Research: Narrative Theory: Miss Begum

Narrative Theory.

What is Narrative and Why is it important to audiences?

Narrative is the story of the film someone is watching; it is important to the audiences because it shows a clear structure of what is happening. A narrative is a clear showing of a start, middle and end.

Creating meaning in texts: What four elements allows the audience to find meaning?

When creating and finding meaning in text, there are various codes and conventions that need to be considered. The four main ones are genre, characters, connotation and denotation and structure.

Genre:

• lighting
• colour
• sound
• own set of conventions

Characters:

• physique
• star
• body language
• facial expressions
• relationships
• demographics

Connotations and Denotations:

• Themes
• Iconography
• Costumes

Propp (characters): Who was he and what did he say?

Propp was a theorist who was mainly interested in narrative folk talks. His theory was that folk tales were about the same basic struggles so that meant they all had the same characters. The main characters Propp identified in folk tales were:

• The Hero - a character that seeks for better things. An example of this Character would be Batman.                   
• The Villain - a character who opposes or actively blocks the hero's quest. An example of this would be The Joker. 
• The Donor - a character who provides  an object with magical properties.
• The Dispatcher - a character who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message.
• The False Hero- a character who disrupts the hero's success by making false claims.
• The Helper - a character who aids the hero.
• The Princess - a character who acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain's plots
• Her Father - a character who acts to reward the hero for his effort.

Todorov (eq-diseq-new eq): Who was he and what did he say?

Todorov believed in the theory of structure. He believed that every story had a start, middle and end. Each stage had a different scenario and created different meaning.  The three stages he had in his theory are called the equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium.

• The equilibrium is the start, this is the beginning of the film when the characters are all in a stable situation.
• The disequilibrium is the middle, this the part of the film where something disruptive happens, this causes change that needs a resolution.
• The new equilibrium is the end, this is when the problem that was caused gets solved and then the narrative is closed.

Aristotle (themes and emotions): Who was he and what did he say?

Aristotle's theory is based on themes and emotions. The main this from his theory was to arouse and evoke emotion from the audience using themes. He wanted the audience to be able to draw meaning from different parts of the film they are watching. His theory had four different stages, they are the:

• Exposition: This is the part where the audience gets to know the main character.
• Rising Action: When the protagonist understands his or her goal and begins to work towards it.
• Climax: This is were the greatest overall tension, this is the part where the most problems occur.
• Falling Action: This is the turning point of the story, this is where the main character has to make a vital decision which decides on the out come of the story.
• Denouement: This is the part where the problem is solved and all mystery in the film is unrevealed.

An example of a film that uses Aristotle's theories is Abduction.

Barthes (semiotics): Who was he and what did he say?

Barthes theory focused on connotations and denotations. He believed that a film relies on the connotations and denotations of the genre or sub genre it belonged to. He also had a view that different people will have a different cultural understandings about what the are watching. This meant that certain things in a narrative would be grouped with a certain culture.

What narrative structure do thrillers tend to take?

I think that thrillers tend to lean more towards Todorov and Aristotle's theories. These two theories focus more on the audience drawing meaning from a film and keeping them interested. These theories create excitement and play psychological games with the viewers. Both these theories carry the most connotations towards a thriller film.

Conclusion: What narrative theory/ies will you use in your thriller and why?

In my thriller I will use Todorov's theory in my thriller because I believe it will add the most excitement  to my opening. I believe it will show clear structure in my film and display it in a way my audience will understand. I will also use Aristotle's theory because I want my audience to be able to convey emotion and meaning through what they are watching.