Assignment 8; Narrative Theory.

Michaela Ives-Kingshott.

Todorov.

Todorov suggested that there are 5 stages of Narrative..1. Equilibrium2. Disequilibrium3. Recognition of Equilibrium4. Attempt to repair Equilibrium5. New Equilibrium

The 3 main stages of Narrative according to Todorov are6. Disequilibrium7. Recognition of Equilibrium8. Attempt to repair Equilibrium

2012.

Part of the theory. From the move.

Equilibrium Everyone is leading their normal lives, going to work, looking after their children etc.

Disequilibrium Earthquakes and freak weather conditions batter the world.

Recognition of Equilibrium People notice there is something not right about the weather conditions they have been faced with and begin to panic.

Attempt to repair Equilibrium

People hear of space shuttles that will result in their survival and fight to get on them.

New Equilibrium The space shuttles aid their survival until they reach dry land resulting in a new life.

Levi-Strauss.

Believed that the world of film is described in binary opposites.

Word. Opposite.

Night Day

Hero Villain

Good Bad

Happy Sad

Horror.Orphan.

Villain.

The girl who was adopted by a normal American family starts doing evil things to harm members of her adoptive family and others.

The family who adopt Ester in the hope of giving her a better life.

The woman eventually saves her family from the evil child.

Hero.

Drama.Precious.

Good. Bad.

Precious is determined to try and better herself, she is determined to continuing going to school and dreams of being an actress.

Precious’s mum disheartens her and encourages her to drop out of education and rely on the welfare system.

Thriller.Taken.

Middle aged man.Young teenage girl.

The middle aged man is concerned about his teenage daughters safety.

He embarks on a long battle to find his kidnapped daughter after she is taken.

The girl is irresponsible and doesn’t see the dangers of her situation like her father does.

Barthes.

Barthes believes that film narrative is broken up using a set of 5 codes..

1. Enigma code2. Action code3. Semantic code4. Symbolic code5. Cultural code

Enigma Code.

Set up as a puzzle to be solved, set up to portray a mystery and draw in the audience attention.

• At the start of Titanic we are shown the sunken ghost ship at the bottom of the ocean.

• This makes the audience think about what caused the ship to sink and the chain of events that led to the sinking of the ship.

• This draws in the audience as it makes them want to watch the movie and gain answers to their curiosities.

Action Code.

An action that automatically makes the audience know that something is going to happen.

The time always appears at the bottom of the screen whilst the couple are sleeping.

Paranormal Activity, there is always a clock on the right hand corner of the screen whilst the couple are sleeping, when the clock speeds up then suddenly stops it is a signal to the audience that something is about to happen.

Semantic Code.

Working out what certain things connote, for example a particular colour or object.

Unwanted pregnancy.In knocked up and if

these walls could talk.

• Comedy.

• Mass audience.

• Pregnancy is not seen as a big deal.

• Couple who had one night stand get together and raise the baby in an ideal family unit.

• Drama.

• Targeted at a more niche audience

• Pregnancy is not accepted, the girls are forced to abort or give up their babies.

Symbolic Code.

Opposites.. For example men and women and how they are presented differently in movies.

The difference between men and women in Grease the musical.

• Dressed girly in bright colours.

• Singing dancing, smiling.

• Dressed in dark clothes.

• Playing it cool, asking questions about what the girl looks like not what she's like.

Cultural Code.

When an old book or old movie is remade In current times involving more modern things such as guns and cross-dressing men.

• Romeo and Juliet which was originally a Shakespearean play was remade 1996.

• The remake involves the use of guns, there is a cross-dressing man and a swimming pool also present in the movie.

• We know guns and swimming pools were not around in the time period Romeo and Juliet was set in however we do not question there use due to the time period we are watching the remake in.

Propp.

Propp believed that there are 7 different types of characters in the average movie..

1. Hero2. Villain3. Dispatcher4. Donor5. Helper6. False hero7. Heroine

Cinderella.

Character types from theory.

Character from the movie.

Hero The prince/ fairy godmother

Villain Evil stepmother/ stepsisters

Dispatcher Evil stepmother

Heroine Fairy godmother

Helper The animals

False Hero Stepsisters Propps theory is especially relatable to Disney movies.

Key terms.

DiegesisThe internal world created by the story that the characters themselves experience and encounter.

Unrestricted narrationA narrative which has no limits to the information that is presented (gives as much information as possible), not hiding any pieces of information from the audience.

Restricted narrationOnly offers minimal information regarding the narrative (offering little about of narrative which hides some information from the audience) perhaps to create enigma or mystery.

Cameron.

Cameron based his theory on contemporary cinema. His theory was based around 4 Modular narratives..

1. Forking Path 2. Episodic 3. Anachronic4. Split Screen

Forking Path.

Forking path . Evidence.

4.3.2.1. • We are shown the climax of the movie at the start.

• The same time frame is repeated for all 4 characters.

• We are shown them all together at the start before they go there own separate ways.

• We are shown the 4 girls meeting back up at the end.

Sliding Doors. • We are shown the 2 different ways the woman's life could have went if she missed the train or if she caught the train.

• Her two possible lives link back at the end when she finds herself in labour in the hospital.

Spilt-Screen.

Split Screen. Evidence.

Mean Girls. • We are shown the 4 girls on the phone in separate locations.

The Parent Trap. Split-screen camera shot have been used and consequently resulted in one person being duplicated on screen to appear as two people.