Ifaz Chowdhury

Narrative structure
Todorov in 1969 produced a theory that 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, realising the disequilibrium,
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
Equilibrium
Jay went to play football with his friends as it was a league game, the match finishes
and he goes home.
Disruption of equilibrium
Jay is suddenly approached by a random stranger and he is suddenly given this
duffel bag and told to go home with it. Jay is confused and tries to question him but
the stranger runs off. Jay is left in confusion and decides to take the bag home. Jay
is now at home staring at the bag deciding whether he should open it or not, his
curiosity gets the better of Jay and so he unzips the bag and sees a brick of cocaine.
New equilibrium
The ballers had been taken cared of and now there is no one else to threaten the
Dogs.

Roland Barthes narrative theory claims that a narrative can be broken down into five
codes or sets of rules.
These are:

Action code
This applies to any action that implies a further narrative action. For example, when
Robert draws out his gun on the enemy and we wonder what the resolution might be.

Cultural code
Any element in a narrative that is dependant on peoples knowledge about how the
world works because of where they have lived.
Enigma code

Ifaz Chowdhury

Ifaz Chowdhury
Refers to any element in a story that is not explained and therefore exists as an
enigma for the audience, raising questions that demand an explanation.

Semantic code
Any element in a text that suggests an additional meaning by connotations. For
example a gun has connotations of violence and death.

Symbolic code
Similar to the semantic code, but acts at a wider level where new meaning arises out
of conflicting ideas.

Ifaz Chowdhury