Unit 1 analysing media products

1. NARRATIVE
BTEC MEDIA STUDIES

2. NARRATIVE
• The forms of narrative
• Linear narrative – Begins at the start moves to the middle
and then to the end.
• Non Linear – May begin in any order, middle then
beginning and then end, e.g. Pulp Fiction, 500 Days of
Summer or Kill Bill
• Circular – begins at the end and then tells story in linear
fashion returning to the end.
• Episodic – story told in chapters the chapters may follow
characters and then not be in order.

3. EXAMPLES
• Watch the two scenes?
• Individually in your books
• What are the narrative formats?
• How do you know this?
• You will feedback and discuss – you have ten minutes.

4. MACRO FEATURES FOR NARRATIVE
• Story - the chronological order that events occur.
• Plot – how the audience are shown these events

5. TODOROVS NARRATIVE THEORY
• Todorov theory is that all stories follow this order:
• Equilibrium
• This is how the story will begin the place and characters are
in their normal routines.
• Disequilibrium
• Something happens to disrupt this order – this could be any
event such as war or a villain. This has to be resolved by the
hero.
• New Equilibrium
• A new equilibrium is established after the hero resolved the
conflict.

6. MORE DETAILED.
• More detail
• Between the disequilibrium and the restoration of
equilibrium there can also be:
• Recognition – aware of what happens and drama
develops.
• Attempts to repair – heroes try and there maybe a plot twist
or climactic point. They are temporary prevented from
restoring the harmony.

8. TWO NEW TERMS
• Parody – to use elements from an existing film / text
but to make it funny – Last Action Hero / Scary
Movie
• Homage – to copy elements from an existing film
because you admire the movie – Be Kind Rewind