This research task seems to mirror and extend an exercise in Section Four of the Illustration Sketchbooks unit. As such, I don't want to regurgitate the knowledge I accumulated during that module. Instead I thought it might be useful to focus more on the comparative side of the research task, and look at how different genres replicate a basic story structure. For this task I will be using my structure of preference, Dan Harmon's Story Circle.
| Title | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | The Matrix | Finding Nemo | Citizen Kane |
| Genre | Fantasy Adventure | Science Fiction | Adventure Animation | Drama |
YOU | Protagonist in a zone of comfort | Harry lives in house with his relatives, they do not treat him well | Neo lives an unremarkable life as a computer programmer. He feels like the world doesn't fit | Nemo lives with his Dad at the edge of the Reef. He is safe living in the anemone. | Charles Kane lives with his father, he has an estranged mother who is wealthy. |
NEED | Protagonist wants something | Harry wishes he could escape the house and family, he wants to belong | Neo moonlights as a hacker. He searches for another hacker named Morpheus and a life more exciting. | He wishes he could see more of the Reef and the world, but his Dad is scared he will get hurt and shelters him | He wishes for a better life. |
GO | They enter an unfamiliar situation | Harry finds out he is a wizard, and travels to Hogwarts | His activities gain the attention of agents, but it also means he's found by Morpheus who gives him a choice to escape his life. | He ventures into the deep water, and gets captured by a diver | He is taken away to live with Walter Parks Thatcher, who will give him the education and upbringing he needs to take is place in society. |
SEARCH | They adapt to the situation | Harry learns what it's like to exist in the wizarding world | Neo enters the Real World, and learns about the Matrix. | He's taken to a dentist's fish tank, where he meets new friends and becomes part of the gang. | He grows up to be an accomplished young man, and is moulded to join the rich and powerful. Once free of being Thatcher's ward, he rebels against the plans set for him and starts his own newspaper. |
FIND | They find what they wanted | He finally feels like he belongs, with people that understand him | Morpheus' crew teaches him new skills to fight in the war against the machines. Morpheus tells him he is The One, but The Oracle contradicts that. | He has finally escaped the Reef, and seen things that we would never have seen otherwise | He takes on the rich and powerful with his money and education. He fights corruption and inequality. He uses the opportunities he was given to fight those who took him away from his father. |
TAKE | But pay a heavy price for it | He also finds out he's The Boy Who Lived, which pulls him into the fight against Voldemort's agent | Cypher betrays the crew. Morpheus sacrifices himself for his belief in Neo, allowing Neo to escape. | The dentist's daughter is cruel and careless, and Nemo fears he will end up dead. When he finds out his father is looking for him, Nemo and his friends work out a way for him to escape. | Over time his crusade becomes less about principle, and more about his ego. His hubris destroys his relationships and his wife Susan leaves him. |
RETURN | They go back to where they started | He succeeds agains the agent, and manages to finish the school year and return to the Dursley's house | Neo re-enters the Matrix with Trinity, believing he can save Morpheus. He dies achieving his goal, but is resurrected by Trinity's faith and love in him. He believes he is The One and triumphs. | Nemo escapes the tank and makes his way back to the Ocean, he manages to find his Dad. | His selfish ego causes him to destroy everything around him. Everything that fuelled his ego, that made him feel powerful. He is a lonely and pathetic man. |
CHANGE | Having changed | He is empowered. The Dursleys improve the behaviour (slightly!) | Neo can now control The Matrix. He is confident and powerful, and it is the machines who are scared. | They return home to the Reef. Nemo has a greater appreciation for the dangers of the ocean, and his Dad trusts Nemo can look after himself. | As he dies he realises he had become as corrupt as those he sought to fight. His last words are the name of his childhood sled. The object he tried to use as a shield against being taken away from his life, before his corruption. |
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