NARRATIVE

Narrative

In Media Studies, it is important to tell the difference between narrative and story

Story = a sequence of events, known correctly as the plot

Narrative = the way those events are put together to be presented to an audience.

Therefore, when analysing a narrative we analyse the construction of the story ie the way it has been put together, not the story itself. You also need to consider what the story is about in its most basic terms, ie the theme (eg Love, war, winning).

All media texts have a narrative, whether they are a six hour TV mini-series or a one paragraph newspaper story or a glossy magazine photograph.

Analysing a narrative will involve the following:

Technical Codes

This refers to all the aspects of narrative construction that involve technical decision making. Therefore anything to do with camera angles and movement, lighting, sound, props. shot framing and composition, design and layout and editing. What do each of the choices made tell you about what is going on - for instance, is a character shot from a high or low angle and how does that make you, the audience, feel about them? How are sound effects used to help you make sense of what is going on?

Verbal Codes

The use of language - written and spoken - and signs contained in graphics. We learn a lot about a narrative from what we are told in this way, but the best narratives show rather than tell, leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions.

Symbolic Codes

These are the signs contained in the narrative that we decode as being significant and having meaning - for example a ragged coat worn by a character may mean that they are poor and possibly hungry. Think of them as clues that have to be followed, and different viewers/readers will follow clues in different ways.

Structure

Russian theorist, Tzvetan Todorov, suggests that all narratives follow a three part structure. They begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when equilibrium is restored.  Equilibrium – Disequilibrium – New Equilibrium

This simple formula can be applied to virtually all narratives - it is a more formal way of thinking about the beginning, middle and end, and it takes into account Aristotle's theory that all drama is conflict ie there is a disequilibrium at the heart of every narrative.

Narrative Conflict

Aristotle - 'all drama is conflict' (4th century BC)

 

20th century theorist Claude Levi-Strauss came up with a theory of Binary Opposition, meaning that all narratives had to be driven forward by conflict that was caused by a series of opposing forces. This theory is used to describe how each main force in a narrative has its equal and opposite.

 

Analysing a narrative means identifying these opposing forces, eg. Light/dark; good/evil; noise/silence; youth/age; right/wrong; poverty/wealth; strength/weakness and understanding how the conflict between them will drive the narrative on until, finally, some sort of balance or resolution is achieved.

 

Key terms - Narrative conflict, binary opposition

Names to know - Aristotle, Levi-Strauss

 

Drama = Conflict

Types of conflict in TV crime drama

CONFLICT

criminal vs victim

criminal vs wife, family

criminal vs police

criminal vs detective

criminal vs law (courts)

detective vs suspects

detective vs criminal

detective vs police

detective vs lawyer

detective vs partner, wife, family