Narrative
Narrative Theory
Vladimir Propp studied of folktales and found they contained
eight character types and thirty one that move the story along
.
The hero is prohibited from doing somethingThe villain learns
something about the victimThe villain is punished etc.
Although not applying to all Teen Horror Films, it does apply in
some ways to the film Halloween (1978) by having 3 of the 8
character types. - Villain: Michael Myers- Hero: Laurie
Strode-Helper: Samuel Loomis
Propps Theory
Propps theory fits in with our genre idea for the opening
sequence in that it:-Contains a few of the character types
and-Follows some of the eventsOur characters consist of the Villain
(Murderer), Hero (person who gets killed last), Princess (Victim of
the murderer), False Hero (friend of Hero), Dispatcher (Police),
Helper (Friends)Through the theme of Propps events:-Hero prohibited
Person stopped from Vigilantism -Villain Learns - Finds out
something about the princess which makes them angry and
murderousOur idea fits in with a typical Teen horror movie and
Propps Narrative theory through the types of character used and the
events that happen throughout.
Propps Narrative Theory
3
Levi-Strauss suggested that binary oppositions are key to the
meaning making in narrative he argued the constant creation of
conflict and opposition propels narrative, and that narrative can
only end on a resolution of conflictExamples of binary
oppositions:-Good/Evil-Men/Women-Truth/Lies-Normal/Abnormal-Strong/Weak-Natural/Artificial-Young/Old-Light/DarkIt
is important to note that we judge one half of each binary
opposition in a more negative way; therefore the meanings of the
binaries are ideological as they are culturally constructedThis
applies to many films within the genre of Teen horror. The types of
binary oppositions we see with the films are, Good/Evil, Men/Women,
Truth/ Lies, Strong/Weak, Young/Old and Light/Dark.
Levi-Strausss Narrative Theory
Levi-Strausss theory fits in with our genre idea for the opening
sequence in that it:-Judges one half of a binary composition in a
negative way and-Contains more than one binary opposition. One of
the main binary compositions in our opening sequence is Good/Evil.
This fits in with our characters of the Hero (person who gets
killed last), and the Villain (Murderer). A majority of viewers
will be biased positively towards the Hero
Levi-Strausss Narrative Theory
Barthes enigma code was a theory putting forward the notion that
media (whether it be film, television or texts) are to entice
people and draw them in through a sense of mystery. The main aim of
this is to get the audience asking questions. If, at the start of a
film, for example, there is lots of out of focus images with a
shallow depth of field. A murder mystery for example will usually
have the murder happen at the start but the murderer will not be
revealed until the end of the film. This allows us to ask the
question who is the murderer? We can also come up with our own
theories on who it is, this makes the film experience more
exciting, engaging and audience orientated. The different codes
are: -The Hermeneutic Code (HER)-The Proairetic Code (ACT)-The
Semantic Code (SEM)-The Symbolic Code (SYM)-The Cultural Code
(REF)Roland Barthes
