This document discusses concepts related to analyzing narratives in film, including: 1) Tzvetan Todorov's 5-stage narrative structure model and Vladimir Propp's 7 spheres of action which provide typical character types found in narratives. 2) The concept of binary opposites in narratives, such as heroes and villains, and how they are contrasted through qualities like good vs. evil, youth vs. age, and masculinity vs. femininity. 3) Examples of binary hero/villain pairs from action adventure films like The Mummy, Spiderman 2, and Pirates of the Caribbean are given to illustrate applying these concepts.

1. Thursday, 06 March 2014

2. NICS
• Narrative
• Iconography
• Characters
• Setting

3. Setting

4. Iconography

5. Recap - Narrative Structure
When we sit down to watch a film the narrative structure help
defines the story. It needs to be structured to help us, the audience,
understand the message contained within, giving the film meaning
throughout.
Tzvetan Todorov’s 5 stage narrative structure helps us enables most
narratives to follow a conventional chronological structure.
Vladimir Propp’s 7 spheres of action provide us with typical ‘stock’
characters that are found within narratives

6. Heroes and Villains
In pairs, brainstorm what characterises:
• a hero
• a villain
• What might they look like?
• How might they act?
• What locations would they be based in?
• What props would they have?
• Who would be supporting them?
• What might happen to them in the film?

7. Conclusion
The Hero
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The Villain
Physically strong or physically fit •
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Good looking
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Young(ish)
Works with limited help –a buddy •
and/or the heroine.
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Has limited weapons.
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Quick thinking/intelligent.
Chivalrous.
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Trustworthy.
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Follow a code that preaches
loyalty, honour, duty, selflessness •
and spirituality. This guides their
mission or quest.
Usually physically weaker
Not as good looking (often scarred).
Often older.
Will usually have henchmen as back
up – or even an army .
Needs more weapons.
Will often watch as the hero jumps
out of the window…
Selfish/disloyal/greedy.
Creates suffering by causing war.
Shares the same quest as hero, such
as trying to obtain a valuable
artefact, but out of greed or desire
for power.

8. Binary Opposites

9. What are the binary opposites of...
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Strong
Powerful
Active
Heroic
Good
Dominant
Practical
Logical

10. What are the binary opposites of...
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Strong
Powerful
Active
Heroic
Good
Dominant
Practical
Logical
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Weak
Powerless
Passive
Cowardly
Evil
Submissive
Impractical
Illogical

11. Binary Opposites
Levi Strauss believed that the way we understand certain words
depends not so much on any meaning they themselves directly
contain, but much more by our understanding of the difference
between the word and its 'opposite' or, as he called it 'binary
opposite'.
He suggests that words merely act as symbols for society's ideas and
that the meaning of words, therefore, was a relationship rather than
a fixed thing: a relationship between opposing ideas.
• E,g,: , our understanding of the word villain' surely depends on
the difference between that word and its opposing idea, that of a
'hero'.

12. As well as the good vs evil binary there are other
oppositions that should help you understand the
idea, such as youth/ age binary, and the
masculinity/ femininity binary, and so on.
In Media studies, we use this when analysing
images. For example, sometimes film makers
juxtapose opposite images in the same frame to
emphasise their difference.

13. Action Film Binary Opposites
The Mummy
Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser)
High Priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo)

14. Action Film Binary Opposites
Spiderman 2
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire)
Doc Ock (Alfred Molina)

15. Action Film Binary Opposites
Pirates of the Caribbean
Will Turner (Orlando Bloom)
Captain Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush)

16. Homework
• Using Word or Powerpoint, create a collage of
at least 5 sets of binary hero/villain characters.
• 3 sets of binary characters must be from
Action Adventure films.
• Due in this time next week.

17. Quick Quiz
1.
What does the term ‘genre’ mean?
2.
Name any three films genres.
3.
What does narrative mean?
4.
Name two stages of Todorov’s narrative theory.
5.
Name two of Propp’s character types.
6.
If a character is a ‘stock’ character and is a generalisation, what is this
also known as?
7.
What does iconography mean?
8.
Name three things you expect to see in an action adventure film.