Bert the bold

Abstract

Adventure films are and have been popular for many years, often garnering huge audiences and spawning sequels and copies in their wake. To understand this appeal, one must understand the nature of adventure stories. This annotation examines the specific elements which make up adventures, their structure or order of events and the spiritual or psychological purpose and historical basis of adventures and it analyses the role of their principal element, the hero. This annotation also discusses the effect on the structure of the adventure story of telling it through the medium of film, including the opportunities of, and limitations to, this form of presentation. I will outline the implications of setting an adventure film in contemporary Australia and aimed at a mainstream audience, taking into account our nation's social and cultural themes, topics of debate, national character traits and locations. I will also discuss the implications of producing such a film in Australia; namely the willingness or otherwise, for cultural reasons, of film-makers to produce it, the technical capacity available here and the possibility of obtaining funding. Finally, I will discuss my particular arrangement of the story form including the use of the redemptive nature of the quest plot to develop the character of the protagonist, Bert. As Ronald Tobias says in 20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them): In the quest plot, the object of the search is everything to the protagonist, not simply an excuse for the action. The character is shaped by his quest and his success or failure at obtaining the object of the search'. While not all adventures are quests, I believe using this form helps highlight the message I want to deliver.

Date of Award	2000
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Canberra
Supervisor	Ron Miller (Supervisor)