TZTEVAN TODOROV

Stories have a beginning, middle and end or as Todorov describes; equilibrium, disruption, new equilibrium

• equilibrium, disruption, new equilibrium
• the conflict that disrupts this initial equilibrium– hero tries to find a solution, main part of the story
• the way / ways in which the disruption looks to find new equilibrium
• the denouement and/or resolution that brings about a new equilibrium
• In his 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.
• He highlights the importance of character transformation within a story.

 Links with Freytag’s Pyramid– exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement

Vladimir Propp (Character Types and Function)

Vladimir Propp is a good starting point for thinking about narrative structures, as his work (based around an analysis of fairy tales) suggests that stories use STOCK CHARACTERS to structure stories. That is not to say that all characters are the same, but rather to suggest that all stories draw on familiar characters performing similar functions to provide familiar narrative structures.

CHARACTERS FUNCTION to provide narrative structure:

1. Hero
2. Helper
3. Princess
4. Villain
5. Victim
6. Dispatcher
7. Father
8. False Hero

 Tztevan Todorov presents the idea that movies can be broken down into:

• Equilibrium
• Disruption
• New equilibrium

Vladimir Propp

His work (based around an analysis of fairy tales) suggests that stories use STOCK CHARACTERS to structure stories. That is not to say that all characters are the same, but rather to suggest that all stories draw on familiar characters performing similar functions to provide familiar narrative structures.

1. Hero – a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities / the person who we (as the audience) root for.
2. Helper – helps the hero with his or her quest
3. Princess – the rewards of the hero’s quest and usually the reason they have a quest
4. Villain – fights or pursues the hero and must be defeated if the hero s to accomplish their quest
5. Victim – the victim ( usually end up dying)
6. Dispatcher – send the hero on his or her quest
7. Father
8. False Hero – plays mainly a villainous role usurping the true hero’s position in the cores of the story.

spheres of action: As Turner makes clear ‘these are not separate characters, since one character can occupy a number of roles or ‘spheres of action’ as Propp calls them and one role may be played by a number of different characters’

Todorov:

storys have a beginign middle and end and arfe linear

Equilibrium the story constructs a

, then disruption then new equilibrium.

the way / ways in which the disruption looks to find new equilibrium

Vladimir Propp

s his work (based around an analysis of fairy tales) suggests that stories use STOCK CHARACTERS to structure stories. That is not to say that all characters are the same, but rather to suggest that all stories draw on familiar characters performing similar functions to provide familiar narrative structures.

1. Hero –
2. Helper – helps the hero with his or her quest
3. Princess – the rewards of the hero’s quest and usually the reason they have a quest
4. Villain – fights or pursues the hero and must be defeated if the hero s to accomplish their quest
5. Victim – the victim ( usually end up up dying)
6. Dispatcher – send the hero on his or her quest
7. Father
8. False Hero – plays mainly a villainous role usurping the true hero’s position in the cores of the story.

spheres of action: As Turner makes clear ‘these are not separate characters, since one character can occupy a number of roles or ‘spheres of action’ as Propp calls them and one role may be played by a number of different characters’

Synopsis

Jake, Honor and daisy are all having a sleepover at Daisy’s house watching movies and eating then they all fall asleep. Honor wakes up to a loud scream and quickly wakes up daisy and then Jake is gone. Honor and Daisy then go around her house and to the back garden searching and then lying there is Jakes phone.

Statement of intent:

I want to create a mystery/horror film to scare and make the viewer think about where Jake is and what has happened. In my film, Jake is the victim, Honor and Daisy are the dispatchers.

1- Todorov

Todorov- the stage of equilibrium

the conflict that disrupts this initial equilibrium

the way / ways in which the disruption looks to find new equilibrium

the denouement and/or resolution that brings about a new equilibrium

 This stage is found at the beginning of the film, where everything is as it should be and the characters lives are normal.

. The second stage is the disruption stage. This is when the state of equilibrium is disturbed by an event occurring.

flexi-narratives – three act structures in a similar pattern to that used by master plot/ sub plot sequences.

metanarratives- provide the audience with moments that draw attention to the idea that they are watching a story.

disequilibrium and transgression – Todorov identifies the use of transgressive action as a mechanism that also enables ideological meaning to form. characters break rules or violate social norms and to repair those transgressions they must be punished or effect a transformation.

Transgression is an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offence

2- Vladimir Propp

Propp suggested that stories do not necessarily have to use all stock characters.

there is a

• hero
• villain
• princess and the princess’ father
• donor
• helper
• dispatcher
• false hero

A really good way to think about NARRATIVE STRUCTURE is to recognise that most stories can be easily broken down into a BEGINNING / MIDDLE / END. The Bulgarian structuralist theorist Tztevan Todorov presents this idea as:

• Equilibrium
• Disruption
• New equilibrium

• the stage of equilibrium
• the conflict that disrupts this initial equilibrium
• the way / ways in which the disruption looks to find new equilibrium
• the denouement and/or resolution that brings about a new equilibrium

Vladimir Propp

You do not need to recognise all of these characters, but it is a good way to understand the way in which CHARACTERS FUNCTION TO PROVIDE NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:

1. Hero
2. Helper
3. Princess
4. Villain
5. Victim
6. Dispatcher
7. Father
8. False Hero

A really good way to think about NARRATIVE STRUCTURE is to recognise that most stories can be easily broken down into a BEGINNING / MIDDLE / END. The Bulgarian structuralist theorist Tztevan Todorov presents this idea as:

Equilibrium
Disruption
New equilibrium

Multiple equilibrium sequences- contemporary media products often try to produce a roller-coaster effect for their audiences by deploying multiple disruptions before resolving them in a final transformation. This offers audiences multiple moments of narrative calm and excitement.

Todorov

Todorov states that media has a beginning, middle and end. He calls these the “equilibrium”, “disruption”, and “new equilibrium”

Freytag

Freytag’s pyramid is similar in that he has a exposition and climax and denouement.

Multi-perspective narratives: contemporary stories are often told from different character perspectives, repurposing equilibriums as disequilibrium when the story shifts from one character viewpoint to another
Metanarratives: provide audiences with moments that draw attention to the idea that they are watching a story. Metanarration might knowingly refer to the product as a media construct or speak directly to audiences through fourth wall breaks.

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir propp suggests that stories have stock characters to structure a stories. You do not need to recognise all of these characters, but it is a good way to understand the way in which CHARACTERS FUNCTION TO PROVIDE NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:

Hero
Helper – usually accompanies the hero on their quest, saving them from the struggles encountered on their journey, helping them to overcome the difficult tasks encountered on their quest. The dispatcher: sends the hero on his or her quest, usually at the start of the story.
Princess – the princess usually represents the reward of the hero’s quest, while the princess’s father often sets the hero difficult tasks to prevent them from mar rying the princess. The donor: provides the hero with a magical agent that allows
Villain – fights or pursues the hero and must be defeated if the hero is to accomplish their quest.
Victim
Dispatcher
Father
False Hero – performs a largely villainous role, usurping the true hero’s position in the course of the story. The false hero is usually unmasked in the last act of a narrative

Multiple equilibrium sequences- contemporary media products often try to produce a roller-coaster effect for their audiences by deploying multiple disruptions before resolving them in a final transformation. This offers audiences multiple moments of narrative calm and excitement.

Equilibrium – One of the stages in the theory of narrative structure of Todorov’s theory. It is explained about the condition that happens with a character. Is the beginning of the film, and the characters life is normal.

Disruption – This is the second stage of Todorov’s theory, where a characters life is about to change / have interference

VALDIMIR PROPP

STOCK CHARACTERS

1. Hero
2. Helper
3. Princess
4. Villain
5. Victim
6. Dispatcher
7. Father
8. False Hero

Often there is a villain who has done something to a victim. This means that we need a hero, who (often) accompanied by a helper is sent out (by a dispatcher) to fight the villain. The dispatcher or similar donor (such as a father figure) prepares the hero in his ‘quest‘ and gives the herosome magical object.

Isabella is the victim and Jake will be the dispatcher and he tells daisy, then they both become the hero’s.

My film will be about a boy who to disobey his parents and do whatever he wants to. He has a argument with his parents over wanting to have a mullet and runs away, he then finds a gun on the floor and roams around in confusion until he sees a body on the floor.