Barthes
Enigma Codes - Action - What is happening
Symbolic - The symbolism found in what we see
Enigma - The mystery the questions being asked
Levi Strauss
Binary Opposition - Good vs Evil
Man vs female
Rich vs Poor
Todorov
Structure - Equilibrium
Disruption of equilibrium
Restoration of Equilibrium
New Equilibrium
Obstacles and coming over obstacles throughout the story.
Propp
Characters - The Hero
The Villain
The Donner
The Dispatcher
The False Hero
The Helper
The Princess
Her Father
Tordorov Narrative Theories applied to a short video.
Equilibrium - Just normal baby sitting of a baby.
Equilibrium disrupted - Baby is running around the house and the baby sitter cant control it, the baby sitters obstacle is to control the baby.
New Equilibrium - Has control of the baby again, the audience waits for what will go wrong next, the card showing to the baby seems normal.
New Disruption - The baby see's the fire card and set alight into a fire baby, this is the new obstacle which disrupts how the baby sitter is going about it "new normal".
Equilibrium changed - The sitter hands off the baby to someone else and now she is changed because she knows about this crazy freak of a baby.
Barthes Narritive Theories shown through out the opening scene from a film called The Prestige.
Enigma Code - Why are all the hats in the forest?
"Are you watching closely?" Why must I look closely?
Who is this old narrator magician? Whats his connection to the big theatre magic trick?
What is the relationship with he man doing the trick on stage and the man rushing back stage?
Action Code - Bird cage flattened.
Running trick on stage as well as trick with the bird.
Water tank locked with magician inside .
Mans hand against the glass.
Symbolic Code - Hats - magicians, why so many in a forest? could mean its a magicians graveyard, how many magicians die to perform a could trick, what will be pulled out of the hat?
The clothing is of the Victorian time.
The bird in the trick represents the trick that is going on on stage, the bird in the cage is the victim.
My Choice...
List of the shots in order, how long they last and what you see.
Key Action Points
1st shot - sets up the enigma
5th, 6th, 7th - introduce characters
17th - Bridge sign gives setting of Chicago
27th - Jumping the bridge gap, shows how crazy these characters are and how nonchalant they can be about what they do.
33rd Final Shot - Pulling up outside an orphanage, more enigmas.
Enigma Points
Why was John in prison?
Why do the Blues Brothers dress in that way?
Who even are the blues brothers?
Do they always do things like jumping over the bridge and is that why they reacted in such a nonchalant manor or are they insane?
Are they connected to the orphanage?
Symbol Points
The characters are serious shown through there use of suits, sunglasses (eyes are the gateway to the soul), little speech to each other except for small talk about car.
The blues soul music starts during the title sequence, so the title of blues brothers is backed up by blues music so it isn't interpreted that the brothers are just sad but instead blues musicians.
They care about the way they look to people hence there character looks, black tie suit, black sunglasses and john adjusts his collar in shot 9.
The police car is used for irony of John being in prison which we still don't know what for.
