Theories and Narrative Structure…

There are 3 different types of narrative structure. 1.Circular: Begins at the end and goes forward in time.

It is the opposite to a linear structure and usually includes a series of flashbacks before returning to the current time. E.g. Titanic

2.Episodic: A series of chapters which follow after each other, however may switch between different perspectives or viewpoints of characters. E.g. Forest Gump

3.Linear: Chronological order from the beginning, middle and end. It is the most common and simple structure. E.g. Disney films

Tzvetan Todorov…

“All narratives follow the basic structure:EquilibriumDisequilibriumAcknowledgementAttempt to repairEquilibrium”

His theory believed in a linear structure. Equilibrium means an equal balance, where a scene is normal. Disequilibrium is where a disruption occurs in the event. The acknowledgement stage is when the characters recognise something has gone wrong and panic. Stage 4, Attempt to repair, is simply where they try to find a solution to the problem. Lastly, it returns to a new Equilibrium, which may not be ‘happily ever after’ but is a definite ending of the plot.

Example of Todorov’s Theory…

Acknowledgement- Eddy and his friends discuss various illegal schemes to obtain the money. They eventually decide to rip-off the gang of thieves next door who themselves are planning to raid a drug growing operation. Attempt to repair- Extreme chaos breaks loose and everything spirals out of control. Eddy and his friends realise they are out of their depth and try to find a way out. There is a shoot out with the neighbours and many get killed.

Long, Stock and two smoking barrels:Equilibrium- Bacon, Soap, Tom and Eddie put together £10,000 to bet in a Casino. Disequilibrium- The illegal high-roller game is crooked and Eddy ends up owing Harry £500,000 with dire threats about losing his fingers one at a time if he doesn’t pay within a week.

Equilibrium- The four reunite in a bar and get rid of the evidence linking them to the shoot-out. Suddenly they realise the shotguns they bought cost a fortune, and they desperately try to call Tom. The film ends in a cliff-hanger when Toms phone is stuffed in his mouth as he is hanging off a bridge, about to drop the guns in the River Thames.

Vladimir Propp…

Propp broke up fairy tales into 31 sections and believed there were 7 types of characters in each fairy tale:1.The villain- the Antagonist2.The princess- the one that is in need of being saved3.The dispatcher- character who sends off the hero4.The helper- aids the Protagonist5.The donor- prepares the hero6.The hero- saves the princess; the Protagonist7.The false hero- initially the Protagonist, however swaps to the Antagonist and fools the characters/audience

Example of Propp’s Theory…

Gangster Squad:1.The villain-Sean Penn2.The princess-Emma Stone3.The dispatcher-Nick Nolte4.The helper-Robert Patrick5.The donor-Giovanni Ribisi6.The hero-Josh Brolin7.The false hero-Ryan Gosling

Gangster squad represents Propp’s theory. It explores a strong male traditional team alongside a red-lipped attractive female. Although Josh Brolin’s group of

men help to take down Los Angeles biggest criminal, they kill people and destroy land as they go. This creates a false

hero image as things begin to get out o f hand, however, justice is reserved at the

end and the job was finished.

Claude Levi-Strauss…

Claude Levi-Strauss studied hundreds of myths and legends around the world, learning that humans make sense of the people and events by using binary opposites, and narratives are also arranged around the conflict of binary

opposites. Gangster films continuously use Male vs. Female to either agree with traditional representation of men, or contrast the stereotype and create a

strong female role. Furthermore Crime vs. Justice is a common topic within the genre. I could apply this to my own film opening by creating an Antagonist and Protagonist. This allows me to control the perspective of the audience. Crime and Justice are common themes within Gangster films, especially the genre I am

inspired by; British Gangster. Examples of binary opposites include:

Good vs. Evil Black vs. WhiteYoung vs. Old Male vs. FemalePeace vs. War Protagonist vs.

AntagonistMan vs. Nature Strong vs. WeakCrime vs. Justice

Attractive vs. Ugly

Example of Levi-Strauss’

Theory…

All Gangster films explore binary opposites, although there may be different theories involved in each Gangster film. For example, The

Godfather:

Shortly after Michael becomes head of the Corleone family, his father gives him this advice: “Women and children can be careless. Not men.”

Men vs. Women

“It’s business, not personal”Business vs. Personal

Michael is concerned with legitimacy, while Vito cares more about respect. From the moment he takes over the Corleone family, Michael wants to make his family “legitimate.” By “legitimate” he means free

of criminality and immoralityCrime vs. Justice

Inspiration from theories…

I have been inspired by this research as it has made me question the structure of my own opening, and I am aiming to use a circular narrative structure in order to reveal a scene that happened the night before. The end of the clip will show the current time period of them acknowledging a problem, which would make the audience eager to see how they attempt to repair it. This reflects Todorov’s theory. By learning about Levi-Strauss’ theory, I am able to focus on the

different genres of characters and plan the type of people I will need. I believe learning about the different structures and theories has allowed me to consider the layout of my film opening and compare it to other Gangster films, gaining an insight into a real director’s

planning stage.