The Influence of Three Dimensional Aspects of Main Character in the Plot of “Birds of Prey” Movie
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PUSTAKA VOL. XXII, NO. 1 • 59 – 64
P-ISSN : 2528-7508
E-ISSN : 2528-7516
The Influence of Three Dimensional Aspects of Main Character in the Plot of “Birds of Prey” Movie
I Gusti Ayu Andhini Loka Pramurti
Universitas Udayana
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia [email protected]
Abstract
The movie Birds of Prey contains a unique story with an uncommon main character who experiences a lot of things in her life throughout the plot. In which it involves the three dimensional aspects of the main character, such as; physiological, sociological, and psychological aspects. As the aims of this research are: (1) to analyze the three dimensional aspects present in the main character of Birds of Prey movie, (2) to analyze how the plot are developed based on the three dimensional aspects of the main character in Birds of Prey movie.
This research was conducted by applying the qualitative method. The writer also uses two theories in this study, the first is the theory of three dimensional aspects of the main character by Egri (1946) and the second is the theory of plot proposed by Freytag (1895).
Based on the result of this study, the writer found that physiologically, Harley is a pretty woman with an uncommon makeup and style. Sociologically, Harley is living miserably and surrounded by people who want to take revenge because she has no one to protect her since the breakup with Joker. Psychologically, Harley is seen as a brave woman because no matter how hard her life is, she always tries to moves forward and live to the fullest. She is also smart, as she is a former psychiatrist. Though sometimes she does something crazy that is beyond imagination, she always has a way to overcome all of her problems in life. While, the plot consists of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement, in which each of these points are strongly correlated with the three dimensional aspects of main character to make a good storyline.
Keywords: Three Dimensional Aspects, Character, Plot, Birds of Prey
Abstrak
Film Birds of Prey berisi cerita unik dengan karakter utama yang tidak biasa yang mengalami banyak hal dalam hidupnya sepanjang plot. Dimana, di dalamnya melibatkan aspek tiga dimensi dari karakter utama, seperti; fisiologis, sosiologis, dan psikologis. Adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah: (1) menganalisis aspek tiga dimensi yang terdapat pada tokoh utama film Birds of Prey, (2) menganalisis bagaimana alur yang dikembangkan berdasarkan aspek tiga dimensi tokoh utama dalam film Birds. dari film Prey. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menerapkan metode kualitatif. Penulis juga menggunakan dua teori dalam penelitian ini, yang pertama adalah teori tiga dimensi pada tokoh utama oleh Egri (1946) dan yang kedua adalah teori alur yang dikemukakan oleh Freytag (1895). Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini, penulis menemukan bahwa secara fisiologis, Harley adalah wanita cantik dengan riasan dan gaya yang tidak biasa. Secara sosiologis, Harley hidup sengsara dan dikelilingi oleh orang-orang yang ingin membalas dendam karena tidak ada yang melindunginya sejak putus dengan Joker. Secara psikologis, Harley dipandang sebagai wanita pemberani karena seberat apapun hidupnya, dia selalu berusaha untuk maju dan hidup dengan maksimal. Dia juga cerdas, karena dia adalah mantan psikiater. Meski terkadang dia melakukan hal gila di luar imajinasinya, dia selalu punya cara untuk mengatasi semua masalah hidupnya. Sedangkan plot terdiri dari eksposisi, aksi naik, klimaks, aksi turun, dan akhir, dimana masing-masing poin tersebut berkorelasi kuat dengan aspek tiga dimensi tokoh utama untuk membuat jalan cerita yang baik.
Kata kunci: Aspek Tiga Dimensi, Karakter, Alur, Birds of Prey
Introduction
The movie Birds of Prey contains a unique story with an uncommon main character. The story mainly reflects the ups and downs of life that is
related to the problems nowadays, such as; crime, love life, survival, and friendship. Harley Quinn as the main character is a woman who has miserable life from the beginning, then become a psychopath
and villain woman. She is the main character because the story mainly tells about Harley Quinn who overcome her broke up story with Joker and seeking for a new freedom. She experiences a lot of things that change her into someone with a better personality through the storyline. Therefore, the analysis of characterization cannot be separated from the storyline itself. The uniqueness of plot will be dependent on how the characterization of the main character was portrayed in the story, and the characterization of main character will be depended on the storyline as it shows the main character’s progress to reach the best ending in the story.
Method
The primary data of this study takes the form of dialogue spoken orally by the main character in an American superhero movie in title Birds of Prey (2020) which produced by DC Films and directed by Cathy Yan, where Quinn portrayed as a mentally broken former psychiatric and she experienced a lot of things in her life that involved her physical, social, and psychology change, in which it is suitable with the analysis of three dimensional aspects of character. The data is collected over a movie entitled Birds of Prey (2020) using the method of documentation. As for the technique of collecting data in this study, the writer use notetaking technique.
The collected data for this study are analysed by using qualitative method. As for the technique of analyzing data, the writer analyzed it through several steps. The first step is analyzing the physiology, sociology, and psychology of Harley Quinn using theory stated by Egri (1946). Then, identifying the progresses of the plot from the beginning until the end of the movie using theory of plot proposed by Freytag (1895), after that, correlates it with the theory of three dimensional aspects by Egri (1946) in order to know how the three dimensions of the main character influence the plot in the story. This study was using both of formal and informal method, in order to give a clear explanation presented in the form of pictures and words based on the two research questions mentioned above.
Result And Discussion
1. Three Dimensional Aspects of Character
The clear image of a character in a movie can be seen through three dimensional aspects. Three
dimensional aspects is important for creating an understanding about each character. As for this study, the writer is going to analyze the three dimensional aspects of the main character using a theory by Egri (1946).
Harley Quinn’s physiological aspect shows that she is pretty, though she is wearing an uncommon eye-makeup and dressed like a clown.
Harley : know who Harley Quinn is?
Canary : jacky-ass clown with bad eye makeup?
Harley : ouch…
From the conversation above, Harley Quinn has a unique taste of her own looks, she is wearing an uncommon eye makeup which people rarely wear on a daily basis. She cuts her hair off after the broke up with Joker and has a different colour on each side of her ponytail, which is red on the right and blue on the left. Unlike any other DC heroines, Harley Quinn does not wear something that looks “heroic”. She is a free-adventurous heroine who wears something casual that is more likely to be a daily outfit.
Harley Quinn used to live in Gotham city together with Joker, but after the breakup, she has to move away from their shared house. She now lives in a safe place on the 2nd floor of a Taiwanese Restaurant called Doc’s Place. Doc’s Place belongs to Doc, a Taiwanese Grandpa that Harley really loves, because he is kind and never minding about Harley’s backstory and Harley’s new life though he knows everything that happened in the city.
Since Harley has a dependent personality disorder, she adopts a new hyena to accompany her current broken-hearted life. The hyena is named Bruce. Bruce is kept in a bathtub at her living room. Harley loves her hyena so much that even treat him like her own best friend.
Though Harley seems to getting back on her feet after the break up story, she still has a really tough life. Almost everyone in the city dislikes her presence, because she used to be a trouble maker with Joker before. Now, that she broke up with him, people begin to target her to get their revenge on her.
Harley psychologically likes to do something fun and crazy that no one else dare to do.
That is why people recognize her as the ‘crazy’ one, though she actually cannot be called crazy as she has PhD degree and she is a former psychiatrist. It just her action and way of thinking sometimes is beyond imagination. She is considered to be clever, because no matter how hard the challenge are, she always try to come up with a way to overcome it. Now that she broke up with her ‘Puddin’, she finally enjoys her single life, only that the people who have a grudge against her could not stay back and keep on bothering her life. Though, it is the end of her love story with Joker, but it is as well is the new beginning for her to get her freedom that she deserves.
Harley : A Harley Quinn’s role is to serve. Audience… a master... you know Harley Quinn is nothing without a master and no one give us fuck who we are behind that.
Canary : yeah, I don’t know what you think, lady, but I’m not her.
Harley : Puddin’ and I broke up, I haven’t told that to anyone. Yeah… we keep this time and for the first time in a long time. I’m all on my lonesome. It’s great.
From the conversation between Harley and Canary above, it shows that Harley still had mixed feelings. She acknowledges that she feels lonely, yet also feels great about it because she finally breaks ties from that toxic relationship with Joker and able to do things that she likes freely by her own.
Character is important to make one story become more lifelike. While, plot is also important as it is a part that build up each series of event in a story. Therefore, three Dimensional Aspects of Main Character and the building up plot in a story line is related and cannot be separated from each other in order to make a good storyline. In this study, the writer is going to analyse the three dimensional aspects of the main character using the theory by Egri (1946) and the theory of plot proposed by Freytag (1895).
The exposition is the introduction part that present everything that is going to be important in the story.
Harley : … It gave me the space to really reflect on the mistake of my past. I had to find a new identity. A new me. It wasn’t easy, but after a while I even open myself up for the possibility of new love. Here’s one thing you need to know about love, you have to feed him. Soon enough, I was back on my feet, ready to move on, to make new friends. It was the time for Gotham to meet the new Harley Quinn, so I really put myself out there.
From the monologue above, physiologically, Harley tries to make a new version of herself after the broke up with Joker as she said “a new identity. A new me”, while she cut her hair off. Sociologically, her home life was never proper since childhood, until in her adulthood she also has to live alone in a new place after the broke up thing with Joker and reflect all the mistakes of her past mistake there. Psychologically, she is a smart girl, it proves by her doctoral degree and her past job as a psychiatrist.
The relation of three dimensional aspects and exposition of this movie can be seen when Harley introduces as someone who just broke up with Joker and now she is looking for freedom by changing her looks and live in a new safe place. The after break up story is the beginning of Harley’s journey, since she now has no one to protect her and everyone wants to get their revenge after all the things she and Joker did to them in the past.
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2.2 The Influence of Three Dimensional Aspects of Main Character to the Rising Action
Harley : I know the East End better than anybody. You want this diamond back? I’m your girl. Mr. J once lost a rare graph of a nude Eleanor Roosevelt and I found in a bird nest at Robinson Park. If you let me go, just for now, I’ll get your diamond back. What you got to lose? If your boys find it first, I swear to god, you can kill me. Pinky swear.
Sionis : you are so tiresome. If you want my mercy, shut that hole in your middle face and listen. You gonna get me my diamond. I’ll give you time till midnight and then I’m gonna peel off that pretty face and pickle it, kay?
The relation between three dimensional aspects and rising action in this movie is when Sionis lost his diamond, which is the starting point of a major conflict in this movie, and at the same time Harley is captured and has to survive from Sionis threat that he wants to kill her. So does the agreement between them happened and make the rest of the story interesting.
Climax is the highest point in the story. It happens when the protagonist and antagonist are facing each other and finish things off once for all.
Cass : they’re here for me, aren’t they?
Harley : no.
Huntress : they’re not?
Harley : no, they’re not. Do you know what that means? He’s not just after the kid anymore, he’s after all of us. Sure the hell after me, I just robbed him. You just betrayed him. You just killed his bff. And you dumb enough to build a case against him. So, unless we all wanna die very unpleasant, that’ll let Roman go and cut open this kid’s digestional track, we’re gonna have to work together.
Montoya : with you?
Harley : ya, we’re gonna work together. We’ll get out of here in one piece, okay?
Montoya : okay.
Canary : ya… okay.
Huntress : sure...
Harley : yes!
Huntress : but we’re gonna need serious hardware.
From the data above, it shows that sociologically, Harley is now surrounded by people who are willing to help her to fight Sionis. While, psychologically, she now feels motivated to make out alive from her current place because she got several people on her back. Since she is smart and never run out of ideas, she is the one who naturally unite the team together and lead them to prepare the fight.
The influence between the three dimensional aspects of the main character and the climax is that Harley met the other four people who also is the part of a criminal thing. They all coincidentally became a team which leads to a fight with Sionis and his troops. Before the fight begin, they all
changed into a real fighting outfit where it proves that Harley and her team finally have to face to face against Sionis in person. Harley and her team then successfully beat down all of Sionis’ troops. After that, Sionis feels cornered and had no other option than to bring the kid away. He threats Harley that he is going to kill Cass. Luckily enough, Cass bring a grenade with her where she got from Harley’s weapon box, while Sionis is get caught off guard, she then pulls the ring out the grenade and finally it blow Sionis off. Those dramatic action leads into the peak of the film, because the protagonist and antagonist is finally finishing things off once for all.
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2.4 The Influence of Three Dimensional Aspects of Main Character to the Falling Action
Falling action is the point where the plot tension deflates.
Harley : kid, if that burrito doesn’t make you shit, I don’t know what will.
Cass : give me a minute.
All : yeay! Woo!
Harley : I gave her prune juice, laxes, I mean the kids got a stomach made of steel.
Montoya : you know what, I owe you an apology. Harley : me?
Montoya : I underestimate you and I’m sorry. Harley : I’m used to it.
Cass : Harley, get me a sieve.
From the data above, it shows that the five of them are eating happily while having a chit chat. It proves that they win in the fight against Sionis before. Sociologically, Harley who used to have no one to be counted on in the city because everyone hates her is looking happier because she has a new friend. Psychologically, Harley is a kind and open-minded person. As the dialogue between Montoya and her, where Montoya finally confesses something that she used to underestimate Harley before, Harley only says “I’m used to it”. It proves that although Harley and Montoya did not have good terms before, but with Harley’s kindness, they finally could clear up their misunderstanding without any problem. People may think that she got weaker, but the truth after that tragedy is that she is got to be a way better person than she is in the past. She got a new bravery, a refreshed mind, a new look, and even new friends.
The influence of three dimensional aspects of the main character and the falling action is that Harley who now has a new friends and feels
refreshed again is something that she deserve right now. After all the dramatic problem in her life where she is being kicked out several times, stuck up in a toxic relationship, lose many things in life, and experience in having a cruel agreement with Sionis, these new friends help her to see a happiness through a victory in the fight with the frightening crime lord. With the presence of Harley’s new circle, it makes her as someone who feels of being cared, also their help is something that makes Harley can finally free from any boundary with someone bad and can enjoy her new life without any problem like this time right now as the plot tension deflates.
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2.5 The Influence of Three Dimensional Aspects of Main Character to the Denouement
Denouement is the conclusion of the story’s plot that changed by the events happens in a story.
Harley : we got the secret bank code off towards the diamond, and Huntress got her family money back. She’s using it to fund the little crime fighting outfit. They called themselves the Birds of Prey. I called them dorky little doodlers. The rock itself was worth a chunk of change, so I coined it and I invested the cash in a little start up making ways in the East End. Oh, I found Bruce, he was wandering around China Town. I guess the theory proves that hyena do really have a nine lives. Yea… yea… I made the kid my apprentice, call me a softie.
From the data above, it shows that physiologically, Harley’s style is look more proper now. She wears something that she never wears before, though her makeup is still quite bold but it is more presentable. Sociologically, she has someone at her side, which is Cass as her apprentice and Bruce which helps to overcome her dependent personality disorder. Also, Harley and Cass now get to live with a little bit of luxury by pawning the diamond. Psychologically, she is change into someone with a better personality. She is more responsible and also open minded now. It proves by her action to make Cass as her apprentice, though they had no blood relation and yet she still takes a good care of Cass.
The influence of three dimensional aspects of the main character to the denouement is that her new reserved look shows that she is no longer the
Harley Quinn people used to know, she is much more than a sidekick of Joker. She deserves her own world. Her new environment clearly changes her to be a better person. As for her way of thinking, she proves herself as someone smart and innovative. It proves by what she says, “The rock itself was worth a chunk of change, so I coined it and I invested the cash in a little start up making ways in the East End”, where it is such a great move that she coined the diamond to pursue what she wants in life. She got her own clique and it makes her able to pursue her own adventures in the future. She now has successfully reach what she wanted from a long time ago, it is no other than a freedom. At the end, her free life marks that her dream has finally come true which is also is the perfect closure for the film, as we called it a denouement.
Conclusion
After the researcher analyses Birds of Prey, this movie shows Harley Quinn’s three dimensional aspects which also affected her change of life from the beginning until the end of the movie. As the results, physiologically, Harley is a pretty women with jacky-like clown makeup, who has a high ponytail with two different colour on each sides. Sociologically, she is being targeted by the people who have a grudge against her because she has no protection from Joker anymore. She also has to live in a secretive place to hide from everyone, except Doc. Psychologically, she is crazy, as she likes to do something that makes her enjoy her life the most although it is dangerous. She also is a smart person because she had a Ph. D degree and she always able to deal to solve all the problems and difficulties with her smart moves and ideas. Harley has a dependent personality disorder, where she feels helpless without the help of somebody and that is why she keeps on trying to pleased other people rather than herself. However, she is a brave woman because no matter how big the obstacles is and no matter how the world is against her, she keeps on moving forward and fight what she deserves.
As the results of the analysis, the three dimensional aspects (physiological, sociological, and psychological aspects) of Harley Quinn plays a big role in affecting the story line in the movie. However, the main character’s physiological aspects is the least dimensional aspects that influenced the plot in the movies. As the correlation
with the plot itself, the rising action is the most influenced point of plot that influenced by the three dimensional aspects of the main character, because it is consists of series of events and the three dimensional aspects mainly happens at this point as it is gives a clear portrayed on how the main character thinks and behave before she finish the problem once for all at the climax.
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