- Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be looked to any film.
- He believed that all films followed the same narrative.
Todorov's Theory:
- Equilibrium-Where we first meet the characters
- A disruption-Where something happens to effect the characters lives
- Realisation-Where characters realise they need to fix the situation
- Dis-equilibrium-The characters have to deal with the situation and often try and fix it
- Equilibrium again-Everything is restored back to the way it was or in a better place than when it started
An example of this is Interstellar
Equilibrium
Here is the main family living their normal life.
Disruption
Here is the Main character looking at a code sent to him from a being from a different dimension.
Realisation
The main character realises he has to go to space and save the human race.
Dis-Equilibrium
The main character searching for suitable planets to move the human race to.
Equilibrium
The new planet that the human race now live on.
Barthes-Enigma & Action Codes
- Roland Barthes was a semiologist; basically he was paid to look at 'texts' and decipher how they were put together
- If you imagine a text is like a ball of string - can i be unravelled in more then one way?
- His idea was that 'text' could be:
Open (unravelled in different ways)
Closed (there is only one thread to be pulled on)
- Births decided that the threads you pull on to try and unravel meaning are called narrative codes
- These include Action & Enigma Codes
Action Codes- Action codes are significant events which moves the narrative on in a particular direction
- It applies to any action that implies a further narrative action
- For example, a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the resolution of this action will be.
Enigma Codes
- Enigma codes pose questions to the audience which are then answered shortly after or late on in the film
- For example, who is she? where is she going? why is she doing that?
- They refer to any element in a story that is not explained and therefore, exists as an enigma for the audience, raised questions that demand explanations.
Strauss - Binary Oppositions
- Levi Strauss believed that the world was split into a series of binary opposites
- This means that one thing can only be defined in relation to something to something it isn't
-Example: So a hero is only a hero if there is a villain too.
Propp - Character codes
- Vladimir Propp developed a character theory for studying media texts and productions, which indicates that there were 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed, which could be applied to all media
Character types
The hero-in every story there is a major character with whom the reader will normally associate most strongly and who is the key person around which the story is told.
The villain-the sharpest contrast against the hero is the villain, who struggles directly against the hero. The villain typically is morally and, highlighting the goodness of the hero
The princess-she may be the object which is deliberately sought by the hero, perhaps finding where the villain has taken her.
The helper-The hero is supported in his, or her quest, who appears at critical moments to provide support
The donor-the donor is a person who gives the hero something special, such as a magical weapon or some particular wisdom
The dispatcher-An early role in the story that of the dispatcher who sends the hero on the mission
The false hero-A variant on the villain and a potential complication within the plot. Whilst their motives may seem goof at first it becomes clear they have villainous traits or are perhaps working for the villain
The princess's father-finally, there is the princess's father, who constrains the princess or who may dispatch the hero on his mission to save the princess
Representation Types
Age
Gender
National/Regional Identity
Race
Disability
and Class
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