In the first episode of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", director Joss Whedon uses a variety of narrative features to create first impressions of the lead character Buffy, which are necessary to develop the storyline.
The first notable narrative feature Whedon uses is costume. 16-year-old Buffy turns up to her first day at school wearing a short skirt and a light-coloured shirt. This introduces Buffy as a cool, fashionable kid, and is typical dress of a hip teenager in sunny California. Buffy's costume is important in developing the narrative because this visual display of what Buffy wants to be (i.e. a cool, "normal" teenager) contrasts with the real life she is forced into as a vampire slayer. Her summery, fashionable clothing is also used by Whedon as a means of creating irony in the series; in most "monster" films and TV shows the young, pretty blonde girl is the helpless victim, however in BTVS it is the girl who is the powerful protagonist.
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| COSTUME: Buffy's fashionable, summery clothing shows her will to be a normal teenager. |
This idea of Buffy striving to be a normal teenage girl is also established through Whedon's frequent use of two-shots. Eye-level two-shots are used numerous times in the first episode of the series; first with Buffy and Celia, and later with Buffy and Willow. These shots show Buffy's willingness to make friends with other students and present Buffy as a friendly, social character. This idea is necessary to develop the narrative because it shows Buffy's strive to lead a normal life and have friends, which is a recurring theme throughout the series. The frequent usage of friendly two-shots in Buffy The Vampire Slayer helps define it as a unique series in the teen horror genre, as it is a shot more often used in the drama and comedy genres.
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| CAMERA-WORK: Two-shot of Buffy (right) and Celia shows Buffy's enthusiasm to make friends. |
Another narrative feature used by Whedon to create meaning in BTVS is the film score. One example of this is when Buffy is yelling at Giles, telling him that she didn't want to get "kicked out of school" or lose her friends while being a vampire slayer. Whedon brings out Buffy's emotion by playing mysterious music while she is speaking, which helps to bring out the feeling and importance in her words. This technique is important in developing character and the narrative by showing the audience how Buffy feels about being the slayer, and also how much she values school and friendship. The usage of background music to present emotion in film has been general practice since German director Fritz Lang's 1920s films "Die Nibelungen" and "Metropolis", and Whedon uses this narrative feature effectively to develop the story for the audience.
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| FILM-SCORE: Whedon uses background music to emphasise Buffy's dialogue to Giles |
Buffy The Vampire Slayer director Joss Whedon uses the narrative features of costume, camera-work and music to introduce the character Buffy to the audience and set up the theme of the first season.
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