Task 1.11 Narrative Theory Todorov’s Theory Todorov’s theory suggests that there is a common narrative structure in all films with 3 main structure points, those being: the starting point of equilibrium, the mid point of dis-equilibrium (often caused by the main villain/antagonist of the film), and the resolution where equilibrium is restored. Some form of sub-plot often accompanies these points, whether that is: romance, a specific goal, etc. This theory can be applied to nearly every film and also some narrative music videos, such as The Simpsons Movie. The film starts with equilibrium, where everything is normal and everything is as it should be. Propp’s Theory: Propp’s theory refers to common character types in narrative structures, especially in films and other such stories. These 8 common character types are:
A good example where many of these characters can be seen is Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood”
Barthes Semiotic Codes: Roland Barthes was a literary theorist, philosopher, critic and semiotician (study of cultural signs and symbols). In simpler terms, he described texts as:
There are 5 codes we he narrowed down the action in nearly any narrative into, those are:
An example of a music video that this theory applies to is Kelly Rowland's "Stole" which follows the narrative of a 'nerdy' boy who was bullied at school to the point where he kills himself in the toilets, without showing it directly to the audience, instead the body bag and upset reactions of his peers hint at his suicide. The video also then goes onto show the murder of seemingly an innocent bystander, and again their reactions, resulting, ultimately, in a group of people gathering at a street art memorial. Levi Strauss’ Binary Opposites Theory:
Strauss’ theory refers to the use of opposites to build a narrative structure, similarly to Barthes’ Symbolic code. Examples of these opposites include:
An example of a music video, which this theory applies to, is End Credits’ “Chase and Status”, which begins with the lead singer being represented as shady, and potentially, a criminal. The video then goes on to a shot of the same singer in an interview room, showing a contrast between his “Bad” and the police’s “Good”. The next scene sparks the rest of the action in the music video. It shows the same actor standing over a fallen man, who we can assume he is meant to have hurt. This then leads into a large-scale fight using throwing fire etc. |
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