Make notes on Lacey’s repertoire of elements as you watch the episode.
Element
Conventions
Setting(mise en scene/locations)
Office – with aspects that look similar to an insane asylumwith the Featureless, sterile, and repetitive workspaces, symbolizing the monotony and dehumanization of corporate life. Costumes as suitable office attire, making the text seem all the more immersive for the viewer and making the piece realistic while also presenting an ominous atmosphere, forcing the viewer to second guess themselves to whether or not something sinister is actually going on. In addition the this, the costumes are bland and lack any representations of character traits, this dehumanizes the characters and
Characters(representations, stereotypes, behavior, body language, specific actors/stars) Consider Propps character types.
Woman is trapped- woman is the victim which is a typical stereotype. Male character is scene to be In Control which represents the typical stereotype of the workplace, where men have more power than woman.
Narrative events(how is the narrative ordered and structured? Is it elliptical?)
The episode begins with a flash forward to a scene which the first 20 minutes of the episode will build up towards. The remainder of the episode follows both mark and Hally The narrative of Severance Episode 1 is nonlinear and mysterious. It switches between Mark’s work and home life, showing their separation. The episode begins with Helly waking up confused, revealing information slowly. Key moments, like moving between work and home, are missing, reinforcing the severance concept. This structure keeps viewers unsettled, just like the characters.
Iconography(well known or recognizable people/objects/buildings/mise en scene/props/costume, setting, symbolic codes)
the elevator acts as a symbolic, ominous location that transports employees between the oppressive office space and their personal lives. The elevator’s movement feels like a transition between these 2 worlds. the building which the company is located in is a sleek, sterile, and unnervingly minimalist corporate office, devoid of personality and warmth
Style (technical and audio codes e.g. camera use, editing, sound, lighting, color)
Camera angles consist of many wide shots Aswell as a centered camera, making all scenes seem symmetrical and orderly, mirroring the order and control of the office.
Research 1 part 2: Thriller Conventions:
Story Arcs within the episode: make note of which are resolved by the end of the episode, and which will continue into the season.
mark seems to be dealing with the pressures of his personal life and his work at Lumon Industries. The episode opens with him returning to his job at the company, which uses the “severance” procedure to separate work and personal memories. Hally is desperately trying to escape after her mind has been erased, mark is unable to watch.
Todorov’s Narrative Theory: In what ways does his theory apply (or not apply) to this episode.
The episode does not reach a resolution or new equilibrium. Instead, it ends with more mysteries and questions, postponing the traditional attempt at repair. Severance subverts Todorov’s model by beginning inside the disruption. The “equilibrium” for the audience is never truly clear—are we meant to see the workplace as normal or unnatural? The fragmented storytelling, switching between Mark’s “innie” and “outie” life, disrupts a clear cause-and-effect structure.
Binary Oppositions: list and explain the oppositions present in the episode. How is this adding to narrative conflict?
The central opposition is between the severed workplace (“innie” life) and the personal world outside (“outie” life). This contrast highlights the ethical and psychological tension of severance—Mark’s innie exists only at work, while his outie has no memory of his job. The audience sees the emotional struggle of both versions of Mark, creating a conflict over whether severance is a liberation or a prison.
Themes: What themes can you identify in the episode and how are these being portrayed so far?
Mark’s character embodies this conflict, as his two versions exist separately, yet their struggles reflect a deeper connection. Lumon Industries enforces absolute control over its severed employees, dictating their behavior, thoughts, and even emotions through strict policies. The contrast between Mark’s bleak, isolated outie life and his disconnected innie life suggests a critique of work-life imbalance. Helly’s panic at realizing she has no personal past emphasizes the psychological horror of having no sense of self. In addition to this the panic that she is experiencing, contrasts with the bleak and dull nature of the setting, adding to the sense of thriller. Mark’s decision to undergo severance is tied to his grief over losing his wife, showing how trauma can push people to seek extreme solutions.
GENRE RESEARCH:
HOW HAS GENRE CHANGED IN RESPONSE TO TECHNOLOGY, SOCIO- CULTURAL SHIFTS AND AUDIENCE?
EXAMPLE: HORROR
Technology:
Socio-cultural Shifts
Audience:
SPECIAL EFFECT +CGI: Digital effect advancements have changed the horror genre to more creative branches and story lines as more is possible
REPRESENTATION & DIVERSITY: the horror genre has adapted to reflect social issues and avoid stereotypes (eg. A man as the victim, and the women as the killer is scream 5/6) while also incorperating subplots which make marginalised communities feel seen (lgbtqia relationships)
SHORTENED ATTENTION SPANS: Short horror films and micro horror shorts on tik Tok. Also introduction of horror tv series which condense plots into 20 minute episodes which are easier for viewers to binge watch and keeps them engaged
PORTABLE TECH (I PHONE): Allowed new ways of horror such as found footage which are more realistic for a viewer (film examples: unfriended, searching, the Blair witch documentary)
POLITICS AND SOCIAL EVENTS: post event such as covid 19, have impacted horror films to take on dystopian scenarios such as pandemic , zombie apocalypse etc
HYBRID GENRE DEMAND: Horror had merged with different genres such as comedy as there is a demand for this from audiences for something new and creative (Steve Neal genre theory – difference)
STREAMING PLATFORMS: Allowed for the blending of niche genres to thrive as they reached a wider audience and became the norm. (Eg. Found footage horror)
EMERGING FEMISISM: female led horror protagonist which is not just seen as the ‘hopeless victim’ ( NOT HORROR but barbie did this)
GLOBALISATION: audiences have been exposed to different sides of the horror world (k-drama horror), what ever is most popular at the time will affect what is coming out in that genre.
Film Opening Convention- Research
Although there are many different ways in which to start a film, film openings often include a set of typical conventions for specific purposes such as: ⇨
Some common ways of starting a film include:
Suspenseful opening
Antagonist/Protagonist introduction
Flashback
Establishing shot
Engaging visuals
In class, we have analyzed a range of film openings to consider their conventions and how the film opening works to engage the audience.
Here are my film opening analysis sheets…
‘A QUIET PLACE Part II’
‘SCREAM’
ANALYSIS OF FILM OPENINGS:
and what I wish to apply to our piece:
‘A QUIET PLACE Part II’
ANALYSIS:
The opening starts with everyday, normal activities. This incluede people moving through a quiet town, casual interactions, simple tasks. Long, one shots immerse the audience in the calm, routine world. Ambient sound dominates, creating a sense of normality and stillness. Then tension rises as something goes wrong, with sudden loud sounds, chaotic movement, and quick cuts breaking the calm, foreshadowing/signaling danger.
In our 2-minute opening, we plan to build the world and immerse the audience in a normal setting first. Wide-shots and smooth camera movement will show characters in their environment, while ambient sounds reinforce realism. We’ll include small, subtle hints of a stalker or impending threat—shadows, glances, or off-screen noises—to create suspense and tension before the scare.
‘SCREAM’
ANALYSIS:
The Scream opening uses close-ups and POV shots to isolate the character, low lighting and shadows to create fear, and sound design that shifts from silence and ambient noise to sharp stings. The pacing builds slowly before cutting faster, and the dialogue moves from casual to threatening, heightening tension.
In our 2-minute opening, we want to condense these techniques. We’ll use close-ups and possibly a POV-style shot to suggest vulnerability, with ambient sound and a gradual build in music leading to a sharp scare. The editing will start slow and become faster towards the climax. For dialogue, we could include a line such as “I need to go back to the garage to turn off the lights” which will shift the tone and help build suspense in a short amount of time after a sound is heard.
Production Company Logo-Research
Production Company: A24:
The film company a24, also known as a24 films LLC, founded on august 20th 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. The film company is best known for their experimental film style, which delves into different genres such as drama, romance and most notably horror, putting out popular films such as Talk to me, I saw the tv glow, and hereditary. Their logo in particular is effective in still branding the companies work while allowing the felxability of changing genres as the logo itself is simplistic, and changes within the opening to fit the genre and style of the different movies.
Due to the company not being around for a prolounged period of time, the logo itself as not been victim to any significant changes however, as previously mentioned, it does change within different movies to match the overall genre and theme, to set the scene and set a mood within the audience members. The company itself, has seen many different strides within their inocme with their highest grossing movie (everything everywhere all at once) genreating a profit of $144,986,358 in the worldwide box office, with the film itself also being awarded 7 awards at the 2023 achademy awards, (the Oscars).
OUR Production Logo
Our ‘JCANNA Productions’ Logo combines a golden film camera with three stylized figures raising their arms, which stands for out groups collaboration, creativity, and inclusivity at the heart of our project. The gold gradient conveys professionalism, while the bold serif font adds a firm nature, telling viewers we are proud of our work! all set against a dark background for a cinematic finish. By centering people in the design, the logo highlights film as a shared art form and connects emotionally with audiences. The significance of three people is also a representation f each team member in our group. This finale copy has been made with the help of free online software, and has developed from more hands on drafts. The final version balances warmth with professionalism, resulting in the portrayal of our identity that we value, teamwork, representation and creativity.
Our Logo’s process
Finale logo
Annotated Logo
Here is our finale logo with some annotations to fully display the meaning behind our design choices.
