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s0022871a2film-blog · 7 years ago

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Evaluation

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MACRO CONCEPTS

Genre

Western

Firstly, my film has Western links due to the general desert-like location where it is based. California is a typical ‘Wild West’ location for spaghetti westerns and makes the idyllic setting.

Furthermore, the general music at the beginning shares Tarantino’s style in the way that it incorporates pop culture music with western hints; ‘California Dreamin’ by The Mama’s & The Papas specifically has direct reference to the western-like setting of California, as well as having a flute-focused instrumental that gives connotations of the western genre. I have also purposefully chosen to have that instrumental playing over the two shot of Diana and Minerva walking up to the RV and it is similar to a stand-off:

In the shot, the two assassins have their weapons out while facing the location of their ‘enemy’. This is reminiscent of typical spaghetti western stand-offs and is used to portray to the audience that the two subjects are in rivalry.

Western themes are also apparent in my film, for example ‘individual vs. civilisation’ is shown through how Venus has escaped civilisation and has chosen to gone into hiding alone. Additionally, ‘savagery/lawlessness’ is also definitely a feature in my film as conveyed by the weaponry, involvement of stolen money and the general idea of an assassination squad. Even more so, the general plot of my film relates to the western genre as it is a typical revenge plot. Finally, Venus conforms to generic conventions by technically being the ‘traditional Western hero who acts as the mediator between civilisation and the lawless frontier, commonly motivated by revenge and/or sense of justice’- Venus acts as a postmodern version of this traditional western hero, since she is actually motivated by revenge and a sense of justice otherwise she wouldn’t have stolen the money, but she defies western expectations and in a sense challenges the generic conventions by turning out to have tricked and lied to the other assassins and then ran away with the stolen money.

Crime/ Heist genre

My film relates the crime/ heist genre through the focus on stolen money, and how this develops into a heist in a sense; Venus steals money from her boss and then tricks the assassins into convincing their boss that she’s dead, and then proceeds to take off with the money, leaving the assassins with an empty case that only contains a book. The focus around this case is definitely relevant to the crime genre; in the same way that the focus on a sought-after briefcase and general crime makes Pulp Fiction relevant to the genre.

Also, the heavy use of a gun in my film also relates to crime/ heist genre, since it gives the implication of crime and murder which are the cornerstones of a crime plot, as well as guns being a very important part of the mise en scene.

Narrative

My film relates to my creative investigation in terms of narrative due to the focus around the case; as discovered in Pulp Fiction, the Marcellus Wallace’s briefcase holds great importance and becomes a focal point of the film, thus I have incorporated this into my narrative.

The narrative of my film is also influenced greatly by Jackie Brown; in Jackie Brown, there is focus on a large sum of stolen money, which Jackie has to transport in a heist. With two detectives on her tail, she has to deceive them in order to successfully get away with the money. In the end, she manages to do so by using a classic swap-out: the two detectives follow her when they presume she is giving the bag of money to someone else. They retrieve the ‘bag’ that they believe has the money in, to find that it isn’t the right bag, and that Jackie has swapped it out and walked away with the money. I have directly incorporated this into the plot of my film, and thus Jackie Brown has arguably become the main influence of my narrative, since I have also included a swap out whereby Venus gives the two assassins a case that they believe has the ten million dollars in, and it turns out that the only thing in that case was a copy of Aesop’s Fables (The Farmer and the Viper). This holds great meaning within my film as it is a call back to earlier on in the film where Venus gives her Farmer and the Viper speech, which is used as a message to the two assassins, saying that in that scenario they were the farmers, that should have known better than to trust a ‘villainous creature’ (i.e Venus) that they knew would only betray them. In this sense, Venus’ character is a lot like Jackie’s, since both challenge the classic female protagonist character type as they both end up being the villain.

Finally, it is clear to see that my film is heavily orientated around Kill Bill. Like Kill Bill, my film focuses on an ex member of an assassination squad, who has ran away from the other assassins, only to be tracked down by them. It is a revenge plot in the sense that Venus stole the ten million dollars in revenge of her boss plotting to send her down and buy himself freedom from the authorities. The first shot of Venus seemingly dead, which we later find out is only a fake setup for a photo that the assassins will send to ‘Jupe’ to convince him that she’s dead, is an imitation of the shot in Kill Bill where The Bride (Beatrix) gets shot in the head at her wedding. It is almost a consciously sarcastic imitation, as in Kill Bill The Bride is genuinely close to death, whereas Venus isn’t.

Representation

I have chosen to challenge the stereotype of females in film by giving my character’s the assassin names of Roman Goddesses. Their assassin names act as their stereotype; the way that classically those female characters may be represented in film. However, they are all postmodern versions of the original character types. Venus in particular completely challenge those stereotypes: being the ‘goddess of love and beauty’, you would expect Venus to be a lot more gracious and innocent than she is. Venus turns out to be manipulative and ends up tricking the other two assassins so that she can run away with the money- she even refers to herself as the ‘Viper’ when giving reference to the tale of the Farmer and the Viper. Overall, the main character who starts out the protagonist, averts expectations when she gives the fake case to the assassins and actually turns out to be the antagonist, utterly defying the stereotype of a female given the title of ‘goddess of love and beauty’.

THEORY

Narrative theory

- My film consciously defies the character types given by Vladimir Propp: as previously stated, Venus- who would classically be the ‘hero’, turns out to be the villain. You could argue that she only stole the money in the first place to perhaps stop injustice happening by her criminal boss buying his freedom from the authorities and sending all of his loyal assassins down, however although that does play a part, the truth is that she used her fellow trusting assassins to give herself freedom, and then ran off (again) with the stolen money, ultimately leaving the other two assassins in a terrible position where they can’t tell their boss that she’s still alive otherwise he’ll kill them, and they can’t return to him without the money. Similarly, the two assassins would probably fit into Propp’s villain character type by convention, however this is not accurate, and actually the line between hero and villain in my film is blurred. Vladimir Propp’s character types would also describe Venus as the donor and the dispatcher, which again is not realistic. Therefore, by challenging representation, my film challenges Propp’s conventional character types.

- My film does successfully conform to Todorov’s equilibrium model, in the sense that the film starts with Venus living her life having escaped the assassins, which is the original equilibrium. A disequilibrium then occurs when the assassins track her down and her life is threatened, meaning she has to give the case to the assassins in exchange for her freedom. After she has made a deal with the assassins, there is seemingly a new equilibrium as the confrontation has ended; however the new equilibrium is not the deal that they agreed on, but instead Venus escaping to the airport with the ten million dollars to catch a flight to a location where “no one can find you- where Jupe can’t find you”.

- My film also conforms to Roland Barthes’ Codes: firstly, my film includes a lot of ‘action’ in the form of the stand off and confrontation using weaponry. Furthermore, it is also uses an enigma as the audience is left to work out that Venus has swapped the case out and replaced it with an empty one with a single book in it, and that she is using the plane tickets she spoke of to escape to this location that no one can find- with the actual case that contains the ten million dollars. Lastly, there is also a significant use of symbolic code using the tale of the Farmer and the Viper; she has placed that in the empty case to as a symbol that she was the viper all along, and they were the foolish farmers that trusted her.

Postmodern theory

- My film is postmodern in the sense that the storyline is fragmented; it begins with a shot of Venus ‘dead’, and then goes onto a tracking shot of her walking into an RV. This defies natural syntax and creates a non-linear narrative- ultimately leading the audience to believe that Venus is going to die. However, the audience later on finds out that the shot was simply a set up for a fake photo of her dead to send to her boss, which defies expectations and could be argued to be a postmodern idea in itself, as it consciously plays with the concept of death in film and impersonates it, creating a degree of self-reflexivity which is also a postmodern concept. Postmodern theorist Jean Francois-Lyotard said ‘simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.’

- Postmodernism lies in the rejection of grand theoretical systems- an example is the conventions of character types based on gender. As I have discussed, my film consciously challenges classic conventions set about by modernism by using a system as classical as the Roman Goddesses; a notion that has been a part of society for as long as society can remember. I have taken this system and challenged it by having Venus specifically defy the expectations set by being based on the goddess of love and beauty; she is a postmodern reflection of that system. Furthermore, a characteristic of postmodernism is ‘a filmic way of challenging the logic of binary oppositions and convention’- which all in all way my intention when I created my characters.

Auteur theory

- My film supports the concept of Tarantino being an auteur because firstly, I have successfully incorporated his style. The auteur theory states that to be thought of an auteur, you need to have a ‘strong and individual style that can be seen in all your films’- Jean-Luc Goddard and Francois Truffaut are French theorists who supported this idea. In essence, Tarantino needed a style of his own if I were to impersonate that successfully, and the fact that I created a film that looks similar to his films means he has his own style. Andrew Sarris also said that ‘over a group of films a director must exhibit certain recurrent characteristic of style, which serve as his signature.’

- Further required characteristics of being an auteur is firstly ‘specific character traits/ situations that re-occur’. This is apparent in my creative investigation and my film since the character traits of the main protagonist in Tarantino’s films are also shared in my mine; both Jackie Brown and The Bride from Kill Bill are strong female leading characters that overcome obstacles in the form of other characters- a trait that Venus also has in my film. Additionally, Venus also defies conventional stereotypes by tricking the assassins and running away with the money-which is also what Jackie Brown does. This then also conforms to another characteristic of being an auteur which is that ‘narrative structures and patterns are consistent/ repeated’: in both Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, the importance of a highly sought after item repeated in both narratives. In Pulp Fiction this item takes the form of a briefcase, while in Jackie Brown it takes the form of a bag of money- in my film it takes the form of a case of money. This an example of repetition of narrative patterns and can be used to argue that Tarantino is in fact an auteur.

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s0022871a2film-blog · 7 years ago

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‘Venus’ final edit

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s0022871a2film-blog · 7 years ago

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‘Venus’ second edit

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s0022871a2film-blog · 7 years ago

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‘Venus’ first edit

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s0022871a2film-blog · 7 years ago

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Changes to location

Due to availability issues, I have had to change my location completely. Instead of it being based at Hotel Campanile I have chosen for it to be based at my parent’s American RV. This is because it is more accessible and easier to shoot there, and it also ties in very well with my creative investigation since a trailer is used in Kill Bill Vol 2, in which ex assassin Budd lives in.

I was also unable to pick a suitable date and time to shoot in the American Diner, so unfortunately I will be unable to shoot the last scene there; I’ll simply shoot the very short shot in the back of their car or something- with a location title to insinuate that they are at a different location from Venus.

Furthermore, I also had to alter my script since one of my original 4 cast members were unable to do it, and 4 cast plus myself was too much to transport anyway, so I cut ‘Vesta’s role out completely and shared her lines amongst Diana and Minerva.

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s0022871a2film-blog · 7 years ago

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G. Shooting Schedules

Due to having a rather large cast of four, it has proved fairly difficult to find an appropriate time for all the cast members plus myself. The earliest we were able to do any kind of shooting is the 25th of April, where I decided it would be beneficial to do a rehearsal/ dress rehearsal due to the length and depth of the script. We would then film at the two locations the following Sunday on the 1st of April. These two dates were the most beneficial for everyone since it is during the Easter holidays.

The day that I chose to shoot the actual short film on depended on the weather. I looked at the weather for all of the two weeks, and Sunday the 1st of April had the best weather. Weather is important when deciding a date and time to shoot because since I am filming some shots outdoors, it is vital that it is not raining as this will ruin the scene and may cause damage to the camera equipment.

Props

Diana: (fake) Revolver gun

Minerva: (fake) Bow and Arrow

Vesta: (fake) Samurai sword

It is very important that anyone concerned is made aware that the weapons are fake and are simply being used as film props. It could be a major safety hazard if someone becomes under the impression that any of the props are real and calls the police and/or takes matters into their own hands. To try and avoid this I will inform the relevant parties at the locations where I will be shooting my film at.

LINKS TO CREATIVE INVESTIGATION

The use of props relates to my creative investigation since they are inspired by my focal films. Firstly, guns are used prominently as a prop in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown.

Furthermore, Samurai swords are obviously a key aspect in Kill Bill:

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s0022871a2film-blog · 7 years ago

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F. Casting

Because 4 cast members is quite a lot to acquire, especially considering they’re all female, I decided to reach out to performing arts enthusiasts online. I found a page called ‘Hull Arts and Drama’ and advertised my short film, and I got a surprising amount of people contacting me about it.

1. Olivia Hart

2. Erin Findlay

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3. Fiona Wright

4. Casey Beadle

Dream Cast

If I had no restrictions, there would definitely be certain actors that I feel would suit each of my characters perfectly:

1. Venus

- UMA THURMAN

The only actress I would want playing this role is Uma Thurman, for obvious reasons. Since is it part of Tarantino’s style to cast the same actors and actresses across his work, Uma Thurman has become iconic of Tarantino. Therefore, there is no other actress I could imagine playing the role of Venus after her performance as The Bride in Kill Bill. I believe that she has the pungency, fierceness and personality that aligns perfectly with Venus’ characteristics, and admittedly even from the start when I was shaping Venus and creating the screenplay, I had Uma Thurman prominently in my mind, influencing all of my work.

2. Diana

- VIVICA A. FOX

Vivica plays the role of Vernita Green in Kill Bill Vol. 1. As part of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad the character is similar to Diana’s character and I think that Vivica’s performance as Vernita Green was ideal and thus she would be one of my preferences to play Diana in my short film. Furthermore, her character actually influenced me a lot when writing Diana’s lines in the screenplay, for example when I wrote Diana’s opening line ‘surprise bitch’ I imagined Vernita Green saying it, and still do. Vivica A. Fox has also appeared as strong female role in the Independence Day and Independence Day: Resurgence, and since Diana is also a strong female role I believe that Vivica would be beneficial as Diana.

- DARYL HANNAH

Daryl Hannah is most known for the role of Elle Driver in Kill Bill, who acts as The Bride’s (second) most significant enemy. Although Elle and The Bride were in the same assassin squad there is a huge amount of hatred between the two and they spend a large section of both films tracking each other down with the intention to kill one another. Although the feud between Venus and Diana isn’t that intense, I think that Daryl Hannah and Uma Thurman work well as ‘enemies that once were friends’. Also, on an unrelated note I think that Daryl Hannah also possesses the personality of Venus, and I want Venus to act in the same manner as Elle Driver does in Kill Bill. In addition, another reason I would cast her is because of the fact that Tarantino often casts the same actors and actresses across his films.

3. Vesta

- KRISTEN STEWART

Vesta’s character is a shy, reserved yet still strong one. Kristen Stewart notoriously plays shy yet strong characters, for example her role as Bella in the Twilight Series (2008-2012) and Em in Adventureland (2009). Although Kristen Stewart has never appeared in any of Tarantino’s films, it is not uncommon for Tarantino to introduce new Hollywood actors into his work, even if he has a fad for recasting. Finally, physically Kristen Stewart has the exact appearance I want Vesta to have; quiet Brunnette.

- LUCY LIU

Lucy Liu plays O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill, part of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. Although I wasn’t planning on Vesta having Japanese references, I think Lucy Liu’s character as O-Ren Ishii is in a way a perfect match for Vesta; she is seemingly innocent, and then averts everyone’s expectations by secretly being an incredibly skilled and dangerous assassin, like in the famous Board Room scene in Kill Bill where she chops the head off one of her associates for something rather insignificant, and shocks everyone. It is also important to note that Lucy Liu also appeared in Charlie’s Angels, therefore she has plenty of experience playing characters that are part of an all-female squad, since in essence Charlie’s Angels is just a less gory version of Kill Bill.

3. Minerva

- SALMA HAYEK

Salma Hayek famously played the role of Santanico Pandemonium in Robert Rodriquez’s 1996′s Thriller/ Action ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’. Quentin Tarantino wrote the screenplay for this and starred in it, and as a result Salma Hayek and Tarantino have been linked ever since. Salma Hayek has the ideal warrior look that I had in mind when creating the character of Minerva; simply the look in her eyes conveys wisdom and fierceness.

- ROSE MCGOWAN

Rose McGowan is one of the main character’s in Death Proof/ Grindhouse, directed by Tarantino. She is also the main character ‘Cherry Darling’ in Planet Terror (2007) which Tarantino produces and stars in.Firstly, the face that she has worked with Tarantino quite a lot and has thus become linked to him would make her ideal for the role of Minerva in my short film. Furthermore, in both of these she plays a strong female character, which is the main characteristic of Minerva.

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E. Recce Report

1. Hotel Campanile, Hull

I chose this location because I needed a motel-style Hotel that Venus will be staying in. I wanted it to look slightly run down since typically in American films, someone ‘on the run’ would stay in a run down motel; Hotel Campanile is the closest I could find to a hotel that has the layout and style of an American motel, and I think it could pass as a motel in California.

Furthermore, it is an extremely beneficial filming location since it is in the centre of Hull, and only 10 minutes away from my house; the price for a room is also cheap so I don’t go over my filming budget of £150. There is also no constriction on filming on the premises if you have a room booked, so overall it’s an ideal filming location. I am going to book a room on the higher level because I want the tracking shot of Venus’ legs walking to go up the stairs and then into the room.

Some issues with this location however could be safety. Hotel Campanile is located on Beverley Road which can be a dangerous area, and along with it’s low price and shabby appearance, the hotel has a bit of a reputation for certain crimes, and without saying much, me filming the legs of a female as she walks up the stairs to a hotel room could very easily be misinterpreted by those who know the Hotel well.

2. Route 15 Diner, Scunthorpe

I have chosen to film at Route 15 diner in Scunthorpe because it has a classic American-style diner look. The three assassins will be opening up the empty briefcase in here, so it will only be included for a mere couple of seconds, however I wanted a location different to the ‘motel’ to establish that they’re away from Venus, and diner’s are used several times in Tarantino’s films so this location is idyllic. Furthermore, I have already gotten permission to film in this location (outside of opening hours).

This means that there is no problem filming there and the fact that it is outside of opening hours means that there won’t be people in the shot who don’t want to be. However, problems of shooting here could be that since it is in Scunthorpe it may seem quite out of the way, and it is not as easily accessible as Hotel Campanile is. Other than that though, this is the perfect shooting location.

1. Hotel Campanile

Tarantino commonly uses motel-type locations, and has a preference for living locations that are of a lower class; Hotel Campanile has the run-down appearance of the apartments used in Tarantino’s films, such as the apartment Vincent and Jules visit at the start of Pulp Fiction, and Ordell’s apartment in Jackie Brown.

2. Route 15 Diner

Route 15 Diner links to my creative investigation since Tarantino tends to use classic American diners in his films, as discovered. An American diner is actually included in 2/3 of my focal films:

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D. Storyboard

My storyboard relates to my creative investigation through the consistent use of shots that through my investigation I have found to be iconic of Tarantino, for example:

1. Side shots

2. Extreme close ups

3. Two shots

4. Three shots

It also includes use of editing, i.e the freeze frames and name titles used to introduce the three assassins when they enter the scene.

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C. Screenplay

LINKS TO MY CREATIVE INVESTIGATION

My script links to my creative investigation mainly through the dialogue; I’ve tried to imitate Tarantino’s famous use of language by firstly including a lot of profanity. The ‘surprise bitch’ line was mainly inspired by Kill Bill Vol 1, where Vernita Green says a similar line. Furthermore, I have included long lines of dialogue, for example, when Venus tells the story of the Farmer and The Viper: that is mainly inspired by Samuel L Jackson’s Ezekiel 25:17 speech in Pulp Fiction.

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B. Synopsis

My film will be about an ex assassin called ‘Venus’, who escaped her assassin group after stealing ten million dollars from their boss, after learning that he was going to use it to buy his freedom from the authorities but send all his assassins down. The assassins follow her to a motel room in California as their boss has ordered them to kill her and then send him a photo of her lifeless body as he keeps those as trophies. The confrontation is fierce and Venus refers to the tale of ‘The Farmer and The Viper’- a tale where a farmer helps a dying viper which in the end bites and kills the farmer, signifying you shouldn’t trust someone you know will do you harm- (which is important to remember for later on), Venus explains to the assassins what their boss was going to use the money for, and since Venus is by far the most skilled and dangerous assassin, she proposed that they either try to kill her and fail or she’ll agree to give them the money she stole, in exchange for their service. After being told about their boss’ plans to betray them they don’t know who to trust, but they hesitantly agree and Venus says that she wants them to stage the photo of her death and send it to their boss, to give him the false illusion that she is dead. Venus is not scared of many, but she knows what their boss is capable of, she tells the assassins she’ll do anything just to escape and start a new life even if that means giving up the ten million dollars. After they took the staged photo and sent it to their boss, Venus gives the assassins the briefcase with the ten million dollars in and they go off to a diner where they open it, only to find a single copy of ‘The Farmer and The Viper’, which acts as a message to the assassins how they shouldn’t have been naive enough to trust her. The scene then cuts to Venus holding the actual briefcase with the ten million dollars in, walking through town before she catches a flight far away, where the assassins can’t find her.

Act One: Pan of motel, extreme close up of Venus ‘dead’ on floor, pan of road, tracking shot of feet into motel room

Act Two: assassins knock on door, title sequences, confrontation

Act Three: assassins go in diner and open (fake) briefcase, cut to Venus holding (actual) briefcase walking into the sunset

Characters:

Each character is given a special assassin name based on which Roman Goddess their personalities are similar to. The boss of the assassin squad, known as ‘Jupe’ is self-titled and particularly interested in Roman mythology hence why he assigns his assassins Roman Goddess names. He is named after the Roman God ‘Jupiter’; the king of all God’s and Goddesses.

Main character

Venus; ‘the goddess of love and beauty’. Characteristics: fierce, confident, seductive. Uses her beauty to prey and obtain her desires. A symbol of social defiance. Defies expectations of the typical sweet innocent depiction of the goddess; hence why she betrays the squad in the end.

Assassin squad

Diana; ‘the goddess of the hunt’. Characteristics: bold, demanding, at times violent. Has a hard exterior and prefers to be alone as a survival strategy, with the exception of her fellow assassins. She can trust and love people but once they break that trust she will never fully forgive them; hence why she is so hostile towards Venus.

Vesta; ‘the goddess of hearth and home’. Characteristics: innocent, sweet and trusting. Became an assassin to protect her friends and family. Will forgive anyone who has wronged her if they prove they deserve it; is the ‘ears’ of the group and is always the most forgiving. Betraying her trust is like abandoning a puppy in cold, treacherous weather.

Minerva; ‘the goddess of war and wisdom’. Characteristics: wise, strong-willed, level headed. Seen as the voice of reason within the group and is there to uphold a sense of justice and ethics.

LINKS TO MY CREATIVE INVESTIGATION

My synopsis links back to my creative investigation in the sense that firstly, the plot focuses mainly around an ex assassin and an assassin squad with a controlling leader that you never get to see; obviously mainly influenced by Kill Bill. It is also heavily influenced by Jackie Brown since it involves some heist conventions, like the focus around money; there is the ‘switch out’ of briefcases which happens in Jackie Brown. The focus on the briefcase is also influenced by Pulp Fiction since Vincent and Jules are holding a very important briefcase that was stolen from their boss. Furthermore, the postmodern non-linear narrative structure is influenced mainly by the non-linear structure in Pulp Fiction- and Kill Bill where Vol 2 starts with the shot of her being shot in the head.

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A. Initial Ideas

Cinematography

- Extreme close up: kill bill, pulp fiction

- Tracking shot

- Side shot

- 2 shot: dual: kill bill, pulp fiction

- 3 shot: pulp fiction, kill bill, jackie brown

Mise en scene

- California/ desert

- Diner: pulp fiction, kill bill vol 2

Costume:

Kill Bill; assassin

Props:

Kill Bill; samurai swords

Pulp Fiction; guns; importance of the Briefcase

Jackie Brown; importance of the Bag with the money in, that later gets switched out

Sound

- Tarantino music:

Popular Culture (50s, 60s,70s)

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- Western music

(A lot of the popular music used also has Western undertones to add to certain scenes, e.g. Bang Bang- Nancy Sinatra, Surf Rider- The Lively Ones)

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- Dialogue: pungent and packed with profanity, also includes famous long speeches with references such as Biblical references

Editing

- Anti narrative/ Non-linear: i.e Kill Bill Vol 1 jumping straight to the revenge action, Kill Bill Vol 2 showing The Bride being shot which provokes the revenge.

- Freeze frames/ titles

GENRE CONVENTIONS

Western

Themes; man vs. nature, East vs. West, Binary of Civilisation and Savagery/ Lawlessness

Plot; typical revenge plot, includes duals/ stand offs

Character Type; traditional Western hero acts as the mediator between civiliation and the lawless frontier, commonly motivated by revenge and/or sense of justice.

Location; Western desert

Examples of films; A Fistful of Dollars (1964), The Wild Bunch (1969), The Good The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

This relates to my plans for my film since I will include the theme of binary of civilisation and savagery/lawlessness, the typical revenge plot and stand offs, as well as the main character being motivated by revenge.

Crime/ Heist

Themes; substance abuse, weaponry, man vs. establishment, social rebellion, social consciousness

Plot; three act plot- 1. preparation, 2. heist itself, 3. destructive aftermath of the heist

Character Type; In some sense an estranged victim, hard upbringing, strong sense of power and dominance

Examples; Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Heat (1995)

This relates to my plans for my film since I will include a heist aspect, where perhaps the main character tricks other characters (like in Jackie Brown) and there is a large sum of money involved in the heist.

Narrative

The narrative of my film will be based on that of both Kill Bill and Jackie Brown: it will be about an ex assassin who escaped her old assassin squad after stealing money from their leader. The assassins track her down and she persuades them to take the money if it means not killing her but telling their leader they did. However, and this is where the Jackie Brown inspiration comes from, she swaps the briefcase with the money out for an empty briefcase and escapes again before they release that she tricked them.

Narrative Theorists:

Todorov: Equilibrium Theory

1. Equilibrium: the assassin is living her life after escaping her squad

2. Disruption: the squad track her down and threaten to kill her

3. New equilibrium: the assassin makes a deal with the squad

Vladimir Propp: Character Theory

1. False hero- as the assassin is the main character of the film we assume she is the protagonist, however she purposefully defies expectations and turns out to trick the other characters.

2. Dispatchers- the assassin squad, holding her accountable for her devious actions

Messages & Values

-Rejection of expectations: we expect the female main character to be the protagonist but she turns out to be the antagonist- postmodernism

-Confusion over time and space/ postmodernism: the modern day assassins are given names of roman goddesses, and the characters are a warped, modern day equivalent of those goddesses, that very much defies the original characteristics.

-Feminism: defies the stereotypical female role in film, all of the characters are female and very strong in their own way; the main character, Venus (named after the goddess of love and beauty), would be expected to act ladylike and be completely focused on pleasing men, but I plan to completely avert that expectation.

-The Farmer and the Viper: never trust someone who you know will deceive you

-Roman Goddesses: the assassin squad will have given assassin names (by their leader) that relates to their character type.

1. Venus- goddess of love and beauty (main character)

2. Diana- goddess of the hunt

3. Minerva- goddess of war and wisdom

4. Vesta- goddess of hearth and home

The leader of the group is called Jupiter (’Jupe’ for short) which he has given himself since it is the Roman ‘king of the gods and goddesses’

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