DEPARTAMENT DE COMUNICACIÓ AUDIOVISUAL I PUBLICITAT Proposal for the analysis of a video game, a film, and their relationship. (Silent Hill as a subject of the horror genre) Martha S. Ramos Ibarra Director: Dr. María T. Soto Sanfiel Bellaterra, Junio de 2012 INDEX INTRODUCTION 1 I. OBJECT OF STUDY 9 II. OBJECTIVES 11 1. Objectives 11 1.1. General Objectives 11 1.2. Specific Objectives 11 III. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 13 1. What is a Narrative? 15 1.2. Parts of a Narrative 15 1.2.1. Story 16 1.2.2. Discourse 19 1.3. Levels of a Story 21 1.3.1. Level of Functions 21 1.3.2. Level of Actions 23 1.3.3. Level of Narrative 23 1.4. Time and Space 24 1.4.1. Time 25 1.4.2. Space 26 1.5. Propp‘s Functions 27 1.5.1 Mischief 28 1.5.2 Spheres of Action 30 1.5.3. Types of Heroes 31 1.5.4. Character attributes 32 1.6. Suspense 32 1.7. Denouement 35 2. Narrative Formats 37 3. Literary Genres 38 4. Introduction to Horror Literature 39 4.1. Fantasy Literature 39 4.1.1. The supernatural unknown element 40 4.1.2. Identifiable Universe 41 4.1.3. Radical break between the protagonist and the universe 41 4.2. Horror Narratives 42 4.2.1. Origins of horror fictions 44 4.2.1.1. Gothic Novel 44 5. Themes and Structure of Horror Narratives 53 5.1. The Complex Discovery Plot 53 5.1.1. Onset of horrific event (evidence). 54 5.1.2. Discovery 55 5.1.3. Confirmation 55 5.1.4. Confrontation 56 5.2. The Discovery Plot 56 5.3. The Confirmation Plot 57 5.4. The Over-Reacher Plot 58 5.4.1. Preparation for the experiment. 59 5.4.2. The experiment is conducted. 59 5.4.3. Confrontation. 60 5.5. Differences between the Discovery Plot and the Over-Reacher Plot 60 5.6. Suspense in Horror Stories 60 5.7. Characters in Horror Narratives 61 5.7.1. Monsters 61 5.8. Horror Films 64 6. Film Analysis 67 6.1. Key steps in the process of analyzing a film 68 6.1.1. Segmentation 69 6.1.1.1. Decomposition 69 6.1.1.1.1. Episode 70 6.1.1.1.2. Sequence 70 6.1.1.1.3. Shot 71 6.1.1.1.4. Images 73 6.1.2. Stratification 74 6.1.3. Recomposition 75 6.1.3.1. Enumeration 75 6.1.3.2. Ordering 76 6.1.3.3. Regrouping 76 6.1.3.4. Modelling 76 6.1.3.4.1. Figurative and Abstract models 77 6.1.3.4.2. Static and Dynamic Models 77 6.2. Validity criteria of film analysis 78 6.2.1. Depth 78 6.2.2. Extension 79 6.2.3. Economy 79 6.2.4. Elegance 79 6.3. Types of Instruments for film analysis 80 6.3.1. Descriptive instruments 80 6.3.1.1. Decoupage 80 6.3.1.2. Segmentation 81 6.3.2. Citational instruments 83 3.22.2.1. Film fragment 83 3.22.2.2. Film Still 83 6.3.3. Documentary Instruments 84 6.4. Structural Analysis of Narratives and Film Analysis 85 6.5. Image and sound analysis 86 6.6. Sound and Music in Films 86 6.6.1. Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Music 87 6.6.2. Music as an added value in film 87 6.6.3. Music and Time in the Image 87 6.6.4. Synchresis 88 6.6.5. Empathic and Anempathic Sound 89 6.7. Sound and Music in Horror Films 89 6.8. Music in Silent Hill 90 7. Videogames 91 7.1. Game Definitions 91 7.2. Videogame Definitions 91 7.3. Importance of studying Video Games 93 7.4. Video Game Genres 95 8. Video Game Components 101 8.1. Video Game Spatial Structures 101 8.1.1. Text-based with no visual space 103 8.1.2. One screen, contained 103 8.1.3. One screen, contained, with wraparound. 103 8.1.4. Scrolling on one axis 104 8.1.5. Scrolling on two axis 105 8.1.6. Adjacent spaces displayed one at a time 105 8.1.7. Multiple scrolling backgrounds 106 8.1.8. Spaces that allow z-axis movement in and out of the frame 107 8.1.9. Multiple, non-adjacent spaces displayed on-screen 107 simultaneously 8.1.10. Interactive three-dimensional environment 107 8.1.11. Represented or mapped spaces 108 8.2. Video game audiovisual styles 109 8.3. Video game sound 111 8.4. Time in video games 112 8.4.1. Looped time 113 8.4.2. Interludes and Title Sequences 114 8.5. Meaningful Play 115 8.6. Player Experience 116 8.7. Game as System 117 8.8. Interactivity 118 8.9. The Magic Circle 120 8.10. Rules 121 8.11. Uncertainty 125 8.12. Information 127 8.13. Conflict 128 8.14. Challenge 129 8.15. Game Mechanics 129 8.16. Outcome 131 9. Fiction in Video Games 132 10. Transmedia/Crossmedia 133 11. Adaptation 134 12. Survival Horror Video Games 136 IV. HYPOTHESES 141 1. Hypotheses 141 V. METHOD 143 1. Research Design 147 2. Sample definition 148 2.1. Silent Hill Videogame 148 2.1.1. Plot 148 2.1.2. Setting 152 2.1.3. Characters 152 2.1.4. Monsters 152 2.1.5. Monster Bosses 152 2.1.6. Silent Hill (1999) Endings 153 2.1.6.1. Bad Ending 153 2.1.6.2. Good Ending 153 2.1.6.3. Bad+ Ending 154 2.1.6.4. Good+ Ending 154 2.1.6.5. UFO Ending 154 2.2. Silent Hill Film 155 2.2.1. Plot 155 2.2.2. Setting 157 2.2.3. Characters 158 2.2.4. Monsters 158 2.3. Analysis Model Proposal 159 2.3.1. Variables to identify concerning formal aspects of the analyzed media. 159 2.3.2. Variables to analyze regarding formal aspects of narrative theory 159 2.3.3. Variables to analyze regarding formal aspects of horror narratives 163 2.3.4. Variables to study when performing a film analysis 164 2.3.5. Variables to describe regarding formal aspects of video games 165 2.3.6. Variables to describe regarding structural aspects of video games 167 2.3.7. Variables to describe regarding survival horror video game traits 172 VI. RESULTS 175 1. Formal aspects of the narrative 177 1.1. Author/Creator 177 1.2. Publisher/Developer/Producer 177 1.3. Language 177 1.4. Release dates 177 1.5. Platform 177 1.6. Distributor 177 2. Narrative theory 178 2.1. Story 178 2.2. Discourse 179 2.3. Propp‘s 31 Functions 181 2.4. Types of Mischief 183 2.5. Time 184 2.6. Space 185 2.7. Characters 186 2.8. Denouement 191 2.9. Types of Endings 191 2.10. Resources used to generate suspense 192 3. Formal aspects of horror narratives 194 3.1. Types of Plots 194 3.2. Resources used to generate suspense in horror narratives 196 3.3. Types of Characters 197 3.4. Types of Monsters 198 4. Film analysis. 199 4.1. Image 200 4.2. Sound 200 4.3. Music 201 5. Formal aspects of video games. 205 5.1. Game definitions 205 5.2. Digital Games 206 5.3. Interactivity 208 5.4. Genres 208 5.5. Platform 210 5.6. Players 210 6. Structural aspects of video games. 211 6.1. Spatial Structures 211 6.2. Audiovisual style 213 6.3. Sound 215 6.4. Time 216 6.5. Interludes and Title Sequences 218 6.6. Characters 220 6.7. Game world environment 220 6.8. System Components 222 6.9. Rules 224 6.10. Game Mechanics 227 6.11. Theme 228 6.12. Information 229 6.13. Meaningful Play 231 6.14. Player Experience 231 6.15. Interactivity 232 6.16. Magic Circle 233 6.17. Uncertainty 234 6.18. Conflict 236 6.19. Challenge 237 6.20. Outcome 238 7. Survival horror video game traits. 239 7.1. Characters 239 7.2. Confrontation 239 7.3. Puzzles 239 7.4. Dichotomized World 240 7.5. Psychologically motivated characters 240 7.6. Introduction sequence 240 7.7. Cut-scenes 240 7.8. In-game artifacts 240 7.9. Fixed camera points 241 7.10. Spaces 241 7.11. Story arises through game play 241 VII. CONCLUSIONS 243 VIII. REFERENCES 255 APPENDIX 267 TABLES Table 1. Propp‘s Functions 267 Table 2. Forms of mischief 29 Table 3. Video game genres according to Wolf (2001) 99 Table 4. Video game genres according to ISFE 100 Table 5. Järvinen‘s (2008) Embodiment of Suspense 127 Table 6. Research Design 147 Table 7. Variables to identify regarding formal aspects of the analyzed media 159 Table 8. Variables to analyze regarding formal aspects of narrative theory 160 Table 9. Variables to analyze regarding formal aspects of horror narratives 163 Table 10. Variables to study when performing a film analysis 164 Table 11. Variables to describe regarding formal aspects of video games 165 Table 12. Variables to describe regarding structural aspects of video games 167 Table 13. Variables to describe regarding survival horror video game traits 172 Table 14. Silent Hill (1999) Characters 271 Table 15. Silent Hill (1999) Monsters 273 Table 16. Silent Hill (1999) Monster Bosses 277 Table 17.