2 narrative

30
Narrative The way meaning is constructed in the media.

Transcript of 2 narrative

Page 1: 2 narrative

Narrative

The way meaning is constructed in the media.

Page 2: 2 narrative

How is meaning conveyed in this ad?

Opposition – connoting the difference between this product and other ‘inferior’, but very similar brands:

Gender m/f Historical (prehuman/human)

Biological (human/non-human) Textural (rough/smooth)

Page 3: 2 narrative

Claude Levi-Strauss a leading early C20 structuralist anthropologist (pioneered study of language as system of signs, codes and structures) intro idea of:

BINARY OPPOSITIONS

He noticed that pairs of oppositions appear in many myth systems and language.

Page 4: 2 narrative

Good Evil

God Devil

Page 5: 2 narrative

Early westerns used white hats to signify good and black hats to signify evil.

Page 6: 2 narrative

Newspapers in particular use binary oppositions to imply a specific reading of the text.

punk straight

scruffy tidy

outsider

troublemaker

conformer

Law abiding citizen going about her business

Page 7: 2 narrative

Saussure – pioneering semiologist

Had similar ideas about how oppositions are used in language and media texts.

Deconstructing a text (image or film) involves trying to see which parts are in opposition

Page 8: 2 narrative

e.g. Titanic: First class vs. steerage

How does the movie value the two opposite worlds?

Page 9: 2 narrative

Signs are only really understood with reference to their difference from other signs in the language system

In advertising planning meetings a product is often brainstormed in terms of its difference (e.g. NOT Levi’s, NOT BMW etc) to work out a clear identity for the product. (Now we even have ads saying ‘x is better than y’)

Page 10: 2 narrative

Texts and signs cannot be fully understood if viewed in isolation (without reference to other signs).

E.g. the meaning of black and white film changed once colour film became available.

What was once the norm came to be used to show ‘past’, ‘old times’ or imply seriousness e.g. Schindlers List filmed in black and white.

Page 11: 2 narrative

Signs have relationships among themselves.

e.g. words can rhyme

Colours can be echoed (rhymed?) across a film, pop video or advert.

Page 12: 2 narrative

Here we can return to the connotations of colour as exemplified by the different outfits Julia Roberts wears in Pretty Woman (US 1990)

Page 13: 2 narrative

General Theories of Narrative

•Making narratives or stories is a key way in which meanings get constructed in the media – and outside them.

•Both factual and fictional forms are subject to this shaping.

Page 14: 2 narrative

Most of us ‘tell stories’ all the time:gossiping about friends; telling jokes; filling family photo albums with appropriate events and some highly constructed characters:

Proud graduate

NOT

Hard-pressed student

Page 15: 2 narrative

Stories create sense and meaning in the world.

Narrative theory suggests that stories in whatever media and whatever culture share certain features.

But particular media are able to ‘tell’ stories in different ways.

Page 16: 2 narrative

Media theorists looked at myths folk tales to find the origins of our most common ways of organising a story.

You can apply these structures to modern media and you will get marks for referring to them:

Page 17: 2 narrative

Propp – Characters ‘classic villains’ etc useful when analysing texts rather than just saying ‘the baddy’ or ‘bloke with the scar’ also shows audience identifies with character roles rather than their psychological make up. Eight character roles in the ‘heroic wondertale’: 1. the villain, 2. the hero, seeks something motivated by initial lack3. the donor, provides an object with some ‘magical’ property4. the helper, aids the hero5. the princess, reward for the hero and object of the villains schemes6. the father, rewards the hero7. the dispatcher, sends the hero away8. the false hero

Page 18: 2 narrative

(Vladimir Propp’s Theory) reminds us that, though characters in stories may seem very ‘real’, especially in cinema and television, they must be understood as constructed characters, who have roles to play for the sake of the story and so often get perceived very quickly as ‘hero’, ‘villain’, ‘helper’ and so on with many accompanying expectations. (Branston and Stafford, 2006, p25)

Page 19: 2 narrative

This structure is still useful as we are still familiar with ‘fairy tales’.

Page 20: 2 narrative

I. Member of family absents self from home:II. Interdiction announced:III. Interdiction violated: IV. Villain tries to meet: V. Villain receives information: VI. Villain attempts trickery: VII. Victim deceived: VIII. Villain harms family: VIIIa. Member of family lacks or desires: IX. Hero approached about lack: X. Seeker decides on counteraction: XI. Hero leaves home: XII. Hero tested: prepares for magical agent: XIII. Hero responds to test of donor: XIV. Hero gets magical agent:

XV. Hero transferred to object of search: XVI. Hero and villain in direct combat: XVII. Hero branded: XVIII. Villain defeated: XIX. Initial lack liquidated: XX. Hero returns: XXI. Hero pursued: XXII. Rescue of hero from pursuit: XXIII. Unrecognized, hero arrives home or other country: XXIV. False hero: XXV. Difficult task: XXVI. Task resolved: XXVII. Hero recognized: XXVIII. False hero exposed: XXIX. Hero given new appearance: XXX. villain punished: XXXI. Hero marries and ascends throne:

Propp’s 31 functions

Page 21: 2 narrative

Di could be said to have had her life told through different narrative constructions in the media. An early narrative ended as ‘lack’ (unhappy childhood,loss of mother,desire to fit in, few formal ed qualifications) was resolved by magical transformation into a ‘princess’ – signified by this kiss on balcony repeated over and over in the media.

Page 22: 2 narrative

Many modern narratives play with our expectations by reversing them or upsetting our belief system.

e.g. when the ‘hero’ turns out to be ‘ the villain’

Page 23: 2 narrative

What characters are constructed by non-fiction media e.g. the weather forecast?

Cold front –’to blame’ or ‘villain’

Warm front – ‘coming to the rescue’

Page 24: 2 narrative

Todorov – Narrative structures

equilibrium, disequilibrium, new equilibrium

e.g. news stories often set up a disequilibrium:

‘workers today voted to reject a pay offer of 1%’

begins with a disruption to an equilibrium but we only know one side of the balance.

Page 25: 2 narrative

Barthes –

Suggested narrative worked with 5 different codes.

The most useful one is that an enigma code works to keep setting up little puzzles to delay the stories ending e.g. how will Tom Cruise get out of his predicament? What is in the box? Etc

Teasers and puzzles are used in factual media too…

Page 26: 2 narrative

Look out for narrative shape in news stories and factual programmes:

‘Once upon a time’ in the news – setting the scene

Judgements made after an event as if certain actions caused it or led up to a narrative closure:

Diana death – tragically unexpected or result of racey lifestyle?

Reporters are trained to construct a ‘good story’

Close ups and editing can emphasise aspects and set up enigmas and disequilibria.

Long news stories in particular tend to become structured into a narrative – hero vs villain etc.

Madeleine McCann story…

Page 27: 2 narrative

Applying Todorov – 1st Gulf War Saddam as cause of the disequilibrium (ignored other motivations for Saddam’s invasions of Kuwait).

As war ended we were directed to see a return to equilibrium ‘happily ever after’ tanks roll home, soldiers welcomed back to families, ‘job well done etc (ignoring ongoing instability and PTS disorder, grieving widows etc)

Applying Propp – Saddam structured as ‘villain’, Stormin’ Norman as ‘hero’, John Major as ‘helper’?

Applying Levi-Strauss – oppositional structures in GW1:East WestBarbaric CivilisationDespotism DemocracyScud missiles Patriot missilesBackward ‘dirty’ technology Futuristic ‘clean’ technologyThe past The future

See p31-33 Branston apply activity 3.2 to Maddy McCann story

Page 28: 2 narrative

Watching Crime Drama is a pleasure although we’re not as clever as them we can ‘catch up’ through ‘Watson or Lewis’ characters and feel glad we’re not as slow as them!

We piece together the story through evidence offered by the plot but we should not feel as if the plot has ‘cheated’ i.e. key points revealed that we could not possibly have guessed at. The butler cannot possibly at the last minute, suddenly be revealed to be a poisons expert.

Page 29: 2 narrative

Also important part of Narrative Construction is ‘who is telling the story’ e.g. ‘HOODWINKED’ is several different points of view based on the Story of RED RIDING HOOD.

First person ‘I’ should not reveal things that ‘I’ could not possibly have known.

Flashbacks are sometimes used to get around this or mislead the audience.

Third person narrative = ‘once upon a time’ etc

Page 30: 2 narrative

Using Narrative codes in Adverts

Ads often group events into cause then effect order (Some ads are, however, non narrative and simply make a series of claims about the product, list prices or set a mood linked to the product)

Ads quickly create characters, actions and enigmas through signs and stereotypes.

Propp: Traits to give us a sense of the ‘real people’ and discernable hero (usually the product)

Todorov: Some sense of initial situation, then disruption, then happily resolved by the product.

Levi-Strauss: Characters in opposition e.g. Hair Gel ad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwcMU7gbaIsYoung OldHip UncoolYoung ParentalSexy AsexualRule Breaking Rule Enforcing