Tom v's narrative theory
- 1. Narrative “Refers to the way the film’s story is structured – the way which events are ordered and revealed to the audience.”
- 2. Torodov’s Narrative Structure Equilibrium. Disruption Of The Equilibrium. Recognition Of The Disruption. An attempt to repair the damage caused by the disruption. New equilibrium. This type of narrative structure is very familiar to us and can be applied to many ‘mainstream’ film narratives. Torodov’s narrative structure cannot be applied directly to teen slashers as although they contain most of the elements, they’re in a different order. The film ‘Halloween’ starts with an equilibrium of the teenagers being happy together in a room, then comes the disruption of the equilibrium when the girl is killed. From this point, the rest of the film is also of killings. This is why it is hard to apply Torodov’s theory as teen slashers do not have happy endings.
- 3. Propp’s Character Types And Narrative Functions. Vladimir Propp studied hundreds of folktales and found they contained 8 character types and 31 functions that move the story along. The 31 functions include events such as; Ø The hero is prohibited from doing something. Ø The villain learns something about the victim Ø The villain is punished, etc. This theory is also hard to apply to teen slashers, like Torodov’s structure, as there are no generic ‘heroes’ within the film. The way that Propps functions can be applied is that there is usually a lone female figure seeking help. In Scream, we are able to see that a villain exists, but the mystery is kept from us is the identity of them.
- 4. Levi-Strauss’ Binary Oppositions NOTE It 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 constructed. Levi-Strauss suggested that binary oppositions are key to the meaning making it narrative. He argued the constant creation of conflict and opposition propels narrative, and that narrative can only end on a resolution of conflict. Unlike the other two theories/functions. Levi- Strauss’ can be applied easily. There is a very generic ‘good v evil’ theme implemented into teen slashers. We can also apply the ‘boy v girl’ theme to ‘Halloween’ as Michael Myers kills his sister. Examples of Binary oppositions; Ø Good/Evil Ø Men/Women Ø Truth/Lies Ø Normal/Abnormal Ø Strong/Weak Ø Natural/Artificial Ø Young/Old Ø Light/Dark
- 5. Roland Barthes Enigma Codes. The Hermeneutic Code is often known as the enigma code; The Hermeneutic Code refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The full truth is often avoided. The enigma code is the way in which the tension is built up to add suspense to the audience. Many clues are dropped about specific events in the film, without revealing the secrets directly, leaving the audience hooked in the film. In generic teen slasher films the main enigma is the killer. This is because they do not know the true identity of the killer, as they are kept till the end until they are revealed. This is demonstrated by the film ‘scream’. We find out at the end of the film that the killer(s), as there are unexpectedly two killers, are close friends/ people that mean a lot to the lonesome girl that is left after everyone else has been killed.
- 6. Roland Barthes Enigma Codes. The Hermeneutic Code is often known as the enigma code; The Hermeneutic Code refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The full truth is often avoided. The enigma code is the way in which the tension is built up to add suspense to the audience. Many clues are dropped about specific events in the film, without revealing the secrets directly, leaving the audience hooked in the film. In generic teen slasher films the main enigma is the killer. This is because they do not know the true identity of the killer, as they are kept till the end until they are revealed. This is demonstrated by the film ‘scream’. We find out at the end of the film that the killer(s), as there are unexpectedly two killers, are close friends/ people that mean a lot to the lonesome girl that is left after everyone else has been killed.