Narrative Vladimir Propp

Narrative structure

Vladimir Propp extended the Russian Formalist approach to the study of narrative structure. In the Formalist approach, sentence structures were broken down into analyzable elements, or morphemes, and Propp used this method by analogy to analyze Russian fairy tales. By breaking down a large number of Russian folk tales into their smallest narrative units, or narratemes, Propp was able to arrive at a typology of narrative structures.

He also concluded that all the characters could be resolved into only 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analyzed:

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.
These roles could sometimes be distributed among various characters, as the hero kills the villain dragon, and the dragon's sisters take on the villainous role of chasing him. Conversely, one character could engage in acts as more than one role, as a father could send his son on the quest and give him a sword, acting as both dispatcher and donor.

from Wikipedia

Genre

Have a look at the following links that discuss genre and genre theory:

http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-genre

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/intgenre/intgenre1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_genre

Section A: Question 1 (a)

Post Production

To prepare for this topic, it is useful to look at DVD extras in which post-production choices are discussed. Below is an interesting short piece on post-production decisions for Lost in Zombieville.

Section A: Question 1(a)

Digital Technology

For this topic, you need to consider the impact of the new technologies you have used on your consumption and production of media texts.

Below is a short film made by Andrea Joyce which outlines her own experiences:

Section A: Question 1(a)

Using Conventions of Real Media Texts.

Each of your 3 practical projects had a specific set of conventions. For this topic, you need to consider how your understanding has developed over the course.

Begin by make a note of the conventions of each of the genres you created (you will find conventions of the Music Video and the Thriller on those blogs). Then pick 2 or 3 of these conventions and say how you used them within your own work:

eg. A Convention of the Thriller genre is the theme of identify. In my own project I created mise en scene that included different types of mirrors. These gave different reflections to imply that the protagonist's identity wasn't fixed and could change depending on which context he was in.

Don't forget to ask yourself how useful it is to understand and apply real conventions AND why you ability to apply this understanding has improved over the course.

Section A: Question 1 (a)

CREATIVITY


It is important not to assume one answer to any question! Rather than ask yourself the question, " How have I become more creative during my A level course?", ask yourself, "Have I become more creative?". If you answer the second question, then you will evaluate your progress much more thoroughly.

For example, the pros and cons of using GarageBand might be:

Pros

Allows me to create my own thriller soundtrack.
It's an easy to use programme with a pre-existing set of 'sounds'.
I can use i-tunes to format my soundtrack and then import to Final Cut. The process is quick and straight-forward.

But, the cons could include:

The samples available are limited.
I can't fundamentally change the samples.
My soundtrack sounds like a lot of other student's work.

Section A: Question 1 (a)

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Begin with a timeline of all of the production units you have covered for this area:

Thriller opening sequence/ Opening sequence/ Music video.

For each of these projects, note down all of the technologies and methods you used. Be very specific!

Eg. Don't just write 'blogs'. You have used blogs in many different ways:
1. To review real text examples and discuss conventions.
2. To analyse old student work and discuss marking criteria.
3. To get peer feedback on the progress of your project.
4. To plan micro elements.
5. To discuss audience expectations.
6. To review your own progress and update your plans.

THEN, for each of your technologies and methods, make a list of pros and cons. Ask yourself some questions. Eg. for blogs and their content, you could ask:
What advantages do blogs have over 'paper planning'?
Are there any disadvantages to using blogs? Are they easy to 'read'? To access?
What are the pros and cons of getting peer feedback?
Did I find getting qualitative or quantitative information most useful?
How useful are storyboards and shotlists?
How important is research into audience experiences and expectations?

When you have completed your timeline of notes, you should be able to see how your research and planning skills have developed during your A level Media Studies and what factors have helped them to develop.