Applying Todorov's narrative structure to The Great Gatsby

Although I think the film does apply to Todorov's theory, the very beginning of the film is different.
It starts off with Tobey Maguire's character Nick Carraway staying in a sanatorium to treat his alcoholism. He then begins to tell his story of his memories and friendship with Gatsby, he essentially narrates the film

1. He starts off telling the story by explaining the character and his entrance into Gatsby's world. Starting off in New York in a small house next door to The Great Gatsby's mansion. He has a job as a bond salesman and is a short journey away from his cousin Daisy's house, who he goes to visit regularly once living on Long Island. He becomes very curious about his mysterious next door neighbour. He then discovers the man is named Jay Gatsby and he is famous for holding the most extravagant parties on the whole of the island.

2. Nick then discovers that Tom, Daisy's husband is having an affair with a woman on the outskirts of the city and is taken aback. Him and Tom go to see Tom's mistress which results in a blowout between her and Tom. 

Nick also discovers that although Gatsby throws the most famous parties, no one has ever seen him and people just arrive at his house, enjoy the party and leave at the end of the night. Nick however, receives an invitation to Gatsby's party, and soon discovers it is because Jay Gatsby is in love with Daisy and is trying to get closer to Nick in order to see Daisy. 

3. When Nick recognises that everything is not as simple as he first thought he is torn between what he thinks is morally right and what he wants to do. He chooses to help his new friend Gatsby try and reconnect with Daisy and he doesn't see eye to eye with Tom after learning of his affair. 

This narrative is not similar to Todorov's structure as Nick, the character whose story the audience is following, is not trying to stop all of these problems, he is actually trying to change everything and help Gatsby. This film also appears to have an ensemble cast, which makes it hard to follow the story and therefore Nicks story is told through his actual character.

4. Instead of trying to repair the damage caused by both Daisy and Tom's affairs, the story goes against Todorov's theory as Nick decides to let things continue as he holds a close bond with Gatsby. He decides to help Daisy leave Jay so he can escape with Daisy and they can be together, although he knows that this is not morally right, and it starts to cause stress with Nick.



5. As all of the secrets finally come to surface, it causes conflicts between all of the characters and Tom's mistress is killed in a car crash caused by Daisy in Gatsby's car. Tom's mistresses husband then goes after Gatsby thinking he is the one that killed his wife. He then kills Gatsby, before killing himself. This causes all of the plans and secrets to be left floating and Nick is left being the only one who knows the full truth about Jay Gatsby.

This film definitely doesn't fit in with Todorov's narrative structure as the equilibrium is never regained at the end, it is left in turmoil instead.

 

Genre Conventions - The Good The Bad and The Ugly

The film, The Good The Bad and the ugly is typical of it's Western Genre by different categories of conventions, one of them being the iconography. Things such as the setting, barren land or a desert, the clothes they are wearing e.g. stetsons and buckskins, and the music, All of these are connotations that establish the Western genre. Another category is narrative. The character roles such as the hero killing the villain is also a convention of western films. This also fits in with Propp's theory of character roles.

The Male Gaze in James Bond

The James Bond franchise is a clear example of film objectifying females and forcing the audience to view females via the male gaze. The scene within 'Die Another Day' when James Bond meets the character Jinx demonstrates my previous statement through several elements. For example one being the language. The way in which Bond speaks to Jinx, saying things such as "magnificent view" and "predators usually don't come out 'til sunset...it's when their prey come out to drink". He is not generally talking about the sea view, he is merely objectifying her. Although it may be taken either way, to me it seems that she goes along with this objectification, making it look acceptable to women watching. He also describes her as 'prey', objectifying her further and making her out to just be on object of mens desire, nothing more. This shows a patriarchal society and than males dominate females in film in most ways. They are seen as the ones in control. 
Another way in which the female is objectified, is right at the start of this scene when Bond it seen to be looking through binoculars at the sea view, then moves to look at Jinx coming out of the water. The post production of the film has edited and staged her entrance to appeal to men watching her. She is shown in slow motion as to increase the way she is objectified and make it more appealing to men. Non diegetic, calm music has also been edited into the clip to control the viewers emotions and the way they look at this character. She also exits the water is a very sexualised way, emphasising the way she is moving her body and stroking her hair with her hands, and is also wearing make up which is unrealistic after she has been swimming, making her look more aesthetically pleasing. This however is a hyper reality. A fake representation of how women look. This makes women who watch it, see this as how women are seen by men, and makes them feel unworthy and not good enough, which then makes them want to change many things about themselves.
One other reason this clip shows objectification of women is through the camera angles. The close ups of Jinx's body when she appears from the water clearly objectifies her, devaluing her. The camera also looks down onto the female and looks up to Bond, as to show he controls her and has power, yet again showing signs of patriarchy. 

Gratifications of my favourite television programme

I watch the soap Hollyoaks on a regular basis. although it is a british soap, it is not as appealing to a mainstream audience like other british soaps such as Eastenders and Coronation Street, it is more of a younger 'teen' audience.
This programme has several gratifications that justify why people spend their time watching it. some of them are:
Finding out about relevant issues and events in society (e.g. domestic violence, illnesses, teen pregnancy etc.), shown through Sinead's story of her being a teenage mum forced to go into prostitution to support her child. Seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices (regarding the issues involved in the programme) which could involve things such as relating to someone with a illness in the programme and finding a way to relate and cope with these issues in your own life, or it could be something a lot less simple such as how to get a boy/girl to like you. Escaping or being diverted from problems which could be something like watching the progression of a relationship such as Dodger and Texas in this soap. However these may also cause you to relate them to your own life. Relaxing, which is simple. Just something like watching this programme while eating dinner in the evening and helping you to relax. Filling time which is also quite simple as you could just watch this programme as you see it being shown on the TV whilst looking for something to watch. Emotional release. This can go hand in hand with seeking advice on practical matters, as a story regarding illness in the programme, such as Tony suffering with cancer, could also relate to your own life and could cause emotional release if you can connect with the story. It could also be the same for other items such as relationship issues and family problems e.g. money. Finding a basis for social interaction and conversation which could be the only reason someone watches a programme. If the audience is mainly your age group and is a popular soap such as this one, people may watch it just to relate and interact with peers as to not feel left out from conversations.

All of these are ways that the programme interests and brings in viewers. All of these factors appeal to viewers in different ways. some audiences want a show that helps them escape from reality, others like to be able to relate to issues involved in programmes as they may relate to them or to give them an insight into social issues, others just enjoy watching them for the relaxation

Gender representation in films

I used the film trailer for the film, Knight and Day. This film shows strong male characteristics and shows some stereotypes of both genders. The male character, played by Tom Cruise, is shown as very strong, smart and dominant. whereas the female, played by Cameron Diaz, is shown as quite stupid and ditzy, is shown as quite naïve and takes on the 'damsel in distress' role. The male character is very controlling of the female character and dominates a lot of this film. Also he is shown as very confident, calm and relaxed where she seems constantly on edge, worried and nervous. This is quite stereotypical and shows clear gender roles.
C.R.A.S.H.E
As this is an American film, the majority of the cast is white. They are mainly young adults to middle aged, however because this is an action film, it appeals to a younger audience as well. Both genders take on the lead roles however the male is much more domineering and confident as shown in the film trailer where Cameron Diaz is struggling to drive the car whilst Tom Cruise is shooting at men and seems very relaxed. There is some sexual tension shown between the male and female leads in this film which keeps the audience curious as to what may happen throughout the film as it it only shown at the very end. This film is a source of escapism for audiences and does not relate to commonly shown issues and events in 'reality'. Audiences will submerge into this film without thinking much about their own lives, which is a good thing for producers as it may pull in a wider audience.

Niche and mainstream audiences

A niche audience is a small number of people that have a unique interest in a particular media text. The type of t.v programmes that have a niche audience, aren't very often shown on mainstream channels like BBC1 and 2. they are a lot more likely to be shown on channels like BBC3 and 4. they also tend to be shown at more awkward times of the day like mid afternoon or late at night.

The T.V series, Breaking Bad, is an example of a programme with a niche audience, although more recently, the show has become increasingly popular in the U.S, the show is still not very well known in other countries and by certain audiences. This show is becoming more popular in countries like the U.K because shows are now a lot more easier to access with sites such as Netflix, Youtube and On Demand channels online. This means it is slowly becoming more mainstream. The narrative of the show is drug related and the main character is a man who becomes involved in drugs to pay for medical bills and becomes bad.  

The film, Submarine is an indie film released in 2010. This film has a very niche audience in that it was mainly watched by people who followed indie films and had heard of it as it was premiered and shown at a lot of film festivals. Also, the composer of the soundtrack, Alex Turner, pulled in some viewers as his fans wanted to watch a film that included his work.
Although this film does have a niche audience, the ratings and reviews it received helped it bring in a larger audience. As it was produced by Film 4, it has been show on that channel, which is fairly easy to access, however it was shown quite late at night which could only target a niche audience. The film is a coming of age comedy-drama adapted by the 2008 novel written by Joe Dunthorne. The film was written and directed by Richard Ayoade. Another reason this film may be seen as niche, is to do with budget and advertising. As the budget is low, the film was not advertised on mainstream channels, billboards and at cinema showings. The most advertising was at the film festivals and on the channel Film4 as that is where it was shown. The mode of address is British, which may alienate viewers of other nationalities. This is because the film is very small scale, shot in an English town. It also uses british slang which may not appeal to non-british viewers, as would accent. 

NME (New Music Express), is a music magazine, mainly including indie music, with older, more famous bands as well as new and upcoming bands and artists. This very much appeals to the niche audience of a younger generation, male and female. Particularly those who enjoy live music, whether it be intimate gigs or large music festivals. the magazine started in 1952. It started as a newspaper and gradually turned into a magazine during the 1980's. In the 1970's, it became the best-selling British music newspaper. Although it has been so successful, it is still targeted at a niche audience, and this niche audience are what has made the magazine so popular in it's genre. It is quite easy to access, as it is sold in WHSmiths, ASDA, Tesco etc. However it is not usually sold in smaller independent newsagents. 

A mainstream audience is an audience that takes in all common media texts. Mainstream media or mass media, is generally applied to print publications, such as newspapers and magazines that contain the highest readership among the public, along with radio formats and television stations that contain the highest viewing and listener audience, respectively. This is in contrast to various independent media, such as alternative weekly newspapers, specialized magazines in various organizations, and various electronic sources such as podcasts and blogs. (although some blogs are more mainstream) Mainstream T.V shows are mainly shown on channels such as BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and Channel 4.

The X Factor is a widely consumed talent show an it appeals to many audiences as it includes acts from young ages to older ages, males and females, and all different races and cultures. it is also shown on ITV1 at 7 o'clock. A mainstream channel at a commonly watched time. The show involves people from all over the U.K auditioning to become the country's next huge pop star. They go through several stages until a final selection of 12 go through to live shows where the public are then able to vote for the person they want to win. The inner then receives a record deal and is able to fulfil their dream. The show is very much a household name and when it is running, receives lots               of media attention from magazines, newspapers, T.V shows and radio stations. There i also a spin off show called The Xtra Factor, which is shown on ITV2 straight after the main show. 

Although it may seem obvious, the BBC news is a widely consumed T.V programme, on every night at set times, it is almost seen as a scheduled watch by many people. although it is mainly targeted at adults, it is seen as mainstream because it is a programme watched internationally by the majority of grown adults. There are also more niche news shows, such as political and sports news. The BBC News includes all relevant issues that happen around the world every day, whether it be good or bad and involve, interviews, description and footage regarding these issues and events. There are many ways to access the news as well os the scheduled show on T.V. It can be accessed via the internet, the radio and newspapers.

Soaps, such as Coronation Street are widely consumed by mainstream audiences as they include topics that different people relate to such as illnesses, violence, alcohol abuse and family struggles. They also have an ensemble cast who are of all forms of religion, race, gender, age and sexuality. It is shown at a popular time of 7 o'clock in the evening on weekdays and is shown on the popular channel ITV1, which is a typical time for the majority of people to watch television and is a channel that everyone with a T.V has access to. Since the On Demand channels and websites have been introduced, it is now a lot more easier to access for a wider audience, as is the recently introduced ITV+1 channel, which shows everything on ITV1 an hour later than scheduled. Another thing that helps audiences keep up on watching the show is Sky+, which means people can record series of their favourite programmes so they never miss an episode. The mode of address in this programme is also British, as it is shown in a British town. Although there are different cultures shown on this programme, it could be less appealing to a non-british audience.