propp's character roles and narrative functions - unit g324

Soap Opera Genre –

Propp’s Character RolesPropp’s Narrative Functions

Name: TJ SalangoCandidate Number: 1220Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Propp’s Character RolesTrailer 1: EastEnders: Mother’s Day 2016 Trailer

The ‘donor’ (one who prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object) in this trailer is the young boy who enters the house with flowers in his hands, which may act as a vital symbol in the show. During the mother’s rage, the flowers deteriorate at an unusual and unnatural pace as he offers it to another woman, which could ‘signify’ (De Saussure) the destruction of relationships in the soap opera. His grey clothing may connote his neutral and passive feelings, or that he is a minor or isolated character.

Propp’s Character RolesTrailer 1: EastEnders: Mother’s Day 2016 Trailer

The ‘false hero’ (one who is perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil) and The ‘villain’ (one who struggles against the hero) in this trailer appears to be the mother; the knife she is pictured holding may connote crime or murder, which is exacerbated by the dark red lighting - her expression turns villainous, staring at the other man with what is perceived as bad intention. This particular trailer uses no diegetic dialogue, so is difficult to depict the true emotions of the characters – however, the non-diegetic soundtrack features the lyrics “Mother… Make me a bird of prey/ So I can rise above…” which subtly connotes that themes of violence, conflict and deception will be present in the soap.

Propp’s Character RolesTrailer 2: Nowhere Left To Run - Coronation Street

The ‘villain’ (one who struggles against the hero) in this trailer is presumably the man chasing the other three characters through town, up until they reach a dead end whereby his frustrated facial expression denotes themes of anger and violence. His fully dark clothing and aggressive nature hint that he is the antagonist of the trailer. The song used in the trailer, ‘Devil’s Whisper’ by Raury may be interpreted from the villain’s perspective; its lyrics, “You better run, run from the devil”, strongly denote the villain’s evil character.

Propp’s Character RolesTrailer 2: Nowhere Left To Run - Coronation Street

The ‘heroes’ (AKA victim/seeker/paladin/winner, one who reacts to the donor and usually marries the princess) in this trailer are presented by the three victims running away from the supposed drug dealer; their innocence and peaceful manner is demonstrated through their lack of violent behavior and passive resistance towards their attacker, despite the possible trouble and commotion that he’d caused prior to the chase. Both of the women’s dependence on this one man again signify their weakness and inability to fight back – this is anchored by their positioning at the end of the trailer, they are depicted holding onto him and relying on him for safety.

Propp’s Narrative Functions

‘VILLAINY or LACKING’: The villain harms or injures a family member, including but not limited to abduction, theft, spoiling crops, plundering, banishment or expulsion of one or more protagonists, committing murder, threatening a forced marriage, providing nightly torments and so on. Simultaneously or alternatively, a protagonist finds they desire or require something lacking from the home environment (a potion or artifact etc.). The villain may still be indirectly involved in the latter option, perhaps fooling the family member into believing they need such an item. Although there is no direct conflict in this trailer, the mother shows obvious signs of harmful intention, which is anchored by the large kitchen knife she holds with a threatening demeanor. This is again anchored by the dark red lighting and the lyrics of the song, “Mother… Make me a bird of prey”. The language implies some sort of battle for survival, and the imagery of nature connotes themes of violence and reality.

Trailer 1: EastEnders: Mother’s Day 2016 Trailer


‘STRUGGLE’: This is defined by the hero and villain meeting and engaging in conflict directly, either in battle or some nature of contest. The intense stare down between the mother and the younger man connote conflict between the two. Her expression appears much more domineering than his, suggesting that she possesses some sort of threatening advantage over him. Despite the fact that there is no physical contact between the two, the shot-reverse-shot used in the trailer acts as a representation of their internal conflict. Again, the harsh red lighting adds to the intimidation of the scene.

Trailer 1: EastEnders: Mother’s Day 2016 Trailer


Trailer 2: Nowhere Left To Run - Coronation Street

‘PURSUIT’: The hero is pursued by some threatening adversary, who perhaps seek to capture or eat them. All 3 victims, who are presumably the heroes of the soap opera, leave their houses, or place of safety, in order to flee their attacker. The entire trailer focuses on their ‘pursuit’, with the non diegetic lyrics of the song playing in the background, “You better run, run from the devil”. It is unclear what the antagonist’s purpose is without much contextual knowledge, but it is obvious that he possesses some sort of bad intention, especially with the deeper meaning behind the lyrics of the song.



‘DELIVERY’: The villain succeeds at recon and gains a lead on their intended victim. A map is often involved in some level of the event. In this instance, the villain starts off chasing the 3 protagonists from a distance, but soon appears to gain advantage of their victims as they slow down, hitting a dead end. By the end of the trailer he is depicted approaching the cornered victims with a manic, intimidating expression on his face; his mouth is agape as he is catching his breath, whilst the three huddle in despair over the cliff. The caption of the trailer, ‘Nowhere left to run’ adds to the severity of their situation.



Binary opposition (Levi Strauss) of Good vs. Evil: The definitive line between good and evil is depicted in this trailer, featuring a main antagonist and 3 obvious protagonists who are fleeing to save their lives. In this trailer the protagonists are defined by the fearful man and the two other women, running in terror from a man wearing all black. The general frightened facial expression of these three characters compared to the intimidating and confrontational appearance of the antagonist is what separates the two oppositions.

propp's character roles and narrative functions - unit g324

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