Narrative

The narrative is the way the story is being told. Todorov came up with the idea that all stories go through the same 5 stages.

Todorov's 5 Stages of Narrative are:
1) Equilibrium - all is in order, 'normal' and happy
2) Disruption - a disruption to the equilibrium by the means of an event/action
3) Recognition - there is recognition that a disruption has taken place
4) Repair - an attempt to repair the damage caused by the disruption
5) New equilibrium - the problem is solved and we return to a new type of equilibrium


Propp came up with the idea that characters have a narrative function

The Hero – a character that seeks something

The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest

The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties

The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message

The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims

The Helper – who aids the hero

The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots

Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

Example:

Back to the Future

1) Marty Mcfly is a 17 year old who lives with his parents and older siblings. His family are all underachieving and bleak.
2) His friend, Doc invents a time machine and shows Marty how it works.
3) Marty gets sent back in time to when his parents were his age and accidentally meets his parents which stops them from meeting and falling in love  which changes the course of history.
4) He has to make sure that his parents do meet, otherwise he will have never existed.
5) He manages to make them meet returns back home to find that his family are a lot happier than before.

Other Examples:
Little Red Riding Hood
1) Little Red Riding Hood is going to see her grandma
2) She meets a wolf along the way who finds out where she is going
3) When she gets to her grandma's house she finds the wolf has dressed as her grandma and is going to eat her
4) Her grandma pulls her under the bed before he can
5) A man kills the wolf; and Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma are saved

Arctic Monkeys - Leave Before The Lights Come On

1) The man is walking along
2) He tries to help the woman who appears to be about to jump off a building
3) She tries to kiss him and keeps harassing him
4) He tells her to leave him alone
5) She goes back to the top of the building and you see another man walking along

Research Into Romantic Genre

Examples of films with the Romantic are:

1.The Notebook
This is a typical love story told at different times. One is the present day when Allie and Noah have grown old and are in a home; the other is the story Noah reads from the notebook in which he tells how he and Allie met, fell in love, lost each other because Allie's parents disapproved of Noah's unwealthy family, and move Allie away, and how they eventually find other again.

2. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
This is a coming of age film about a 14-year-old girl who keeps a diary of her experience of being a teenager. She writes about what you would expect a typical teenager would write about, such as thinking she has an embarrassing family, falling out with friends, wanting to throw a big party for her birthday and how she wants a boyfriend.

3. 500 Days of Summer
This is a romantic film that does not follow the typical conventions. The film is about a failed relationship, including how the main 2 protagonists meet, how they start a relationship, how the male falls in love with the female but the feeling is not mutual and how they break up and the fact the male has to get over her when he thinks that she's 'The One'.

Genre

Films are usually categorized according to their setting, theme, topic or mood. There are many different types of genres in films, here are a few examples:

• Action - In these films, the lead character has to face many challenges that involve chases and fights. The character is usually struggling against all odds and after overcoming life-threatening situations and a villain, victory is achieved at the end. Examples of films from this genre are The Matrix, The Dark Night and Skyfall.
• Comedy - This genre focuses on humour and making the audience laugh. They are generally light-hearted dramas providing entertainment and amusement. Examples of films from this genre are Life of Brian, The Hangover and American Pie.
• Fantasy - These films often feature magic, myth, wonder and the extraordinary. Exampled of films from this genre are Pan's Labyrinth, The Golden Compass and The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus.       
• Horror - This genre tries elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears. These films will often feature scenes that will startle the audience. Examples of films from this genre are Nosfertu, Psycho and The Grudge.
• Science Fiction - These films often feature ideas such as time travel, extraterrestrial life forms and alien worlds. Examples of these films are Star Wars, Star Trek and Alien.
• Thrillers - Suspense and tension feature highly in this genre. They give the audience a high level of anticipation, uncertainty, surprise and anxiety. Examples of films from this genre are The Silence Of The Lambs, Inception and Limitless.

Editing

Continuity Editing

Continuity Editing is the main style of editing in film and video during the post-production process of film making. It helps create action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes and a logical order between shots.

Opening Sequences: Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde
In the opening sequence of Legally Blonde, you can immediately tell that this is a chick-flick from the colours used the title sequence, the music and the characters. During the opening sequence the shots change from a woman getting ready, without revealing her face and lots of young people who seem wealthy, not very intelligent and have a lot of free time in California. You can tell the girl getting ready is the main protagonist in the film.

Opening Sequences: Juno

Juno
In the opening sequence of Juno there is a flashback, which helps paint a picture of recent events and explains what is happening. There are lots of quick POV shots which specifically focus on one thing at a time. There is a lot of non diegetic sound used such as music and thoughts. There is also diegetic sound used for background music and speech. The credits are quite playful and childlike which reflects the film. You can tell from the first few minutes that this film is a drama/comedy.