Propp's Narrative Theory

Narrative Theory

Study the Narrative theories of at least 4 people who have researched and written about the subject. 

A good place to start is the Russian Vladimir Propp;

He came to the conclusion that most narratives have 7 key characters that appear on a regular basis. 
Here they are;

The Seven Character Types of Vladimir Propp

1. The villain—struggles against the hero
2. The donor—prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object
3. The (magical) helper—helps the hero in the quest
4. The princess and her father—gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished
5. The dispatcher—character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
6. The hero or victim/seeker hero—reacts to the donor, weds the princess
7. False hero—takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

Be mindful that not every narrative has all of these characters. 

Also remember that Propp was looking at folk tales and not films - so just be careful what you say!

OCR A Level Media Question 1B

For question 1b you will be asked to discuss a media "text" in relation to one of 5 areas of Media Studies. A "text" in this case means one of your media creations - your trailer, magazine or poster.

The 5 areas are; 

Narrative Theory

Audience Theory

Media Language - Codes and Conventions

Representation

Genre

Magazine Front Cover - some reminders.

Here is a good example of how Empire magazine lays out its front  cover. 

Notice that the main image is a front on shot that is a mid shot. 

The title of the magazine is partially hidden by the photo - this is a common code now. 

There is a date of issue, a bar code and a tag line for the magazine.

The main film is clearly highlighted but there are other films that are advertised too. The sticker type idea is also common to film magazine front covers. Be careful with this as they can look tacky if not executed well. Note that the colours of the fonts are reasonably limited - don't go too crazy on the colours!

Make sure that you use a very good camera with a good lens to make sure that the quality is as good as possible. 

As with the poster shots, take lots of photos so that you can choose the best one to use. 

Remember that you need to think about the consistency between this picture, the poster and the trailer itself. 

Photo Shoot for Poster

Here's an example of a film poster to remind you of the layout and the items to include;

Notice that it goes from a big bold image that fills the poster and that there is a tag line - in this case across the top. The title of the film is very prominent for obvious reasons as are the names of the main actors - the USP. Note too that there is a lot of "blurb" at the bottom and that it indicates a release date. 

Here is a landscape poster. Notice that the ingredients are still similar. A striking image, the title of the film, a tag line. Notice also that there is the same sort of blurb. This time the USP is the director as well as the actors. The poster immediately suggests an urban type film. Remember people will most likely see the poster as they go past a bill board or bus stop so it needs to tell you everything quickly and efficiently. 

Remember! When you take the photos for the poster;

1. Use a good camera - with a good lens.

2. Make sure the mis en scene fits the film footage you have already taken -shoot the photos in the same locations

3. Make sure the continuity is good. That means that the actors wear the same clothes, have the same make up and fit what you have done in the film footage. Consistency is the key. 

4. Think about the lighting

5. Take lots of photos from many different angles so that you have lots of choice when editing.