What is the diffeence between narative and story?
Story makes up the plot (it is the actual sequance of events) and narrative is the way that the plot is put together.
What are narative theories?
Key theory one: Tim o sullivan et al. (1998)
all media texts must have some form of story
Key theory two: Pam Cook (1985)
the standard hollywood should have a puzzle(enigma resolution), should end at the end of the film and should have a high level of veisimillitude and have spaial and emporal coherence.
Key Theory Three: Tzetan Todorov (1977)
the film should start with equilibrium, that should be disturbed, the main characters will fight to restore equilibrium, at the end of the film a new equilibrium should have been created.
Key Theory Four: Levi Strauss (1958)
Binary opposition eg. Good vs evil.
Key Theory Five: Vladimir Propp (1928)
all narratives feature stock characters
Villain/ antagonist
Hero/ Protaganist
Helper/ Supporter (sidekick);
Pinceess (prize)
Key Theoy Six: Roland Barthes (1977)
Narrative codes:
Enigma codes work to keep up setting up problems or puzzles for the audiance.
Action Codes Work to inorm the audiance in terms of what is happening in the next shot or scene.
The Revenant plot
The Revenant is based on the real life story of Hugh Glass (a trader in
colonial North America). Together with his team he is forced to flee from his
basecamp after being attacked by one of the native tribes of the area. The team
decides to take the animal pelts that they have collected already and go
back to the fort that they left from to find the basecamp but Glass is
attacked by a bear and is close to death. Another member of the eam decides to
kill him to stop him from slowing down the group and kills his son However
Hugh Glass survived the encounter and vows to find and kill the man
who killed the most important person in his life.
The Revenant wider ideas
The main character in this film is portrayed as essentially being
"reborn" to avenge his son’s death. this makes the wider meaning seem
to be that of family being more important than anything else in life and that
people will do anything to make sure that people responsible for hurting them
or people that they care about are brought to justice this can be sen in the quote "i ain't afraid to die. i alredy done it once."
(relaing to Key Theory two) What does the film present.
- What enigma is resolved in the revinant?
At the point in the film where Glass has been left on his own the audiance must speculate whether o not he will survive the ordeal that he is going though and et revenge on Fitzgerald (his sons murderer)
Close to the end of he movie Glass finds is way back and kills Fitzgerald resolving the films main conflict.
(relating to key theory three) Show the four stages in relation to the revinent.
- The film starts with the main character and his son hunting
- They are atacked and hugh glass is crippled by a bear
- The main character fights to find the man who killed his son
- The main antagonist is killed
(Relating to Key Theory 4) what binary opposition is shown in the revenant?
The Protaganist in the film is a bible beliving Christian while the antagonist is an Athest.
(Relating to Key Theory Five) what character types are presant in the film?
Villain/ antagonist- John Fitzgerald
Hero/ Protaganist- Hugh Glass
Helper/ Supporter (sidekick);- Hikuc
Pinceess (prize) - Revenge on the muderer of his son.
Characters can chage over time.
(relating to Key Theory Six)
Find three codes of enigma and three of action in your film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uTDp3IOdCA - Fitzgerald has a un aumed at his head and the audiance is lef to dicide if he is hurt or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3DP7ggjxkI - 1:49 - The audiance is left to decide weather his wife is alive or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaYV1I33-b4 - 2:49 - there is no clear sin that te main character is alive.
learning objectives:
to be able to undersand how narrative stuctures are followed throughout your media product. (P)
T be able to apply narrative theorys to your chosen film product (M)
