Tzvetan Todorov:
In this theory, Todorov mentioned that there are 5 stages that a character will go through; those are Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition Repair the Damage and Equilibrium Again. There are a lot of works that has been implementing this narrative structure in the story.
Steve Neale:
Neale believes that films of a type (genre, like romance or horror) should include features that are similar, so the audience know it is a horror film or romance, but also include features that are different, to keep an audience interested. This is his theory of repetition and difference. Genre is something that is constantly changing.
David Hesmondhalgh:
Most products are consumed when used and have to be bought again, but media products are bought once and continually used – they never wear out.
Cultural industries: Film, television, radio, music, books and press
Creative industries: Design, architecture and advertising.
Vladimir Propp:
Vladimir Propp was a folklorist researcher interested in the relationship between characters and narrative . Propp argued that stories are character driven and that plots develop from the decisions and actions of characters and how they function in a story.
Propps 8 different character types:
- The Hero
- The Helper
- The Villain
- The False Hero
- The Donor
- The Dispatcher
- The Princess
- The Princess’s Father
Stuart Hall:
Stuart Hall’s REPRESENTATION theory is that there is not a true representation of people or events in a text, but there are lots of ways these can be represented.
Culture is defined as a space of interpretative struggle. He argued that the media not only reflects reality but also “produces” it while “reproducing” the dominant cultural order, in particular the order inherited from the Empire. The audience can interpret the piece of media in many ways, this can be based on things such as ethnicity and income etc.
Judith Butler:
Judith questions the belief that certain gendered behaviours are natural, illustrating the ways that one’s learned performance of gendered behaviour (what we commonly associate with femininity and masculinity) is an act of sorts, a performance, one that is imposed upon us by normative heterosexuality.
Katz & Gurevitch & Hass:
Katz & Gurevitch & Hass talks about uses and gratification with there being 4 key ideas, the first being surveillance (seeking information, eg. facts based information) The next being personal identity, which are texts that reinforce your own values or beliefs the third one is personal relationships where the media creates a relationship with the audience. The final idea is diversion (eg. media that passes the time and escapism, browsing Facebook, or playing games.)
Curran & Seaton:
Curran & Seaton talk about how media companies are structured and run, they talk about how most films are made by conglomerates and that they care mostly about profit and power. This can be done through things such as vertical and horizontal integration, this can result in a lack of diversity and innovation. They think that if companies are independent then there is more choice and diversity and creativity.
Livingstone & Lunt:
Livingstone and Lunt talk about the regulation of films. In the film industry the BBFC are the ones who regulate. They think that regulating media is hard to do. This can be due to people who are adults wanting freedom in what media they decide to consume. The internet also makes it hard to regulate. They also believe that companies that are powerful can avoid regulation.
Paul Lazarsfeld: