Narrative Theories

Narrative theory is the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non-fictional
media texts.

Todorovs Theory
Todorovs theory suggests that most storys or plot lines follow the same pattern or
path. He suggests most narratives start with a state of equilibrium in which life is
normal and protagonists happy. The state of normality is disrupted by an outside
force, which has to be fought against in order to return to a state of equilibrium. This
model can easily be applied to a wide range of films. However some films may not
choose to follow this theory due to the fact that it depends on the films story plot as
if there was to be flashbacks then it would interfere with the pattern of Todorovs
theory.
There are five steps in this theory:
1) Equilibrium- Equilibrium is how the story is set out. Our film doesnt start off
with clear beginning as it starts midway of the story which is her in the train
station

2) A disruption- the state when a problem or an event occurs changing the

routine stability. The problem that occurs in our film is that Jesse suspects of
Neina cheating on him

3) Realization- this is the realization that there has been a disruption. Linking it
to our film Jesse gets fed up with consecutive messages that Neina receives
from someone else and leaves her house when they were hanging out.

4) An attempt to repair- this is when the characters try to fix the conflict the
distribution is causing. Jesse felt bad for what he did so he goes off and buys her
a bunch of flowers to apologies to her for his behavior.

5) New Equilibrium- it isn't the original equilibrium because of the effects the
disruptions has caused. It is usually reprieved as the new norm. As reflects back
at the current situation with Neina being at the train station she steps back away
from the edge of the platform takes a deep breath and leaves the station to start
a fresh new life.

Barthes Theory

Roland Barthes theory suggested that there will be one or more of the five codes
that will be describe the meaning of text. Barthes said the texts may be open
(unravelled in many ways) and closed (there is only one obvious thread to pull
on). The five codes are the following:
Hermeneutic code- This code refers to the mystery within a text. Clues
are dropped, but no clear answers are given. In our short film, it starts off
with Neina in an underground train station and she is walking closer and
 closer towards the edge of the platform, this therefore hints that she
wants to end her life. But there is a brief pause in between that leaving it
a mystery for the audience.
Proairetic/Action Code- This code contains sequential elements of action
in the text. Proairetic means it adds suspense to the text. Linking to our
film the build-up off Neina walking towards the edge of the railway
platform adds an element of suspense since it makes the audience guess
whether she will commit suicide or not.
Semantic Code- This code refers to parts within the texts suggests or
refers to additional meanings. Since our film will feature a voiceover of
the main character which is Neina she will be narrating her story to the
audience telling us about her life and how she ended up in her current
state.
Symbolism Code- this code refers to symbolism within the text. Our film
symbolises the idea of portraying what pressures teenagers face in our
modern-day society and how they deal with their situation.
Referential Code- This code refers to anything in the text which refers to
an external body of knowledge. So, our film revolves around difficulties
teenagers suffer and we think that the younger audience can relate to
that.

Vladimir Propps Theory

He believed in the concept of having eight fundamental and specific character within
every plot. He suggested that every narrative possesses eight different types of
characters to exemplify a development and journey within the plot line, whilst
allowing the audience to draw up conclusions on the juxtaposition between different
character personas.
The following eight characters are:

The villain- There isnt a physical villain in our short film due to both our main
characters having a form of relationship. However, Jesse has some sinister
traits such as he physically abused Neina by slapping her out of anger due to
a suspicion of her seeing another guy behind his back.
The dispatcher- The dispatcher is the one who send the hero on a quest to
defeat the villain. There isnt a clear dispatcher since Neina decided to leave
Jesse since their relationship ended on a wrong turn.
The helper- This is the character who helps the hero out on their quest. No
one helped both characters situation as both didnt bother to see one
another and they decided to move on rather than rekindle their relationship.
The princess- This is the damsel in distress, in which the hero fights for her
deserves the story. The result from beating the villain leads to a happily ever
after ending. In some way, you could say Neina is the princess as Jesse is the
one brings the flowers to show love and affection.
Her father- The character set out the task and marries off the princess. This
character does not feature in our short film as both characters families are
not mentioned.
 The donor- this is the character that helps the hero with a magical object.
Again, this character is not featured in our film since the character Jesse does
not get any help with his relationship with Neina.
The False hero- this is the character who takes the full credit of the heros
action and has intentions of marrying the princess. There isnt any character
that comes in the way of both the characters relationship.

In some sense, our film contradicts this theory since our film can apply to
some of these characters but the others. However, both of our main
characters possess qualities of the characters that Propps concept conveys.