Media Theory

1. MEDIA THEORY
Jacob Dunlop

2. TZVETAN TODOROV
 He said “All narratives follow the structure: Equilibrium,
Disequilibrium, Equilibrium.”
 By this he means, characters, setting and story are
introduced, a dilemma is introduced, that dilemma is
resolved.
 It is also said there are two other levels as well.
 Equilibrium, Disequilibrium, Characters acknowledge
disequilibrium, Characters resolve disequilibrium,
Equilibrium.
 This can be applied to almost any story.
 An example of a film that supports this is I Am Legend.
 An example of a film that doesn’t support this is Pulp
Fiction.

3. VLADIMIR PROPP
 Propp said that almost any character in a story can fit to a certain
category and most narratives have most of these characters.
 Hero – Protagonist
 Villain – Antagonist
 Donor – Gives Hero a device or power
 Helper – Helps Hero on their journey
 False Hero – Appears at first as a good character but turns out to
be evil
 Dispatcher – Sends Hero on journey
 Princess – Marries Hero
 These characters are based on fairytales and don’t stick to other
kinds of narrative so well but are still applicable to modern
narratives.
 An example of a film that supports this is Shrek.
 An example of a film that doesn’t support this is LA Condifential.

4. CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS
 He said that there are almost always binary opposites
motivating characters and plot, these are:
 Good vs. Evil
 Weak vs. Strong
 Young vs. Old
 Male vs. Female
 These opposing forces are still very relevant to modern
narratives and usually at least one can be found in every
narrative.
 An example of a film that supports this is Harry Potter.
 An example of a film that doesn’t support this is Amelie.