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A2 TheoriesBy Rebecca Burrell

Levi Strauss – Binary Opposites

Theorized in the 1900’s

Binary opposites = A pair of terms/concepts related in some manner that have opposite

meanings/representations e.g. antagonist and protagonist.

Todorov – Narrative Structure

Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages called

the equilibrium, disequilibrium, acknowledgement, solving and again equilibrium.

There are five stages the narrative can progress through:

1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.)

2. A disruption of that order by an event.

3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.

4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.

5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium

This is simply the linear narrative process, and many stories follow this format, however, many institutions challenge this convention by mixing up the order of these processes or dismissing some of them (e.g. having the disruption at the start of the film/show to create enigma codes, and either having the equilibrium come in later or have no primary equilibrium and have only the final equilibrium after the attempt to repair the disruption).

Propp’s Character Functions

The Seven Character Types of Vladimir Propp

The villain: Struggles against the hero

The donor: Prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object

The (magical) helper: Helps the hero in the quest

The princess and her father: Gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished

The dispatcher: Character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.

The hero or victim/seeker hero: Reacts to the donor, weds the princess

False hero: Takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

These characters are only a selection of possible characters – an entire film could have as little as one antagonist and one protagonist (or even less if enough context is available to the viewer).

Audience Targeting: Primary & Secondary

Most if not all texts with have both a primary and secondary audience. The reason for having a secondary audience as well as a primary

audience is because it is always important to reach out to as many people as possible in order to as high a chance of success as possible. For example, a primary audience for the film ‘Finding Nemo’ would be

children, but the secondary audience would be adults because they are the ones buying it for their children and will most likely watch it with

their children, therefore it needs to appeal to them in some way in order for them to buy it. This then heightens the films chance of success

because adults will WANT to buy the film for their kids so that they can also watch it and enjoy it.

Barthes: 5 Codes

Barthes described Five Codes which are woven into any text to create meaning:

The Cultural (Referential) Code = Usually refers to a body of knowledge outside of the text e.g. science, religion, culture etc…

The Symbolic Code = This code refers to symbolism within a text – it is used to create greater meaning and context e.g. the use of the medical cross at a hospital or on the uniform of a paramedic.

The Semantic Code =This code refers to connotations (additional meanings beyond the literal) within the narrative that give additional meaning on top of the clear and relevant message.

The Hermeneutic (Enigma) Code = The Hermeneutic Code refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The purpose of the director in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.

The Proairetic (Action) Code = The Proairetic Code builds tension in order to keep the audiences interest.