The Advanced Portfolio Evaluation Question 1, Part 2-Amie Nelms

Narrative Theory

I found a little diagram to easily explain Todorov's Narrative Theory...

Short film narrative usually starts off with...

• The Equilibrium-set the scene, introduced characters
  
• The Disruption- the problem


• The Resolution- the answer to the problem/closure

Here's 'Wasp', an example of the short film narrative which I studied as part as my research...

Wasp (Andrea Arnold), 2003

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388534/

http://www.britfilms.com/britishfilms/catalogue/browse/?id=D9CC705918c7f2A6BDkUg23C30C5

Genre- Social Realism

Narrative

Equilibrium-going out to pub with Dave, disruption-children, wasp in mouth (title-acts as a wake up call for mother, symbolic), resolution-going home in car with Dave

Tells story in a short space of time

Opening-children and mother marching out of house to an 'enemies' house, start a fight, creates a negative first impression of family-baby's bottom half not fully clothed

Ending-become more sympathetic towards mother as she struggles to balance being a mother and having a social life; sympathy for children as they are abandoned outside, resort to picking up food from the floor to feed the hungry crying baby.

Relating this theory to our own short film 'All My Love'...

• Equilibrium-Amie reading letter from dead boyfriend
  
• Disruption-Amie reads the letter, discovers Rich's feelings and emotions, breaks down
  
• Resolution- Amie comes to the conclusion that she needs/wants to move on, walk away to start new life, moves from black and white to colour.

Amie Nelms