Narrative

By Eden, Laura, Kathryn and Katie

What is Narrative?

• The way the story is told

• The way the meaning are constructed so the audience understands

• Different medias construct meanings in different ways, using different conventions that are appropriate

Open NarrativesEg. Television and radio soap operas

No sense of ending – could go on for ever, eg Coronation Street

Many more characters – characters shift in and out of prominence and narrative function

More than one story line

Time is more chronological and more with the ‘world time’

Different knowledge of characters for the audience to that of characters in films

1. The audience is aware that they are watching a complete story; so watching with the likely ending in mind

Closed NarrativesMore relevant to films and cinema

2. There is a small number of central characters; ‘depth’ of audience knowledge often set up

Closed NarrativesMore relevant to films and cinema

3. Characters arranged in a ‘hierarchy’ of importance

Closed NarrativesMore relevant to films and cinema

4. Audiences invited to make ‘verdicts’ on the characters

Closed NarrativesMore relevant to films and cinema

5. Unlike Open Narratives, time is compressed and not with the ‘real time’

Closed NarrativesMore relevant to films and cinema

6. Times and events are usually special to this particular story and not linked to the outside world.

Closed NarrativesMore relevant to films and cinema

7. Audience usually has evidence about the characters only from this single text – plus star, publicity and genre expectations

Closed NarrativesMore relevant to films and cinema

Propp TheoryVladimir Propp developed a character theory for

studying media texts, which indicates that there were 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed,

which could be applied to other media

Certain characters are linked to certain elements in predictable ways – he calls these the ‘spheres of

action’

Propp assumes a linear narrative which makes flashbacks problematic

Propp

1. The villain

2. The donor

3. The (magical) helper

4. The princess

5. Her Father

6. The Dispatcher

7. The hero or victim/seeker hero, reacts to the donor, weds the princess

The 7 broad character types

Todorov Theory

- Todorov proposed a basic structure for all narratives. - Films and programmes begin with an equilibrium, a calm period- A period of unsettlement and disquiet- A renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonists- A new equilibrium which brings the chaos to an end

Barthes Theory

Barthes’ Enigma Code

The narrative will establish enigmas or mysteries as it goes along. Essentially the narrative functions to establish and then solve these mysteries.

The VoiceoverThe Voiceover (including words on screen) is one of the most frequently used conventions of the trailer genre. It is used for several reasons:

- Helps the audience to make sense of the narrative by giving us background- It showcases the stars appearing in the film- Give information about the filmmakers- Helps to build a sense of anticipation - Sets the tone for the film- Can summarise the story in between 5-8 lines.

The VoiceoverHow To Train Your Dragon

The VoiceoverTenacious D

The VoiceoverGone in 60 Seconds

The VoiceoverParanormal Activity 2

Mode of AddressThe way that a media product ‘speaks’ to the audience

Parallel Action:- Aspects within the context of a story that are happening simultaneously with the primary performer’s situation.- The technique is employed in the editing process where the projected image goes band and forth between the primary and secondary scene.

Polysemy:The ambiguity of an individual word or phrase that can be used to express two or more different meanings

Mode of AddressContinuity editing:- A predominant style of editing in narrative cinema and television- The purpose is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots. - Most film sequences are edited so that time seems to flow, uninterrupted, from shot to shot.

Multi-strand Narrative:Telling a story from more than one person’s point of view or two stories of two different people that intertwine.

Non-linear Narrative:- ‘Disjointed’ or ‘disrupted’ narrative is a narrative technique.- Sometimes used in literature, film, hypertext websites and other narratives, where events are portrayed out of chronological order.- Often used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory but has been applied for other reasons.