My independent research on the 'Propps Characters theory', following on from my textual analysis.

1. Amy Clark, 7108 – planning and research.

2.  Vladimir Propp’s focuses on how there are certain types of characters that are used in every
narrative. This includes: The hero, The villain, The donor, The helper, The princess, The princess’
father, The dispatcher and The false hero.
 The hero – usually leads a narrative and is normally searching for something or someone, hoping to succeed.
 The villain - represented to be the ‘bad guy’ in the narrative, the audience are usually against this particular
character.
 The donor – gives the hero something special to help them with their quest to succeed.
 The helper – similar to the donor as they also support the hero. The helper often appears at critical or climax
moments to give guidance.
 The princess/ heroine – can be signified in two forms, either as an object or a reward. The princess is typically
seen to end up in the hero's arms. However the princess can be considered little in a movie or as an important
character.
 The princess’ father – has the important role of giving the task to the hero such as saving his daughter (the
princess). It is the hero's interests to persuade the father of the princess that he can protect his daughter.
 The dispatcher – another character who can send the hero on the mission or on his way.
 The false hero – falsely assuming the role of them being a hero. They usually appear to act heroically
throughout the movie and can therefore be mistaken for the real hero.

3. From analysing an EastEnders and Emmerdale trailer it is apparent that the Propps theory has
been used. In both the EastEnders trailer and the Emmerdale trailer, there are heroes, villains and
the princesses. In Soap Operas heroes are usually portrayed to be ‘the good guys’ who tend to
save the princesses, i.e. their girlfriend, wife, sister or female friend. On the other hand, the villain
is usually portrayed to be the antagonist and is often displayed to be the masculine male
character. The fact that Soap Operas include all of these types of characters creates an enigma
code (Roland Barthes) of mystery and suspense for the audience. This is because it keeps the
audience on the edge of their seats, guessing who the villain is, for example. During this
PowerPoint I am going to focus on different characters and how they are portrayed In ways to
inform the audience their role and position within the Soap Opera.

4. THE PRINCESS.
 Emmerdale trailer…
 The Emmerdale trailer has many princesses and heroine’s, this particular character is
seen to the the victim for in danger within the narrative. However in the Emmerdale trailer
it does not necessarily have to be the female character who is signified as the princess
as everyone including the males could be in trouble. Despite this, there is one more
obvious character who can be considered the princess as she is portrayed to be on her
own throughout the trailer. As well as this small clues and signs are revealed such as the
‘fate’ sign next to her. It can also be suggested that this particular character is the the
princess perhaps, because of her stereotype. For example, she is an older, more
venerable women who is portrayed to look weaker than the rest of the characters.
 EastEnders trailer…
 The EastEnders trailer signifies that one of the princess’s is Roxy. This is because her
sister reveals how she is venerable and seen to be in trouble. For example she is in a
relationship with a corrupt man. This is signified when Ronnie warns her sister by saying
“he is going to destroy you Roxy”. This verbal dialogue suggests to the audience that
Ronnie could potentially become a villain when trying to help, protect and save her sister.

5. THE HEROES.
 Emmerdale trailer…
 Due to the fact that there are princess characters in the Emmerdale trailer, they are often followed
by their heroes. This role is important as they intend to help, guide and save the princess. Linking to
this Emmerdale trailer in particular, these three roles are often carried out my the male characters. A
common example in this trailer is the male character's looking out for there wife or partner. This is
signified to the audience by either an arm round the shoulder, a hug or a kiss. All of these actions
show guidance and suggest a sign of protection for their loved ones.
 EastEnders trailer…
 In the EastEnders trailer the hero can be portrayed as the happy, cheerful character. For example
the owner of the Queen Vic, Mick is seen to be helping everyone as he is a genuine nice guy,
making every situation better. His smiley face and cheeky wink to his wife further signifies how he is
the ‘good guy because there is so much happening and going on in the trailer such as hate and
conflict. However when the camera is on this character the editing is seen to be calmer and bring a
warming atmosphere to the audience. This therefore suggest that he can be interpreted as the hero
in this Soap Opera trailer.

6. THE VILLAIN.
 Emmerdale trailer…
 There is no clear example of who the villain is in this particular trailer however it can be suggested
and argued who it may be. For example Ross intrigues the audience as he is seen gazing behind
other characters in an over the shoulder shot with a suspicious, evil facial expression. As well as this,
he also has that stereotypical, ‘bad boy’ look about him which further engages the audience. This
could suggest that he is the villain. However it is not fully revealed as the trailer wants to make the
audience ask questions and keep them on the edge of the seat.
 EastEnders trailer…
 In EastEnders trailer it is more obvious who the villain are and it is apparent that there is more than
one. For example the red artificial lighting which appears under the male character’s face signifies
how dangerous he is and that he is the main antagonist in this trailer. It is suggested to the audience
that he is the most dominant and holds the most power as he persuades the female character that
she is a monster, rather than himself. This further foreshadows how the stereotype is met that the
males over power the female characters, whether it be through dialogue, action shots or angles.

7. THE FALSE HERO.
 EastEnders trailer…
 Unlike the Emmerdale trailer there is a false hero in this EastEnders trailer. The false hero is seen to
be the male character dating Roxy. He can be suggested a false hero because he was seen being
nice and caring towards Roxy as the beginning of the trailer through his body language ie hugging
her. However throughout the trailer his character has changed as he becomes aggressive and
believes he can save the day. Despite this the audience know he is not a hero due to his ‘bad boy’
image and suspicious behavior’s.

8.  From analysing these two trailers and linking them both to the Propp’s Theory, it is evident that
Soap Opera’s mainly include a villain, a hero and several princess’. Therefore these can be
considered important conventions to include when making my Soap Opera. I will make sure to have
the villain as the main role in the narrative, as well as having princess’ and potential hero’s. By
including all of these characters my Soap Opera will have a clear enigma code as it will be dramatic
and mysterious for the audience to watch.