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Theorists

Two-Step Flow
The two-step flow of communication model says that most
people form their opinions under the influence of opinion
leaders, who in turn are influenced by the mass media. In
contrast to the one-step flow of the hypodermic needle
model or magic bullet theory, which holds that people are
directly influenced by mass media, according to the two-step
flow model, ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders,
and from them to a wider population.

The Hypodermic Needle

Model
The theory suggests that the mass media could influence a
very large group of people directly and uniformly by shooting
or injecting them with appropriate messages designed to
trigger a desired response. They express the view that the
media is a dangerous means of communicating an idea
because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the
impact of the message. People are seen as passive and are
seen as having a lot media material "shot" at them.
People end up thinking what
they are told because there is
no other source of information.

Uses and Gratifications

Theory
Uses and Gratifications Theory is a popular approach to
understanding mass communication. The theory places more focus
on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself
by asking what people do with media rather than what media
does to people. It assumes that members of the audience are not
passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media
into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences are
responsible for choosing media to meet their needs.
The approach suggests that people use
the media to fulfil specific gratifications.
This theory would then imply that the
media compete against other
information sources for viewers'
gratification.

Ronald Barthes: Enigma

Codes

This code refers to mystery within a text. Clues are

dropped, but no clear answers are given. Enigmas
within the narrative make the audience want to know
more. Unanswered enigmas tend to frustrate the
audience.
The enigma is created by the whole who died and how
was he/she murdered and by whom?
This is the driving force of the
narrative and is what creates
tension and satisfies audiences
demands

Propps Narrative Functions

He discovered that all of the evident characters could be categorised into 8 broad types
of different characters:
1. The Villain - Struggles against the hero.
2. The Dispatcher - Character who informs the hero on lack and sends him on his quest.
3. The (magical) Helper - Helps hero during quest.
4. The Princess/Prize - Hero deserves to marry her, but cannot throughout the film
because of the villain, often the quest is ended with the Hero and the Princess getting
married.
5. Her Father - Gives Hero task and identifies False Hero, Propp noted that the Princess
and the Father cannot be clearly distinguished.
6. The Donor - Prepares the Hero
7. The Hero or Victim/ Seeker Hero - Reacts to the donor and gets married to the
Princess
8. False Hero - In order to marry the Princess, he takes credit for the Heroes actions to
impress her.
Despite clearly stating the different categories of characters found in tales, Propp did not
state that these had to apply to every one separate character; the villain could also be
the father etc. Using Propp's theory, when a character has been correctly identified
within a story, it is always predictable to what that character will do throughout, as each
character has a sphere of action. After the initial situation is depicted, any story can be
broken down into 31 different functional sections that supposedly incorporated all of the
plot components that a story needed.

Theory of Equilibrium
He believed that all films followed the same narrative
pattern. They all went through stages called the
equilibrium, disequilibrium, acknowledgement, solving
and again equilibrium.
There are five stages the narrative can progress
through:
1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.)
2. A disruption of that order by an event.
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.
5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium
Equilibrium definition- It is a state in which opposing

Levi Strauss: Binary

Opposistions
A binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are
opposite in meaning
In structuralism, a binary opposition is seen as a fundamental
organizer of human philosophy, culture, and language.
Examples of Binary Opposition Theory
Rich/Poor
North/South
Black/White
Up/Down
Slow/Fast
Gay/Straight
However, critics of the theory have argued that although everything
has an opposite, everything also has a medium for rich and poor there
is middle-class for gay and straight there is bisexual.