Narrative

 You'll find them in our Media Factsheet archive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. You can also access them online here if you use your Greenford Google login.


Read Media Factsheet 14 - Telling Stories: The Media's Use of Narrative and answer the following questions:

1) Give an example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium.

Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

2) Complete the activity on page 1 of the Factsheet: find a clip on YouTube of the opening of a new TV drama series (season 1, episode 1). Embed the clip in your blog and write an analysis of the narrative markers that help establish setting, character and plot.


The opening of the Simpson help establish the setting which is a small town called Springfield. Also the opening helps establish the focus of the series which is a family of 5 called the Simpsons. However since this series has a multi strand narrative which means there is no main narrative that the opening can focus on.

3) Provide three different examples from film or television of characters that fit Propp's hero character role.
Shrek: Hero
Prince charming: False hero
Donkey: Helper

4) Give an example of a binary opposition.

Light vs Dark

5) What example is provided in the Factsheet for the way narratives can emphasise dominant ideologies and values?

When the girl wins the heart of the guy in a romantic comedy the values of heterosexual relationships and monogamy are reinforced. In conventional texts crime doesn’t usually pay and the guy most often gets the girl.

6) Why do enigma and action codes (Barthes) offer gratifications for audiences?

They offer suspense and generate curiosity for the audience

7) Write a one-sentence summary of the four different types of TV narrative:
  • Episodic narrative (the series)- Problem that are solved by the end of the episode
  • Overarching narrative (the serial)- A narrative arc that covers a few episodes
  • Mixed narrative- Small conflicts with each character that are solved by the end of the episode.
  • Multi-strand overlapping narrative (soap narrative)- There is no final resolution.
8) How does the Factsheet suggest adverts use narrative? 

In advertising the idea of the problem and resolution is crucial. Often adverts set up a problem and then immediately offer the solution to create a swift resolution

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