Narrative Theories Research

 Narrative is a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program - Found on http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=active&q=define%3ANarrative+&meta


Without narrative, the story cannot progress.

Narrative drives the story forward, forward into something worth paying attention to.

If a story's narrative is slow, or just badly made, it's not going to drive the story forwards.

You'll probably turn it off... Or walk out.

Vladimir Propp

Propp was essential interested in the narrative of folk tales. He identified a theory

about folk tales were similar in many areas. They were about the same basic

struggles and they appeared to have ‘Stock Characters’. He identified a theory

about characters and actions as narrative functions; they provide a structure for the text

• The hero – a character that seeks something
• The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest
• The Donor - Who provides an object of worth
• The Dispatcher - who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
• The False hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims
• The helper - who aids the hero
• The princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots
• Her father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

Christopher Vogler

Chris Volger is a story analyst for Disney, Warner Brothers 20^th Century Fox, and many more Hollywood production companies. He explored the construction of narrative from a character driven perspective. His theory is called The Hero’s Journey.

• Ordinary world
• Call to Adventure
• Refusal of Class
• Mentor
• First Threshold
• Test, Allies, enemies
• Approach to the inmost cave
• Ordeal
• Rewards (seizing the sword)
• The road back
• Resurrection
• Return with the Elixir

Vogler also claimed that there were eight Archetypes within Hollywood narratives

• Hero
• Mentor
• Heraid
• Shape Shifter
• Allies
• Shadow
• Trickster
• Threshold Guardians

Levi Strauss

Meanings, including narrative, depend on binary oppositions – he explores these in terms of underlying typical themes, rather than events. Conflict helps to drive the narrative.

• Man Vs Woman
• White Vs Black
• Young Vs Old
• Hero Vs Villain
• West Vs East
• Good Vs Bad

The theories above are from http://www.scribd.com/doc/13999009/Narrative-Theories.

For our film opening, I think Vladimir Propp's theory is the most suitable.

It will work because it has many of the key ingredients for a Horror movie.

You have the Hero, The Villain, The donor, The Dispatcher, and The Helper.

This suits our opening, becuase we will have limited actors.

It will create an effective narrative because it's what you're going to expect from a horror film.
The Hero is always the guy who makes the end of the film.
The Villain is often tough and has to be killed in an elaborate manner.
The Donor, when I think of a donor, is usually an old inventor with lots of weapons and gadgets.
The Dispatcher is usually also an old person or authoritive figure.
The Helper is usually stupid and dies around the end of the film.
These aspects are going to make our opening worthwile.
But, bearing in mind it's only an opening just 10 minutes in length, we won't get to see much.