Unit G321 – Opening sequences

Narrative Codes

Lesson Objectives

• To know: What information is communicated in the opening sequences of films.

• To understand: Roland Barthes theory about narrative codes.

• To be able to: Think about both of the above in relation to your own coursework.

Opening sequences

• What information is conveyed to the audience in these opening sequences?

• Children of Men

• I am Legend

Roland Barthes

• Influential French Literary Theorist.• Developed a theory that there are 5

major codes within a story that are interwoven in order to create meaning.

• For our purposes, i.e. to aid our understanding of opening sequences, we’re going to consider just 2 of the 5 codes.

The Hermeneutic Code

• More commonly called enigma codes or narrative enigmas.

• Put very simply, narrative enigmas are unanswered questions that the audience want answered.

• The hermeneutic code – the parts of a story that are not fully explained. They exist as enigmas or questions that the audience wishes to be resolved. A detective story, for example, is a narrative that operates mainly by the hermeneutic code. A criminal act is shown and the remainder of the narrative is devoted to answering questions raised by the initial event.

The Hermeneutic Code

• In order to maintain interest, the final truth is not revealed typically until the end of the story and some devices are used to conceal it:

• The snare – a deliberate avoidance of the truth – a tease or an implication that sends the audience down a wrong path.

• Partial answers – revealing some (but not all) of the final truth(s) – this is used to actually increase suspense.

• Equivocation – a mixture of truth and snare – usually further muddying the water!

• Jamming – Suggesting that the problem may be completely unsolvable.

The Proairetic Code

• The proairetic code – actions that suggest further action/reaction.

• Also known as the action code.• E.g. a character has an argument

and the audience wonders what the resolution or outcome of this argument will be. This creates suspense/tension as the audience wonder what the outcome will be and begin to make guesses.

How are these codes used in the opening sequences to:

• Minority Report• Saw• Children of Men• I Am Legend