Narrative Theory

1. Narrative Theory

2. Tzvetan Todorov
Born: March 1, 1939 Bulgaria

3. All films follow the same narrative pattern. There are five stages the narrative can progress through,
1. Equilibrium
2. Disruption
3. Recognition
4. Attempt to repair the damage of disruption
5. A return or restoration of equilibrium
Example
Movie: Sausage (short film)
1. We met both the male and female market vendors .
2. A slick fast food vendor is introduced to the market.
3. The slick fast food vendor sets to steal all customers at the market.
4. The event then sets the male and female market vendors to come together by doing their products and get their customers back.
5. The problem is solved as they work together and harmony is resolved, though things have changed because their products have now
become one.
not be relevant but they do connect towards the end of the film. Flashbacks and Flash-forwards reinsure a break from the narrative which shows a diffe

4. Vladimir Propp
Born: April 17, 1895 Russia

5. The idea that a certain character was to be used in every narrative structure.
He discovered that all characters should fall into 7 broader character types, all of which can be identified in a variety of different media.
• Hero
• Dispatcher
• Helper
• Villain
• Princess/father
• False hero
• Donor
Example
Movie: Harry Potter
•Harry Potter
•Albus Dumbledore
•Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger
•Lord Voldemort
•Ginny Weasley
•Draco Malfoy
•Sirius Black
Using this theory in a short film is not likely mainly because short films involve maximum 2 charters and most obvious it is a short film which mean

6. Roland Barthes
Born: November 12, 1915 France

7. He identified 5 narrative codes that were used within film to create meanings
1.Enigma codes
2.Semic codes
3.Symbolic codes
4.Action codes
5.Cultural codes
Enigma codes is simply a theory that suggests a text that portrays a mystery to draw an audience in.
o be played out and rather lists certain features. His codes are simple and easy to apply to a short film also they are obvious e.g connotations are

8. Claude Levi-Strauss
Born: November 28, 1908 Belgium

9. He acknowledged that we as humans make sense of the world, people and events
by seeing and using binary oppositions.
Narratives are arranged around the conflict of binary opposites, they are
the central climax of a narrative structure.
Binary Opposites
Levi-Strauss discovered that the way certain words used do not depend on
the meaning they directly contain, but by much more of
our understanding of the difference between the
word and its opposite.
He realised the word act as symbols for society
ideas and that the meaning of words was a relationship rather than a fixed thing.
Examples
• Good vs Evil
• Girl vs Boy
• Black vs White
• Peace vs War
• East vs West
• Young vs Old
• Man vs Nature
• Ignorance vs Wisdom
• Humanity vs Technology
A short film can contain this theory however it must consist a creation of conflict/opposition propels narrative.
The narrative can only end on a resolution of conflict, but the filmmaker needs
opposites to create that tension and conflict. Oppositions in the short film can be visual, conceptual
or to do with soundtrack e.g light vs darkness, love vs hate and