narrative theory with links
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NARRATIVE
THEORY
THE GOAL ORIENTATED PLOT AND
NARRATIVE THEORY
PLOT VS. NARRATIVE
Plot = the chronological events of a story.
E.g. The story of Titanic begins when people
board a really big boat and it ends with the
peaceful death of the old lady (Rose).
Narrative = the organisation of this story.
E.g. The film of Titanic begins in the present
with the old lady relaying her story before
the film has prolonged flashbacks to the
past
CREATE A NARRATIVE
FROM THESE PLOT
EVENTS
A plum is eaten
A telephone rings
Busy traffic
A man dies
Ink Spills
AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES
Critically review films and its narrative
Apply narrative theory to your assignment
Gather research to define narrative theory
WHAT IS NARRATIVE?
Narrative is defined as
“a chain of events in a cause-effect relationship occuring in time”
(Bordwell & Thompson, Film Art, 1980)
The way that stories are told, how meaning is constructed to achieve the understanding of the audience.
In film, narrative is constructed through elements like camerawork, lighting, sound, mise-en-scene and editing.
WHAT DRIVES A
NARRATIVE FORWARD?
WHY IS A GOAL
ORIENTATED PLOT
USEFUL FOR STORY
TELLING?
EXAMPLES
Kill Bill – Kill Bill
The Hangover/2 – Find friend
Children of Men – Save the girl
Inglorious Basterds – Kill Hitler
The Bicycle Thieves – Replace the bicycle
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World – Defeat the evil ex’s
The Big Lebowski – Retrieve The Dude’s rug
OTHER EXAMPLES
ARISTOTLE THEORY
Beginning
Middle
End
TODOROV
Todorov describes narrative as going from equilibrium to disequilibrium back to an
altered equilibrium
Standard 3-
point narrative.
•Beginning
•Middle
•End
More detailed 5-
point narrative
IZETAN TODOROV
Todorov suggested that conventional narratives are structured in five stages:
Equilibrium: (sets the scene)
Everyday Life
Disruption: (complication)
Something happens to alter the equilibrium
Conflict: (climax)
Trying to solve the problem (seek resolution)
Resolution:
Problem is sorted
New Equilibrium: (satisfactory end)
Back to normal (but never the same)- a new normal
INCEPTION – 2010
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
KILL BILL – 2003
QUENTIN TARANTINO
TYPES OF NARRATIVE
STRUCTURE
LEVI STRAUSS
THEORY
Binary Opposition
Narrative tension is based on opposition or conflict.
This can be as simple as two characters fighting, but more
often functions at an ideological level – e.g., in Westerns,
what do the cowboys and Indians each represent? What
ideologies are embodied by the opposed sides in LOTR or
Star Wars?
The Wickerman shows key elements of Binary Opposition
BARTHES
Barthes describes narrative as a series of codes that are read and interpreted by
the audience
BARTHES’ 5 CODES
Action Code:
something the audience knows and doesn't need explaining e.g.
someone being wheeled out on a stretcher tells us they are going to
hospital
Enigma Code:
something hidden from the audience (creates intrigue)
Semic Code:
something that the audience recognize through connotations
Symbolic Code:
Something that symbolizes a more abstract concept e.g. a darker
than usual room of a murder scene could symbolize the depth of
darkness and depravity
Referential Code:
Something that is read with understanding due to cultural
awareness (e.g. youth culture use certain words that are understood
by that culture)
300
COMMENTARY
VLADMIR PROPP THEORY
OF CHARACTERS
Vladimir Propp’s theory was formed in the early twentieth
Century.
8 types of characters: the hero, the villain, the donor, the
dispatcher (the messenger), the false hero, the helper, the
princess and her father.
He did not state these characters were all separate people
e.g. the provider could also be the helper.
There are only 8 different character types and only 31
things they ever do (makes stories predictable)
Todays film and TV: The hero, the villain and the damsel in
distress.
APPLY PROPP’S THEORY
TO STAR WARS
The hero – Luke Skywalker
The villain – Darth Vader
The donor – Obi Wan
The dispatcher – Obi Wan
The false hero – Darth Vader
The helper – Obi Wan
The princess - Leia
The father – Leia’s father
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