Initial Ideas: Narrative

Initial Ideas: Narrative

1. Levi Strauss

   • believes that binary opposites are important in narrative, as they help thicken the plot and further the narrative
     • Good vs Evil
     • Girl vs Boy
     • Crime vs Justice

2. Andrew Goodwin

   • believes that in music videos the narrative often links to the lyrics and the tempo of the music

3. Vladimir Propp

   • believes that media texts need particular characters to develop the narrative
     • hero
     • princess
     • villain
     • dispatcher
   • believes certain parts of a narrative always happen
     • hero battles villain
     • hero is given quest
     • princess is made distress

4. Todorov

   • believes there are several main stages to complete a narrative, recognisable in any story: -equilibrium -disruption -resolution -equilibrium

5. Alan Cameron

   • believes there are several types of 'unusual' narrative
     • ANACHRONIC NARRATIVE: includes regular flashbacks and flashforwards, with all different narrative parts being just as important
     • FORKING PATH NARRATIVE: shows two different consequences that are diverse only as a result of a small change/decision
     • EPISODIC NARRATIVE: separate narratives have some sort of link, e.g. different lives being linked by a particular accident
     • SPLIT SCREEN NARRATIVE: different stories, linked by the fact that they are shown on screen at the same time

6. Unrestricted/Restricted Narration

   • UNRESTRICTED: where information is given out in as much detail as possible with very little restrictions so that the narrative is clear. Audiences often know more than the characters
   • RESTRICTED: where the narrative is kept minimal, with parts unclear. Audiences are often in the dark over a lot of the narrative (used effectively in the thriller genre)