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Narrative Structures: How can they be adapted for short film?

Narrative Structures: How can they be adapted for short film?


Narrative Structures



Propp:

Propp's narrative focus on 8 main characters and 21 functions which move the story forward. The characters are: The Villain, The Hero, The Donor, The Helper, The Princess, Her Father, The Dispatcher, and The False Hero. The 31 functions include things such as: The Hero is prohibited from doing something, The Villain learns something about the victim, The Villain is punished, etc. 


Todorov:

Todorov says that everything starts with an equilibrium, a problem then disrupts it, events take place and a new equilibrium is established. Modern narratives often start with a disequilibrium.


Barthes:

Barthes suggests that narratives work with different codes which the reader tries to make sense of. These are puzzles which the audience needs to solve throughout the plot.


Levi-Strauss:

This is the focus on binary opposites - there is a central opposition echoed throughout the narrative. Eg. Christian vs Pagan, Strong vs Weak, Domestic vs Savage etc.


Classic Hollywood Narrative:

These are goal driven, with the central character having a clear goal and the film revolving around achieving this. There is usually a villain and a romantic subplot in these films.


Three Act:

Three act works around 1. A set up 2. A Confrontation, and 3. A Solution.




Adaptations For Short Film



Narratives have to be changed due to the lack of time presented in short films so many will only show a central conflict. For instance, many who use the three act will have a short film focused solely around the 2nd act as we do not need to know what comes before of after to enjoy the story.

Comments

  1. Caroline Birks18 October 2018 at 12:53

    Which of the theories do you think will influence how your structure your short film?

    ReplyDelete

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