Narrative theory and my film treatment

Theories that apply to my short films are:

Propp
Todorov
Levi-Strauss

Propp identified a theory about characters and actions as narrative functions.

Characters, according to Propp, have a narrative function; they provide a structure for the text.

Characters that perform a 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

This theory applies to the story line of my short film as there are a significant amount of characters which match this character theory.

The Donor - The drug dealer
The dispatcher - Elizabeth
The false hero - The girl who offers her drugs (she gives her drug in order to mak Elizabeth feel better)
Her father- The reward given is the lesson she learns, he teaches this with consequences


http://www.adamranson.plus.com/Propp.htm