Binary opposition

Levi-Strauss’ theory of binary opposition

• Strauss was a French anthropologist who was born in 1908. He proposed the idea that all narratives must be show by a chain of opposites.

• He believed that the way which the audience would understand is not the meaning itself but seeing a contrast between two opposites.

History of binary opposites

• Binary opposites used to easy to sop in film due to having good VS bad in traditional fighting films. But in the most recent year they have become more complex. An example of this would be the twilight films have a complicated plot which slowly revealing vampires VS werewolves, and this binary opposite can be difficult to spot in the first film.

Common binary oppositions

Good Bad

Dark Light

Male Female

Loud Silence

However, critics of this theory have said that even though everything has opposites, most thing have medium as well. For example for rich and poor there is middle-class and for gay and straight there is also bisexual.

Will we use binary opposition?

• In our thriller it would be very likely contain binary opposite. They types that we will most like use is:– Light and dark – Female and male– Silence and loud

• It important that we do try and add binary opposites into our thriller opening as it allows the viewers to compare easily and shows supremacy or equality between the two.