Vladimir Propp's 7 Character Types and Their Relation to Our Short Film

1. Vladimir Propp
Vladimir Propp was a literacy
critic and scholar from Russia
who was born on the 17th April
1895 and believed that there
are 7 main/typical character
types in every film and 31
narrative functions that follow a
simple plot. In this PowerPoint
we will look at the 7 character
types and their relation to our
short film.

2. The Seven Characters
The Hero
This character may not necessarily be the main character.
However, the hero fights against the villain and is normally lead
by/shares a tight bond with the donor, another of the seven
characters.

3. The Villain
The villain is the character that goes against the
“stereotypical” hero. This challenges the “good” in a film
narrative.

4. The Magical Helper
The (magical) helper helps the hero in the quest. The character does
not have to be magical, but usually was in the folk law stories Propp
studied to come up with this theory. The Helper may be found in a
supporting role. The characteristics of the (magical) helper include
intelligence, determination, courage, etc.

5. The Donor
The donor prepares the hero or gives the hero some
magical object. This is often the fairy godmother.

6. The Dispatcher
An early role in the story is that of the dispatcher who sends the hero on the
mission. This may be a family member such as a mother or father. It can also
be the ‘princess's’ father, who gives the hero a set of quests to be completed
before he gains the hand of the princess. The dispatcher may also be
combined with another role, for example the false hero who then trails along
behind (perhaps disguised as a helper).

7. The Princess
The ‘princess’ is the person the hero marries, often sought for
during the narrative. Occasionally, the princess can fall for the
false hero before finding the real hero, which is shown in films
such as Princess Diaries. The princess doesn’t have to actually
be a princess, but usually was in the Russian folk law stories that
Propp based his theory upon.

8. The False Hero
The false hero is perceived as good character in beginning
but emerges as evil later on in the narrative.

9. The Seven Characters in
Relation to Our Short Film
There are only three characters in our short film, meaning
that they are likely to occupy more than one of the seven
characters that Propp suggested. However, this is still in
line with what Propp’s theory suggests, as he indicates that
the characters mentioned don’t actually have to be
individual characters. In actual fact, it is fairly common that
the dispatcher and the helper are the same character within
a narrative, for example. Furthermore, he suggested that
the characters he suggested don’t have to be fulfilled by
roles played by people. A concept could fulfil the role, or a
‘thing’, such as disease or mother nature being the villain.

10. Richard
Dougie Rooks
Richard is the helper of our film. He helps Eve to find her way
home, so that she can fulfil her need to apologise to her father
for the events that led up to her death. For this reason, he is
also the dispatcher because he sends Eve off to complete her
quest by offering her a lift in his campervan and dropping her off
at home. He isn’t, however, a family member of Eve’s, but Propp
suggests that he doesn’t have to be in order to fulfil the role –
this is just something he found to be a common occurrence in
the specific literature he studied. Richard is also the donor of
our narrative, because he provides his camper van as a tool for
Eve for complete her quest.
Due to all these reasons, Richard is vital to our narrative.

11. Eve
Lucy Clarke
Eve qualifies as the hero of the narrative as she sets out to
do a good thing – put her father’s mind at ease, although
this is also for her own good.

12. David
Richard Scott
Arguably, David is also a dispatcher in our narrative
because he sends Richard on his way to find Eve’s grave
with the information he provides him with.

13. Death
The concept of death is the villain in our short film, because
it has taken Eve away from her father which results in her
father being hurt and lost, and Eve holding back in her
conversation with Richard. This is so she doesn’t give
anything away that she shouldn’t, as life and death don’t
often mix.

14. Missing Character
I don’t feel that any of our three characters fit into the roles
of the false hero because nobody emerges as evil when
they pretended to be good. David’s character is up and
down in terms of emotions when he finds out that Eve has
been talking to Richard, but this is a natural reaction to the
shocking news he receives. He isn’t ever portrayed as evil.
Therefore, our narrative doesn’t fit the characters that
Propp suggested are present in every storyline but from
feedback from our script we feel that we have still created a
successful storyline.