Narrative Theory

Todorov - This is theory explains that a story line may be structured with a pattern, that pattern is this: Equilibrium, dis-equilibrium, equilibrium. this means that the media text, such as a moving image production, will start off with a state of equilibrium, balance, and everything will be okay. then the dis-equilibrium, when a problem, arises, the equilibrium is threatened and the characters may be in danger. a new state of equilibrium is then found when the problem is solved and the danger has been overcome. For example in the film Avatar, there is a state of equilibrium at the beginning before any major fighting starts, then Colonel Miles Quaritch attacks and disrupts the equilibrium, but a new state of equilibrium is found at the end when the hero Jake Sully defeats him.

Levi -Strauss This theory explains how each media text may have binary opposites. for example the most common would be good vs evil or hero vs villain. however more simple examples may be male vs female or young vs old. in the Avatar example this can be shown between the hero Jake Sully and the villain Colonel Miles Quaritch. however there are other binary opposites that can be found in this film.

 Propp - This narrative theory explains how most media text have the typical fairytale characters, or a variation. These character are:

• The Villain - who opposes or actively blocks the heros quest 
• The Princess - acts as the reward for the hero, may be the object of the villains plot
• The Princesses father - who acts to reward the hero for his efforts 
• The Hero - a character who seeks something, who tries to stop the villain 
• The Helper - who aids the hero
• The Donor - who provides an object with magical properties 
• The False Hero - who disrupts the heros success by making false claims 
• The Dispatcher - who sends the hero on his quest

These character can be found in the Avatar example:

• The Villain - Colonel Miles Quaritch 
• The Princess - Neytiri
• The Princesses father - Neytiris father
• The Hero - Jake Sully
• The Helper - Norm Spellman
• The Donor - Grace

You may not always find every character in a media text, or you may find that some characters are doubled up, for example although colonel Miles Quaritch is seen as the villain, you could also say he was the dispatcher. 

Barthes - barthes described five codes which are woven into any narrative. here are two of the most important codes 

• The hermeneutic code - this refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. the purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied idd and closure is achieved.
• The proairetic code - this code also builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happen next.

The hhermeneutic and proairetic codes work as a pair to develop the story's tensions and keep the reader interested.