Narrative Theory - Part 2

Bordwell and Thompson
Narrative, as defined by Bordwell, is a chain of events occurring in time and space. In creating a narrative there must be an action, which begins as a series of events that occur over a period of time in one or more spaces and finally end in a changed state.

Story time: The earliest event referred to in a film to the latest event.
- The story time creates a whole world that exists even when the characters are not on screen.   Examples: Pulp fiction, Eastenders (  ), Lord of the Rings.

Plot time: The earliest event that the audience see in the film to the latest event.
- Plot time is necessary in order to show a complete story within the limited screening time of a film. Examples: Pulp fiction, Another 24 hours, Gladiator, Cloud Atlas, The Terminator, etc.

Screen time: The actual playing time of the film.

Propp's Theory (1928)
Vladimir Propp’s (1928)  the Morphology of the Folk Tale.

- Identified 32 categories of action which he called “functions.”

- Identified a set of  basic “spheres of action” or character roles.

- The character roles help to provide structure for the (media) text.

- The character roles perform a certain function.

The Functions

Preparation: A community, kingdom, family; an ordered state of being.

A member of a family /community leaves home (the hero is introduced as a unique person within the tribe, whose needs may not be met by remaining)

A warning is given to the community or its leaders/ a rule is imposed on the hero (a command NOT to do something e.g.'don't go there', 'go to this place’)

The hero ignores the warning/the rule is broken.

The villain attempts to discover something about the victim.

The villain discovers the required information.

The villain attempts to deceive the victim to gain an advantage (trickery; villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim)

The victim is deceived by the villain and unwittingly helps him/her (or the enemy)

The Complication

A state of disorder. Villain harms a member of the family/community.

One of the family/community desires something.

Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched to find what is desired).

The hero plans action against the villain.

The Transference

Hero leaves home.

Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc; he meets the challenger and receives a magical agent or a helper.

Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against them).

Hero arrives at or is transferred to the place where he will fulfil his quest.

The Struggle

There is a struggle in a specific setting between hero and villain.

Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf).

Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, banished).

The state of disorder is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revived, captive freed)

The Return

Hero returns.

Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero).

Hero escapes or is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero saved from attempt on his/her life).

Hero arrives at home or at some other place and is not recognised.

False hero presents unfounded claims.

Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks)

The task is accomplished.

The Recognition

Hero is recognised (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her).

False hero or villain is exposed.

Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc)

Villain is punished.

Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).

Propp's Character Types

Hero: Reacts to the donor and saves the princess, often resulting in them falling in love with the princess. 

The villain: Locked in a constant struggle with the hero, often trying to harm princess. 

False hero: May appear good but has an ulterior motive, or attempts to take credit for the hero's actions. 

The helper: Assists the hero with their quest, often referred to as their 'sidekick'.

The princess: Needs assistance from the hero, usually because they are in some form of danger, typically the princess is the victim within the narrative. 

The donor: Gives the hero an object that usually has magical property or a piece of information that helps them prepare for what is to come. 

The dispatcher: Is the character who sends that hero on their mission or quest.

The father: Acts to reward the hero for his efforts. 

The Lion King Examples

- The Villain - Scar

- The Donor - Rafiki

- The Helper - Timon+Pumbaa

- The Princess - Nala

- Her Father (in this case mother) - Sarafina*

- The Dispatcher - Nala**

- The Hero - Simba

- The False Hero - Scar***

Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hero - Star-lord
Star-Lord is the main Hero. He ventures on a quest in search for an Orb which then sends him on a quest to play a hero role to save the Galaxy.
The Villain - Ronan the Accuser
The False Hero -
The False Villain - Drax
Drax is a False Villain as he has many traits that many people would relate to a villain. for example, he is filled with rage and is searching for revenge. This is an obvious trait for a classic villain. We find out however that he is actually a part of the Guardians and is also fighting to save the galaxy.
The Helper - Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket
All of these characters have traits that act as helper roles towards Star-Lord. However they also play hero roles within the film as they are all fighting to save the galaxy, like Star-Lord.
The Princess - Honor and Respect / Friends
As star-lord is classed as a villain to other characters within the film, at the end of the film he earns honor and respect by saving the galaxy. His Friends are also the "princess'" and acts as a reward for Star-Lord as previously he was alone.
The Donor - Collector
The Dispatcher - The Orb
The Father - Corpsman Dey

Levi Strauss (1958)
He argued that all meaning-making, not just narratives, depend on binary oppositions – a conflict between two sides/qualities which are opposites. For example; There are many Binary Opposites within the Western Genre, Mythology and also Advertisements. 

Western:
Cowboys  -  Indians 
Settlers  -  Natives 
Christian  -  Pagan 
Domestic  -  Savage 
Weak  -  Strong 
Garden  -  Wilderness 
The law  -  Outlaws 
Helpless  -  Dangerous 
Clothed  -  Naked 
Whites  -  Redskins 
Telegraph  -  Smoke Signals 

Adverts:
Spots  -  Clearasil
Dirty  -  Persil
Young  -  Old
Dandruff  -  Head & Shoulders

Mythology:
God - Devil
Good  -  Evil.

Batman and The Joker
Both Batman and The Joker are binary opposites for many reasons. The two obvious reasons are that simply Batman is the good guy and that The Joker is the Villain. Despite this, there are more reasons. For example: The joker kills people and Batman doesn't, he believes in justice but The Joker does not.


Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader

Luke and Darth Vader are a classic example of Binary Opposites. Darth Vader is the Villain and Luke is the Hero. Vader puts the princess in danger where Luke saves princess from Vader. Another thing that makes them binary opposites are that Luke fights for the rebels, a team who are trying to save the galaxy. Whereas Vader is a part of the empire, a group who are trying to take over the galaxy and destroy it.


Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie
Jack and Oogie are another example of Binary Opposites. Jack is the leader of Halloween Town, and tries his best to make sure everyone is happy. He has a lover known as Sally. Oogie envies Jack and wants to take over Halloween town. He captures Sally and Jack has to rescue her. This proves that Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie are Binary Opposites.

Representation of Age

Representation of Age

Levi Strauss
The contrast between two mutually exclusive concepts or things that creates conflict and drives a narrative e.g. good/evil, day/night, male/female, presence/absence, old/young.

Stereotypes of the Elderly
- Grumpy - Conservative, Stubborn and are resistant to change. ("Good Ol' Days")

- Cheeky - Seen as having a second childhood, living life to the fullest because of their age.

- Helpless - The elderly are seen as a burden to society. Older people are also represented as pitied, dependent or an economic burden – helpless and dependent on other younger members of society or family.

Positives and Negatives of Age

Waterloo Road - Essay Plan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX1a_hfwhCo

Sound

- Hectic audio

- Sounds of screaming from the teenagers, relates to a stereotype of immaturity. Also shouts for help from other teenagers which counteracts the immature stereotype as they're acting in an adult manor.

Editing

- Fast Paced

Mise-En-Scene

- Majority of Characters are teenagers. When faced with a serious situation they all behaved with an authoritative attitude. Sensible behaviour. 

- Certain teenagers act selfish to protect themselves.

- Props such as wet paper towels, metal bars etc.

Cinematography

- Large amount of close-up shots to show the emotions of the characters. 

- A few establishing shots of the fire and the school during explosions. 

Waterloo Road Essay

Within the TV Programme of Waterloo Road, there is a range of ages represented both stereotypically and counter-stereotypically from teenagers to adults. They are represented in a certain way through Mise-En-Scene, Sound, Editing and Cinematography.

There were many aspects to the Mise-En-Scene that added to the verisimilitude of the scene and also represented stereotypes of all ages. The majority of the characters were secondary school teenagers and there were both stereotypes and counter-stereotypes within the scene. For example: There was a clear stereotype of an immature and irresponsible teenager with the majority of the young females represented. This is evident with the teenage pregnancy from one teenager and also from the actions of others during the fire. Despite this, there was also a clear counter-stereotype to this with the female who was trapped in the toilet. Instead of acting immature, like the other teenagers, she acted calm and made sure she called for help in a calm fashion that shows the counter-stereotype of the other teenagers who panicked. This shows a binary opposite in the stereotypes and counter-stereotypes of the female teenagers - This links to Levi Strauss’ theory of Binary Opposites. The male teenagers also show a clear stereotype and counter-stereotype. An example of this would be the teenager who called for help when his friend was having an asthma attack. Furthermore, one male teenager played a hero role in the scene when he went to save the young girl who was trapped. Another male teenager saved a teachers live by dragging her out of the burning building alone. This counteracts Ann Gould’s categorisation of the Nihilistic teenager as both males teens saved the lives of two females. This shows responsible attitude and is a counter-stereotype of a young, irresponsible teenager. Also, the other teenager who helped the trapped teenagers escape and also helped save a teacher’s life through his responsible attitude. The use of certain props from certain teenagers also counteracts the stereotypes of teenagers as dumb and immature. When a teenaged girl was alone in the toilets, she used props of wet paper towels to block the fire coming into the room that she was trapped in. This shows a level of intelligence that many people of an older age may think certain teenagers don’t have. All of these aspects of the scene counteract the stereotypical representation of youth in the media, as the majority of the teenagers are acting responsible. There are however a few odd teenagers who prove the stereotypes of youth with the teenage pregnancy presented in the scene.

Waterloo Road Essay

Within the TV Programme of Waterloo Road, there is a range of ages represented both stereotypically and counter-stereotypically from teenagers to adults. They are represented in a certain way through Mise-En-Scene, Sound, Editing and Cinematography.

There were many aspects to the Mise-En-Scene that added to the verisimilitude of the scene and also represented stereotypes of all ages. The majority of the characters were secondary school teenagers and there were both stereotypes and counter-stereotypes within the scene. For example: There was a clear stereotype of an immature and irresponsible teenager with the majority of the young females represented. This is evident with the teenage pregnancy from one teenager and also from the actions of others during the fire. Despite this, there was also a clear counter-stereotype to this with the female who was trapped in the toilet. Instead of acting immature, like the other teenagers, she acted calm and made sure she called for help in a calm fashion that shows the counter-stereotype of the other teenagers who panicked. This shows a binary opposite in the stereotypes and counter-stereotypes of the female teenagers - This links to Levi Strauss’ theory of Binary Opposites. The male teenagers also show a clear stereotype and counter-stereotype. An example of this would be the teenager who called for help when his friend was having an asthma attack. Furthermore, one male teenager played a hero role in the scene when he went to save the young girl who was trapped. Another male teenager saved a teachers live by dragging her out of the burning building alone. This counteracts Ann Gould’s categorisation of the Nihilistic teenager as both males teens saved the lives of two females. This shows responsible attitude and is a counter-stereotype of a young, irresponsible teenager. Also, the other teenager who helped the trapped teenagers escape and also helped save a teacher’s life through his responsible attitude. The use of certain props from certain teenagers also counteracts the stereotypes of teenagers as dumb and immature. When a teenaged girl was alone in the toilets, she used props of wet paper towels to block the fire coming into the room that she was trapped in. This shows a level of intelligence that many people of an older age may think certain teenagers don’t have. All of these aspects of the scene counteract the stereotypical representation of youth in the media, as the majority of the teenagers are acting responsible. There are however a few odd teenagers who prove the stereotypes of youth with the teenage pregnancy presented in the scene.

The sound within the fire scene is very hectic as there was a lot going on in terms of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. For example: The diegetic sounds of screaming from the majority of teenagers added to the verisimilitude of the scene. The dialogue of the adults conversing also added to the verisimilitude and emotion behind the scene. Both of these things add to stereotypes of both ages of adults and teenagers. The sounds of screaming from the teenagers prove some theories about the immature stereotypical teenager. The way the adults were reacting also showed a stereotypical adult as they were acting in a clam manor and acting responsibly. A lot of the dialogue revealed a lot about the characters and also linked them to the stereotypical representation of age and both gender combined.