GENERAL CONVENTIONS 5: central protagonist & narrative

MY INFLUENCES:

• make the central protagonist clear in our film opening
• using tracking shot
• different focus 
• central framing (rule of thirds)
• make the character stand out
• shot-reverse shot

A protagonist is the leading character of a story. The protagonist is at the center of the story (central protagonist), it makes the key decision, and experiences the consequences of those decisions. The protagonist is the primary agent propelling the story forward and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. The protagonist is the character whose fate is most closely followed by the reader or audience, and who is opposed by the antagonist. The antagonist will provide obstacles and complications and create conflicts that test the protagonist, thus revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonist's character
Summary

• Uses & gratifications theory - identification (Submarine)
• Todorov 5 point narrative (Submarine)
• Counter+stereotypes - realistic representation (eg Molly Pretty in Pink)
• Binary opposition (eg Bridget Jones Diary)
• Archetypes (Bond)
• Narrative enigma + voiceover (Bond, The Mexican, Drive, Baby Driver)
• Amount of time the camera spends on protagonist/first character introduced - cutting back to protagonist - reactions, rule of thirds(Drive)
• iconography as part of narrative (Baby Driver)
• establishing/panning shots + tracking (Bond)

  

  Todorv's 5 point narrative (from DB media blog)

...
Vodcast

Baby Driver and Submarine take very different yet equally effective approaches to the central protagonist and the narrative: Submarine uses a voiceover for exposition and has a heavy focus on set dressing (mis-en-scene), whereas Baby Driver has almost no dialogue and begins with an action sequence.

...
RESEARCH(MINE):

Submarine

Submarine opening shot

The voiceover offers a lot of exposition, as the protagonist is stating that he does not believe he is a completely unique individual as the rest of the word does, and this level of awareness makes him feel unique. This is reflected in his positon in the shot: awkwardly cramped into the corner of a cluttered room, seen from a high angled long shot.

• Uses and gratifications theory would suggest that a teenage boys would identify with the protagonist, making them the primary target audience. 
•  This is indicated by non-glamourizing low-key lighting (also reflective of the institutional background)
• Welsh accent (rather than a southern English or American)

• Todorov’s 5 point narrative theory would suggest that the film begins with an equilibrium. This film is clearly divided into parts (intertitle “Prologue”)

  

  Submarine intertitle

•  the protagonist feels alone, surrounded by people who feel as though they are unique – the equilibrium is established to the audience
•  There will then be a conflict, or change to the equilibrium – in this example a romantic narrative – the introduction of Jordana Bevan later in the film

From the other examples I’ve looked at a voiceover for exposition is used in Apocalypse Now, Mean Girls and L4yer Cak3

• A use of counter and stereotypes is employed in the representation of the protagonist:
• The Welsh accent implies a sense of regional identity within the uk and the stereotypes that come with it: areas in the North are considered poorer, more industrial, grim and sometimes less intelligent, but also more friendly.
• This protagonist seems intelligent, but arguable antisocial, and was filmed on location (Wales) giving the film a rural rather than industrial setting.
• There is also a mild North-South binary opposition between the protagonist and his parents

Baby Driver

The opening scene in Baby Driver tells us a lot about the protagonist and the narrative however with no dialogue or voiceover.

• The first character we see is a medium-close-up of the protagonists face (also rule of thirds), and as the 3 other people in the car leave - the film stays with the protagonist
•  In special features the director, Edgar Wright, stated that the film was built around the character (it has also been stating that a large part of all his films is having characters which are easy to draw - recognisable & memorable)
•   The framing of shots make it clear that we are seeing the world form the point of view of this character, and also that he is not properly committed to crime (he stays in the car while the others go inside, and in the opening credits when he is getting coffee for everyone else but not himself)via GIPHY

• The sunglasses are used repeatedly throughout the film for iconography: when the protagonist wear them he is choosing to blind himself to the immorality of crime (music is also a way in which he does this) – when gunshots are heard in the bank he watches over the top of his sunglasses, showing how he cannot truly do this
•  This shows that the character has a moral compass and makes him easier for audiences to identify with

Baby Driver opening scene screenshot 

• Through visuals we learn more about the main character than through any dialogue (that he is a good getaway driver but has reservations in his attitude towards crime, he likes music and dancing, he is on a lower level to the people he works with as he’s the one who goes to buy coffee)
•  All we learn about the character through dialogue is his name

...

Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now has a voiceover very late in the opening sequence, but the narrative focus/genre is signified only through visuals: an establishing shot of helicopters flying over burning palm trees denoting a war setting. The layering of the protagonist face on top of this also introduces us to the main character before any other, like in Baby Driver and Submarine 

Apocalypse Now opening scene screenshot

...
RESEARCH(SAM'S):

Spectre (2015):
...

...
...

...

• First, there's a tracking shot of a man wearing a white suit (stands out) where you would think he's the central protagonist but it then changes to Daniel Craig. 
• A dis-equilibrium is created
• Narrative enigma created by Daniel Craig wearing a mask
• Also he's with a woman who's also wearing a mask which let's the audience ask themselves who that woman is (narrative enigma)
• The tracking shot of Daniel Craig signifies that he's the central protagonist
• The camera zooms in
• We see him the longest on screen
• Opening scene is a 4 minutes long tracking shot of Daniel Craig which anchors that he's the central protagonist

Drive (2011):

...

... 
...

...

• Voice over before we see a character gives us a suspicion it’s the central protagonist talking also another way of creating narrative enigma. 
• The map makes the viewers think why did he use the map (What is it for)?
• The first short starts with a tilting shot of the man which again creates narrative enigma. 
• Always cut back to the driver (to see he’s reaction or face expression) 
• Tracking shot of the driver getting out 

Baby Driver (2017):

...

... 
...

...

• First shot starts with a red Subaru pulling up which creates narrative enigma (who is driving?)
• Not showing face of the protagonist immediately
• First showing hands and MP3 player (again narrative enigma)
• Protagonist is earing sunglasses which doesn't allow the viewers to see the whole face of the male character
• First chracter we get to see is the male character wearing sunglasses which already gives us an idea that he is the central protagonist
• 00:48 the 3 chracter wearing a black Bandana and sunglasses are out of focus, where the male character is infocus with his car in the background
• Male character is the central protagonist because we see him the longest on screen
• It always cuts back to him to see his facial expression (reactions)
• At 00:58 when he is dancing/singing in the car we get a lot of shot variety of the central protagonist