Structuralism has been very powerful in its influence on narrative theory. Its main virtue is that it is most interested in those things that narratives have in common, rather than in the distinctive characteristics of specific narratives.
When looking at moving image products, it is therefore possible to look for patterns, codes, conventions that share a common features.
it is clear that narratives are a combination of many individual elements (sound, image, text etc) which are edited (connected) together. Narratives are organised around a particular theme and space and are based in an idea of time.
-themes of flashbacks slowly re-building the story
-purgatory like feel
-with each day more information is gathered
Tripartite narrative structure
- Equilibrium
- Disruption
- New equilibrium
Roland Barthes: Proairetic and Hermenuetic Codes
- Proairetic code: action, movement, causation
- Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development
Although the words proairetic and hermenuetic may seem very complex, it is easy for students to grasp in that moving image products are either based around ‘doing’ / ‘action’ or ‘talking’ / ‘reflection’.
Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information.
-Flash backs
-Flash forwards
working with time, foreshadowing, chronological order