Propp's Character Roles and Narrative Functions

1. Soap Opera Genre –
Propp’s Character Roles
Propp’s Narrative Functions
Name: Shaune Hazlehurst
Candidate Number: 3065
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

2. Trailer 1: Coronation Street
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w51KhdDSeto
‘The Villain’ (who struggles against ‘The Hero’) in this trailer is denoted to be the older
man in the trailer who is intimidating the younger man this is perceived through the
verbal code “you don’t have a choice lad, I want my money back,” which connotes to
aggression anchored by the technical code of close up on the older man’s face,
allowing the audience to denote him as ‘The Villain’ . As the older man is invading the
younger man’s personal space and staring him in the eyes it conveys to the audience
how he is promoting conflict. This signifies how he is a villainous character.
‘The False Hero’(perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil) is
denoted to be the young man at the start of the trailer who reassures to another
character through the verbal code “you don’t have to do anything!”. This reassurance
allows the audience to believe he is self-less and good hearted. However this is
contrasted at the end of the trailer through the verbal code “what do you want?” with
a negative facial expression which conveys to the audience that he is not a heroic
character but rather a ‘Villain’. This is further anchored by the technical code of long
shot which perceives the young man to be looking down on the other character, an
action that a villain usually does.
Propp’s Character Roles

3. Trailer 1: Coronation Street
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w51KhdDSeto
‘Villainy’: The villainy that is suggested in the trailer is not physical but rather verbal.
The use of character’s, such as the older man, speaking sternly and benevolently to
other character’s promotes conflict and the villainous themes. This is anchored by the
shot types used such as the technical code of close up camera shot which allows the
audience to see the anger in the character’s facial expression.
‘Lacking’:
The ‘lacking’ suggested in this Coronation Street trailer is denoted by a female
character through the verbal code of “I lost my man!” which connotes to the character
being in despair as her partner has left her. This despair is further anchored by the
technical code of long shot, which perceives the character to be in sadness as she is
laying on the sofa while another character begins to comfort her. The technical code of
camera zoom denotes the facial expression of the character to be in anguish which
further details the lack of something in her life, which is her partner.
Propp’s Narrative Functions

4. ‘Struggle’:
The struggle between Hero and Villain is perceived in this trailer where
two female characters begin to insult each other and then physically
attack each other. This is denoted through the verbal code “If anyone’s a
tart it is you!” this insult connotes to the audience that the character is a
villain through the use of aggravated terms. This is further revealed
through the technical code of over the shoulder close-up shot which
denotes the two character’s angered facial expressions and their fight.

5. Propp’s Character Roles
Trailer 2: Hollyoaks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC2DSqZZ
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‘The Villain’ in this trailer is denoted as the male character at the very start through
the use of the verbal code “His name was Bart McQueen and I killed him” which
connotes to this male character to be very dangerous as he has told another character
that he had murdered someone. This idea is further expressed in the next scene as the
same male character is staring at another character thought to be the victim denoted
through the use of the technical code of over the shoulder shot. The shot allows the
audience to see his murderous facial expression re-establishing to the audience that he
is the villain.
‘The Princess’ is denoted by a male character opening a box containing a ring and
verbally stating “Maxine, will you marry me” which is then replied by “Yes I will!”. The
technical code of close up shot allows the audience to see the joy in her facial
expression along with the clapping of hands. Furthermore the technical code of eye-
line match allows the audience to see that they are looking into each other’s eyes
connoting to the love they have between them.

6. Propp’s Narrative Functions
Trailer 2: Hollyoaks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC2DSqZZ
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Exposure:
Exposure of the Villain is denoted through the use of the technical code
of long shot which reveals the Male character in court awaiting to be
trialed. This is further expressed later in the trailer where the same
character is wearing an orange bib, revealing that he is in prison. This
reveals to the audience that he is dangerous, exposing that he is a
villain.
Villainy:
The villainous narrative function is further depicted in this trailer
through the verbal code of sound bridge which denotes “If you love me
the why are you doing this!” over an array of different camera shots and
scene’s. This connotes to the audience that themes surrounding villainy
and injury will be reproduced throughout the upcoming season of
Hollyoaks.