2. Todorov.
Todorov suggested that there are 5 stages of Narrative..
1. Equilibrium
2. Disequilibrium
3. Recognition of Equilibrium
4. Attempt to repair Equilibrium
5. New Equilibrium
The 3 main stages of Narrative according to Todorov are
1. Disequilibrium
2. Recognition of Equilibrium
3. Attempt to repair Equilibrium
3. 2012.
Part of the theory. From the move.
Equilibrium Everyone is leading their normal
lives, going to work, looking after
their children etc.
Disequilibrium Earthquakes and freak weather
conditions batter the world.
Recognition of Equilibrium People notice there is something
not right about the weather
conditions they have been faced
with and begin to panic.
Attempt to repair Equilibrium People hear of space shuttles
that will result in their survival
and fight to get on them.
New Equilibrium The space shuttles aid their
survival until they reach dry
land resulting in a new life.
4. Levi-Strauss.
Believed that the world of film is described in binary opposites.
Word. Opposite.
Night Day
Hero Villain
Good Bad
Happy Sad
5. Horror.
Orphan.
Villain. Hero.
The girl who was adopted The family who adopt Ester in the
by a normal American hope of giving her a better life.
family starts doing evil
things to harm members The woman eventually saves her
of her adoptive family and family from the evil child.
others.
6. Drama.
Precious.
Good.
Bad.
Precious is determined to try and Precious’s mum disheartens her and
better herself, she is determined to encourages her to drop out of
continuing going to school and education and rely on the welfare
dreams of being an actress. system.
7. Thriller.
Taken.
Middle aged man.
Young teenage girl.
The girl is irresponsible and doesn’t see
the dangers of her situation like her
The middle aged man is concerned father does.
about his teenage daughters safety.
He embarks on a long battle to find
his kidnapped daughter after she is
taken.
8. Barthes.
Barthes believes that film narrative is broken up using a set of 5 codes..
1. Enigma code
2. Action code
3. Semantic code
4. Symbolic code
5. Cultural code
9. Enigma Code.
Set up as a puzzle to • At the start of Titanic we are shown the sunken
be solved, set up to ghost ship at the bottom of the ocean.
portray a mystery and
draw in the audience • This makes the audience think about what caused
attention. the ship to sink and the chain of events that led to
the sinking of the ship.
• This draws in the audience as it makes
them want to watch the movie and gain
answers to their curiosities.
10. Action Code.
Paranormal Activity, there is always a clock on
An action that
the right hand corner of the screen whilst the
automatically makes
couple are sleeping, when the clock speeds up
the audience know
then suddenly stops it is a signal to the
that something is
audience that something is about to happen.
going to happen.
The time always appears
at the bottom of the
screen whilst the couple
are sleeping.
11. Semantic Code.
Working out what
certain things
connote, for example
a particular colour or
object.
• Comedy. • Drama.
• Mass audience. • Targeted at a more
niche audience
Unwanted pregnancy.
In knocked up and if these
• Pregnancy is not seen as
a big deal. • Pregnancy is not
walls could talk.
accepted, the girls are
• Couple who had one night forced to abort or give
stand get together and up their babies.
raise the baby in an ideal
family unit.
12. Symbolic Code.
Opposites.. For
example men and
women and how they
are presented
differently in movies.
• Dressed girly in • Dressed in dark
The difference bright colours. clothes.
between men and
women in Grease the
• Singing dancing, • Playing it cool,
musical. asking questions
smiling.
about what the girl
looks like not what
she's like.
13. Cultural Code.
When an old book or • Romeo and Juliet
old movie is remade In which was originally a
current times involving Shakespearean play
more modern things was remade 1996.
such as guns and cross-
dressing men. • The remake involves
the use of guns, there
is a cross-dressing
man and a swimming
pool also present in
the movie.
• We know guns and swimming
pools were not around in the
time period Romeo and Juliet
was set in however we do not
question there use due to the
time period we are watching
the remake in.
14. Propp.
Propp believed that there are 7 different types of characters in the average movie..
1. Hero
2. Villain
3. Dispatcher
4. Donor
5. Helper
6. False hero
7. Heroine
15. Cinderella.
Character types from theory. Character from the movie.
Hero The prince/ fairy godmother
Villain Evil stepmother/ stepsisters
Dispatcher Evil stepmother
Heroine Fairy godmother
Helper The animals
False Hero Stepsisters
Propps theory is
especially relatable
to Disney movies.
16. Key terms.
Diegesis
The internal world created by the story that the characters themselves experience and
encounter.
Unrestricted narration
A narrative which has no limits to the information that is presented (gives as much
information as possible), not hiding any pieces of information from the audience.
Restricted narration
Only offers minimal information regarding the narrative (offering little about of
narrative which hides some information from the audience) perhaps to create enigma
or mystery.
17. Cameron.
Cameron based his theory on contemporary cinema.
His theory was based around 4 Modular narratives..
1. Forking Path
2. Episodic
3. Anachronic
4. Split Screen
18. Forking Path.
Forking path . Evidence.
4.3.2.1. • We are shown the climax of the movie at the start.
• The same time frame is repeated for all 4 characters.
• We are shown them all together at the start before they
go there own separate ways.
• We are shown the 4 girls meeting back up at the end.
Sliding Doors. • We are shown the 2 different ways the woman's life
could have went if she missed the train or if she caught
the train.
• Her two possible lives link back at the end when she
finds herself in labour in the hospital.
19. Spilt-Screen.
Split Screen. Evidence.
Mean Girls. • We are shown the 4 girls on the phone in
separate locations.
The Parent Trap. Split-screen camera shot have been used and
consequently resulted in one person being
duplicated on screen to appear as two people.
