P1 - NARRATIVE ARC

NARRATIVE ARC
OF EACH EPISODE

1st STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT:

The narrative arc of Croak is currently quite difficult to distribute between episodes - I've given it another go below.

2nd STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT

Edit notes

The edits I have made after taking on feedback from my pitch are in blue. I thought that it would be interesting, as mentioned in the retrospective I wrote before Unit 22, to turn Croak into a murder mystery rather than just a story about losing a frog and a conspiracy. 

• EPISODE 1 (PILOT) - Everything goes a bit wrong    +

It’s yet another Sunday and Fen is investigating her biggest case yet - a thief. That is to say, a stationary thief. The worst kind.

In which Fen is a journalist, not a detective.

1. A young girl stumbles across a body in an alleyway. She rushes off to her mother, who works in the clock shop, and tells her (and a customer she's talking to) what she found. The clocks all chime 12. They rush off, the mother murmuring about fixing those clocks so that they don't go off at twelve every day. The three find the body again - it is a councillor of the town. They all go off to get someone else, like the police.
   Once they have left, Fen Marsh slinks into the alleyway and looks at the body, very conscious of other people coming back and finding her there. She followed the child, her mother and the customer at the mention of a dead body. MAYBE END PROLOGUE HERE. (She goes up to the body and investigates around in a hurry, snapping pictures of things, and then she runs away.)
2. Fen gets to the club - meets lotus on the way
   Fen Marsh gets ready for journalism club, throwing on a jumper and stuffing things into her backpack. She has notes and stationary littered about everywhere - in particular, she has notes on the recent murder. She picks these up and folds them carefully, tucking them into her coat pocket. Watering one of her plants with her water bottle, she hustles out the door and shuts the door - she forgets to lock it and has to turn back around to do that. Then, she's off.
   
   
   Along the way, she gets held up by Lotus - she wants to chat and Fen is very antsy. They have a brief conversation before Fen can leave (rather impolitely) and go to her club. We learn that the university campus is mostly empty because it's a school break.
3. 
   
   Fen gets to her club and startles everyone, she mumbles her sorries and bundles into a chair by her friend, Aster. She's bursting to tell her and cryptically reveals that she has a 'big story' in the works. In the meanwhile, aster asks her to help with a story she has to write up - it's about a stationary thief. Fen reluctantly agrees.
   
   
4. 
   
   Fen cuts it close and nearly gets caught, chased by security 
5. Fen gets back to the clubroom, bangs on the door etc

• EPISODE 2    +

1. FEN AND PINE INVESTIGATE 
2. FEN GOES TO THE BOGS AND GETS MUDDY
3. FEN COMES BACK AND FINDS HER APARTMENT OPEN
4. SHE FINDS OUT ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND PASSAGES - SOMEONE BROKE IN AND LEFT HER A KEY

• EPISODE 3    + AN UNEVENTFUL DAY

1. ASTER CONVINCES FEN TO HAVE A DAY OFF, WHICH FEN PROMPTLY IGNORES. BEHIND ASTER’S BACK, SHE GOES TO INVESTIGATE THE TUNNELS UNDER THE SCHOOL
2. SHE HAS QUITE THE TIME AND EMERGES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN
3. DAMP AND MUDDY, SHE TREDGES BACK TO HER APARTMENT AND GREETS PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY
4. SHE HAS A BATH AND PRETENDS THAT SHE WAS THERE ALL ALONG

• EPISODE 4    +

1. FEN OPENS HER DOOR TO FIND MOSS HAS COME HOME FROM THE GEOGRAPHY TRIP IN ICELAND HE WAS ON EARLY
2. FEN TAKES MOSS TO A CAFE TO CATCH HIM UP
3. THEY GO BACK TO INVESTIGATE THE ROOMS FROM BEFORE. FEN FINDS A COUPLE OF ARTICLES SHOVED INTO THE BOOKSHELF IN OSCAR’S ROOM ABOUT ‘WITCH HUNTERS’. THEY LOOK REAL. SHE ASKS MOSS TO TAKE A PHOTO OF THEM AND HE MAKES FUN OF HER FLIP PHONE. THE TWO COME OUT OF THE ROOM AND BUMP INTO LOTUS (SHE SAYS SHE’S VISITING SOMEONE)
4. THEY BOTH FEEL LIKE THEYRE BEING WATCHED ON THE WAY HOME, BUT LOTUS WALKS WITH THEM - IT CAN’T BE HER 

• EPISODE 5    +

1. FEN, ASTER AND MOSS GO TO MEET UP IN THE NEWS CLUB ROOM AND DISCUSS WHEN THEY FIND IT CLOSED BECAUSE IT’S BEING PAINTED, FEN SLIPS AWAY FROM THE GROUP BECAUSE OF AN INKLING
2. FEN MEETS LOTUS IN THE CAFE FROM BEFORE, WHERE SHE’S DOING WORK. THEY HAVE A CRYPTIC TALK ABOUT THE PAINT AND THEN FEN SEES OSCAR, THE MAN WITH THE LOST CAT, AND SHE SCOOTS OFF TO TALK TO HIM

• EPISODE 6    +

1. FEN IS SUSPICIOUS OF LOTUS, WHO SHE FOLLOWS INTO TOWN.
2. LOTUS MEETS WITH THE WITCH COUNCIL, AND FEN IS FOUND WATCHING. SHE LEARNS ABOUT WITCHES AFTER CATCHING THEM OUT.
3. LOTUS CALLS HER “MARSH” AND ALL THE WITCHES IN THE ROOM GET CAGEY, FEN IS KICKED OUT AND SO IS LOTUS - LOTUS DIDN’T SEEM COMFORTABLE IN THE MEETING. THE TWO HAVE A TALK ABOUT WITCHES AND FEN IS LEFT CONFUSED AT WHY HER NAME WAS SO POLARISING. THEY TALK ABOUT HOW MOSS, DESPITE BEING ADOPTED, IS VERY MUCH A MEMBER OF THE MARSH FAMILY.

• EPISODE 7    +

1. IT’S A NEW DAY AND, OF COURSE, MOSS IS MISSING FROM THEIR SHARED APARTMENT. FEN THINKS HE’S MAYBE GONE OUT EARLY AND MUSES ABOUT THE FACT THAT GEOGRAPHY, HIS CHOSEN ELECTIVE, SUCKS. THEN SHE FINDS A NOTE PINNED TO HER CORKBOARD THAT SHE HADN’T NOTICED. HE’S BEEN KIDNAPPED.
2. FEN HAS A TENSE WRITING CLASS - IN WHICH SHE HAS A TERSE CONVERSATION WITH LOTUS -  AND THEN SHE’S FREE FOR THE DAY. SHE BUMPS INTO ASTER ALONG THE WAY AND ASTER HAS NEVER SEEN HER PANIC BEFORE. SHE GOES BACK TO THE CATACOMBS, AS THE NOTE SAID, AND TREDGES THROUGH TO FIND HER BROTHER.
3. FEN FINDS HIM UNCONSCIOUS IN A ROOM OFF THE MAIN TUNNEL, SURROUNDED BY CLOAKED FIGURES WHO TURN OUT TO BE PEOPLE FEN KNOWS. ONE OF THEM IS OSCAR - HIS CAT’S AT HIS FEET - AND SHE’S VERY SURPRISED.
4. THEY TALK TO HER AND EXPLAIN THE PLAN.
5. LOTUS WALKS IN NEXT TO HER AND CLOSES THE DOOR. “FEN. THOUGHT I’D FIND YOU HERE” OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.

• EPISODE 8    +

1. FEN TALKS TO THE GANG AND THEY CONFIRM THAT SHE’S THE HEIR OF A WITCH HUNTING FAMILY. SHE ASSURES THEM SHE WASN’T RAISED TO BE ONE.
2. TENSE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE MISSING PETS AND MOTIVE - FEN ASKS WHAT LOTUS’ MOTHER DID TO BE EXPELLED FROM THE COUNCIL. LOTUS DOESN’T KNOW - NOBODY WILL TELL HER, EVEN WHEN SHE BEGS. MOSS WAKES UP.
3. FEN TAKES CONTROL OF THE SITUATION, ACTUALLY ANGRY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE. SHE TAKES THE WHOLE GANG INTO TOWN TO THE COUNCIL TO ASK THEM PERSONALLY WHY THEY EXPELLED LOTUS’ MOTHER. 
4. THEY ALL BURST INTO THE MEETING ROOM AND EACH GROUP STARES THE OTHER DOWN. SHE IS RECOGNISED AS “THE MARSH GIRL” AND SHE TELLS THEM TO LET LOTUS KNOW. SHE’S ALSO SECRETLY VERY CURIOUS. 
5. FEN STARTS WANDERING AROUND AND ROOTING ABOUT IN THEIR STUFF “IF YOU WON’T TELL US, I’LL JUST FIND OUT”.
6. SHE FINDS A PICTURE OF A WOMAN THAT LOOKS LIKE LOTUS IN A DRAWER WHILST BEING YELLED AT, IN THE MIDST OF A DISBELIEVING ARGUMENT. MOSS CROUCHES NEXT TO HER IN SOLIDARITY. 
7. THE COUNCIL END UP TELLING THEM THAT LOTUS’ MOTHER WANTED TO DRIVE NON-WITCHES OUT OF NGAIO, BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED THEY SHOULN’T HAVE TO HIDE.
8. AFTER IT ALL, LOTUS STORMS OFF AND FEN FOLLOWS TO AWKWARDLY COMFORTS HER. THE REST OF THE GANG SHOW UP (LOTUS’ GROUP, BUT NOT THE COUNCIL) AND FEN IS SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE, BUT NOT ANNOYED.
9. SMALL TIMESKIP FOR THE END OF SEASON 1, FEN HAS WRITTEN THE STORY UP - WITH A LOT OF EDITS TO KEEP THE WITCH SECRET - LOTUS GAVE HER PERMISSION TO WRITE ABOUT HER. FEN STEPS OUTSIDE TO WALK WITH HER NEWFOUND FRIENDS (MOSS, ASTER, LOTUS AND OSCAR TAGS ALONG WITH HIS CAT, PANDORA). 

FIN

REPRESENTATION

ATB - ATTACK THE BLOCK, our case study film

REPRESENTATION
The way in which people are portrayed in the media - presenting something to an audience with a particular slant or agenda. Nothing in the media is wholly real and true - audiences are constantly shown imitations of reality and the world around them.
As media students, our job is to work out what agenda creators have and why we're being shown the things on screen:

• WHAT IS YOUR AGENDA?
• WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS?

HOW DOES THAT APPLY TO ATB?
Attack the block presents a certain number of situations, people and issues such as:

• SOUTH LONDON
• CULTURE
• DRUG CULTURE
• RACE
• CLASS

STEREOTYPES IN ATB
A key aspect of media representation. Stereotypes are used in ATB and then undermined later, implying that the film makers believe these stereotypes to be shallow and false. In the film, we can spot stereotypes such as:

• A GANG OF YOUTHS ATTACKING SOMEONE
• STONERS
• INNOCENT WHITE WOMAN
• SCARY DRUGLORD
• ALIENS FROM SPACE ATTACK EARTH

MISE-EN-SCENE AND REPRESENTATION
Mise-en-scene simply means 'what's on screen' - obviously, this plays a big role in representation. In ATB:

• SOUTH LONDON COUNCIL ESTATE REPRESENTED REALISTICALLY, NO GLAMOUR
• COSTUMES NOT GLAMOROUS, ACCURATE

NARRATIVE 2

ATTACK THE BLOCK
IN TERMS OF THEORIES

HAPPY ENDINGS VS. NEW EQUILIBRIUM
TODOROV'S THEORY

Todorov's theory tells of an ending called a 'new equilibrium'. At first glance this may seem like a happy ending typical of romance or fairytales, but in actuality describes a new normal for the characters in a story. These don't have to be a happy ending, just an ending with a new state of being. It provides either a sense of accomplishment or unease, depending on which direction your ending goes.

Usually, horror and sci-fi have less textbook happy endings as a convention - horror often has a new equilibrium in which things have changed for the worse (maybe a few people have died, the main character can never forget trauma).
The opposite to that could be romance, in which there is often some kind of positive new equilibrium at the end.

NARRATIVE

How stories are told
so what's your story? casual, love narratives
is life a narrative, is a day, a relationship
everything random but causality, we want to makee stories to make sense of the world
cave paintings!!!!! hunter goes out, finds animal, shoot
always, as long as able to ommunicate

fILM NARRATIVES
the way a story is told, how meaning is constructed to achieve audiences understanding
groups events into cause and effect - action and inaction
variation - different perspectives change the narrative, whose story is it
EVERYONE IN LIFE HS THEIR OW NARRATIVE, SAME THINGS HAPPENING BUT MULTIPLE NARRATIVES
not the same as story

we love causality - one thing is caused by before thing, helps make sense of world for brains, narratives organise stories so they can be understood
reality TV - Emma having a bad day, see her having a bad day - caused by something else. narratives are fictitious in reality tv because life is not a story
we like chronology
religion gives us a narrative - god, person has bad luck because they did evil thing - my crops failed because I didn't do the thing to make the thing happen, god pray etc

narrative voice - whose story
ATB - sams perspective we see Moses how she sees him!!! relatable narrative voice, not Moses perspective necessarily

NARRATIVE PLOT
everything audibly or visibly present

narratives are selective - film covers a week but
narrative plot is an hour - decide what to show
narrative story - everything that happens
narrative plot - what we choose to show of all the things

Brewis - story, not plot -- he's offscreen a lot

FAIRYTALES AS KIDS
RELIGION
SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH
CULTURAL PHENOMENA
NEWS EVENTS
DREAM,S

ARISTOTLE SAYS
a beginning, middle, end
over 2000 years ago
ATB INTO BEGINNING, MIDDLE, END - three act structure

beginning - aliens introduced
middle - getting to the weed room (rising action)
end - moses changes attitude, big explosion Moses running bit (climax), hanging from the thing and being arrested (end)

TODOROVS THEORY - disagreed with Aristotle
e q u I l I b r I u m - everything normal and fine
disruption 0 something bad happens to get ij the way of protag
recognition - characters recognise the disruption happened
attempt - characters attempt to repair the situation, put it right
restoration of a new equilibrium - yay everything is put back, new normal. character or situation changed but order is restored. not saying it has to be a good ending, just a new state of being

ATB -
equilibrium - normal robbing someone for the gang, Moses is a gang member and sam is avoiding dodgy people on her estate
disruption - meteorite falls
recognition - realising the gang weren't lying about aliens for sam, police van - her perspective
attempt - try to hide but then decide to kill the aliens, they do it in the end
restoration - some friends are dead but aliens are gone, back to being arrested like a regular criminal, normal life as a gang BUT Moses is a Nero on the block and sam, is a friend now
new equilibrium in a t b is that Moses reforms himself, different people in the block can talk to each other

VLADIMIR PROPP
studied Russian folktales and fairytales and decided that all narratives have a similar structure
shaped and directed by certain characters not actions
narratives are character driven - interactions between them
a function is a plot motif or event in the story
SEVEN CHARACTER TYPES - CALLED FUNCTIONS:

VILLAIN aliens, hi hat, the police!!! police win technically - as monstrous as aliens
DONOR pre[pares hero or provides a magical agent
HELPER
PRINCESS sought after person who marries hero or punishes villain
DISPATCHER sends hero off
HERO 
FALSE HERO pretending to be the real hero

hi-hat is like a false villain
a t b doesn't have clear cut roles which makes it unconventional
Moses is the hero?
helpers and dispatchers - Brewis realises the alien goop thing, sam helps, Ron helps,


CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS
studied myths and legends

we make sense of the world using binary opposites - narratives organised around these binary opposites. conflict, natural opposition has to happen or there's no story, makes it interesting, no narrative without conflict
good vs. evil
black vs. white
male vs. female
democracy vs. dictatorship

narrative is about what's shown onscreen, and we wouldn't't be shown the mundane boring bits
ATB:
not human vs. human
authorities vs. youth/hoodlums
old vs. young
strong vs. weak
hurting vs. healing (nurse)
lower class vs. middle class vs. working class
moral vs. immoral
action vs. inaction
knowledge vs. confusion
order vs. chaos

FINAL SCENE ESSAY

ATTACK THE BLOCK IS A SUCCESSFUL HYBRID OF ACTION AND SCI-FI. DISCUSS, WITH REFERENCE TO THE FINAL SCENE.
[12 MARKS]

Attack The Block could be categorised as either an action or sci-fi film because it contains the codes and conventions of each. These are both examples of genre, which is a way of classifying media based on its individual characteristics - usually to the end of better marketing the media product in question. There is a slight issue with the statement at hand in that, whilst this film is indeed a hybrid - a media product that doesn't quite fit into one genre in particular - it spans more than just the two genres mentioned. Attack The Block is an example of a hybrid of three different genres, those being action, sci-fi and horror.

We are able to discuss the lengths to which each genre shows up in Attack The Block by first taking a look at the mise-en-scene. Colour is a very important aspect of this film; it can convey a great deal of meaning and influence a reader in certain ways. This film uses a noticeable amount of blue lighting - a popular convention of sci-fi films and media, and an effect created with coloured gels. It gives the events of the film an ethereal quality, which contrasts well with the down-to-earth location that was chosen for its setting. In the scene where Moses leaps over the aliens, the multicoloured lighting effects convey this same feeling. There are, however, conventions of other genres conveyed through colour in this film - although a little bit more subtle. In one shot, we see that Pest's shoes are black and yellow along with the warning labels on his firework rockets. Black and yellow are aposematic colours, usually seen conveying danger in nature (if you've ever noticed the colours of bees and wasps). In action, black and yellow are often used to convey danger and are very noticeable to top it off. Action conventions can also be spotted in further props, such as the sword Moses carries. However, the alien head strapped to his back could be seen as both an action and sci-fi convention. It paints Moses, who carries it, in a heroic light whilst also being unsettling to look at. One feature in particular that can be attributed solely to action is the use of the Union Jack that essentially saves Moses' life. In action, we can often see a strong sense of patriotism - many American action films feature the president of their country or a good many flags. It's interesting to see the Union Jack being used in this way, almost as if to parody or comment on the patriotism we see in Hollywood blockbuster action films.

Sound is used in this film to great effect, and it is here where we find the boldest horror conventions. Diegetic effects in horror films can create or break tension and really mould the experience a viewer has with the media product. The most effective example of this convention is when Moses steps into his apartment. The sounds the door makes are heightened to build tension and, in the crucial moment, the lighter won't light - this is when the sound design tells its own story. The loud sounds of the lighter combined with the closed in, claustrophobic camera create a distinct feeling of tension that could either be attributed to horror or sci-fi. The music fits action conventions quite closely; it's variable throughout the last few minutes to allow characters to speak and dramatic moments to happen, but there is a crescendo at the very end paired with chanting from outside the van Moses and Pest are sat it. It influences viewers' emotions in a way often identified in action films, with the glory of defeating monsters at the very end. Attack the block is, however, unconventional in this regard as well. The cut to silence and black at the very end of the film, before the credits, will likely leave viewers unsatisfied and questioning.

The editing of Attack The Block is crucial to the overall feeling of the film. It uses a particular sequence of slow motion wherein Moses leaps over the aliens; this use of heroic movement combined with the slowed down pace is blatantly attributed to the action genre. There's an invisible cut in this sequence when an alien runs by the camera, contributing to the overall smoothness and epic scale of this sequence. Quite a bit of the editing contributes to the element of sci-fi in Attack The Block, such as the blue tint to the film, the alien teeth effect (notably, a bright cyan-blue) and the strobe lighting on the stairwell as Moses hurtles down it. These combine into a hybrid, as has been said, between sci-fi and action.

The camerawork in Attack The Block is very reminiscent of action films on the whole, certainly in the shot in which Moses is stood in central composition with leading lines framing him on either side.  It's very heroic and certainly looks like action. The film definitely feels more like an action than any other genre once you get into all of the camerawork, for example: lots of static wide shots that zoom inward are used to create a sense of the epic and exciting. This kind of larger-than-life effect is attributed to action. The film also uses closeups, although sparingly, for moments of emotion or reaction that give a sense of raw honesty. They contrast well with the ultra-action wide shots and influence the viewer into sympathising with the characters. There's a scene nearer the end in which the camera tracks downwards to reveal Moses hanging from a Union Jack flag. This downward motion, as well as revealing his position, creates the illusion of movement that grips attention and feels quite action-oriented. There is a technique used that could be considered a horror convention - the focus pull. One famous example of a focus pulls in Jaws, a very popular horror film.

To conclude, Attack The Block is most definitely a hybrid - one between three genres. Action conventions are very bold and noticeable, which influences the feel of the film very distinctly towards the action genre. Deborah Knight's theory on audience pleasure states that audiences enjoy predictability, so long as the journey to the conclusion is interesting. Action films may be predictable - we knew that Moses would triumph at the end - but the way we got there was interesting enough to carry the film to successful status. In fact, the ending dodged total predictability by having the open-ended and bittersweet arrests at the end (more a convention of sci-fi or horror). There is certainly, on that topic, no denying the sci-fi editing techniques or the telltale sounds and closeups of a horror film. All three work together in a blend to convey a very unique story that anyone would be hard-pressed to replicate. Hybrids may not be the best way forward in a marketing sense, but makes for interesting viewing.

NOTES FOR LATER, PLEASE IGNORE:
is there a reference to the shining?? when Ron (nick frost) opens the door???

GENRE THEORY

NOTES

Donnie Darko genre bending?

is starwars a western?
desert, standoffs
hero, good vs. evil
clothing?

genre is massively important in film industry - marketing, putting in boxes. every film that's released, have you seen that new horror film? categorised, organised, find and watch and choose
genre audience connection, choose what to watch , niche audiences to market to - promoting is all about safety because films are expensive - you'll at least appeal to someone
the expanse on Netflix. good

hybrids break boundaries

codes and conventions
things normally found in that genre
things that create meaning

codes - technical and symbolic, the thing
technical - equipment being used to tell a story, how it's made (shaky camera, jumpscares)
symbolic - under the surface, moods and feelings (creepy feeling, sad feeling)
music fits both tech and symbolic

conventions - accepted way of doing something generally, is the thing typical
eg. magazines look like magazines, newspapers look like newspapers etc.
how it's conventionally used vs. how it is used etc. (shaky camera is a convention of horror)

western codes
browns, yellows, oranges
costumes
horses
dusty, desert, saloons
American Wild West

western conventions

why do we watch them?
human revenge stories, lawless, about the narrative
redefining the genre, moral grey areas, not good vs. evil, more realistic

 our genres
action, scifi, comedy

attack the block is a hybrid
conforms and goes against
no love interest character
group (although Moses is the leader, protagonist)
set in the present, set in England, not high budget

theory
universities, professors etc
nobody planned the media, sat down and said media is going to be this
organic way over years
oh god look at this thing we've made
tells us about human beings because we did it
categorising and breaking down
for future media

important theorists

Daniel chandler - genres are a set of elements shared between texts/films
ATB has this - multiple genre conventions

Deborah knight - satisfaction is guaranteed with genre, prolonged anticipation for things you know are going to happen - safety net, you know what's going to happen and seeing how we get there is pleasurable
attack the block ends like an action film, he beats the monsters. conventional to action, not scifi. BUT we get there in a different way and he's arrested. unconventional to action. Moses plot armour 

Steve neale - no pleasure without difference, pleasure is derived from repetition and difference - you like to see the same things in a genre but done in different ways - pleasure is derived from the differences
ATB is unconventional - antihero mugging someone at the start. gets arrested at the end, no clean victory. no scientist character but you do have the posh guy, realistic in some regards/respects

Jonathan culler - connection between creator and audience, certain expectations to meet, allowing compliance and deviation - can change things or repeat them to establish a connection with your audience and speak to them through your film (you are a reader if you watch a film) - you expect things in the unspoken contract, the creator delivers on that expectation or subverts it - like a conversation
ATB marketed as an action, not a sci-fi. wider audience for action. its also a social commentary/comedy - not technically an action film, peril isn't throughout, moments of comedy without peril  
ATB is low budget and British, and independent, not just trying to tick boxes - social commentary usiual;y found in British independent films rather than Hollywood (council estate commentary, race commentary) see: Edgar wright films. people were probably disappointed with the lack of action, sci-fi etc because it did bad at the box office 

roles - who has the hero? antihero? damsel in distress? villain? etc.

TYING IT ALL UP

very rough summary of ATB genre.
ATB is a hybrid of action, horror, comedy, sci-fi and social commentary. It was marketed mostly as an action film, however despite this it has elements mores of comedy and social commentary. it has conventions of each genre, however subverting others. For example, it has fight scenes like an action film would have. We can find codes of the action genre, such as blue lighting which is created by using gel thingies slotted over the camera lens. It also has a male lead, which is very conventional to the genre. The presentation of masculinity is a Whole Thing in action films but I won't go into it yet.
It uses tracking shots along corridors which is a big convention of the sci-fi genre.

It also uses flickering lights, which works for either sci-fi or horror. it has moments of comedy as well which play into conventions of both action and comedy - action films often have a few jokes peppered in. ATB also has jumpscares, a solid convention of the horror genre that is sometimes shared with both action and sci-fi. characters being picked off one by one, when they're alone, is also a convention of the horror genre. big monsters are a convention of horror and action, but sometimes action films (like war of the worlds) are based around alien invasions.

ATB conforms to each of these genres a bit, but subverts certain parts of them all as well. it's a hybrid, which are notoriously difficult to market and don't tend to do too well. people often leave feeling quite disappointed with the film, because they had certain expectations that were left unfulfilled. they may feel, as culler says, that their 'contract' was not honoured.

M1 - SWOT ANALYSIS

CROAK
A die-hard journalism student, determined to write a big story and get into the business, latches onto every small thing life throws at her. Fortunately, this small thing in particular grows and grows - until she realises she might just be in over her head. What else to do from there but dive right in, headfirst?

This idea seems the strongest and most interesting to me - I'll be taking this one forward into development.

STUFFED

A witch takes a trip to the big city when his father dies to make his fortune. His intention is to build up the taxidermy business they shared in the village he just left, but life all on his own in a city is scarier than he thought it would be. With some help from new friends, he finds his footing.

This idea is interesting but there perhaps isn't enough drama.

PART-TIME CUPID

A self-obsessed student accidentally discovers a talent for matchmaking people around her. Unbeknownst to her, somebody is watching her do this - and that someone isn't what you'd expect. Follow the bizarre life of Violette Pith as she navigates a world driven by love, which has never interested her before.

I like this idea but it calls for quite a large cast and feels like a longer story than regular BBC3 drama series.