AQA GCSE Media Studies Student Book

35 In the montage, the brief shot of April being attacked by Corakinus establishes conflict between hero and villain. The equilibrium has been broken by a disruption. This signals to the audience the start of a quest in which they can expect twists and turns for the hero as she overcomes dangers and challenges in the mission to recover a prized object: her own heart. Perhaps, though, the complex set of enigmas in the pre-title sequence could put off potential viewers because it suggests a demanding narrative that will require the full attention of the viewers. The enigmas set up in the title sequence include: • How will Corakinus exert power over April now that he can hear her thoughts? • What steps will it take to get total control of the heart? • What will April do with the sword that has appeared in her hand? • What does it mean? These questions are the puzzles for the audience and they hold many narrative pleasures for the audience as the fundamental conflict between April and the Shadow King is played out. In Propp’s terms, we have a hero, a villain and, in the other teenagers, a group of helpers. The sword appears to be a magical gift, although we do not yet know the identity of the donor. It also suggests that the increasingly powerful shared heart means that Corakinus and April are somehow merging and that the conflict may take place within each one of them as well as between them. The reward (princess) sought by April is ownership of a whole heart. As well as good vs evil, other binary oppositions emerge: • Youth vs Age • Human vs Alien • Good looking vs Ugly • Humane vs Brutal • Female vs Male • Civilisation vs Wilderness • Familiar vs Unknown. Various narrative codes are used to locate the audience in time and place. These include the ‘Previously’ caption associated with the montage, the establishing shot of Corakinus’ fortress and the transition to April’s bedroom. Continuity is provided by the urgent non-diegetic soundtrack that links the entire sequence. In common with many television dramas, the period of balance and harmony is non-existent in this opening sequence (although it is reasserted after the titles). It has become a convention to ‘front load’ dramas with intense action, so that audiences can be attracted by action codes as well as enigmas. This sequence certainly has plenty of examples of ‘cause and effect’ action. For example, as soon as ‘the anchor fails’ we see the king’s anger and Rannus cringing. His execution follows immediately. For some viewers, this focus on the visceral pleasures of action rather than the cerebral pleasures of equilibrium followed by disruption may be a turn-off, but most of the young adult target audience expect reassurance from the start that the narrative will be driven by action. Enigma: what will April do with the alien swords that have mysteriously appeared in her bedroom? Binary oppositions: the familiar college world versus … … the unknown Shadow Kingdom. Visceral pleasure A type of audience pleasure that is like a physical experience. Cerebral pleasure Pleasure of the mind rather than the body. Key terms See Chapter 3, page 100 for more on audience pleasure. Link 1 Media Language