Deconstruction of My Debut Film.

For aspects of narrative, several theories have been included.

Using Propp’s theory of using character each actor/actress plays at least one character which
included at least one theme. Conor O’Loughlin played the villain, who in Propp’s theory struggles
against the hero, Connor Coulthurst played the hero, who reacts to the donor, Maddy Smith played the
princess, which the hero deserves throughout the story. Maddy also plays the donor, as she prepares
the hero and the dispatcher, making the task known and sends the hero off. Hattie Harding plays the
hero’s magical helper, who helps the hero in his quest. I played the victim, who is also the dispatcher
in certain ways.
Todorov’s theory has a five part structure to the drama. The state of equilibrium at the beginning of
the drama is disrupted by the villain killing the victim. The princess tells the hero of the change in
equilibrium which is the recognition. The hero battles the villain but when pushed to the floor an
attempt to repair the disruption has occurred. When the hero’s magical helper kills the villain the
reinstatement of the equilibrium has been reached.
For Levi-Strauss’ theory of binary opposites and causing conflict, the drama includes good versus
evil with the hero and villain and male versus female with the villain and the hero’s helper. A state of
dramatic conflict is reached when the princess wants revenge for the victim, who turns to a hero to get
revenge for her.
Using Ronald Barthes’ theory of narrative enigma, which is how to keep the audience interested in
the drama, there is mystery over whom the villain is and who shall prevail good or evil.
Mise-en-scene is used in the drama with the location, which is Ilkley Grammar School, costumes,
which are normal day clothes except for the villain, who has a mask on as well, the princess, who
wears a blonde wig, and the hero’s helper, who has a cape and glasses. The lighting used was just the
daylight when the filming was taking place.
The target audience the group had in mind for this drama was young teenagers, aged between 13
and 17, the gender both male and female. We have also tried to appeal to fans of the action genre.
With sound the diegetic sound, the sound that belongs to the film, is the running in shot six, the
clash of the “sword” (sticks), leaves being crushed throughout the fight scene and the unmasking, as
well as the dialect. The sound that is non-diegetic is the rain and thunder through the opening credit
and shot, also the cork popping noise, that signifies the neck breaking of the victim, the rumble as the
villain casts a spell on the hero’s helper, the music that accompanies the sword fight and the electric
noise as the mask of the villain is being taken.
The sound that is synchronous to the drama is the running in shot six, the banging of sticks (used as
swords), crunching of leaves and dialect. The sound that is asynchronous is the rain and thunder in the
opening credit and shot, the cork popping which signifies the death of the victim, the rumble as the
villain casts a spell of the hero’s helper, the electricity noise that signifies that the villains mask has
been pulled off and the music that accompanies the fight scene as well as the ending credits.
The representation used is the stereotype of the princess, who is a ‘typical’ dumb blonde; she is the
countertype of the female helper.
Some expositions in the drama use dialogue to tell the audience who the characters are, whereas
with others the audience can tell straight away who the character is. For example the audience can tell
who the princess is by the clothes she is wearing. The audience can tell who the villain is because he
kills the victim in the first shot, as well as wearing a mask to hide his identity. However dialogue is
used in shot seven - the hero says “Looks there he is, the villain!”
Different camera shots, angles, movement and composition are used throughout the drama. The
main shot angle used is medium.
The initial shot is a long shot which uses panning, following the villain until he reaches the victim at
which point it becomes a two shot.
 Over the shoulder shots are used for the second and fourth shots. In the second shot it is a medium
shot going to a medium close up as the princess comes through the door with the camera panning
slightly to the left. It is also the beginning of a shot-to-shot. The only difference from the second and
fourth shot is that in the fourth shot there is no panning and it is already a medium close up. The third
and fifth shot used are an over the shoulder, two, medium shot. The third shot is in part of the shot-to-
shot, whereas the fifth shot is the end of the shot-to-shot.
A long shot is used for the sixth shot which pans to follow the moving subjects of the hero and his
helper. It is also a two shot, the shot starts off as medium angle but then goes to a high angle as the
pair run down the steps.
For the seventh shot an over the shoulder shot is used, a close up of the back of the villain’s head. It
is also an extreme long shot that goes to a long shot as the hero and the helper get closer to the
camera; the shot is also a group shot. Both the eighth and ninth shots are an extreme long shot,
medium angle.
The tenth and eleventh shot are a medium, two shot which is also over the shoulder, following the
hero fighting but remaining over the shoulder. Shot twelve is a medium shot of the hero and villain
fighting and a long shot of the helper. The shot is also a group shot, medium angle but becomes
slightly high for the hero as he is pushed to the floor and then pans to a slightly high shot for the
villain as he is killed by the hero’s assistant.
A medium angle two shot that pans and moves with the subjects (the hero and his helper), is used
for the thirteenth shot. This then becomes a group shot to include the deceased villain, which is still a
medium shot, but this time a high angle while the hero takes the villain’s mask off.
The fourteenth shot is a two, medium shot that becomes a group shot as the princess comes into the
shot. The shot is also over the shoulder of the hero and his assistant.
Editing is used in this drama with the added rain and thunder noise effects in the opening credit and
shot as well as the added rain visual effect in shot one. There is also an added mist visual effect
throughout shot seven and an added noise effect when the villain casts a spell on the hero’s assistant.
There is also added music to accompany the fighting scene (shots eight to twelve) and well as
transactions between these shots, the transaction used is cross-cutting. There is also an added noise
effect of electricity in shot thirteen when the villain’s mask is being taken off. Finally there is added
music for the ending credits.