Baby Driver Script Film Theory Analysis
I have chosen to analyse the Baby Driver script for this uni module as I think many different theories and approaches can be applied. Baby Driver is about a music-loving getaway driver, called Baby, who gets caught up in ‘one last job’ with the violent, bank robbing Doc & his associates. With the perfect soundtrack picked out Baby has to ensure he gets everyone in and out before it's too late, so he can drive off into the sunset with the beautiful waitress, Debora. This script is written & directed by Edgar Write.
Todorov’s Narrative structure is connoted throughout the script for Baby Driver as it includes an equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, attempt to repair and re-equilibrium. Even though this theory includes stages of most narrative structures, I don’t think todorov’s narrative applies to every narrative- “...so there are plenty of narratives that don't work to this template (just think of all those books that have unhappy endings, or others that hurl the reader straight into the drama), but what Todorov is describing is the traditional model” (SHMOOP UNIVERSITY, shmoop.com/, 2018). This is denoted in the story by creating an equilibrium at the start, introducing us to Baby and 3 other characters waiting to rob a bank. The disequilibrium of the story happens during the Michael myers bank robbery scene as protagonist does not agree with the situation and after the robbery goes wrong, killing people, he decides that he doesn’t want to do any more jobs with them. Scared for his life and his new lover interest’s, Debora, Baby wants to get out of his job but this causes a dispute with his employer, Doc. The recognition of the story is when Doc meets Baby in the diner to say he has another job for him and won’t take no for an answer. This makes Baby realise it’s not so easy to get out of this kind of business and he has no choice. Baby attempts to repair the disequilibrium by ignoring Doc’s phone calls as a way to try and get out of the of the job again. Although this fails, he does gain a new motive when he decides to run away with Debora and start a new life with the money. While on the job, Baby is opposed by a character called Bats which leads to him impulsively killing him. This has a domino effect on the story, making everything go wrong and forcing Baby in to a re-equilibrium of serving time in prison and eventually being able to spend his life with Debora- creating a ‘new-normal’ for the characters.
I think Vladimir Propp’s character types fit in well with the narrative of Baby Driver. I think Propp's character types are an important part to aid in driving the narrative and can be seen in most stories. “Functions of character serve as stable, constant elements in a tale, independent of how and by whom they are fulfilled. They constitute the fundamental components of a tale”- (SHMOOP UNIVERSITY, shmoop.com/, 2018). The hero of the story is our protagonist, Baby, as he drives the story and goes on a ‘quest’. Doc is connoted to be the dispatcher as he sends baby on every job they do, making them money and driving the story. At the beginning of the film Doc can take on a more antagonistic role towards baby as he threatens and takes money from baby but throughout the film he becomes more protective of Baby as he knows how valuable he in in the job. The villain of the story is denoted to be Bats, as he becomes the antagonist of the story by opposing Baby with threats, questioning his loyalty and intimidating him. I think the donor of the story is portrayed to be Baby’s deceased mother, who gave him his iconic ipod which he used to drown out his tinnitus enabling him to perform better. In my opinion Debora is both the helper and princess as she aids Baby in his journey and is also denoted to be the motivation or ‘prize’ for Baby at the denouement of the film. The false hero of the story could be seen as Buddy, as he is often friendly to Baby, looks out for him, is seen as the leader who saves the day and becomes a kind of father figure for him for a little bit. This doesn’t last long though as Baby accidently aids in killing Buddy’s wife, Darling, which ignites rage in Buddy who then seeks revenge on Baby.
In my opinion, the three act structure applies to most films as it’s a good structure to follow for the audience to understand and enjoy. “The three-act structure is intrinsic to the human brain’s model of the world; it matches a blueprint that is hard-wired in the human brain, which is constantly attempting to rationalize the world and resolve it into patterns. It is therefore an inevitable property of almost any successful drama, whether the writer is aware of it or not”- (Edoardo Nolfo, mogblogger.wordpress.com). The three act structure applies to this script as it contains a setup, confrontation and resolution. The setup is shown in the beginning where we meet Baby and his colleagues in the car, about to rob a bank-setting up the events that will lead to the confrontation. The confrontation of this story is during the Mike Myers bank robbery scene as this is a defining moment for the protagonist in realizing he does not agree with the violence or killing and wants to stop working for Doc to begin his life with Debora. The resolution of the story begins after Baby tries to escape being a getaway driver for Doc after a job goes wrong and he ends up killing Bats. This leads to other characters being killed too, Baby going to prison and tying up loose ends- which resolves any kind of opposition for Baby once he is free and able to be with Debora.
I think Syd field's paradigm is denoted throughout the script. Syd considers the end of act 1 and end of act 2 to be of most importance as it grabs the target demographics attention and allows them to decide if they like the film and want to continue watching.“There could be as many as nine or 10 plot points during a screenplay. But the two most important come at the end of act one and at the end of act two. They are the anchors of your storyline, the stitches that hold everything together.” (Syd Field, Four Screenplays, /mogblogger.wordpress.com, 1994 ). The set up of Baby Driver begins at the start of the screenplay where we are introduced to all of the main characters, the film world and their lives. The conflict occurs during the mike myers robbery scene, which is the most important and longest act. Then the resolution begins, once Baby starts to get his life back on track and be with Debora.
I think Levi Strauss’ Binary Opposites theory is reflected throughout the Baby Driver script, as it is centered around the ideology of oppositions within films to aid the narrative such as good/evil, protagonist/instead of just a binary opposite. “critics of the theory have argued that although everything has an opposite, everything also has a medium for rich and poor there is middle-class for gay and straight there is bisexual”- (Jevon Swan, prezi.com, 2011). There are connotations in the screenplay that suggest to the audience to perceive characters a certain way to create these binary opposites. Good/evil is a commonly used binary opposite in films and is used in Baby Driver to denote Baby (as good) and Doc & the group (as evil). Baby is suggested to be good as he’s shown to be a nice, kind person who ended up in a bad situation that he wants to get out of. Later on the story, he is connoted to hate doing the jobs and doesn’t want to take part in criminal activity the group have planned. This makes him relatable to the audience and gives us the ideology of him being good and the protagonist of the narrative that we go on to follow. The group are shown to be evil by engaging in criminal activity, harming/killing people and enjoying it. This gives us the perception that they are bad people and oppose the protagonist, making them the antagonist of the narrative. The young and old binary opposite is displayed in the story by bringing Baby and Doc’s characters together, creating a juxtaposition between the two. The binary opposite of love/hate is denoted promantly in Baby Driver by showcasing Baby’s love for his family such as his deceased parents and his adopted father, as well as his new love for the waitress Debora, that develops and drives the story. His feeling of hate is the complete opposite of the love he feels and is shown through his feelings towards the job the group.
I decided to choose the Baby Driver script to analyse as I think it has an interesting storyline, structure and it fits in nicely with quite a few different theories. I really enjoyed comparing the script to the film as they are very similar, with only a few noticeable changes that don’t impact the narrative. An example of this is when Baby says in the script “One black coffee. One black coffee. One black coffee. And one coffee, black.” but in the film he says “ Four black coffees, medium”. I thought it was a very visually descriptive script that gives you an idea of the mise en scene intended for the film.
Bibliography & Harvard Referencing -
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