Narrative and Audience Theory in Film

Claude Levi Strauss Claude Levi Strauss is the theorist behind binary oppositions. He suggested that all narratives are driven by the constant creation of conflict between two polar opposites, and that the conflict must always end in a resolution of conflict (within film). The opposites can be as simple as good vs evil, although they don’t have to be a metaphor or simply light and dark. Within our production Levi Strauss’ theory can be applied to the counterparts of Ellie and Dave. The audience can receive information in different ways so some could see Dave as controlling and Ellie as Innocent, and kind hearted. This is also inferred by the clothing that the characters are dressed in for example, Ellie is mainly seen in light colours while Dave is seen in dark colours thus showing two polar opposites.

Vladimir Propp Propp suggested that there are 7 main character types these are: The hero - this character may not necessarily be the main character, but the hero fights against the villain and is often lead by the donor, or shares a tight bond with them. The villain – this character is the character that goes against the “stereotypical” hero. They challenge the “good” in a film narrative. The donor/enabler – this character prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object. This character is often a fairy godmother, particularly in fairy tales. The helper – this character helps the hero on their quest. The helper may also be found in a supporting role. The characteristic of a helper can include intelligence, determination and courage. The princess – this character is sought for during the narrative, and is often the person that the hero marries at the end of the narrative during the celebrations. The princess can sometimes fall for the false hero, before realising her mistake and falling for the real hero. The false hero – this character is perceived as a good character in the beginning, but later emerges as evil. The dispatcher – the character who sends the hero off on their quest. The dispatcher often has an early role in the narrative. This may be a family member such as a mother or father. It can also be the princess's father, who gives the hero a set of quests to be completed before he gains the hand of the princess. The dispatcher may also be combined with another role, for example the false hero who then trails along behind (perhaps disguised as a helper).

How does this apply to our own production?

The hero – The hero could simply be Ellie herself or some could perceive Sam as being the hero as he is able to give Ellie the feeling of being loved during her limited time. The helper – this character helps the hero on their quest and so this can be seen as Sam, as he is seen to confront Dave and thus supports Ellie on her journey of convincing her father that she needs to live a ‘normal’ teenage life. The princess – Typically this is Ellie however we have challenged this theory as Sam could be seen as the prize instead of Ellie herself. The Villain – The villain does not have to be in fact a character but could be Ellie’s illness which is seen to progress throughout the production. Some could perceive as Dave also being the villain however we believe that Ellie’s illness fits the category more appropriately.

As you can see the roles do actually overlap which is common among film particularly within short film with the duration is limited and there are less roles.

Todorov Todorov simplified the idea of narrative theory and suggested that conventional narratives are structured using five main stages: 1) State of equilibrium 2) Disruption of equilibrium 3) Recognition by main characters of this disruption 4) Attempt to repair disruption 5) Reinstatement of equilibrium- This equilibrium is never identical to the original state of equilibrium, as for equilibrium to be restored, the characters must learn something; the characters and/or situations are altered by the disruption.

How does this apply to PROMISE? For the disruption of the equilibrium to be solved Ellie had to convince her father that she needs Sam’s company and he is restricting her from living a normal life especially with her time being so limited. Furthermore this works in correlation with Propp’s theory of the 7 characters and the use of Levi Strauss creation of conflict between two opposites thus suggesting that all these theories work together in order to build a narrative structure.

Audience – David Morely Three Positions Morley outlined three hypothetical positions which the reader of a programme might occupy: Dominant (or 'hegemonic') reading: The reader shares the

programme's 'code' (its meaning system of values, attitudes, beliefs and assumptions) and fully accepts the programme's 'preferred reading' (a reading which may not have been the result of any conscious intention on the part of the programme makers).

Negotiated reading: The reader partly shares the programme's code and broadly accepts the preferred reading, but modifies it in a way which reflects their position and interests.

Oppositional ('counter-hegemonic') reading: The reader does not share the programme's code and rejects the preferred reading, bringing to bear an alternative frame of interpretation. Morley argues that 'members of a given sub-culture will tend to share a cultural orientation towards decoding messages in particular ways. Their individual "readings" of messages will be framed by shared cultural formations and practice

How does this apply to PROMISE? The main assumption is that the majority of our audience are dominant (or 'hegemonic') readers thus suggesting that reader shares PROMISE’s attitudes towards certain topics e.g. parenting and how adults can related to this, e.g. some would accept Dave’s point of view but a younger audience may perceive him as being over protected. Promise’s meaning system of values, attitudes, beliefs and assumptions will be fully accepted by the audience especially towards illnesses.

Reception analysis Reception analysis is a theory that focuses on the audience’s reaction to a particular media text, with the audience interpreting the meaning of the media and then providing judgment, which is influenced by individual circumstances. Individual circumstances can mean many things, with aspects like nationality, age and religion being prominent circumstances. An example of this could show an actor in a positive light throughout, which cuts anything potentially negative about the actor to a bare minimum. A member of the audience after viewing this, would analysise the media and provide judgment based on their circumstances. This theory is active, because the audience interpret the media based on individual circumstances and have different opinions, differentiated by a passive audience, who would consume the media without any individual opinions or viewpoints on the media text. Within PROMSISE, females are more likely to be sympathetic towards Ellie’s situation and instantly be accepting of the narrative thus they are an active audience by reacting to what the production is implying. Others will react to PROMISE in different if they can relate to Ellie’s interests seen within the mise- en- scene, nationality and age.