Tzvetan Todorov

Tzvetan Todorov is a narrative theorist, and is one of the four people who write about narrative structure. He thinks the film goes in five stages.

Todorov believes that all films start with an equilibrium, meaning that the narrative starts with a sequal of balance where everything is fine. He then believes that a disequilibrium takes place, where something disrupts the peace or something goes wrong. He then thinks that the acknowledgement of disequilibrium is applied to a character, and the character then attempts to repair the disequilibrium, for example in a film the protagonist could try to save someone who has been kidnapped, and then an equilibrium is once again achieved, meaning there is peace when the film comes to a closure and ends like the audience expects it would.

Equilibrium Disequilibrium Acknowledgement of disequilibrium

Attempt to repair disequilibrium

Equilibrium

Anytime a film does not end with a closure like Todorov believes (meaning it is left on a cliff-hanger), it challenges his theory

Vladimir Propp

Character Type Role within narrative

Protagonist (hero) This character leads the narrative, and is usually looking for something, such as a quest or trying to solve a mystery. It doesn’t always have to be a male, and can be played by a female however this is unusual.

Antagonist (villain) This character normally gets in protagonist’s way.

Heroine This character usually plays as a prize or reward for the hero after he’s completed his journey. If the hero is female, the heroine can be male.

Father The father is an authority figure who offers a reward to the hero for completing their quest. The reward can range from a variety of things.

Helper The helper helps the hero, and is usually the sidekick.

Donor The donor helps the hero in a minor way by giving him either a clue, a talisman or a special power which helps them complete their quest.

Mentor The mentor teaches and guides the hero for his journey.

Vladimir Propp is another narrative theorist. Unlike Todorov, Propp believes that films are split into 7 different types of characters, and each film will at least have one of these characters in it.

Roland Barthes

Roland Barthes is a narrative theorist who believes that there are five codes of narrative structure.

Action Enigma Cultural

Semantic Symbolic

He thinks the 5 codes are ways to make meaning from a narrative. The main two I will focus on are action and enigma. An action code is an object or something else, which foreshadows action to come. For example, a shot of an object of significance like a gun, foreshadows action to come, to do with that gun. The more it’s focused around the object, the more it foreshadows action to come. An enigma is when the audience doesn’t know what is going on, and they get no answers. The effect of this is that it leads the audience to wonder what is going on, and make them think about the film itself.

Claude Levi-Strauss

Light DarkGood EvilNoise Silence

Youth AgeRight WrongPoverty WealthStrength WeaknessInside Outside

Claude Levi-Strauss is another narrative theorist, who suggests that all narratives had to be driven forward by conflict that was caused by a series of opposing forces.

For example, opposites just like in the table I’ve listed. He called this theory the theory of Binary Opposition, equal and opposite. The departed contrasts with this, as the antagonist is kept in the shadow, and other characters in the lights. The protagonist isn’t clear, someone is killing bad people which contrasts with his theory as the audience doesn’t know what characters are good, and what characters are bad.