Theorists.

In our coursework we will be using the theory of Vladamir Propp which would continue into the whole film, if we were to make it. His theory is that in each story, there are eight main characters, these include:

· The Hero

· The Villain

· The Donor

· The Dispatcher

· The False Hero

· The Helper

· The Princess

· The Princess' Father

His theory does not state that these all have to be separate people, for example the Helper could also be the Princess. It is quite easy to guess what all of the roles of these characters are, as it is mainly stated in the names (the hero has to save the day, the princess is what the hero has to save, the helper helps make it all possible). It is quite obvious that the two main characters in our trailer will be the Hero (the superhero) and the Villain (evil nemesis). However, further on in the story, or maybe shown in the trailer, the Hero could have someone who is there to support them on the whole journey of becoming a superhero, someone who knows what she has been through. There could also be a love interest for the superhero, who could get caught in a trap from the Villain, and they could become the Princess. The possibilities are endless for what we could create under this theory.

Gustav Freytag analysed Greek and Shakespearean plays to create a dramatic structure. His theory was that to create a successful narrative, they must contain the following in this order:

1.      Exposition or Introduction  This introduces any background information which is needed to understand what the story is, and also the problem which will need to be solved.

2.      Rising Action During this stage the original basic conflict is complicated by the integration of secondary related conflicts, which make it harder for the protagonist to reach his goal. The secondary conflict could include adversaries of a lesser impact than the original antagonist.

3.      Climax During the third act, also known as the turning point, a significant change occurs in the narrative for better or worse. Whether the story goes better or worse for the protagonist depends on which genre the narrative fits in to. For example, if the story is any kind of comedy, or maybe a romance film, the story so far would have been negative for the protagonist, and this act could show a change for them.

4.      Falling Action At this point the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist is unravels, and it is revealed who is the 'winner' out of the pair. The ending of the Falling Action is when the viewer realises that the narrative is now moving on towards the resolution or ending of the narrative.

5.      Denouement, resolution or catastrophe This is where any conflicts that have been apparent during the narrative are sorted. The main characters can then return to some sense of normality, and simply it is the unravelling of any complexities in the plot. Once again, the genre of the movie decides what the ending of the movie will mean for the protagonist. If the film is a tragedy, then the protagonist will probably end up in a worse position than at the beginning of the narrative.