Research into Narrative Theories

Propp's Narrative Theory

Vladimir Propp, noticed that folk tales were similar to films in many areas. They were about the same basic struggles and they appeared to have stock characters. He identified a theory about characters and actions as narrative functions. Characters, according to Propp, have a narrative function; they provide a structure for the text.

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This theory does apply to our film in some ways as we have a girl main character, who has a 'hero' who saves her phone from the 'villan'. Our character provides functions for the text because if she did not leave her house there would be no story for the audience to see as the action happens outside. 

 

Levi Strauss

The theory of binary oppositions theory is demonstrated through the struggle between good and evil, and the tension and drama in the narrative. This can be shown through two characters or two ideologies (a common example of this could be cowboys and Indians in Westerns) This paticular theory is used in most stories as there is generally a good and evil in every story/film.
Another examples are:

                                      Good      ----      Evil

East        ----      West

Nature    ----     Industry

---------> This has an aspect of this theory in our film as we have two opposites (a 'villainous' girl and a 'heroic' boy) as the boy saves the phone from the girl and retrieve it to it's owner.

This theory does apply to our film as it starts with equilibrium (the girl at home), her phone gets stolen which disrupts the equilibrium, "Sam" recognises the disequilibrium and returns the phone, which then goes back to a equilbrium.