Different Narrative Theories In Film

When looking at a narrative we look at the basic conventions which are:
- Genre
- Character
- Form
- Time

Roland Barthes:
Barthes came up with narrative codes. These codes allowed him to define a story and thoroughly analyse the meaning of it. He suggested that one way of unravelling the narrative was to look at a story from one view point to gain one insight as to what it could mean and to then look at it from another view point to gain a different perspective.
These codes could then be defined further into different groups:

- Action and Enigma Codes= This uses unanswered questions ( What will happen next? Who is he/she? ) and the anticipation of an action's resolutions to create suspense in a narrative.
- Symbols and Signs
- Points of Cultural Reference
- Simple description/ reproduction

Tzvetan Todorov:
Todorov focused mainly on narrative structures. He suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium (when all is how it should be), there is then a disruption to the equilibrium, next there is a recognition to identify that a change has happened, an attempt to correct the damage of the disruption then takes place and finally there is a revival of a new equilibrium. Problems are solved so that order can be restored in the world of fiction.

An example that fits into Todorovs findings is Mission Impossible.

Vladimir Propp:
Propp looked at hundreds of folk tales and identified that there are eight main character roles and thirty-one functions of character types. The eight character roles are:

- The Villain(s)
- The Hero
- The Donor= prepares the hero or gives the hero a magical object
- The Helper= that aids the hero
- The Princess= the one who is sought for; the heroes reward; the object for villain's schemes
- Her Father= person that awards the hero
- The Dispatcher= person that sends the hero on his way
- False Hero= person that takes credit for heroes work and tries to marry Princess

An example of film that fits into Propp's findings is Shrek.

Claude Levi-Strauss:
Levi-Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of binary opposites. Binary opposites are sets of opposite values which constantly create conflict to drive the narrative. An example of opposites could be Good vs Evil but Levi-Strauss was not interested in the order of which events occurred in the plot but was more interested in the deeper arrangements of themes. For instance, if we take Science-Fiction, we can identify a series of oppositions which are created by the narrative:

- Earth and Space
- Good and Evil
- Humans and Aliens
- Known and Unknown
- Normal and Strange

Opposites can also be visual (light/darkness), conceptual (love/hate) or do to with the soundtrack.

Narrative Image:
Narrative Image is what the audience thinks of the movie before they see it. This is all down to marketing and is the films identity and how it is branded. It comes directly from publicity surrounding a film ( posters, trailers, video releases). Marketing promotes the films genre signifier's in order for the audience to familiarise themselves with the movie and to recognise conventions of the movie. This broadens the films potential appeal.
Narrative image also centres around originality and difference. It has to make the audience ask questions and intrigue them into wanting to know the answers to the questions. This is the narrative enigma- the mystery surrounding the film.
In some cases, the narrative image is misleading in order to widen and appeal to a larger audience. The audience go and see the film expecting the traditional conventions in the genre but are shocked by unexpected breaks in the convention that may have put them off watching the movie if they knew about them beforehand.