/// GENERAL CONVENTIONS: General media language

Sound

Audio bridges often go over the final ident to transition into the main film
Foley sound is when the audio is recorded in post-production
Successful ambient sound achieves verisimilitude and continuity editing
Music can be non-diegetic or diegetic
Music is used to signify genres i.e slow smooth piano music might be linked to a romance
In horror, music quite often cuts off at a sudden moment (false scare)

Other than this, music quite often fades out/in

Many movies have music produced for the movie (can be a way of bringing more of an audience to the film)

Movies can also use pre-existing music

Typically, large budget movies will have foley sound recorded

First shot

First shot is opening 30 seconds of film

Hot fuzz has an ongoing 30 second shot to open (shortly followed by a transition)
ELS conventional first establishing shot
verisimilitude
Used for exposition
Sometimes audio bridge
Often diegetic scene
Sound often exaggerated
Often narrative enigma on setting and protagonist
always genre significations in first shot however can leave polysemy

Titles often run over

Central Protagonist + Narrative

Different theories surrounding narrative structure include:

Propp - 7 character archetypes

Todorov - (narrative structure) equilibrium to disequilibrium to new equilibrium

Levi-Strauss - binary opposites

Roland Barthes - narrative enigma

The 7 character archetypes Propp discovered were the hero, helper, villain, false hero, donor, dispatcher and princess. Hero is often shown through establishing shots. Hero will always be the central protagonist in the movie. Often narrative enigma on the main character at the start.

Narrative enigma is when there is a mystery in the narrative.

Todorov's theory states that there is a brief 5 point structure that many films follow. This is:

• Equilibrium 
• Disruption of equilibrium
• Recognition of this disruption
• An attempt to repair the damage
• New equilibrium

Levi-Strauss proposed an idea that al films have binary opposites. This is when one character is the opposite to another (male/female, lower-class/upper-class, sporty/nerdy)

Mise-en-scene for exposition

Directors achieve exposition through mise-en-scene using props, costume, make-up, body language, setting and set-design. Replaces the need for voice-overs and/or any diegetic dialogue. Links to the theme of simulacra, believing there is always an ongoing chain of signifiers, and everything is set up in the miseducating-en-scene to connote something.

Transitioning to main film

Audio bridges

Crossfade to/from black