Narrative- LoveField

Narrative- ‘Love Field’

Apply theorists and terms to short film.

In the film ‘Love Field’ for the first part of the film, the audience are shown the story through restricted narration, this means that the audience knows less or the same as the characters, restricted narration is usually used to create enigma. As the film opens, the audience gets a sense of a thriller or horror movie through the technical codes. The colouring is muted and the clouds suggest problems or all is not right through pathetic fallacy.

Bordwell and Thompson’s theory of plot and story can be applied to this film, as we see the plot unfolding, through restricted narration the audience creates assumptions, we as an audience only see the plot, which is the order chosen to tell the story, the events are ‘plotted’ to create the narrative. However as the end comes we see the story was actually chronological but the way we were positioned through the restricted narration we only see the events of the plot.

The film uses restricted narration for the majority of the film, for example the crow is used to create atmosphere of thriller or horror as we are brought into the action. Restricted narration is used to create shock or atmosphere. Engima is created through the props used, for example the phone beeping and lying down, the bag with money thrown down, creates questions in the audience, enigma/action codes are used to create the narrative. The focus pull is used to keep the audiences attention and continue asking questions.

In Todorov’s theory, the 5 stages of a film which explains how classic and simple linear narrative is organised, we appear to be at the disruption in the story. Todorov’s theory explains that films go through 5 stages to tell a story, starting at an equilibrium, which is disrupted, then a confrontation of the disruption, resolution where the problems are resolved and then a new equilibrium is established. In ‘Love Field’ we appear to of entered the story in the disruption, however as the film is using restricted narration to create enigma for the audience, at the end of the film Todorov’s theory can be properly applied when we see the man was confronting the problem, ending in a resolution when the police arrive, and a new equilibrium with the woman and her baby.

Barthes Action and Enigma codes are used all throughout this film, with the suggestions of a thriller or horror genre, with the crow, and the action taking place, the abandoned phone, bag and money all suggest a problem has occurred, the crow is a visual code to suggest a thriller. The knife visually creates shock and enigma as the audience is kept in the dark about what is going on.

Other narrative theories cannot be applied mainly to the film, such as Propp’s character types as the audience are shown the plot through restricted narration, and the character tropes change as the story is revealed. Claude Levi-Strauss’ binary oppositions cannot be applied to the narrative of the film.