Theories Within The Media

Vladimir Propp's Character Type:

In 1928, Propp suggested that in any story there are only a limited amount of character types, who each had their own purpose. Many of these characters will be displayed within the trailer to help promote the film, as different people may prefer different characters.

Hero- Traditionally male, but modern narratives now include females, these are central protagonists and drive the story forward, usually with a mission or quest. Such as Beast in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Heroine or Princess- This character acts as a reward for the Hero. In more modern narratives the Heroine can be much more fiesty and active than traditional Heroines. Such as Belle in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Villain- This character usually seeks riches, glory and power and causes a lot of trouble within the film. Such as Gaston in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Donor or Mentor-  These give the Hero information or equipment to help them with their quest. They're usually wise or special, but unable to do the quest alone and rely a lot on the Hero throughout. Such as Lumiere, Cogsworth, Chip and Mrs Potts in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Helpers- The helper's accompany the Hero for support throughout the film. Such as all the furniture in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Tzvetan Todorov's Narrative Stages:

Todorov analaysed how films move forward through different stages, regardless of the genre. He creathed five stages used within a film. The five stages are also briefly shown within the film trailers in an attempt to catch the audiences eye and encourage them to watch the film. 

Equilibrium- Within this stage the setting, key characters and storyline is intorduced.
Distruption- Oppositional characters appear and the story takes a different direction.
Recognition of disruption- Usually the longest stage within a film, as tension is built as events and characters lives are interwoven.
Attempt to repair distuption- This is the highest point of tension, the film changes a lot after this stage.
Reinstatment of equilibrium- Matters are sorted and problems are solved, answering any unresolved questions the audiences have about the storyline.

Claude Lévi-Strauss Binary Opposition Theory:

Lévi-Strauss studied how stories show the values and beliefs within a culture unconsciously. This was then adapted by media theorists to show underlying themes within the media, as well as symbolic oppositions.

        Binary opposition is a pair of concepts or terms which are theoretical opposties. Such as black and white. Black symbolises death, whereas white is more related to purity. Binary oppositions are then used within film to convey different ideas about scenes and/or characters.

Richard Dyer's Star Theory:

Richard Dyer published a book called 'Stars' in 1979, in which he established that the viewer's understanding of the media is influenced by stars. Therefore famous actors are used as characters within the film, as this attracts the public attention and increases sales. This is also the case within trailers, as the cast list is used to emphasise famous stars within.

Laura Mulvey's Feminist Theory:

In 1975, the British feminist film theorist, Laura Mulvey, published a well known essay called 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema'. In this essay she established the 'male gaze', as Mulvey believed media audiences view women from a heterosexual male perspective. For feminists this meant: how men look at women, how women look at themselves and how women look at other women

           

Stanley Cohen's Moral Panic:

Stanley Cohen wrote 'Folk Devils and Moral Panics' in 1972. In which he suggested that a moral panic happens when a 'condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests', leading to people who threaten the social order being described as 'folk devils'.
       Cohen believed that the media has a huge influence on moral panic. He used this to describe the presses reporting of the ‘mods and rockers’ behaviour. For example, the film Quadrophenia is all about the 'mods and rockers' behaviour. This attracted a wide audience as the trailers voice over states 'the major musical statemant about a angry generation is now a motion picture for every generation'. It also portrays a negative string of characteristics within this stereotype. Cohen’s Moral Panic has been used within the media to lure a audience ever since.


Judith Butler's Queer Theory:

The queer theory was created in the early 1990's as a development of the gay/lesbian and feminist studies. The theory investigates different gender stereotypes, as well as their sexual orientation, focusing on the sexual identity.