{Film theorists

By Divya Sharma

He said that a narrative text have a deeper meaning to them and you have to unravel them to find that meaning. He came up with these five codes: The Hermeneutic Code (HER) = (the voice of truth) The way a story avoids telling

the truth or revealing all the facts to be able to drop clues for the reader and create mystery

The Enigma/ Proairetic Code (ACT) = (empirical voice) the way tension is built up through the story to leave the audience guessing what will happen next.

The Semantic Code (SEM) = (the voice of the person) A text that suggest an additional meaning by way of connotation which the story suggests.

The Symbolic Code (SYM) = (the voice of symbols) similar to semantic but it acts on a wider level. This is typically done in the use of antithesis, where new meaning arises out of opposing and conflict ideas.

The Cultural Code (REF) = (voice of science) Looks at the audiences wider cultural knowledge, morality and ideology

Roland Bartes

His theory was about genre and he argued that pleasure is derived from 'repetition and difference, there would be no pleasure without difference. We may derive pleasure from observing how the conventions of the genre are manipulated. We may also enjoy the stretching of a genre in new directions and the consequent shifting of our expectations.

Hollywood’s generic regime performs two inter-related functions:

To guarantee meanings and pleasures for audiences

To offset the considerable economic risks of industrial film production by providing cognitive collateral against innovation and difference.

Steven Neale

He believed that the way we understand certain words depends not so much on any meaning they themselves directly contain, but much more by our understanding of the difference between the word and its 'opposite' or, as he called it 'binary opposites'.

Examples:

Young vs Old

Villain vs Hero

Good vs Bad

Levi Strauss

Pretty women

The Binary opposition in this film is the Wealthy Vs the poor

In the film the opposition is that the ‘pretty women’ is a prostitute that is struggling to make ends meet and meets and gets involved with a highly wealthy and respected business man and these two types of people are not suppose to mix.

The proposal

Boss Vs Assistant

In the film the opposition is ultimately power as the boss is in charge of the assistant and has the dominance of him.

Levi Strauss applied to

Romantic Comedies

Todorovs said that all narrative include contain five fundamental stages which are:

A state of equilibrium (all as it should be, the norm)

A disruption caused by an event

A recognition that the disruption has occurred

An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption

A return or restoration of a new equilibrium

Tzventan Todorov

She’s The Man State of equilibrium – When the main character is playing football at the

beach with her friends and her boyfriend Disruption – When she is told that there will not be a girls football team

and when her boyfriend agrees that girls shouldn’t play football she breaks up with him

Recognition of disruption – when her mum comments that she doesn’t like her playing football and she responds telling her that there no longer a girls football team.

Attempt to repair the disruption – when she poses as a boy so she can beat her school boys football team and she starts falling for another guy

Return or restoration of a new equilibrium – When they beat the boys football team and she ends up with the guy becoming her new boyfriend.

Tzventan Todorov applied to Romantic Comedies

Propp’s said that in very narrative there are always certain people that play certain roles. These roles can be:

hero

villain

heroine

side kick

donor

mentor

father

Vladmir Propps

(500) Days Of Summer Hero = Tom Hanson (Joseph Gordon- Levitt) Heroine = Summer (Zooey Deschanle) Mentor = Rachel (Chloe Grace Moretz)

How to lose a guy in 10 days Hero = Ben Barry (Matthew Mconaughey) Heroine = Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) Villain = Michael Michel (Judy spears)

Shalom Harlow (Judy Green) Sidekick = Kathryn Hahn Mentor = Annie Parisse

Vladmir Propps

Roland Bartes

If applied to this genre it would use a mixture of the semantic and symbolic code. It would also use the cultural code too as everyone has a different sense of humour and what they find funny. Steven Neale

His theory would apply to this genre as I would have to include the conventions that are recognized by my audience and be able to manipulate them in a way that my audience will get pleasure from it. But also the audience might enjoy and get pleasure from seeing the genre being stretched out of its comfort zone.

These theories when applied to the genre of Romantic Comedy

Levi strauss

Applying his theory to this genre and the binary opposites would be the male against the female or any attributes of males and females that opposed one another, such as strong vs weak.Tzentan Todorov

If applied to this genre :

Starting her normal day and she interaction with the male

Another person normally form her or his past comes along

The main girl and guy have broken up or drifted away from each other

They both apologise or the unwelcomed guest leaves or is put in their place

They girl and guy have a happy ending ( a new life together and married with kids)

Vladmir Propps

Applied to this genre the people who will play these roles would be:

Hero= main male actor

Heroine = main female actor

Villain= the unwelcomed person form either male/females past

Side kick= the best friend

Donor= some form of message

Mentor= the girl’s mother

Father= the guys father