Friday 23 September 2016

Narrative Theories

Todorov- equilibrium/disequilibrium
He suggested that the conventional narratives have 5 stages

  1. A state of equilibrium(stability) at the start
  2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action
  3. A recognition that there has been a disruption
  4. An attempt to repair the disruption
  5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

Propp- character types
He suggested that every narrative has 8 different character types













Barthes - enigma codes
He suggest that narratives should have enigma codes to keep the audience guessing and creating a puzzle for the audience

Strauss-binary oppositions
His theory was that binary oppositions were needed in a narrative, like heros and villans(Star wars for example)

Cameron -modular narratives
Mentioned media product having multiple narratives like Anachronic, Forking-Path, Episodic and Split Screen.

Freytag -narrative pyramid.
His pyrimad shows the pace of a narrative and the amount of tension.
Image result for Freytag -narrative pyramid.
For my narrative the narrative theories that will relate to my short film are Freytag's pyrimad and Todorov, as my production will start of as the protagonist not really realizing what is going on and then beginning to realize he saw visions of his future. Then he will try to prevent things and events from happening and finally the protagonist will try to change his own fate possibly leading to his demise. Fretag's pyrimad would work well with my narrative as the tension gradually builds up until the ending where the protagonist will resolve the problem or not.