Narrative Theory

Strauss - Binary Oppositions

Binary Opposites are a pair of terms which are antonyms of each other. He believed that our understanding of a word originated not from it's direct meaning, but from our understanding of the differences between the word and its opposite. In their basic form, these include Good and Evil, Light and Dark, On and Off, Up and Down.

In relation to narrative, binary opposites can be seen in terms of hero vs villain. When we think of the hero and the villain, they can involve secondary binaries which derive from them. For example the hero can be loved whereas the villain can be hated, the hero can be iconic and the villain is unheard of, the hero can be content whereas the villain can be jealous. These simple distinctions form the way we understand stories and sympathise with one side. For example people are more likely to connect with a hero that has been through tragedy, this can be seen in characters like Batman, Superman and The Flash. It's a narrative writers use to allow us to sympathise with the hero

.Equally villains can be empathised with for example in Suicide Squad it's more so about a group of people bullied by society and rejected that allows us to empathise. Especially in the case of Margot Robbie's character Harley Quinn, whose subject to both emotional and physical abuse from her 'lover'. Which means that we can try and feel as it's a real issue in contemporary society.

However more so than often it's the positive traits that follow a Hero and not the villain this is more frequently shown in film. Holmes and the Moriarty are a traditional binary opposite, they are both so similar but when you evaluate the bare details they couldn't be more different. Where Holmes can be seen as Neutral Good Moriarty can be seen as Neutral Evil. This has been popular in film in the last decade, whereas the more contemporary Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is centred around the exploration of 'good' protagonists with two conflicting ideologies of right and justice, demonstrating the alternatives to the definitive good and evil to offer a more immersive plot.

Todorov - 5 Act Structure

The main three stages (Equilibrium, Disequilibrium, Restoring Equilibrium) can be closely compared with Syd Field's three acts. However Todorov proposed a more in-depth structure which includes two other points that give the story more exposition.

1. Equilibrium- A state of stability; the story begins where everything is content.
2. Disequilibrium- An event occurs which disrupts the balance.
3. Realisation- The characters acknowledge the problem and become aware of the change.
4. Restoration-  The characters now face the problem in order to restore the balance in their lives.
5. Equilibrium- This stage demonstrates a cycle. With the disorder stopped, characters now settle back into their restored equilibrium, which would have likely changed the characters psychologically.

Many films use this model and it can be evident in the trailer, this allows us to get a basic understanding of the narrative and what will happen. For example Taken 3 is a perfect example of this.

As you can see in the trailer there is a state of Equilibrium at the beginning with Liam Neeson and his on screen Ex Wife and Daughter sharing happy moments to start the trailer off with a light mood. However the music then changes from uplifting to dark and we then see the blood and corpse of the Ex Wife this is the Disequilibrium, Neeson then see's the body and begins to be arrested, realising that there is an imminent threat/problem. This is the Realisation stage. There are then various scenes of Restoration where Neeson is trying to work out what happened and how he can fix this. The trailer unlike a film, isn't able to show the final reversal back to the Equilibrium as it will release too much of the plot and ruin the film.

Therefore it would imply that my trailer needs to do the same. I will use the first 4 points of Todorov's theory to keep it concise and allow it to refrain from ruining the film upon release.

Barthes - Narrative Codes

Barthes' studies on semiotics and how meaning is constructed can be applied to film. Barthes argues that every narrative is woven around codes. He states that there are five different codes and that when a film uses only one, the narrative is 'closed' (meaning only one intended meaning can be denoted from it) but when the narrative uses more than one, it is known as 'open' (allowing for multiple interpretations).The five codes are as follows:

• The Hermeneutic Code (HER): Using ambiguity and implication to build suspense. Audiences are intrigued to see how loose ends will be tied up. This code is most commonly implemented in police procedural dramas, where the audience's suspicions are frequently toyed with.

• The Enigma/Proairetic Code (ACT): Another code of suspense, but this time through actions rather than implications. The audience are in anticipation of how the action will be resolved, not in a state of mystery.  

• The Symbolic Code (SYM): Often where semantic meanings are conveyed through a visual motif or symbol appearing, like the use of colour in 'Breaking Bad'.

• The Cultural Code (REF): Points to the shared knowledge of the audience. The contexts bear resemblance to relatable cultural factors.

• The Semantic Code (SEM): Underlying meanings and interpretations beyond the literal explanation.

Propp - Character Archetypes

Propp studied fairy tales, and claims that when you watch a film or take in a piece of media that you can see the characters that relate to the individual. For example if we looked at a news story about Trump and Obama we automatically see a hero and villain. Equally in modern film Batman and The Joker as well as Spiderman and Green Goblin. It can be argued that Propp's Archetypes work well when merged with Strauss' Binary Opposites theory.

    

Campbell - Hero's Journey

In 1949 Campbell proposed the idea of the monomyth, or the hero's journey, which is the protagonist's arc over the course of the narrative. The three main stages he comes up with also tie into Syd Field's 3 Acts as well as Todorov's Equilibrium. They are called the Departure, Initiation, and Return.

He lists many different events within each of the three stages, but in summary the Departure act is the 'Call to Action,' the Initiation is the 'Road of Trials' and the Return is 'Freedom to Live.'
Although I have mentioned Syd Field a lot, I do not feel that his 3 Act structure needs explaining, since we have seen it among these theorists in different forms. For example Todorov and Campbell both implement his structure but with more depth.

When looking at the theories I would like to use in my own narrative, I think short films will be incredibly different to apply certain structure to. Therefore until I have examined the conventions of short films I do not want to select any of the above structures. But I will come back to it once I have researched any theorists relating to short films and once I understand the conventions I am able to work with.