Planning: Theoretical Frameworks on Narrative

VLADIMIR PROPPS 

 Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp was a Soviet folklorist and scholar who analysed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible narrative elements.

Propp suggested that every narrative has eight different character types, such as:

The Villain - Fights the hero

The dispatcher –one who sends the hero out, and makes the villain’s evil known

The (magical) helper –the sidekick who accompanies and helps out the hero

The Princess or the prize – the reward for the hero, what he is trying to save or acquire, usually to the villains dismay.  

Her father – gives the task to the hero and identifies the false hero.

The donor – prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object

The hero or victim/seeker hero – reacts to the donor, weds the princess.

False hero – takes credit for the hero’s actions, or try’s to marry the princess. 

 Where short films differ from full-length feature films, obviously in the length but also they have a twist so characters are not always who you think they are there roles may shift in the course or the narrative a hero might turn out to be a villain or vice versa. This is true in our film as the characters are not what they seem at first. 

There are likely to be a short range of characters in a short film like mine and so it’s unlikely to find the range of characters, as in Propps complex plots. My short film for example has four: the hero, the Villain, the princess/prize and the false hero. 

Propps theory  is useful to us, as we have clearly have distinguished character profiles. Although in our film we reverse the roles in the audiences eyes making the original hero into the Villain. At first the audience see "the player", appearing to leave love notes scattered around a library for 'the princess', attempting to lure her in, but this is soon exposed as false when the reveal of the real hero. This play on roles is effective in a short film as the audience do not have long enough to form a connection to a character. 

The main advantage of having very clear cut roles in a short film is that audiences need to grasp the character very quickly within the first minute but they characterscannot afford to be over simplistic because that might mean sacrificing the chance for enigma or the twist.

LEVI STRAUSS:

Drama is about conflict.

opposites can be equally powerfull-creates the tension 

the interest of the powerful forces that clash 

all naratives could be reduced down to binary opposites 
hero vs villain

conflict propels all narrative 

conflict can only end with resolution 

This applies to us in our film as there is the conflict between who is the nice guy and who deserves the beautiful girl. Although we do not directly have the 'nice guy' and the 'player', have direct conflict with one another, but the clash is highlighted upon with the 'player' taking credit for the 'nice guys' notes, as well as him changing his personality on the date with the 'princess' and becoming rude.  

As we have to come to a conclusion of this conflict, the reveal of the true and worthy 'nice guy' is revealed, to both the audience and the girl herself.

ROLAND BARTHES

Has created five different code, but I have looked into two that have links and parallels that would work with my short film and short films in genural. 

 

 Hermeneutic code- CSI solving idea getting clues hasn't been explain fully needs solving resolving all links all loose ends need tying up mystery unraveled to makesatisfied audience. What drives narrative our desire to see the mystery explained. 

Proairetic code- domino effect this leads on to this which causes this. Explains plots which are a series of linked events where an action leads to another action.  The audience is curious about the result of each event what is going to happen as a result of what just happened. 

 Our film has a proairetic code, as each scene effects what happens in the next. It does this in terms of character relationship, setting and how the audience feelabout a certain idea or character.

TODOROV

Equilibrium status quo things as they are stable 

then something happens- dis equilibrium unbalance someone corrupts something else state of confusion.

have to deal with the problem- acknowledgment

resolve the problem -Resolution

 New equilibrium