Narrative Theories

Vladimir Propp- 7 Character Roles
In 1969 Vladimir developed a character role theory. In the 100 stories he analysed, he saw that there were 7 broad character roles. These could be applied to other media too. The character roles are;

• The villian- This person is the bad person and battles the hero.
• The donor- This person prepares the hero for battle or gives them a magical/helpful object.
• The (Magical) helper- This person is like a sidekick and helps the hero in the quest.
• The princess- This is the person the hero marries, they sometimes need help and could be the quest itself.
• The princess' father- This person sometimes requests help from the hero.
• The dispatcher-
• The hero- This person reacts to the donor and marries the princess.

For example, in Mario we have;
The hero (being Mario)
The helper (being Luigi)
The princess (being Princess Peach)
The Princess' father (In this case the Toad)
The Dispatcher (being Toad)
The Donor (being Toad)
The Villain (being Bowser)


Tzvetan Todorov- Equilibrium Theory
The environment within the film is a state of equilibrium. In the case of Charmed the equilibrium would be the present day they're living at. After this something called Disequilibrium occurs where a disruption happens which could be a spell gone wrong in the show which causes the characters to go back in time and their existence could be affected. The characters then recognise the disorder by dialogue. After this they will attempt to fix the problem, for example in Charmed they could try a spell to return back to their normal time. Finally the equilibrium is restored and they would be back to the present day.

Claude Levi-Strauss- Binary Opposition
This is a pair of related terms or concepts but these are opposites. For example on or off or left or right. Its like there being 2 answers for one question. For example 'Are you left handed or right handed?' You can only answer with Left or Right.


Roland Barthes- Enigma Code
The Enigma code is a theory in which posters, films, and television programs etc. Have a mystery used to draw the audience into it and ask questions and wonder what's going to happen. For example if there is a question that intrigues the audience this'll make the audience want to watch or see more.
For example in a trailer or poster if someone in a dark cloak is committing a murder we'd wonder who the murderer is and if we'd find out who it is and whether they actually killed the person.

Why is sound important in TV drama?

 Sound is used to convey a certain feeling within the audience in a TV drama. For example, if someone was being chased down a street and you had calm classical music the audience wouldn't really feel anything and it wouldn't be appropriate whereas if you had fast paced spooky music then the audience would feel that something frightening is about to happen. A diegetic sound like a slamming door or a bang would also create this emotion as we still feel the emotion.

Diegetic:

Diegetic sounds are those in which both the audience and the character can hear, for example a scream within the movie/program, the audience would hear it and so would the character within the movie. Here's some examples from Doctor Who:

The Tardis- This sound effect is important within Doctor Who as it has an important role to play, the sound itself is very surreal and alien like which is the feel that the producers want to be conveyed. 

The Sonic Screwdriver- This is also a very important and like the Tardis, the screwdriver has a alien-like sound to it which once again conveys the emotion.

Non Diegetic:

These are sounds that only we (the audience) can hear, for example theme's of each character that play when they have a moment or the theme tune itself.

This is the Doctor's theme, when he has an important moment within the program this song plays, it's a fast paced exciting song which is used to make the audience feel excited.

This is the main theme tune to the program and it sounds quite alien and unusual which allows the audience to recognise the song and know where it's from making it a signature theme tune for the show.  For each carnation of the Doctor the theme tune alters slightly for that person's personality.

6 Camera Angles From Doctor Who

Close up:

 Worry

 Fear

Anger

Close-ups are used to convey emotions and show the audience what the character is feeling through their facial expressions.

Shot reverse shot/ over shoulder shot:

The shot reverse shot is mostly used to show conversations and allows the audience to see the actors' facial expressions whilst they talk to each other and avoids confusion as the audience knows who's talking. For example it could show love by showing both actors' emotions.

Low-Angle Shot:

This is when the camera is positioned below the actors, this makes the scene/characters look more important and gives a stronger feel. In this shot it makes it look more surreal and magical.

Birds-Eye View:

Birds-eye view shows the scene from above, it allows the audience to see everything from above, in this particular shot we see a surreal shot.

Point-of-view Shot:

This angle allows us to see what the character is looking at so its like we are there in their place. In this case the character is looking at a button.

2-Shot:

The 2-shot is used to show two characters within the frame at once and show a connection or emotion within the two.