Levi-Strauss Binary Opposition (Narrative Structure Research)

Claude Levi-Strauss was a French social anthropologist that explored the myths of tribal cultures. He came to the conclusion that every story reflects the values, beliefs and myths of its culture. These are usually expressed as binary opposites. Levi-Strauss adapted this to media by claiming that all narratives are driven by a conflict caused by opposing forces (binary opposites.) Analysing a narrative means identifying these opposing forces and understanding how the conflict between them will drive the narrative on until some sort of balance or resolution is finally achieved.

Examples of binary opposition in a narrative structure include:

•Good versus Bad
•Wealth versus Poverty
•Strong versus Weak
•Sanity versus Insanity
•Peace versus War
•Boy versus Girl
•Young versus Old
•Woman in White versus Stranger in Black (relatable to horror genre, helpful in research for Main Brief.)
• Black versus White
•Protagonist versus Antagonist
•Domestic versus Foreign/Alien
•Natural versus Supernatural
•Nature versus Man-made/artificial
•Empowered versus Victim (also relatable to horror genre.)

Hypodermic Needle Theory (Audience Theory Research)

This theory suggests the mass media can influence a large group of people by directly 'shooting' or 'injecting' them with an appropriate message designed to trigger a desired response.

The media injects its messages straight into the passive audience (Croteau, Hoynes 1997). This passive audience is immediately affected by these messages. The public essentially cannot escape from the media's influence, and is therefore considered a "sitting duck" (Croteau, Hoynes 1997). 

 

Reception Theory: Encoding and Decoding (Audience Theory Research)

Stuart Hall theorized that the meaning of a message is not fixed or determined by the sender, the message is never transparent and the audience is not a passive recipient of meaning.

When a producer constructs a text it is encoded with a meaning or message that the producer wishes to convey to the audience. In some cases the audience will successfully decode the message or meaning, and understand what the producer is trying to convey. In other cases the audience will reject, or simply not understand the message that is trying to be convened.

Hall describes three types of audience:

•Dominant- When the audience correctly decodes the message of the producer and agrees with it.

•Negotiated- When the audience accepts, rejects or refines elements of the text in light of previous held news (neither agreeing or disagreeing with the message.)

•Oppositional- When the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for political, cultural or ideological reasons.

The Two-Step Flow (Audience Theory Research)

This hypothesis was introduced by Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet. It consists of two steps:

1- Opinion leaders get information from a media source.

2- The opinion leaders pass on this information, along with their interpretations of the information, to others.

The opinion leaders play close attention to the mass media and its different messages. They are seen as influential, and have similarities with those that theu influence.

The 'influenced' are not informed by the media directly. They often hear an interpreted view of a message and will look up to the opinion leaders.

A popular example of this is an election campaign- the candidate is the opinion leader with the public being the "influenced.'

Propp's Character Theory and Narrative Structure (Narrative Theory Research)

Vladimir Propp was a Soviet literary figure and scholar who entertained the idea that there a certain types of characters that are used in every narrative structure (Character Theory) is theory to fairy tales and fables, stating that they all follow the same specific narrative structure.

Character Theory- Where there are seven different character types in every narrative (I have used examples from Shaun of the Dead to link with my research of the horror genre):

•The Hero- Character that actively seeks out something, reacts to the donor and marries the princess (e.g. Shaun from Shaun of the Dead.)

•The Villain- Opposes and actively blocks the hero's quest, struggles against the Hero (e.g. The Zombies from Shaun of the Dead.)

•The Dispatcher- Sends the hero on their quest via a message/ sends the hero off (e.g. TV Reporter/Shaun from Shaun of the Dead.)

•The Donor- Prepares the hero, and provides the hero with an object with magical properties

(e.g. The Pub in Shaun of the Dead.)

•The Helper- Aids the hero on their journey/quest (e.g. Ed from Shaun of the Dead.)

•The False Hero- Disrupts the hero's success by making false claims, percieved as good in the beginning but emerges evil (e.g. David from Shaun of the Dead.)

•The Princess- Acts as a reward for the hero and the objective of the villain's evil plots ( e.g. Liz from Shaun of the Dead.)

Narrative Theory Research - Barthes' Enigma Code

Barthes' Enigma Code

 

Roland Barthes was a linguist who described 5 codes that are embedded into any narrative. These five codes all make up the Enigma Code:

 

-Proairetic code (the voice of empirics): The code of actions. Any action initiated must be completed. The cumulative actions constitute the plot events of the text.

-Hermeneutic code (the voice of truth): The code of enigmas or puzzles.

-Connotative (or Semantic code the voice of the person): The accumulation of connotations. Semes, sequential thoughts, traits and actions constitute character. “The proper noun surrounded by connotations.”

-Cultural or referential code (the voice of science [or knowledge):  Though all codes are cultural we reserve this designation for the storehouse of knowledge we use in interpreting everyday experience.

-Symbolic code (voice of the symbol): Binary oppositions or themes. The inscription into the text of the antithesis central to the organization of the cultural code.

In films the Enigma Code is presented as a narrative structure in sequence:

Thematisation- What in the narrative is enigma?
Positioning- Additional confirmations of the enigma.
Formulation of the enigma.
Promise of an answer to the/of the enigma.
Fraud- Circumvention of the true answer.
Blocking- The Enigma cannot be solved.
Suspended Answer- Stopping the answer after having begun.
Partial Answer- Some facets of the truth are revealed.
Disclosure of the Truth- Truth revealed.

 

 

Narrative Theory Research - Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium

Todorov's Narrative Theory of Equilibrium

 

Tzvetan Todorov is a Bulgarian-French philosopher, historian and literary figure who came up with a theory that stated all storylines/plotlines follow the exact same pattern even if they are linear or non linear. There were five simple steps that all story/plotlines had:

 

1) Equilibrium- The story will begin with a happy start, revealing all the characters are content and that everything occurring so far is as it should be.

 

2) Disruption (of Equilibrium)- The story will then feature a minor problem that will disrupt the storyline.

 

3) Realisation (Dis-Equilibrium or Climax)- The characters in the film realise something has gone wrong (that there has been a disruption) and chaos ensues.

 

4) Restored Order (restore Equilibrium) - The characters attempt to repair any damage and resolve the problem.

 

5) New Equilibrium- The problem is resolved and the characters are content. Normality can resume, but the Equilibrium will never be the same as at the start of the film as the characters will never forget the disruption of Equilibrium.