The document discusses several narrative theories and how they relate to the analysis of narratives and title sequences. It describes key concepts from theorists including Levi-Strauss, Roland Barthes, Vladimir Propp, and Todorov. In particular, it examines how the concepts of binary opposites, narrative codes, character structures, and equilibrium/disruption stages can be applied or purposefully opposed in the analysis and creation of a title sequence for a horror film.

1. Narrative Theory
By Kerry and Cezza K

2. • “Story is the irreducible substance of a story (A
meets B, something happens, order returns)
whilst narrative is the way the story is related
(Once upon a time etc…)” – Key Concepts in
Communication – Fiske el al
• “In Media studies, looking at narrative structure
implies that we explore the way in which the
information is contained within a text that is
revealed to us.” – Media Studies: The
Essential Resource – Rayner, Wall & Kruger
Narrative

3. Levi-Strauss
• French anthropologist
• Proposes narrative is presented through
binary opposites
• Opposite ideologies that when presented
together have symbolic connotations
• Good vs bad
• Savage vs civilised
• Strong vs weak
• Ugly vs beautiful

4. Binary Opposites & Title Sequence
• Particularly as our piece was of the horror genre, we
incorporated binary opposites
• Dark vs light : we contrasted dull, dark lighting of the dirty
woods with the white wall that had childhood photographs to
construct an uncomfortable, eerie atmostphere
• We inferred good vs evil through by suggesting an evil
presence in the film through the dark cinematography (visually
dark and we burnt photos of children) and eerie music (we
distorted a nursery rhyme)
• Children could represent good/innocence; childhood photos
being engulfed by flames is evil

5. Roland Barthes
• French theorist
• Proposed that texts were either open or closed, five
narrative codes/devices
1) Proairetic/action – any action elements in narrative, resolution
reached through action, used to build tension
2) Hermenuetic/Enigma – a part of the narrative that is unresolved,
stimulates, pleases or frustrates the audience
3) Semantic code – a part of the narrative that connotes or suggests a
certain meaning, inferred meaning
4) Symbolic code – uses opposites to demonstrate symbolism
5) Cultural – narrative in which the audience accept something to be
true, i.e science and religion, everyday knowledge that cannot be
challenged, culturally dominant

7. Roland Barthes & Title Sequence
• Not all five codes can be applied to our product
• The “Enigma” code applies the most: we purposely did not
infer to any specific narrative elements but instead focused on
communicating the genre through the visuals
• The effect of this was to engage the audience and encourage
them to watch the rest of our product
• We referred to the enigma code through the use of dark
cinematography – we employed shadows and dull lighting
throughout to disorient the audience – and our choice of eerie
music also contributed to this

8. Roland Barthes & Title Sequence
• The symbolic code – relates to binary opposition
• Also the semantic code: used symbols that had connotations of
horror films
• Infer a supernatural element of our film by detailing the elements
of water, fire and earth. Similarly, we used a doll’s house to
connote innocence so destroying it connoting the destruction of
innocence
• Action code – we ended our title sequence with the doll’s house
being burnt to represent tension reaching its climax, could be
seen as the resolution of our title sequence

9. Vladmir Propp
• Analysed Russian folk tales in order to identify
narrative structure
• Focuses on characters and the structure they bring to
narrative
• The hero – a character who seeks something
• The villain - who opposes or blocks the hero
• The donor - who helps the hero by providing an object with
magical properties
• The dispatcher - sends the hero on his quest via a message
• The false hero – disrupts the hero’s success by making false
claims
• The helper – aids the hero
• The princess – reward for the hero and object of villain’s plot
• The princess’ father - acts to reward the hero for his effort

10. Propp’s Narrative Theory & Title Sequence
• We purposely opposed Propp’s narrative theory in
our title sequence, no reference to a distinct
narrative let alone character structures
• The effect of this was to make the audience
uncomfortable; no element of familiarity, goes
against the hegemony of narrative
• Felt it would be more effective to focus on visuals –
dark cinematography/ mise-en-scene and eerie
music

11. Todorov
• Bulgarian essayist, proposes three-five stages of
narrative, 1969
• Equilibrium, disruption, new equilibrium
1) Equilibrium – normality, in which the protagonists are
comfortable/happy
2) Disruption – something occurs to disrupt the normal
order
3) Recognition – the characters recognize that this
disruption has occurred
4) Resolving – an attempt to repair or resolve this
disruption
5) Restoration – either the previous equilibrium is
restored or a NEW equilibrium is reinstated

12. Todorov
• Can be applied to most films
• Narratives do not need to be linear
• The progression from initial equilibrium to
restoration always involves a transformation
• The middle period of narrative can depict
actions that transgress everyday habits and
routines

13. Todorov & title sequence
• Again did not specifically reference these three/five
stages as a means of disorienting the audience by
remaining vague
• Title sequence features the ‘disruption’ stage of
Todorov’s theory
• By contrasting childhood photos (innocence) with
images of horror connotations, our product disrupted
normality or an equilibrium
• The effect of again is to make the audience
uncomfortable and reflect the horror genre of our
product