. The character's 'normal' clothes (different from pyjamas to establish the present day) will consist of a light blue jumper, black leggings and grey, fluffy socks. The light blue coloured jumper is a symbol of intelligence within our character, while the black leggings highlight the negativity that surrounds her, against the fluffy socks which seem quite playful and childlike, associating with her youth and depicting a warm and cosy setting. The pyjamas in the first flashback will be red, connoting anger but also danger, foreshadowing the events that follow. The following 4 are going to be a grey/white colour scheme, denoting the girl’s confusion. The final pair of pyjamas will consist of a black jumper and black leggings. Black can be a symbol of power, bringing forth juxtaposition as the protagonist is in no control of the abuse she receives. The colour also has negative connotations of death, again, foreshadowing what will occur later on in the short film.

Hair and Makeup

In the first flashback, the character's hair will be out, illustrating how the character differs from 'then' and 'now'. 

The hair for the last flashback will be a half-up, half-down style, displaying how she had been victimised but is trying to move forward. 

Her hairstyle for the present day and the rest of the flashbacks will be a messy bun, alternating between high and low. This no-effort hairstyle exhibits the character's devaluation as her self-esteem lowers.

The actress should wear very light, natural-looking makeup to represent how Lucy Merrill tries to look the same as people in her new school in order to fit in.

Pre-production Roles

Before starting our planning for our short film, we decided to give out roles to each person in the group. This is what they will be focusing on during the planning stage. We also managed to figure out who will have a key role in the production stages, with regards to filming and editing.