Narrative: blog tasks

 Read Media Factsheet 14 - Telling Stories: The Media's Use of Narrative and answer the following questions:

1) Give an example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium. 

An example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure is Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit. 

2) Complete the activity on page 1 of the Factsheet: find a clip on YouTube of the opening of a new TV drama series (season 1, episode 1). Embed the clip in your blog and write an analysis of the narrative markers that help establish setting, character and plot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sNu11Om7lg

The use of the frame as props for each of the characters shows how the design seems very elegant and old fashioned which could suggest how the story may be in a middle class perspective. Also, it shows how setting seems very dark during the opening titles which could give an idea of enigma codes. In addition, the character seems to have a very neutral facial expression in their frame as well as the kids which kind of connote that there must be something wrong which reinforces the idea of enigmatic codes. The idea of supernatural factors in the first few part such as the lady coming out from the river and the doll house opening on its own also gives off the idea of enigma codes, which suggests that those factors could be the reason for a disequilibrium and could possibly be the antagonist. 

3) Provide three different examples from film or television of characters that fit Propp's hero character role.

Lord of the Rings 

Hero - Frodo

Villain - Sauron

Donor - Gandalf

4) Give an example of a binary opposition.

An example could be hero / villain and light / dark. 

5) What example is provided in the Factsheet for the way narratives can emphasise dominant ideologies and values?

An example in the factsheet could be that when the policeman captures the criminal in a crime drama the ideology of the value of law and order is emphasised.  

6) Why do enigma and action codes (Barthes) offer gratifications for audiences?

Enigma and action codes offer gratifications for audiences as the viewers are curious as to what the actions will be undertaken and how the problems will be solved.

7) Write a one-sentence summary of the four different types of TV narrative:

• Episodic narrative (the series)
• Overarching narrative (the serial)
• Mixed narrative
• Multi-strand overlapping narrative (soap narrative)

For all different types of TV narrative it shows how an episodic narrative only has a short episode where it has a resolution at the end, overarching narrative is a series where for each episode there's a cliff-hanger until the resolution at the end of the series, mixed narrative can have both episodic and overarching narrative, and multi-strand overlapping narrative is the idea that it has a continuous narrative and they have different stories at the same time. 

8) How does the Factsheet suggest adverts use narrative?  

The factsheet suggest that the adverts use conventional narrative structure to provide a framework where the media producers can use for different types of genres and narratives, which could also be based on what their audience prefer to watch. 

A/A* extension task

Use our brilliant Media Magazine archive to read Narratology: Todorov, Propp and Freytag from MM70 (page 24). This applies some of our narrative theories (and one new one) to Star Wars, Avengers and more. Which of these theories do you find most useful when applying to media texts? Why? 

For me, the theory that is most useful when applying to media texts is Todorov's equilibrium as its pattern allows the narrative to be significant and to keep the audiences be intrigued by the film. This also shows how each films could be unique to other film's narrative by changing the disequilibrium or what the new equilibrium is. Also, I think this is the most useful as I feel like most films and media texts usually follows this pattern.