Key Terms

Narrative
Story Plot

Narrative
Story

A narrative is the relation between a series of events

The story is the strict chronological order in which the events occur

Plot

Plot is the order in which the characters find out about these events

 If

we wanted to understand narrative, what questions might we ask?

 In

media terms, narrative is the coherence/organisation given to a series of facts.

connect events and make interpretations based on those connections.

We

In

everything we seek a beginning, a middle and an end.

 Watch

the following video- What is the narrative? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qQCx9m xV9g&ob=av2e

 Story

is the substance of a story (A meets B, something happens, order returns). is the way that the story is related (Once upon a time) or HOW IT IS TOLD
what was the narrative structure of the video?

Narrative

Therefore,

 Narrative

doesnt just appear in film as you have just seen

Films Music

videos Soap operas photos

Hiyerr, Im Roland Barthes. I think that media texts are constructed using a series of codes. These codes help the audience to understand what is going on.

 Action

Code!!

When we see an action in a text and we anticipate what consequences will follow For example Snatch

Enigma

Code??

When we encounter plot elements that raise questions on the part of the reader of a text For example Vinny and Jules

what was inside Marcellus Wallaces suitcase? The combination being the number of the Devil 666. The strange glow shining from within is something that Tarantino uses to keep his audiences interest in the film as it creates curiosity and intrigue as the audience expects the contents to be revealed at some point in the film, yet theyre never shown. This is known as in the film industry as a MacGuffin and the golden glow is the only clue the audience is ever given. The glow is replicated when there are parallel edits of low-angle shots of Jules and Vincent shooting Brett, still putting them in a position of power.

 "For

every action, there's a reaction and a Pikey reaction is quite a fucking thing!" Turkish - Snatch. That pretty much sums up Barthes action code. Any action initiated must be completed. The cumulative actions further the plot and there for building building a narrative. Like in Snatch Bricktop kill's micky's mum. So this action leads to another, then another then a dead Bricktop.

Whassup playas? Im Claude Levi-Strauss and Im over 100 years old and still alive! I think, right, yea, that the constant creation of conflict/opposition propels narrative and narrative can only end on a resolution of conflict.

Opposition can be visual (light/darkness, movement/stillness)

Or

conceptual (love/hate, control/panic), and to do with soundtrack.

Good moro people folk, it is I, Tzvetan Todorov! I postulate that narratives follow a typical form of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium. Simples!

stages of narrative
do you think the five stages would be?

What

 This

is where everything is fine in the world of the film characters and settings are introduced to the audience. We get a sense of the characters world

Main

 Sometimes

only the audience will be aware of the events which disrupt the equilibrium.
main characters will have not yet discovered what is to come.

The

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te6qG4yn

-Ps

 This

is when the key characters recognise the disruption that has taken place . They learn what the audience may have known for a long time.

 This

is the longest part of the film where the main characters try to rectify any mistakes or problems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pILXoPlu

Htw

 Things

are resolved and a new equilibrium is created. Things are different to the original equilibrium.

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

Hey! Im Arnold Schwarzenegger and I have nothing to do with this!

Zdravstvuj, menya zavut Vladimir Propp thats two Ps and I spent a lot of time reading fairytales inbetween drinking lager and playing rugby, of course. I found that there are 31 broad narrative functions and 7 broad character types

Propps Character Types

1. The villain struggles against the hero. 2. The donor prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object. 3. The (magical) helper helps the hero in the quest. 4. 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. 5. The dispatcher character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off. 6. The hero or victim/seeker hero reacts to the donor, weds the princess. 7. [False hero] takes credit for the heros actions or tries to marry the princess

1. ABSENTATION: A member of a family leaves the security of the home environment for some reason. This may be the hero or perhaps its some other member of the family that the hero will later need to rescue. This div family injects initial tension into the storyline. The hero may also be introduced here, often being shown as an ordinary person. This allows the reader of the story to associate with the hero as being 'like me'. 2. INTERDICTION: An interdiction is addressed to the hero ('don't go there', 'don't do this')The hero is warned against some action (given an 'interdiction'). A warning to the hero is also a warning to the reader about the da hero heed the warning? Would the reader? Perhaps the reader hopes the hero will ignore the warning, giving a vicarious adventure without the danger. 3. VIOLATION of INTERDICTION. The interdiction is violated (villain enters the tale). The hero ignores the interdiction (warning not to do something) and goes ahead. This generally proves to be a bad move and the vill although not necessarily confronting the hero. Perhaps they are just a lurking presence or perhaps they attack the family whilst the hero is away. This acts to further increase tension. We may want to shout at the hero 'don't do hear us and does it anyway. 4. RECONNAISSANCE: The villain makes an attempt at reconnaissance (either villain tries to find the children/jewels etc; or intended victim questions the villain). The villain (often in disguise) makes an active attempt a for example searching for something valuable or trying to actively capture someone. They may speak with a member of the family who innocently divulges information. They may also seek to meet the hero, perhaps knowing special in some way. The introduction of the villain adds early tension to the story, particularly when they are found close to the previously-supposedly safe family or community environment. The eloquence or power of the tension and we may want to shout at their targets to take care. 5. DELIVERY: The villain gains information about the victim. The villain's seeking now pays off and he or she now acquires some form of information, often about the hero or victim. Other information can be gained, for treasure location or the intent of the 'good guys'. This is a down point in the story as the pendulum of luck swings towards the villain, creating fear and anticipation that the villain will overcome the hero and the story will end 6. TRICKERY: The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings (trickery; villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim). The villain now presses further, often using the in seeking to deceive the hero or victim in some way, perhaps appearing in disguise. This may include capture of the victim, getting the hero to give the villain something or persuading them that the villain is actually a friend an collaboration. Deception and the betrayal of trust is one of the worst social crimes, short of physical abuse. This action cements the position of the villain as clearly bad. It also raises the tension further as we fear for the hero deceived. 7. COMPLICITY: Victim taken in by deception, unwittingly helping the enemy. The trickery of the villain now works and the hero or victim naively acts in a way that helps the villain in some way. This may range from p something (perhaps a map or magical weapon) to actively working against good people (perhaps the villain has persuaded the hero that these other people are actually bad). We now despair as the hero or victim acts in a way villainous. Perhaps we worry that the hero will fall permanently into the thrall of the villain. Perhaps they will become corrupted and evil also. We also fear for the reputation of the hero who may be perceived as evil and thu treasure or win the hand of the princess. 8. VILLIANY and LACK: Villain causes harm/injury to family member (by abduction, theft of magical agent, spoiling crops, plunders in other forms, causes a disappearance, expels someone, casts spell on someone, subst murder, imprisons/detains someone, threatens forced marriage, provides nightly torments); Alternatively, a member of family lacks something or desires something (magical potion etc). There are two parts to this stage, eithe appear in the story. In the first stage, the villain causes some kind of harm, for example carrying away a victim or the desired magical object (which must be then be retrieved). In the second stage, a sense of lack is identified, family or within a community, whereby something is identified as lost or something becomes desirable for some reason, for example a magical object that will save people in some way. 'Lack' is a deep psychoanalytic princip experience when we realize our individual separation from the world. Lack leads to desire and deep longing and we look to heroes to satisfy this aching emptiness. 9. MEDIATION: Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched, hears call for help etc/ alternative is that victimized hero is sent away, freed from imprisonment). The hero now discovers the act of villainy or lack, family or community devastated or caught up in a state of anguish and woe. This creates a defining moment in the story as we wonder what will happen now. Perhaps we do not realize that the hero is the hero, as they may no heroic qualities. We feel the lack in sympathy for the act of villainy, but the hero may just have arrived on the scene or may be undistinguished from other grieving family members. 10. COUNTER-ACTION: Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action. The hero now decides to act in a way that will resolve the lack, for example finding a needed magical item, rescuing those who are captured or oth villain. This is a defining moment for the hero as this is the decision that sets the course of future actions and by which a previously ordinary person takes on the mantle of heroism. Having made this decision, acting with inte no turning back, for to do so would be to remove the mantle of heroism and be left only with shame. 11. Hero leaves home; 12. Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc, preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor); 13. Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him); 14. Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters); 15. Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search; 16. Hero and villain join in direct combat; 17. Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf); 18. Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished); 19. Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revivied, captive freed); 20. Hero returns; 21. Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero); 22. Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably, hero saved from attempt on his/her life); 23. Hero unrecognized, arrives home or in another country; 24. False hero presents unfounded claims; 25. Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks); 26. Task is resolved; 27. Hero is recognized (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her); 28. False hero or villain is exposed; 29. Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc); 30. Villain is punished; 31. Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).

Propps Narrative Structures

Put on screen Covers everything you can SEE and HEAR Tell a story without dialogue Metteur-en-scene Everything you see/hear has been put there for a reason Motif When images are repeated they take on extra meaning

Task
Watch the following clip paying close attention to the mise-en-scene and the meaning it creates

Rear Window 1954 Alfred Hitchcock

We know a lot about L.B. Jeffries before a word has been spoken just from the

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLuOl36vamI

Montage theory originates from Sergei Eisenstein Soviet filmmaker and theorist

George Bush looks kinda like a monkey

Oktober 1928 Sergei Eisensetein

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0QAjpeosgU

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BimORaE-2zE