Theories and

Narrative
Structure
There are 3 different types of narrative structure.
1. Circular: Begins at the end and goes forward in time. It is
the opposite to a linear structure and usually includes a
series of flashbacks before returning to the current time.
E.g. Titanic
2. Episodic: A series of chapters which follow after each
other, however may switch between different perspectives or
viewpoints of characters. E.g. Forest Gump
3. Linear: Chronological order from the beginning, middle and
end. It is the most common and simple structure. E.g.
Disney films
Tzvetan Todorov
All narratives follow the basic structure:
Equilibrium
Disequilibrium
Acknowledgement
Attempt to repair
Equilibrium

His theory believed in a linear structure. Equilibrium means
an equal balance, where a scene is normal. Disequilibrium is
where a disruption occurs in the event. The acknowledgement
stage is when the characters recognise something has gone
wrong and panic. Stage 4, Attempt to repair, is simply where
they try to find a solution to the problem. Lastly, it
returns to a new Equilibrium, which may not be happily ever
after but is a definite ending of the plot.
Example of
Todorovs
Theory
Acknowledgement- Eddy and his friends discuss various illegal schemes to obtain the
money. They eventually decide to rip-off the gang of thieves next door who themselves
are planning to raid a drug growing operation.
Attempt to repair- Extreme chaos breaks loose and everything spirals out of control.
Eddy and his friends realise they are out of their depth and try to find a way out.
There is a shoot out with the neighbours and many get killed.

Long, Stock and two smoking barrels:
Equilibrium- Bacon, Soap, Tom and Eddie put together
10,000 to bet in a Casino.
Disequilibrium- The illegal high-roller game is crooked
and Eddy ends up owing Harry 500,000 with dire threats
about losing his fingers one at a time if he doesnt pay
within a week.
Equilibrium- The four reunite in a bar and get rid of the
evidence linking them to the shoot-out. Suddenly they
realise the shotguns they bought cost a fortune, and they
desperately try to call Tom. The film ends in a cliff-
hanger when Toms phone is stuffed in his mouth as he is
hanging off a bridge, about to drop the guns in the River
Thames.
Vladimir Propp
Propp broke up fairy tales into 31 sections and believed
there were 7 types of characters in each fairy tale:
1.The villain- the Antagonist
2.The princess- the one that is in need of being saved
3.The dispatcher- character who sends off the hero
4.The helper- aids the Protagonist
5.The donor- prepares the hero
6.The hero- saves the princess; the Protagonist
7.The false hero- initially the Protagonist, however swaps to
the Antagonist and fools the characters/audience


Example of
Propps Theory
Gangster Squad:
1.The villain-Sean Penn
2.The princess-Emma Stone
3.The dispatcher-Nick Nolte
4.The helper-Robert Patrick
5.The donor-Giovanni Ribisi
6.The hero-Josh Brolin
7.The false hero-Ryan Gosling


Gangster squad represents Propps theory. It
explores a strong male traditional team
alongside a red-lipped attractive female.
Although Josh Brolins group of men help to
take down Los Angeles biggest criminal, they
kill people and destroy land as they go.
This creates a false hero image as things
begin to get out o f hand, however, justice
is reserved at the end and the job was
finished.
Claude Levi-
Strauss
Claude Levi-Strauss studied hundreds of myths and legends around the world, learning
that humans make sense of the people and events by using binary opposites, and
narratives are also arranged around the conflict of binary opposites. Gangster films
continuously use Male vs. Female to either agree with traditional representation of
men, or contrast the stereotype and create a strong female role. Furthermore Crime vs.
Justice is a common topic within the genre. I could apply this to my own film opening
by creating an Antagonist and Protagonist. This allows me to control the perspective of
the audience. Crime and Justice are common themes within Gangster films, especially the
genre I am inspired by; British Gangster.
Examples of binary opposites include:



Good vs. Evil Black vs. White
Young vs. Old Male vs. Female
Peace vs. War Protagonist vs. Antagonist
Man vs. Nature Strong vs. Weak
Crime vs. Justice Attractive vs. Ugly
Example of Levi-
Strauss Theory



All Gangster films explore binary opposites, although there may be different
theories involved in each Gangster film. For example, The Godfather:

Shortly after Michael becomes head of the Corleone family, his father gives
him this advice: Women and children can be careless. Not men.
Men vs. Women

Its business, not personal
Business vs. Personal

Michael is concerned with legitimacy, while Vito cares more about respect.
From the moment he takes over the Corleone family, Michael wants to make his
family legitimate. By legitimate he means free of criminality and
immorality
Crime vs. Justice

Inspiration from
theories




I have been inspired by this research as it has made me question the
structure of my own opening, and I am aiming to use a circular narrative
structure in order to reveal a scene that happened the night before. The end
of the clip will show the current time period of them acknowledging a
problem, which would make the audience eager to see how they attempt to
repair it. This reflects Todorovs theory. By learning about Levi-Strauss
theory, I am able to focus on the different genres of characters and plan the
type of people I will need. I believe learning about the different structures
and theories has allowed me to consider the layout of my film opening and
compare it to other Gangster films, gaining an insight into a real directors
planning stage.