ASSIGNMENT

8:

NARRATIV

E THEORY

P AM

EL A

YO

UN

ES

THINK OF DIFFERENT DISRUPTIONS/CONFLICTS AND RESOLUTION FOR DIFFERENT GENRES:

IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN TODOROV’S THEORY IN RELATION TO A FILMThe film that I will chose is called mean girls.

Trevor suggested there are 5 stages of narrative :

Equilibrium (or normality)

Disequilibrium (conflict / disruption of equilibrium by action or event)

Recognition of disequilibrium (disruption / conflict)

Attempt to repair disequilibrium

New equilibrium (new normality)

EQUILIBRIUM

Everything was normal before ‘Cady’ came to the new school

Everyone was in their social groups

Regina was the most popular one out of Karen and Gretchen

DISEQUILIBRIUM

Everything started to change when Cady joined the group

And starts to destroy Regina by giving her chocolate bars (Cady told Regina they were to make her turn skinnier but that was a lie)

Also giving her the wrong cream to use on her face

RECOGNITION OF DISEQUILIBRIUM

Regina found out she was gaining weight from the chocolate bars.

She photocopied the burn book and put them around the school blaming Cady

The whole school was fighting as they found out what people have been calling them

Regina was hit by the bus and Cady was blamed.

ATTEMPT TO REPAIR DISEQUILIBRIUM

After the fight with the school each person would have to confess what they did wrong and also apologize

They would have to fall into a group of crowd to gain their trust, that they would catch each other

NEW EQUILIBRIUMCady starts all over

again, goes to maths competition and won

All 4 girls, Regina, Karen , Gretchen and Cady didn’t care about popularity and 3 new girls became popular

Also Cady confessed about everything and she didn’t care about popularity, nor clothes just education

LEVI STRAUSS

He believed that our world is described in opposites. This would mean that, when the audience would look at a theme within a story and real life we would notice that they would have differences within them for example;

Night / day

Good / bad

Dark / light

Male / female

THINK OF OPPOSITES IN A VARIETY OF GENRES AND GIVE EXAMPLES FROM FILMS

Film Hero Villain Explanation

Spider man Spider man saving MJ

Destroys the City spider man saves innocent people that have been the victim and the green goblin would destroy the city

ACTION ….

THINK OF OPPOSITES IN A VARIETY OF GENRES AND GIVE EXAMPLES FROM FILMS

Film innocence Violation Explanation

Hunger games The people in the district mainly Katniss and Peeta

He was the one that made it up and sacrificing peoples lives

People have been forced to go try and stay the first one surviving, and the violation comes from the person who made this up

SI-FI ….

THINK OF OPPOSITES IN A VARIETY OF GENRES AND GIVE EXAMPLES FROM FILMS

Film human supernatural Explanation

Paranormal activity

Katie and Micah are normal human beings

The demon is supernatural his shadow on the door you cannot see him

There were normal people and supernatural, where Micah and Katie are humans and the supernatural is the demon

Thriller ….

BARTHES

His theory is similar to Todorov’s however Barthes theory talks about how the audience should experience anticipation and expectation of the conflict that has been happening in the film, and how the audience should seek answers and clues

We would identify them by ‘codes’

Enigma code

Action code

Semantic code

Symbolic code

Cultural code

ENIGMA CODE

At the beginning of 4321. it starts of with one of the girls wanting to jump of a bridge.

This then creates a mystery and raises questions to the audience to why this girl wants to commit suicide.

ACTION CODE

In spider man, he would save MJ a lot

These Behaviour and actions would then lead the audience to expect certain consequences.

SEMANTIC CODE

Connotative meanings of characters, objects etc.. however I'm choosing colour and different colours would mean/represent different things. It would depend on the situation/location etc.

The colour black would have different meanings such as:

Evilness Death Thrill

SYMBOLIC CODE

When a man gives a girl a rose. That rose would symbolise love.

This would show symbolic features would often signify oppositions and antitheses, and the purpose of that object/item.

Valentines day movie

CULTURAL CODE

Romeo and Juliet was written years ago, therefore they wouldn’t have the same adaption as they did to modern adaptions

When created as a film they have changed the story to adapt it to modern time rather than leaving it from years ago

For example in the book they haven't mentioned the swimming pool, but when adapted to modern they have as now our days people would have swimming pools in their house if they could.

Made years ago, as

they would meet up at

the balcony

Made in our days, more modern as they are in

the swimming

pool

PROPP

Studies folklore, fairy tales and legends in many countries and noticed many similarities In them, for example they would have the same problems etc.

One of his theory’s is about the 7 distinctive character which is called – ‘Spheres of action’

Hero

Villain

Dispatcher

Donor

Helper

Heroine

False hero

HERO

The hero would restore the disequilibrium this would be done by defeating the villain.

For example in spider man, spider man would defeat the green goblin and save people

DISPATCHER

This would encourage the hero to start his way and to show people who he really is.

In spider man, Peter’s uncle ben inspired him.

VILLAIN

The villain would cause disruption, he would try and kill the hero because normally the hero would ruin the villains plans of doing something.

For example in spider man the green goblin would be the villain as he would try and destroy the city.

DONOR

Helps the hero, this might be by giving them advice or train them etc.

For example in hunger game Haymitch would help Katniss win the game by surviving.

HELPER

The helper would assist the hero, the helper would help the hero save and defeat the evil.

For example in hunger games rue would help katniss by telling her about the bee hive. And helped her when she was stung.

FALSE HERO

a false hero would start as being a hero then changed his/her mind.

They can pretend that there a hero trying to get closer to a person to get what they wanted and when they did they would then turn their backs on them.

For example Madagascar, when the lions uncle tricks him on picking the strongest lion to defeat him so he can be the ruler.

HEROIN

A heroine would be known to be a princess , the princess would normally be threatened by the villain and needs to be rescued. And can only be rescued by the hero. That would be the only way where the villain can defeat the hero by using the heroin.

For example in spider man the green goblin would take MJ so he can defeat Spiderman.

DIEGESIS

The world that the characters would live in. the story that the characters themselves experience and encounter.

Where they would interact with the camera because that when they would break it as now they would have a relationship with the audience.

For example Disney films such as Cinderella, and how they would live in the world of that film.

NARRATIVE RANGE

Unrestricted narration: That’s when the film would give all the information that

would be represented, where they would give as much information as possible

Where they wouldn’t be hiding any pieces of information

For example in the film hunger games, they would show us what he sponsors would say on the paper so they wouldn’t be hiding anything from the audience

This would mean that the audience would know what they wee given.

NARRATIVE RANGE

Restricted narration: Only would offer a little of information, they wouldn’t give

all the information

This would then create tension and questions to the audience wanting to know that piece of information that isn't given to the audience

ALLAN CAMERON

Modular narratives Forking path Episodic Anachronic Split screen

FORKING PATH

Forking path is when having two scenes it one

It’s the story which can show the possible outcomes that might result from small changes in a single event.

This would introduce a number of plotlines that usually contradict from another

For example the film called ‘the sliding doors’

This film would have the story of having two possible outcomes of a woman happening to her life when she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her and what would happen to her if she didn’t find out.

EPISODIC

Abstract

This is a formal system which appears to dictate the organization of narrative elements. (e.g. numbers)

Anthology

Different short series that are unrelated but share a random similarity (e.g. all weddings having a gypsy wedding dress)

ANACHRONIC

This would have flashbacks or flash-forwards

This would have no clear dominance between any of the narrative threads

This also means when a story shows different scenes happening on the same day and on the same hour and what has happened to each of the characters between those timings and at the end they would join together

For example 4321, this is because they would show different story’s that has happened to the characters on the same time of the day and meet up at the end.

SPLIT SCREEN

This is when the screen would be split into two showing two different scenes or two different characters doing something at the same time of the day.

The screen can be split into two or more frames showing all of those frames on the screen

For example the film mean girls it would split the screen to 4 frames showing all the 4 girls having a conversation this would be done to show their facial expression or what doing when having a conversation.