Key Theory

Todorov's Narrative Theory (1969) - All films follow the same narrative pattern, and the theory could be applied to any film.
This pattern is as follows:
Equilibrium - Meeting the characters. The picture below shows the characters meeting each other.

Disruption - Something happens affecting the characters lives. This shows the characters meeting each other. The scene below depicts that Mr. Orange has been shot, and is confiding in his comrade.

Realisation - Characters realise they need to resolve the situation. The scene below shows they have discovered they have been betrayed, and are now pondering who it was.

Dis-equilibrium - The characters have to deal with the situation and often try to fix it. The picture below shows Mr. Blonde's attempt to discover who the "rat" was.

New equilibrium - everything is restored or in a better place than it was. Finally, this scene shows that all the characters have turned on each other, and all the criminals in the room are now deceased.

 Barthes - Enigma and Action codes - He was a semiologist.
Be believed texts could be either open or closed, open meaning more than one way to interpret it; thus closed meaning there is only one way. If we imagine a text as a ball of string, the threads you pull on in an attempt to unravel the meaning are called Narrative codes. These include action and enigma codes.

An action code is a significant event that moves the narrative in a certain direction. The scene to the right is a prime example of this. The entire film was based around the scene that follows, and it is made conspicuous that Goku will ascend to his god form.





Enigma codes pose questions to the audience.
In summary, an action code tells you whats happening, an enigma code keeps you guessing. The picture to the right is a good example of this. At the beginning of the film Andy asks Red for "Rita Hayworth". This, originally seems trivial and simply a desire inspired by lust, however the end of the film shows that poster was incredibly significant in Andy's escape from the prison.


Strauss - Binary oppositions
This means something can only be defined in relation to something it isn't. For example, in Star Wars, the Sith are considered evil because the Jedi are considered good. Really they are both just religions in the franchise.

Propp - Character codes
He believed there were 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed, which all could be applied to media. These character ideas can be mixed and matched, however.

These are as followed:
The Hero - This character is usually good, and the film focuses on them mainly.

The Villain - This character contrasts the hero, opposing them. The villain is usually morally bad emphasising the goodness of the hero.

The Princess - She may be the object which is deliberately sought by the hero, and is potentially kidnapped by the villain.

The helper - This is the person supporting the hero on their quest.

The donor - This person gives the hero something, either a weapon, or knowledge or something along those lines.

The dispatcher - These types tend to have an early role in the story who gives the person their mission.

The false hero - This is a variant on the villain and a potential complication within the plot. Their motives seem good at first but are later shown to have been in their own interest.

Princess' father - this character is the guardian of the princess. May also play another role.

David Chandler - Genre theory
Genre is defined by conventions of content, and only exists because of this repetition.

Steve Neale and John Hartley - Genre theory
It is not just repetition that makes a genre, but they need to be different form each other to attract an audience. - Neale
Hartley believed that some text could belong to different genres at once.