Todorov (1977)
Todorov stated that there are 5 stages to a narrative. Stage 1, is the point of stable equilibrium, where everything is normal with no disruptions. Stage 2, is when there is a disruption of the equilibrium and this then creates a disequilibrium. Stage 3, is the recognition of the disruption. Stage 4, is that it is only possible to recreate the equilibrium through actions against the disequilibrium. Stage 5, is the new equilibrium.The final equilibrium is different to the first state of equilibrium.
In the video I am analysing, I think the narrative follows the Todorov narrative theory. At the beginning we see the group of 'outcasts' being bullied. This is the initial state of equilibrium. They then think they have had enough and want to do something about it. This is the disruption. They then go on to give them food and drink that they have tampered with and the bullies have then eaten it. This is the recognition of the disruption and then leads on to the repair. They then chase the outcast and beat him up a bit, but more outcasts show up and they can get revenge on the bullies. This is the new equilibrium.
Image from: http://dtugby10.wordpress.com/the-todorov-narrative-theory-within-bond/
O'Sullivan et al (1998)
O'Sullivan suggests that all texts tell a story.He says that all media texts tell us a story about ourselves. It's not necessarily about our own personal stories, but could be about us as a culture. Narrative theory shows what we experience while reading a story, is understanding a set of conventions.
Narrative - Structure of the story
Digesis - The place that the story takes place.
Verisimilitude - This is the quality of appearing real or true. For us to connect with the text then it has to feel very true to life by following the rules of continuity.
Narrative - In the video I am analysing, The structure of the story starts off as what a lot of people may go through (bullying etc. ), and then continues in to what most people would like to do to the bullies. This gives the viewer a sense of satisfaction and helps the audience connect to the video. This is using personal stories to connect to the audience.
Digesis - In the video I am analysing, the story is set in a school. This is a place that most people in the world have been to, or are at, and they may see some of the things that happen in the video. This means that a large amount of people may connect with this video in some way and it shows verisimilitude. Also, people may not have been through this exact story at school, but it may have been something similar.
Verisimilitude - The video I am analysing, may seem relatively true to life, because it follows the same structure of what may happen in real life, but some of the things are a bit extreme, such as peeing into a sandwich. It does follow the rules of continuity though, which make his seem true to life
Vladimir Propp (1928)
Vladimir Propp is a Russian theorist that studied the narrative structure of Russian folk tales. He concluded that all characters could be put in to only 7 broad character types in the 100 tales that he studied. These are;
The villain - Struggles against the hero
The donor - Prepares the hero or gives the hero an object that may be magical
The helper - helps the hero in the quest
The princess and her father - Gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, and marries the hero.
The dispatcher - Sends the hero off on his journey
The hero or victim/Seeker hero - Reacts to the donor, weds the princess
The false hero - takes credit for the hero's actions or tries to marry the princess.
In the video I am analysing, some of the characters can be represented by Propps theory. In my video, you see; The villain, the hero, and the helper.
The villain - In the video, we see the villain, or the villains, as being the bullies that are bullying the outcasts or other people in the school. We know this because we see them bullying outcasts from the start.
The hero - The hero of the video, is the main outcast. We know this because we see him being fed up with being bullied and takes action against the bullies. This could be considered the quest that the hero goes on. Although it is not to 'wed the princess', it still follows the theory because it is a quest and then something good comes out of the quest.
The helper - The helpers in the video would be the rest of the people that are considered outcasts. This is because we see them helping the main character tamper with the food, and at the end we see them help the main character get revenge on the bullies.
