Narrative Theory - Todorov's Conventional Narrative Structure
Todorov said all films follow the same structure when it comes to narrative. Todorov says there are three main parts of a narrative: the beginning, middle and ending. But Todorov also says that there are actually 5 parts, upon reflection, our film links with this theory, we are able to find link each structure with a moment in our film:
1) Equilibrium: The beginning of the story which is normally happy but shows a sense of normality and that the characters involved know what they're doing and are mostly content.
In our film this is when Matt is busking in the park, this is what he usually does during the day, busking for money in order to buy food to survive on the streets.
2) A disruption: The second part of the story will have a problem or something that happens wil disrupt the happiness.
This is when Matt discovers that Ethan is in Matt's usual sleeping spot.
3) Realisation: This is the part in the story where the problem becomes even worse.
This is when Ethan takes advantage of Matt's trust, steals his belongings and runs away.
4) Retored Order: This is the part when the characters try to solve the problem and restore things to calm.
This is when Matt tries to recover his belongings but fails and goes back to his spot, he discovers another homeless person and begins to steal her belongings, however, he can't bring himself to do it.
5) Equilibrium (again): This is the final part of the story, where the problem is resolved and normality can resume again.
This is when Matt accepts his inability to steal as well as his mistakes, with him giving up and sleeping in his spot, sharing it with the other homeless person.
Syd Field
Acting as a follow on from Todorov, Field talks about the idea of having a 3 act structure:
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Act One / First Act - 25%
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Act Two / Second Act - 50%
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Act Three / Third Act - 25%
This gives the storyline a very rigid structure.
There is usually a turning point at the end of the first act to start the story and spin it off in a new direction. The first part is the set up which includes the set up of the characters, where you establish them and set up a quick back story, the audience would quickly establish who they would root for and the characters they would dislike.
In our short film, the turning point would be when Matt discovers Ethan in his usual sleeping spot, this is unusual for Matt as he usually busks in the day for money in order to buy food, before returning to his spot to sleep. Discovering Ethan in his spot kick starts the story.
The second part is the journey.
This would be when Ethan steals Matts belongings from him and runs away, Matt chases after him, starting his adventure to retrieve his rightful belongings from Ethan.
The final part is the resolution.
The resolution in our film would be when Matt gives up and heads back to his spot again, defeated. Matt acts through desperation to steal Georgia's personal belongings but can't bring himself to do it, although this is the resolution, it is not a happy one, however the audience witness Matt's good-natured character. Although he loses his materialistic things, he holds onto his morals and doesn't give in to greed like Ethan had.
There is a mid point in the story this is where the lead character takes charge. For example, in an action adventure, the main character is reluctant at first but they have to achieve something, the mid point is the inner moment of realisation where they realise they can do this, then something happens and it goes bad at another turning point towards the end, (halfway between middle and end) but then they rise back up and then a resolution at the end happens. This is a basic 3 part narrative structure.
Character Theory: Propp's Character Theory
Propp examined 100's of fairytales and other stories, to see if they shared any structures. Through this he identified 8 character roles:
1. The hero
2. The villain(s)
3. The donor - who provides an object with importance
4. The helper who aids the hero.
5. The princess (the sought for person) - reward for the hero and object of the villain's schemes.
6. Her guardian - who rewards the hero, normally a king, not necessarily father
7. The dispatcher - who sends the hero on his way.
8. The false hero
In our film, we used the hero and villain characters as this is very common and traditional. In our story, Matt is our hero, we follow him on his travels where he busks for money on the streets. Ethan is portrayed as the villain, he is mysterious and cunning as he is the one who has taken Matt's sleeping spot and steals his stuff, betraying his trust and hospitality when offered to share. Therefore portraying Matt as the vulnerable one but still a hero as he is seeking to get his rightful belongings back as he chases after Ethan. This demonstrates Levi Strauss' theory of binary oppositions, it is villian VS hero (Ethan VS Matt).
As the story unfolds, Matt could be seen as the villain as he tries to steal Georgia's belongings, however this role switches when he can't do it and he becomes the hero again as he can't bring himself to steal her stuff due to his kindness and morals; he decides to share the spot with Georgia. We also see an example of Binary opposition in terms of what is morally 'Right VS Wrong', as at the end of our film Matt weighs up whether he should be taking Georgia's things or not, deciding not to due to his good nature, the viewer would root for Matt.
Joseph Campbell - The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Published in 1949, 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces' covers Campbells theory of the journey of the archetypal hero found in world mythologies. Campbell explores the theory that important myths from around the world which have survived for thousands of years all share a fundamental structure, which Campbell called the 'monomyth'. Campbell summarized the monomyth:
'A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.'
The monomyth is set out in the following way, Campbell describes a number of stages along this journey:
1. The hero starts in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unusual world of strange powers and events (a call to adventure).
2. If the hero accepts the call to enter this strange world, the hero must face tasks and trials (a road of trials), and may have to face these trials alone, or may have assistance. At its most intense, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help earned along the journey.
3. If the hero survives, the hero may achieve a great gift (the goal or "boon"), which often results in the discovery of important self-knowledge. The hero must then decide whether to return with this boon (the return to the ordinary world), often facing challenges on the return journey. If the hero is successful in returning, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world (the application of the boon).
Campbells theory could be adapted into our short film although very loosely. Matt is the hero in this case, who's regular routine is disrupted by Ethan, who steals his sleeping spot and eventually his belongings. Matt begins his adventure when pursuing Ethan although in this case it is unsuccessful, Matt does not receive a gift or 'boon', instead his morality remains intact.