Propp's 7 Character Archetypes

Vladimir Propp was a soviet scholar and folklorist who analysed the basic plot components of fairy tales to identify their basic narrative elements. He did this by breaking the fairy tales into different sections.

Through these sections, Propp was able to define the tales into a series of sequences.

At first he had divided them into 31 different sections. However, he soon realised that those 31 sections could be resolved into 7 broad character functions.

My own:

These are the seven basic character types also known as archetypes:
From the study of fairytales:
1. The Villain (antagonist) - struggles against the hero. 
2. The Donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
3. The Helper - helps the hero in the quest. 
4. The Hero - reacts to the donor, saves the day, weds the princess. 
5. The False Hero - takes credit for the hero's actions or tries to marry the princess.
6. The Princess or Prize - the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and father cannot be clearly distinguished. 
7. The Dispatcher - character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off. 

Applying this theory to films:
Star Wars
1. The Villain (antagonist) - Darf Vader, he wants to rein terror across the galaxy and defeat Luke Skywalker.
2. The Donor - Obi-Wan Kenobi presents Luke with a lightsaber, a weapon only worthy of a Jedi.
3. The Helper - Han Solo, alongside Chewie he accompanies Luke on missions.
4. The Hero - Luke Skywalker, he wants to become a Jedi and defeat the evil Darth Vader. 
5. The False Hero - ? 
6. The Princess or Prize - Princess Leia, needs saving from the empire.
7. The Dispatcher - R2D2, he lands near Luke's home with a message from princess Leia.

Levi-Strauss' Binary Opposition

Claude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist who developed the concept of binary opposition. These are to very distinct opposites or clashing pairs you could say, for example, (male, female; rich, poor, dominant, submissive etc.). These are used to spark or create conflict for a film.

When we are using stereotypes, binary opposition is quite evident. So, when we imagine a poor person we imagine something entirely opposite to what we would imagine for a rich person. This theory is used to basically reduce the world to a simple either/or structure. Things are either right or wrong, good or bad, but never in between. 

Queer theorist, Judith Butler, also argues that the binary opposite of gender is problematic. 

Todorov's 5 Part Narrative Structure

Tzetan Todorov is a Bulgarian/French historian, literature critic, philosopher and sociologist. In 1996, he created a theory which he thought could be applied to any film. This is the 5 part narrative theory:

1. A state of equilibrium at the outset. 
Everything is balanced evenly - there is no problem - everything is calm.

2. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action.
Something happens to upset the balance - chaos - things have gone wrong. 

3. A recognition that there has been a disruption.
What has upset the balance is recognised. The characters see what has changed. 

4. An attempt to repair the disruption.
People make an effort to bring the balance back - to restore equilibrium - the characters will have to work to make things different.

5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium.
The balance is back - equilibrium is restored - all the problems are sorted out. 

This can be applied to the film 'Skyfall'. The film starts in an action scene with James Bond on the run chasing someone. This is the equilibrium stage because this is showing his normal daily life, on the run after someone. The disruption stage is when James Bond is shot by his work colleague because his work colleague was trying to shoot the bad guy who James Bond was strangling at the time on top of a train. Leading from this, James Bond falls off the top of the train into a waterfall and supposedly 'dies'. The recognition stage is when James Bond comes back to life (never actually died from his fall) and re-applies to be back in service for MI7. He is still wounded, so he is on a road for recovery, discovering who he really is, an alcoholic etc. He is now told to go after someone else (the villain). The villain also helps James Bond to realise who he is, his habits (drinking) and his bad health. James Bond also realises that the villain is after his work colleague/boss (M) so he attempts to repair the disruption by taking her away to his old home, called Skyfall, to use her as bait. The finale fight between the villain and James Bond happens here at Skyfall leading M and the villain to be killed. After this, the equilibrium is reinstated.

Roland Barthes' System of 5 Codes

Roland Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, linguist and critic. He stated that there are 5 codes which can appear in a media text. 

EASSC:
The Enigma code - the audience is intrigued by the need to solve a problem. 

The Action code - the audience is excited by the need to resolve a problem.

The Semantic code - the audience is directed towards an additional meaning through connotation.

The Symbolic code - the audience assumes that a character dressed in black is evil and forms expectations of his/her behaviour on this basis.

The Cultural code - the audience derives meaning in a text from shared cultural knowledge about the way the world works.

POSSIBLE INFLUENCE FOR MY FILM:
I would try to include some of these codes in my film opening, definitely the enigma and action codes. I want to create mystery in my film opening somehow, to withhold information from the audience so they are left guessing things and wanting to know more.

Opening EG4: The Girl On The Train (2016)

The Girl On The Train

Tate Taylor (2016)

BBFC 15, MPAA R

Film Opening Length: 

Budget: $45m
UK/US/World Box Office: $29.4m, $75.3m, $173m
Theatrical Distribution in 

Production Companies: DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance Entertainment
Distributors: Universal Pictures

LINKS:
IMDB, RottenTomatoes (Tomatometer 44%, Audience 49%), BoxOfficeMojo, Wiki

Trailer for 'The Girl On The Train':
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COMPANIES/IDENTS
There are three film idents shown at the start of this film opening. These are 'Universal Pictures', 'DreamWorks Pictures' and 'Reliance Entertainment'. 'Universal Pictures' is one of the 'big six' conglomerates. There is an audiobridge of train sounds over two of these idents of this film. The train sound slowly build up until the opening shot where the sounds are at full volume. This connotes that the film has suspense and that it is a thriller. We hear the train sounds until the title swipes in harshly. 

OPENING SHOT
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TITLES
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You can denote that the titles in this film opening are very minimal and simplistic. They have a white sans serif font which connotes drama. The main title of the title sequence is rather small

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IDENTIFYING ANY PROTAGONISTS

SOUND/GENRE SIGNIFICATION
There is an audiobridge of train sounds over the two film idents of this film. The train sound slowly build up until the opening shot where the sounds are at full volume. This connotes that the film has suspense and that it is a thriller. We hear the train sounds until the title swipes in harshly. 

SHOT VARIETY
There is a variety of shots used, including extreme long shots, long shots, close ups, medium shots and 

NARRATIVE
Barthes' narrative enigma can be applied in this film opening through the opening shot, how it's of a train going past very sharply. This foreshadows and connotes the psychological thriller genre and suspense of the film. 
On the other hand, exposition is being provided here because the main protagonist is speaking in a voiceover. 

MISE-EN-SCENE FOR EXPOSITION
There is a medium close up of a train passing by very quickly here. The fact that the train is shown first is to connote that the train is the main signifier of the film, the most important element of the film. Also, the fact that the train cuts in very fast in the opening shot and the train sound all of a sudden gets very loud in this opening shot connotes the atmosphere and mood of the film: suspenseful, thrilling.

PRELIM Exercise: Evaluation

Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

After this exercise Richard and I learnt many skills from filming under pressure.
We filmed the whole exercise handheld. Also, we learned how to apply the 180 degree rule while filming, to use continuity editing when editing the final product and to film and edit shot reverse shots.
So, the three important, main things we learnt were:

• Applying the 180 degree rule
• Using continuity editing and filming shots that would allow us to apply this continuity editing in the editing process.
• Filming and editing in shot reverse shots.

This was a basic exercise that was trying to get us started with using technology such as the Sony A58 camera and using Final Cut Pro X for the first time and applying basic skills of editing.

PRELIM Exercise: EG and RD

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Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

The Script:
Richard: "Oh hello, you've decided to turn up have you? Thanks."
Evie: "I'm so sorry, I was on the phone with my mum and she was really stressing me out, I'm really sorry!"
Richard: "Your mum?! you're 18 years old, such a lame excuse!"

The narrative is:
Evie is late to class and Richard is very annoyed about it.