Narrative

Level 2 Media Unit 1C: Narrative

Linear narratives: Todorova’s Narrative Structure

Narratives in the media can be either linear or nonlinear.  A linear narrative quite literally follows a line, with a clear beginning, middle and end.  Increasingly though narratives are nonlinear, where the story moves around in time and space, using techniques such as flashback, flash-forward, a range of concurrent narratives and narrators (characters who tell the story).

Many Hollywood films and TV dramas still follow a basic linear structure.  The theory we use to analyse these was originated by a media writer called Todorova.

Todorova (1973)’s model of narrative structure may be used across a variety of forms (fictional / non-fictional) and a range of media (print, TV, film, games etc...)

Todorova’s model, which is also known as the equilibrium / disequilibrium model, is as follows:

All stories are similar in structure, in that they share a movement across a series of three phases which relate to a “problem” or a disruption:

 

 

 

 

OR:

Equilibrium                          Dis-equilibrium                                                                                      New equilibrium

The type of narrative problem and its resolution will depend on the genre of the film. So in a crime story, the narrative problem is the solving of a crime.  There are twists or elaborations of characters as suspects. Eventually the problem will be resolved with the arrest or death of the lawbreaker.

Looking at the opening or climax of a film can establish what narrative problems are being established and resolved. Applying Todorova’s model to a whole film can often reveal a basic structure behind what appears to be a complicated story.

	Establishing problem	Elaboration / development	Complication	Action climax	Resolution
Romance             (The wood )	3 Men who grew up as good friends and always had each backs they went by the name of slim, Roland mike they all have relationship problems and met in school and one of them had a crush on one girl in school so Roland decided to slap the girls bottom as a dare on his first day of school which created a huge fight after school between the girls older brother and Roland which then his two friends witnessed and laughed.	He starts to hang out with the two guys slim and mike on a regular basis after moving from Detroit as time went on he start getting to know the girl that he had slapped on the bum and her name was Lisa ray it was school crush. But she never seemed to like his flirtatious charisma and made him work hard this was influences of his friends  Ever since he met them on his first day at a new school, they shared the common experiences of growing up and life's discoveries which made him moves like that towards the girl he liked and wanted to marry	On the wedding day things aren't looking good when the groom goes missing before the ceremony. During his and his other male friend's effort to retrieve him	When they see a gang pull up to the store and rob the innocent man’s drinks and the boys hide apart from slim  who witnesses everything just waiting to pay for his drink before they go to the disco
Horror (AMERICAN HORROR STORY)	Police come  round to the house asking questions about the mass murder and want to find out how and why it happened and the girls start moving really  mad These girls are all witches and have been put in an institution for them to control their magic powers	Girl starts to give out information to the police and starts to panic but however  Fiona tricks and distracts the officers  who are looking to investigate and seduces them with water which confuses them and changes their minds so the girls don’t get prosecuted or found guilty	The girls have decided to go back to where the dead body are laying and stitched back all the pieces back together to make a human body and used a magic spell to revive the dead human because they were anxious about their consequences and may rely on them so they did what they did	The climax action is included as there’s a women who is being held hostage and has been given a drink of everlasting life this is evident in the flashback when she sees her family all dead and was put inside into a cupboard by an evil witch.
Action (Luke cage)	Black man  shoots a detective 4 times because of the amount of money is the guns to him for	Black guy threatens the officer and a innocent worker nearby and drives off