TODOROV'S NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
Todorov produced a theory in 1969 that was believed to be applicable to all films and their narrative structure, believing that all films progressed in a linear fashion.Many films do follow the narrative structure of films, starting at the beginning, moving to the middle then the end.
There are five stages the narrative can progress through:
1. A state of equilibrium.
2. A disruption of that order by an event.
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.
5. A return or restoration of a new equilibrium.
Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory suggests that all narratives follow the structure above where they begin with equilibrium where the characters are in a balanced setting before progressing for something to disrupt that equilibrium and finally reach a resolution before the equilibrium is restored. Although this theory is used the most in film there has been other narrative structures that have occurred such as non-linear and circular narrative.
Circular narrative is where the story starts at the end, the film joining back to the beginning of the film to find out why the character was in the position they were in. This narrative can be seen in films, as stated by 'The Pen and Pad', 'The movie “Looper,” for example, centers on characters who travel back in time to be killed by their past selves.' Circular narrative starts and finishes on the same action, allowing the audience to understand that they have come back around to this action and allows them to understand the story in better detail. This is one of the harder techniques to use and present to the audience properly that they are able to understand the story telling, this being a far less used technique to those such as open structure or linear narrative story lines.
Open structure allows the audience to interpret parts of the film by their self, normally in the form of a cliff hanger or not all of the questions being answered in the film. This allows the audience to come up with their own ending or answers which makes it unique to them, allowing theories to occur between fans of the film. Although this can be used in film, it is normally more suited for TV shows such as 'East Enders' as it allows the audience to come back to understand the unanswered questions in the episode beforehand.
Non linear is where the story jumps around, a good example of this being Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs' as the story doesn't flow from beginning to end, some of the parts from the end of the film being shown at the beginning. Films with a non linear narrative structure normally have to be watched multiple times before the audience can understand the full meaning behind the film, being the most complicated to perform correctly. This technique is unique and complicated but can be one of the most effective story telling techniques if performed correctly, being able to affect the audience in a different way to other narrative techniques such as circular or open structure.
“A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order.” – Jean-Luc Godard
Narrative structure is important as it allows the audience to understand the story and to give reason behind the story that you are trying to convey to them. It allows the audience to understand the characters and the reactions that they have to different situations, being able to link up the events throughout to make sense no matter what narrative structure you follow. It also allows the audience to understand the details that are in the film, allowing them to take the information to understand the story and meaning behind the film in better detail.
References
Final Draft®. (2018). What Is Nonlinear Storytelling? | Final Draft®. [online] Available at: https://www.finaldraft.com/learn/final-draft-blog/what-is-nonlinear-storytelling/ [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018].
Penandthepad.com. (2018). [online] Available at: https://penandthepad.com/circular-narrative-style-3143.html [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018].
prezi.com. (2018). TODOROV'S NARRATIVE THEORY. [online] Available at: https://prezi.com/y5gvfc_pngwb/todorovs-narrative-theory/ [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018].
Theory, T. (2018). Todorov's Theory. [online] Mikedyera2mediastudies.blogspot.co.uk. Available at: http://mikedyera2mediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/p/todorovs-theory.html [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018].
YouTube. (2018). LOOPER - Official Trailer - In Theaters 9/28. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/2iQuhsmtfHw [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].
YouTube. (2018). Reservoir Dogs (1992) Official Trailer #1 - Quentin Tarantino Movie. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/vayksn4Y93A [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].
